Question: Discuss The Odyssey’s focus on vengeance and/or loyalty and betrayal.
Answer: The Odyssey’s focus on betrayal and loyalty is highlighted through different characters such as Penelope, Odysseus’ wife and Clytemnestra, Agamemnon’s wife. On one hand, Penelope demonstrates her loyalty while waiting for her husband’s return. In Odysseus’ absence, many suitors have taken over her house wanting to marry her and inherit the throne. However, Penelope believes her husband is alive, as a result tells the suitors that when she finishes the shroud she is weaving, she will marry one of them, yet they don’t know that she unweaves the shroud at night to buy herself more time until Odysseus returns home. On the other hand, after Agamemnon’s return from Troy, he came to discover that another man had seduced and married his wife. Then with her approval, he killed Agamemnon. Betrayal and loyalty are opposites, however, in The Odyssey they are very well related since they come from unexpected people.
Hi,
Your observation of Penelope’s loyalty is on point. However, I believe that you should’ve focused your post on Odyssey’s focus on loyalty rather than on Penelope’s. Few sentences on how Odyssey stayed loyal to his wife during his 20 years of absence from his family would’ve made the post stronger. Also, you could’ve elaborated a bit more on why betrayal and loyalty were unexpected from people they came from just as well as what is that that makes the two related although they’re opposites.
Good job overall.