Literature

Love holds this world together. The very existence of human beings in this world is based on love that establishes human relations. Love is the most crucial emotion that binds individuals and keeps them happy. One of the most influential traditions of love in the Western world is Platonism. In the popular mind, Platonism is associated with the concept of Platonic love, which is understood today as a non-sexual relationship between heterosexual friends (Plato, 1951). As the concept of Platonic love is far from doing justice to Platos complex theory of love and sex, French scholars found it helpful to distinguish between amour platonique (the concept of non-sexual love) and amour platonicien (love according to Plato) (Plato, 1951). In Platos Symposium, Plato includes seven different points of view on love representing the speakers that participate in the symposium in honor of Agathon. It would be good if the different types of love covered by the speakers of the symposium are analyzed through the lives of characters of literary works. No piece of literature gives a more vivid manifestation of love than the Odyssey by Homer. The major emotional theme evident in this classic work is love. The characters of the Odyssey exhibit different forms of love that can be analyzed using the explanations of love given by symposium speakers. Pausanias explanation of love can be used for analyzing love found between different characters of the epic The Odyssey. Pausanias idea of dualism is evident in different types of love found in the Odyssey. Pausanias classifies love as sensual love (that which is common) and heavenly love that is based on mental and soul oriented interests.  Happiness and underlying interest of virtue constitute the superior love explained by Pausanias. Both these classifications of love are found among relationships we find in the Odyssey. True love that involves sacrifice is richly evident in the great epic. Common carnal love that is meant for exploitation and deception is also available. The great love relationship between Odysseus and Penelope perfectly illustrates the love explained by Pausanias. Eurykleia, Nausikaa and Queen Arete also exhibit the love of superior quality. The unselfish love between Odysseus and Telemachos the love between Odysseus and Laertes give two more examples of true love in the Odyssey. Examples of carnal or inferior love are also found in the Odyssey. The Seductress women show common inferior love. Helen and Klytaimnestra, Seirenes and Kalypso reveal inferior love.

Love is examined in a sequence by the speakers in the symposium. Pausanias brings up an excellent way of interpreting love. According to him, love can be broken down into two types, common love and heavenly love. Common love can be explained as the love between a man and woman who join for the gratification of the sexual desires. Heavenly love, on the other hand, includes the true love between two individuals that goes past physical appearance and other criterion. True love is a strong force that is born from the deepest heart.  Pausanias distinguishes both types of love. According to him, heavenly love has an honorable purpose.

Heavenly love is ever faithful and includes no lust. Common love, on the other hand, is the love of the physical body, not the real individual. The lasting relationship of Odysseus and Penelope in the Odyssey is an example of heavenly love. Even though through Odysseus is gone for twenty years we never find him forgetting his faithful wife who waits for him. His love for his wife made him persevere through all the difficulties and struggles that he encountered in his journey. Penelope also exhibits the same love towards her husband. Her love for Odysseus is found to be the heavenly love as explained by the symposium speaker Pausanias. Penelope, the wife of Odysseus is a true example of true love. She is the synonym of steadfastness and commitment. We find her waiting several years for the return of Odysseus. Even the intimidating suitors could not distract her away from her commitment and constancy. She successfully maintains the love she has for Odysseus. She patiently waits for his return. This is a wonderful manifestation of heavenly love. We find her telling to a stranger (who is Odysseus in disguise) Stranger, my beauty went forfeit to the Gods the day my Husband sailed with the Argives, for Troy. Should he return, to cherish me, my fortune and favour would improve. As it is, Heaven afflicts me too sorely. All the island Chiefs court me uninvited, and ravage the Estate While I neglect my guests, the suppliants that come, and even Heralds on a mission, to eat my heart out for Odysseus. We find her giving a strange beggar a place by Telemachoss side, for he brought the news of her husband. We find her telling But come, handmaidens, give him a wash and spread a...will accomplish nothing here for all his terriblespite. (19.317-325). Odysseus love for Penelope is true and great. We find him telling her Wife, one thing is certainnot all our soldiers will return from Troyunhurt  So I cannot say whether the gods will let me come back or whether I shall fall on Trojan soil. But I leave everything here in your charge. Look after my father and mother in the house as you do now  And when you see a beard on our boys chin, marry whomsoever you fancy and leave your home. Odysseus returns to his loving wife and understands that she still loves her. He finally tells her So you see that he is safe and will soon be back. Indeed he is very close  I swear first by Zeus, the best and greatest of the gods, and then by the good Odysseus hearth which I have come to, that everything will happen as I foretell. This very year Odysseuswill be here, between the waning of the old moon and the waxing of the new. The love between Odysseus and Penelope thus shows the heavenly love that is beyond all barriers.

