Personal Virtue In The Odyssey

A personal virtue that is a major theme in the epic, The Odyssey, is loyalty and perseverance. The best example of loyalty in of the epic, Penelope, who waited faithfully in Ithaca for 20 years for her husband, Odysseus’, to return. Odysseus’ son Telemachus, who also showed loyalty by standing by his father against the suitors who are after the throne. The two analytical lenses that I will use to interpret this epic, is the Psychological and the social class lens. The psychology lens focuses on the internal struggles of a character in a text. This could be seen by the three main characters, Odysseus, Telemachus, and Penelope. All three character, psychologically, have their mind set on their longing reunion throughout the epic which ties to
the theme of how loyal they are and their continued commitment to reunite one day. Odysseus was the King of Ithaca and ruled over with his wife Penelope and son Telemachus. They were at their peak of their social class. However, when Odysseus returned, he was disguised as a homeless wanderer. Odysseus went from the King of Ithaca to a homeless wanderer and made full 180 in his life. The suitors being the aristocrats in the society wanted more wealth and wanted to take the throne by winning Penelope’s heart. This helps readers develop a better understanding of a character’s background, and it helps us relate to them as well. Both these lenses will allow me to interpret my text effectively and help me construct my research paper.