Calypso

There are many essential emotions that form the building blocks of our lives. These emotions help to shape the people that we are. These feelings are emotional necessities to ultimately keep us happy. No piece of literature has these feelings more than The Odyssey by Homer. Throughout the course of this book there is one major emotional theme: love.
In the book The Odyssey, when Odysseus conquers the heavily defended city of Troy after 10 long years of fighting, he is finally allowed to return home to his wife, Penelope and his son, Telemachus. On his journey home he encountered many problems. One of them was Calypso who was a beautiful goddess nymph that fell in love with Odysseus. When Odysseus was sailing home to Penelope and Telemachus, Zeus destroyed Odysseus’ ship for the slaughtering of Helios’ cattle. Odysseus was the only one to survive and was washed up on Calypso’s island where she nursed him back to health. Odysseus was trapped on her island for seven years until Zeus sent the messenger Hermes to say that Odysseus must be freed. This relates to the song “Calypso” because it shows love. She loved Odysseus so much that she didn’t want him to leave. But when she was given the order to free him, she pretended that she wanted the best for him and wanted him to leave and get back to his family so she would seem like a good person.
The Odyssey also illustrates other relationships where love is of great importance. One of the most emphasized is the father-son relationship between Odysseus and Telemachus. This relationship is a little awkward because they both never really got to know each other but they still cared for each other's well-being. When Odysseus heard of all the suitors devouring Telemachus’ future fortune and mistreating him, he wanted to return and avenge the misuse of his family and property. Odysseus, like any parent, missed his only child while he was at war. Telemachus also displayed a lot of love for his father. Telemachus left Ithaca, unexperienced, to search for any knowledge of his father in hopes that he was still alive. Throughout most his life, Telemachus lacked a father-figure and desperately needed that special help and guidance from Odysseus as he became a man. Their relationship seems to show how love can give you the strength to carry on.
Often times in life we search for a companion, someone to share our love and life with. Odysseus and Penelope's lasting relationship is an obvious representation of love in The Odyssey. Although Odysseus was gone for twenty years he never forgot his faithful wife in Ithaca. This love helped him persevere through the many hardships that he encountered on his journey home. Penelope also had this same kind of love for Odysseus. At home in Ithaca, she stayed loyal to Odysseus by delaying her marriage to the suitors that were perusing her. She always kept the hope that her true-love, Odysseus, would return. Odysseus and Penelope's marriage clearly illustrates the theme of love.
Love is a major emotional theme in The Odyssey and the song “Calypso.” This is shown by the relationships between Odysseus and his wife Penelope, Calypso and Odysseus, and Telemachus and his father. This story demonstrates the very first pursuit of love and happiness written down and allows everyone to feel and experience all the hardships and difficulties that Odysseus had to overcome to finally be happy in life.