The Bond of Love

The Bond of Love

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 ones that are ultimately necessary to keep us happy. Nothing makes these feelings more evident than the Odyssey by Homer. Through out the course of this book there is one major emotional theme, which is love. Love is shown within a family, which chose to fight to keep their togetherness no matter how much that had to endure.

One main strife in life is to be in search of a companion who makes us happy and for whom we would do anything. Odysseus and Penelope's lasting loyalty is an obvious representation of love in the Odyssey. Although Odysseus is gone for twenty years he never forgets his faithful wife in Ithaca. This love seems to help him persevere through the many hardships that he encounters on his journey home. On the other hand, Penelope too remains loyal to her beloved Odysseus no matter what happens. At home in Ithaca, she stays loyal to Odysseus by unraveling his shroud and delaying the possible marriage to one of the many suitors. She always keeps the hope that her love, Odysseus, will return. Odysseus and Penelope's marriage clearly illustrates the theme of love in the epic.

The bond formed between father and son is another one of life's ways of showing love. This relationship is shown throughout the Odyssey. Telemachos's desperate search for his father, and Odysseus longing for his homeland and the warmth of his wife and son are prime examples.

Although Telemachos knows not weather Odysseus is really his father, he still cares for him and the well being of what could be his father. When Odysseus hears of all the suitors devouring Telemachos's future fortune and mistreating him, he wants to return and do away with them. Odysseus, like any parent, also misses his only child while he is at war. Telemachos leaving Ithaca in search of knowledge of his father, not knowing anything about life on sea, shows his love for the father figure that he really needs. Their relationship seems to show how love can give you the strength to carry on.

Love is major emotional theme and it is frequently shown throughout the Odyssey. Even though love comes and goes it still plays and important role in everyone's lives. The bond of a family is an inseparable thing, and it gives one the will to persevere