The Importance of Loyalty

An important point in The Odyssey is the necessity of following orders of higher ups. It's an interesting hierarchy that affects everyone from Odysseus' crew to the Olympic Gods, with the crew doing everything Odysseus says and the gods doing everything Zeus says. The gods also have a patriarchal hierarchy with Zeus being not only a leader but their father. This leadership role is another example of something that cannot be changed. The people in powerful positions were more, often than not, born into them such as the kings who fought in the Trojan War: Odysseus, Menelaus, Agamemnon etc. But getting back to leadership, it seems that all the lower people on the totem pole do whatever someone above them says. One example of when blind leadership is shown when Odysseus lands at Circe's isle when Odysseus sets up platoons, but makes the one he's not leading go first. "And so, numbering off my band of men-at arms/ into two platoons, I assigned them each a leader:/ I took one and lord Eurylochus took the other./ We quickly shook lots in a bronze helmet---/ the lot of brave Eurylochus leapt out first."(236, 222-225) Another example is when Odysseus' crew all land at the isle of the Lastrygonians, while Odysseus decides to be safe and moor away from his crew. This ordinarily would be fine, but Odysseus didn't even mention his concern of safety to his men. He then "...sent some crew ahead to learn who lived there---/ men like us perhaps who live on bread."(233, 109-110 This quote shows that Odysseus, not wanting to put himself in danger sent his men ahead. And finally one of the worst crimes of all is not listening to a superior, even when their actions have killed most of the crew. This is shown when Eurylochus, fed up with Odysseus' actions says "'Poor fools, where are we running now?/ Why are we tempting fate?---/ why stumble blindly down to Circe's halls?/ She'll turn us all into pigs or wolves or lions/ made to guard that palace of hers---by force. I tell you---/ Just as the Cyclops trapped our comrades in his lair/ with the hotheaded Odysseus right beside them all---/ thanks to this man's rashness they died too!'" (233-234, 475-483) This speech is greeted with Odysseus' anger and the crew backing up the captain. Considering that Eurylochus was making some very interesting points about how Odysseus has caused nothing but trouble for his crew, I was surprised that nobody listened to him. So in conclusion, it is Greek custom to listen to leaders, monarchs, and gods no matter what they say or ask, and all are expected to follow blindly.