A major theme in The Odyssey is loyalty. What is its value in Greek society? To what extent are the main characters loyal to one another? What are the consequences of disloyalty? How does Homer develop the message?

Loyalty is definitely one of the most defining values of ancient Greece, they valued loyalty to their deities, to their community and to their family. However, marital loyalty looks different now than before. While Odysseus was wholeheartedly devoted to returning to his beloved wife, he had many affairs with the goddesses he ran into throughout his journey. Nonetheless, we can see how his sexual interactions with other women did not correlate with love for them or absence of thereof for his wife. From this we can infer that loyalty for Greeks meant something different back then, still a strongly determining value for their lives, but definitely different from what it means today.

Moreover, the characters in this story were extremely loyal to their causes, never backing down. We see Telemachus as he keeps believing in his father against all odds, Penelope waiting for her beloved husband for years on end without hesitation, Odysseus following Athena's instructions without questioning ... all of these evidences show the message of loyalty as strongly present in this tale.