In The Odyssey by Homer, the scene when Odysseus' dog Argos recognized him after nineteen years of absence, along with Eumaios still respecting his master greatly showed that a loyal person in the Odyssey or even in the Greek society will be respected while the disloyal are despised. Unlike disloyal characters such as Melanthios, the reader respects characters that put duty over personal gain in The Odyssey. The Characters get what they deserve in the Odyssey, if they are respectable, they usually end up well, if they are disloyal, they end up bad.
Both Argos and Odysseus did not forget each other during their nineteen years of separation. Even when Argos is weak, dirty, and dying, he still tried to show affection toward Odysseus by wagging his tail, and laying his ears back. This showed that his loyalty towards Odysseus never faded despite his ma
Not all of Odysseus's servants emulated this ideal. Melanthios, to the contrary was the exact opposite of Eumaios. He ignored his duty as a goatherd by delivering the goats to the suitors instead of protecting Odysseus' property. Even though Odysseus has been gone for a long time, he should still do his job because Penelope was still his master. Even though the goatherd insulted Odysseus unwittingly, the author used dramatic irony here to accentuate the servant's recklessness. The reader knows Odysseus was in disguise, and he was holding in his anger, but Melanthios didn't. He kicked him on the street, he tried to tell Odysseus to leave his own house, and he even helps the suitors during the banquet. These scenes foreshadowed Melanthios' brutal execution later in the story.
In conclusion, the loyal characters in The Odyssey had a good end to them, and
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