The theme of betrayal is clearly brought out in the epic poem, The Odyssey. For example, "Such was their talk, and the ill counsel of the crew prevailed, they loosed the sack, and out rushed all the winds" (Homer92). Due to the crew's greed, they caused both Odysseus and themselves to be blown away from their native land. They could have simply asked Odysseus what was in the bag instead of finding out for themselves. Another example could be, "So spoke Eurylochus; the rest assented. Forthwith they drove away the best of the Sun's kine out of the field close by" (Homer120). Due to their hunger, Odysseus" men disobeyed and betrayed him be killing and eating the Sun's (Apollo) kine. This made the gods angry so they destroyed Odysseus" ship and crew. On the other hand, Odysseus betrayed his men. For example, "Here, then, day after day, for a full year, we sat and feasted on abundant meat and pleasant wine." "Ah sir, consider now your native land, if you are destined ever to be saved and reach your stately house" (Homer99, 100). Due to Odysseus" lack of perception of the world around him, he kept his men their for a full year, therefore betraying them. This has caused them to be away from their homes and families for an even longer period of time. Another example could be "Here at first my men entreated me to take some cheeses and depart" (Homer84). Odysseus did not listen to his men therefore causing a later incident. This caused a few of his men to get eaten and killed. As you can tell, the theme of betrayal is clearly brought out in the epic poem, The Odyssey. The theme of betrayal is also brought out in other forms of literature, film, and music.
