Odysseus, Penelope, And Relationships In Homer's The Odyssey

The Odyssey teaches readers many lessons about life. Most importantly, it teaches readers about love and relationships. Single people learn to never be afraid to express their feelings towards someone and always look for a spouse with qualities that they would like to see in their spouse. Odysseus and Penelope show readers how to be the ideal couple with their actions. Single people, as well as couples can learn many things about love and relationships from reading about Odysseus and Penelope.
It is always important to express your feelings to the person you love. By showing affection, your spouse or partner will always know that you have them in your mind and will appreciate that feeling. In the Odyssey, Odysseus and Penelope loved each other but they were not able to show their affection to each other during the 20 years that Odysseus was gone. They never had a chance
Some common qualities include having a great personality, good looks, be amusing, outgoing and smart. People also look for spouses that are willing to sacrifice things that are important to them which show that the spouse is dedicated in the relationship. Homer explains some characteristics Odysseus wants in a spouse. After reading about Odysseus with Nausicaa and Calypso, we learn that he wants mortality and homophrosyne, similar beliefs or common way of thinking (6.12. Penelope and Odysseus show homophrosyne when they both refuse to be with another person during the time Odysseus was not in Ithaca and wait to be with each other. Penelope knew that Odysseus would come back and get rid of the suitors and Odysseus knew that Penelope was waiting for him. They also show homophrosyne when they plan for a way to get rid of the suitors (23.469). This shows that both of them are faithful to each other, which is another character traits single people should look for in a