Fidelity from the Homeric Perspective

Paper Summary:

Uses concise examples from Homer's text to illustrate what fidelity meant to the characters of Odysseus and Penelope in "The Odyssey" and parallels that to modern society.

From the Paper:

"In contemplating the question of fidelity between Odysseus and Penelope in Homer's The Odyssey, one relentlessly sails into the questions of definition and perspective. The concept of fidelity in twentieth century society may carry very different connotations than it did in ancient Greek literature, but then again parallels can be seen. Twentieth century connotations aside, the word fidelity means different things in different languages, and judgments of fidelity must be adjusted accordingly. Fidelity, the word, carries overtones not just of faith, but of trust and belief. A tribute to the similarities between the two characters, Odysseus and Penelope both fail to meet these standards. Neither character has a great deal of trust or faith in anything. The ultimate destination is knowledge of the two characters amidst a great span of time and language, and all understanding is tempered by perspective. One must explore all channels of possibility to arrive, exhaustingly, at a compromise of ideas."

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