Eumaeus is a swine heard a servant to Odysseus, Eumaeus is from a noble background he is one of the few remaining people who are faithful to Odysseus. He is law, and God abiding, he is truthful and trustful, and he respects his master and he expresses his yearning for his master, who might be starving or dead, while others eat his animals. He is generally and guinelly concerned for his master’s property.
Eumaeus invites Odysseus to eat and then identify himself this obeys Zeus and follows the proper rule of xenia. Eumaeus treats people well, as here he is taking the worst type of person – Odysseus in disguise as a wretched man but he still takes care to seat his guest as well as a he can given that he is a poor man, as is right in the rules of xenia rituals and he honours and gives Odysseus the disguised old man the choice cut of the sacrifice and he doesn’t forget about the Gods like the suitors do. He dose this such to the extent that Odysseus is delighted at what is happening.
He thinks highly of his master and contrast that with the wickedness of the suitors. Eumaeus says that his master is dead and he is so loyal to Odysseus and his possession that he says that it is for the lost Odysseus that his heart aches and yearns even over his own family where he was born and also the fact that he hasn’t benefited himself since his master left as he could quite easily have done so without his master’s presence he has bought himself a slave with his own resources. Even after Odysseus disguised a slave swears by Zeus and all the other gods, and by the board of hospitality and Odysseus hearth of which he is approaching- a strong oath he swears that Odysseus will return within this month and punish all the suitors- Eumaeus still doesn’t believe him for fear of breaking his own heart and indication of false hopes in the past from other wanderers.
The Essay on Odysseus Favored By Gods
World Lit November 16, 2000 Odysseus a Strong Man or Just Supported by Gods Odysseus is the main character in an epic poem called the Odyssey. In the poem Odysseus has had some bad luck getting home, with some of the gods helping him and some hindering him his journey towards home is a constant struggle. In this poem we see a man being broke and rebuilt, through constant irony his faith was ...
Eumaeus is loyal to Telemachus also and he talks of his grievance for his master. He is concerned on the way in which the suitors impose on his mistress, Penelope, and the profligate manner in which the wealth of the estate is being consumed, and also he indicates Telemachus un-safety and expresses concerns for his masters well being.
When he tells Eumaeus a story of him at Troy with Odysseus it is designed to put Eumaeus to the test for the concern for his guest, if he would take off his cloak or tell one of the other men to do so, in other words to see if Eumaeus was sincere to his guest. Eumaeus succeeds and gives Odysseus clothing and a special thick cloak, and Odysseus is delighted and from this little test we see really do see how genuine Eumaeus goes out into the bad weather to where the white tusked boars slept under an over hanging rock to care and tend the animals an example of his care for Odysseus property.
Eumaeus cares for Odysseus son that when he sees Telemachus, if he didn’t care and wasn’t happy to see him, he could have done what ever he had liked- but instead he is so happy that he knocks all the bowls and he kisses his master’s son forehead and he showers him with kisses and tears are streaming down his eyes, this is how loyal Eumaeus is and indeed the way in which Telemachus speaks to him we can see that Telemachus finds him loyal and truthful and can without any hesitation converse in Eumaes with what is happening and he hates the suitors also, and he trusts him enough to come to him first before anywhere else. In conclusion Eumaeus is a loyal swine heard and good to his master’s possessions and he is truthful and loyal and kind, in other words he is one of the few really good characters in the book and in Odysseus’s own homeland.