We further find Eurykleia who matches Penelope in her commitment. Hers is also a good manifestation of selfless love. We find her being steadfast in her job as Telemakhos nurse. This is an example of love that is unconditional. Pausanias proposed nothing but this type of unconditional love. Nausikaa is yet another example of true love. She is found to be an excellent hostess to Odysseus. She gives him food, good clothing and advice. Her service is also an example of true love and faithfulness. Her mother, Queen Arete is also an example of faithful service which is done out of love. We find her as a good hostess. Her help provided Odysseus a ship to ride to home.

Yet another relationship in Odyssey in which love is manifested is the relationship between Odysseus and Telemachos. The father-son relationship between Odysseus and Telemachos is an example of true love. Even though they do not know each other, they love and care for each other. When Odysseus comes to know that suitors are devouring Telemachos and illtreating him, he thirsts to return and take revenge. Telemachos exhibits a great love for his father. We find him setting out from Ithaca, searching for his father, believing that he is still alive. Telemachos desired for guidance and help from Odysseus. Their relationship is an example of love that strengthens people in their difficult lives. Yet another important love we find in Odyssey is the love between Odysseus and Laertes. We find Odysseus desiring to see his father as he returns. When he meets his father and attempts to conceal his identity he is not able to explain his story seeing the sorrow in fathers eyes. This very incident explains his love for his father. The pain of Laertes explains how much love he had for his son. As Odysseus was thought to be dead, Laertes had reached depression. Laertes was overwhelmed with joy to find Odysseus returning.  Here we find love being a cure for pain and grief.

All these examples of true love explained in the Odyssey confirms to the explanations given by Pausanias. Pausanias claims that not every love is worth pursuing or praiseworthy. The love of the body has foolish things as its end and is not constant or stable. Each person becomes replaceable and is pursued only as long as the bloom of youth flourishes after beauty has passed and withered, the lover discards the person like an object (Plato, 1951). The love between Penelope and Odysseus describes this love. The true lover who loves reason and intelligence more than outward appearance would remain faithful to his partner. These types of love are true and permanent. Such love gives no room for money, wealth or position. According to Pausanias the motive of true love would be the education, enlightenment or improvement of the loved one. The purpose of love is creating virtue. Love pursued for other means is wrong, no matter what consequence it brings. Pausanias explains that a loved one who gratifies his lover in the hopes of gaining virtue is partaking in Heavenly Love, while gratification given for any other reason is simply Common Love (Plato, 1951).
Pausanias discusses various types of common love. According to him, virtue is the key to love. Love without virtue is considered by Pausanias as Common, inferior love. Intentions should be seeded in virtue for giving birth to true love. In Odyssey we find several examples of characters whose intentions are not true. They are pure examples of common love which is inferior. Seductress women in Odyssey manifest this common inferior love.

Two less benevolent seductress women are half-sisters Helen and Klytaimnestra. We find that the entire Trojan War is caused by Helens disloyalty towards Menelaos. Her affair caused several deaths. Odysseus would have avoided leaving home if she had not left with Paris. Klytaimnestra also became the reason for agony and sufferings by maintaining an affair and later killing her husband on his homecoming day. The seductress women, who are examples of common love, are always considered as perilous and harmful to mankind. The character Seirenes is yet another example. We find that their song seducing and compelling the listening people to linger until they die. Kirke attempts to seduce Odysseus before she helps him. The charming Kalypso tries to attract him with sex and immortality and never allows him to go home. These characters in Odyssey are examples of weak, common love. They look for inferior relationships and never desire true love.

The Odyssey by Homer thus include several characters whose love for each other give a strong example for the love explained by Pausanias in Platos The Symposium.