Catullus views on love greatly resembles the view of love portrayed in The Odyssey. Catullus views love as a gift from the gods and a promise between two lovers, a promise that should never be broken. Even after Catullus’s love, Lesbia, betrayed him and “bad-mouths” him, it is clear he still loves her and can not get over her. He feels the need to continue to keep his promise to love her, a promise he signs with a kiss.
In The Odyssey, love is also seen as a promise between two lovers. Penelope, even though she has little hope that Odysseus is still alive, continues to keep the promises she made to him on their wedding day. She views love as sacred and refuses to remarry until she knows for sure that he was passed on to the underworld. The greatest symbol of that promise was the bed Odysseus made for the two to engage in eternal love on.