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Three Major Themes In Homer's The Odyssey

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In a story, themes serve as a central topic that helps to enhance the story. They provide background to the story and are essential to any literary work to have one. Themes are reoccurring in the story and help to tie things together. In Homer’s The Odyssey, the themes are very important to the story and help the many character to develop. Throughout the story, three major themes are loyalty, hospitality, and revenge. In the Odyssey, Odysseus is gone from his home from twenty years. Many think he is dead, and his wife, Penelope, shares the harsh thought that he is dead. She has many suitors waiting and wanting to marry her, but she turns them all away and tries to avoid marrying any of them as long as possible because her heart still belongs …show more content…

Although the suiters were not wanted in the home of Odysseus, they were still offered food and room to stay in. When Odysseus is headed home from war, there are many different stops along the way where he is welcomed and treated as a very nice guest. When Odysseus is taken to the home of Alkinous, he is offered hospitality and is not even asked his name at first. People are very welcoming and treat everyone as a respected guest in their home in this story. Revenge is a big theme in the story. After Odysseus blinds Polyphemus, the son of Poseidon, Poseidon is out to get Odysseus. When he is leaving Calypso’s island, Poseidon sends a storm while Odysseus is sailing in hopes to get revenge for what he did to his son. When Odysseus finally returns home after being gone for 20 years, he kills all the suitors who ate his food and invaded his house while he was gone. He was angry and looking to get revenge on them for what they had done and put his wife through. The themes of loyalty, hospitality, and revenge played a big part in making The Odyssey the classic it has become known as. They’re all central parts of the novel, and each one contributes an important aspect to the plot. They help us discover more about characters that we may not have known otherwise. These three themes were very important to the development of the

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