It is without a doubt that some believe loyalty is not essential to maintaining relationships. However, Homer reveals to the reader that through hardships it is helpful to have loyal relationships, which are outlets of trust and support. Homer emphasizes the value of loyalty in all relationships, as demonstrated through the physical and emotional benefits given and received in the strong relationships, especially through adversities, throughout The Odyssey. The relationships between Eumaois, Philotios, and Odysseus, Eurykleia and Telemakhos, and Penelope and Odysseus demonstrate these benefits.
Loyalty is emphasized as valuable in relationships because it brings benefits, demonstrated by the rewards Eumaois and Philotios receive from Odysseus for their everlasting loyalty, and the triumph Odysseus feels when he slays the suitors. Odysseus expresses his appreciation for the trustworthy Eumaois and Philotios through physical rewards such as “marriages to both and cattle and houses” (397-398). Their loyalty is significant because it results in materialistic benefits for themselves, and it leads to Odysseus’ triumph over the suitors, which may not have happened as easily without their support. When slaying the suitors, Eumaois and
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Penelope conveys her loyalty by delaying another marriage to one of the suitors, which is how their strong relationship is preserved throughout Odysseus’ absence. Deceiving the suitors, “she had her great loom...and said to [them] ‘let me finish my weaving before I marry’...but every night by torchlight she unwove it” (22). For twenty years, Penelope remains loyal to Odysseus and does everything she can to preserve their relationship. Without her loyalty to him, she may have married a suitor, making her relationship with Odysseus over, thus emphasizing the necessity of loyalty to preserving strong