What was Odysseus's primary motive in the Odyssey? His primary motive was to come home to his wife, Penelope, and to his home in Ithaka. It was the reason he battled hardship after hardship, his heart always turned towards his home and his wife. Some people make the claim that he had a "restless spirit" and that he loved adventures and exploration and that he enjoyed the adventures described in the Odyssey. However, I disagree with this claim and would argue that Odysseus's primary motive was to come home to Ithaka and to his wife. .
There are several strong arguments in favor of the claim that Odysseus's primary motive was to come home. First, Odysseus declares that there is nothing better than domesticity and that the best thing is a home that is harmonious and where the husband and wife are in agreement. Second, we can compare at the ratio of the books of the Odyssey that focus on the adventures of Odysseus to the books of the Odyssey that focus on his interactions with his family and see that the latter is are far more numerous. Third, he is extremely saddened when he is told by the blind prophet Teiresias that he will have to leave his home again and explore the unknown world. Fourth, by continually glancing at the sun and waiting for it to set when he is on the island of the Phaiakkian king, Odysseus demonstrates his eagerness to get home. Fifth, he refuses immortality and the love of a very beautiful goddess so that he can go back to his less-favored wife, Penelope.
First, Odysseus declares that there is nothing better than domesticity and that the best thing is a home that is harmonious and where the husband and wife are in agreement. When speaking to Nausikaa, the daughter of the Phaiakiian king, he says, .
"May the gods give you everything that your heart longs for;.
may they grant you a husband and a house and sweet agreement.
in all things, for nothing is better than this, more steadfast.