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Fidelity in the Odyssey

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Fidelity in the Odyssey
Thesis Statement: The Odyssey implies that men are more naturally fidel than women.

Men are not more naturally fidel than women. "Fidelity" is the quality of being faithful or loyal. The text “The Odyssey” is about a man, Odysseus, whose goal is to return home safely to his homeland, Ithaca, from his war with the Trojans. Through his journey back home, his loyalty to his wife, Penelope, was tested. Odysseus is not very loyal or fidel with his wife, based from the trials he’s been through on his way back home. For seven years, Odysseus was held captive in Calypso’s island. Calypso is a beautiful nymph who wanted to marry Odysseus. Calypso tries to tempt Odysseus to marry her by offering him immortality but still, Odysseus resists. But although Odysseus resisted Calypso’s beauty and offer of immortality, he still stayed in her island for a long period of time without much complaint. Odysseus could have done many ways on escaping from Calypso but instead he remained there for seven years, just him and Calypso and without even trying to go home. While Penelope, despite the hundred suitors she has, she still chose to wait for Odysseus’ return and ignores all her suitors. Odysseus also remained in Circe’s island for a year. Circe is a goddess, the daughter of Helios. He almost forgot about his homeland and his wife because he enjoyed an easy life with Circe. He only continued his journey to Ithaca because his companions reminded him. While again, Penelope on the other hand, ignored all the suitors she has because of her fidelity to Odysseus. In both cases, Odysseus shows little fidelity to his wife. He longed to be reunited to his wife. However, he was in the company of Calypso for several years without much effort of leaving. He also spent time with Circe, a goddess, and even enjoyed her company. He was even afraid that Penelope might be infidel to him. But Penelope showed more fidelity than Odysseus because of her faithfulness that Odysseus will return and ignored all her suitors. This shows that men are not more naturally fidel than women.

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