Hospitality In The Odyssey

835 Words2 Pages

In The Odyssey of Homer, translated by Allen Mandelbaum, Odysseus makes the journey home after twenty years. He faces obstacles that he must overcome, which includes the loss of all his men. While away his wife Penelope was to pick a suitor from many men who consumed all of Penelope and Telemachus’ wealth. Odysseus returns to Ithaca as a beggar and with the help of Athena, is able to defeat the suitors. Hospitality played a major role in the Odyssey, because it determines the fate of both the host and the guest. Showing anyone into one’s home and respecting them because it is morally right, but the guest must also respect the host repay the favor if needed. There are many examples of good hospitality in The Odyssey, but some stand out more
Odysseus is telling the story of his journey to the Phaecian king and talks about his experience on Circe’s island. When Odysseus and his men reach Circe’s island, some of his men go to her home, pound on her door, and eat her food. Because they were bad guests, she turned them into hogs. Odysseus describes his men having “taken on the bodies—bristles, snouts—and grunts of hogs,” but that they “kept the human minds they had before” (Homer, Odyssey 10.214-245). Odysseus’ men were unhospitable so the goddess Circe punished them. Homer uses poetic justice again to show how rude guests receive punishment for not being respectful. Odysseus' men were acting like pigs in their human form, so Circe made their appearance match their actions making this situation very ironic. At the beginning of The Odyssey, Telemachus is telling Athena disguised as Mentes how selfish and greedy the suitors are. He exasperatedly tells her that “they feed—but never recompense” (Homer, Odyssey 1.137-165). The suitors are rude and unhospitable as well as overstaying their welcome. Homer directly characterizes the suitors here through Telemachus expressing his frustration with them. The suitors do end up paying for their actions with their lives. The cruelest of the suitors, Antinous refuses to give a part of his meal to beggar-Odysseus and when he asks again, Antinous throws a stool at him. He proceeds to yell and insult

Show More
Related

  • Free Essay on Homer's Odyssey: Hospitality

    547 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hospitality: Greek philoxenia; literally “love of strangers.”  Homer might have had such a definition in mind when he introduced the theme of hospitality to his epic poem the Odyssey.  A multitude of reasons for the prominent position this theme plays, both in the Odyssey and perhaps in Homer’s own society, are hinted at in the introductory books, often referred to as the Telemachy.  Just two of these, namely the hunger for news and the belief in divinity, are illustrated by the words and actions of the hosts Telemakhos and Nestor.

    Read More

  • Greek Xenia in The Odyssey

    1934 Words  | 4 Pages

    All throughout The Odyssey there are scenes of good and bad, xenia, or hospitality. It can be seen that hospitality is extremely important in the Greek culture, both how someone treats their guests and how the guests treat the host. A closer look chronologically into the good, then bad examples will show how one acts affects the actions that are brought upon them when they either follow or disobey Zeus' Law. Right at the beginning of The Odyssey, the reader is shown the hospitality that Telemachus has. Athena arrives, disguised, and he invites her into his home by saying: "'Greetings, stranger!

    Read More

  • Odysseus Lessons Analysis

    707 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...s, a prophet, and Circe, a Nymph, that he would be the only one to survive the voyage home. First, Scylla takes and eats six of Odysseus’ men and after they stop on Helios’ Island, the men eat Helios’ cattle. He tries in every way he knows to keep his men alive, but they did not abstain themselves from eating the cattle, so they perish.

    Read More

  • The Odyssey

    646 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the Odyssey the people of Ithaca are accustomed to hospitality. In Odysseus’s lengthy journey home he learns to maintain modesty. Odysseus’s family never give up on him throughout his entire 20 year journey, and they kept Ithaca for him when he came back. The Greek values of hospitality, humility, and loyalty are conveyed in The Odyssey.

    Read More

  • Greed In The Odyssey

    1535 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction.” -Erich Fromm ‘The Odyssey’ by Homer, follows the story of Odysseus, an epic Greek hero. It begins with telling of his venture to Troy, as he leads his army in the Trojan War, and of the separation he has experienced for twenty years from loved ones and his kingdom. However, the epic mainly focuses on the story of his homecoming and all he, and many others, had to endure while he was returning from abroad.

    Read More

  • The Odyssey

    537 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Odyssey is a tale that has changed literature and storytelling. In this tale Odysseus is a Soldier from the battle of Troy trying to get home to his island of Ithaca, where he is king. His wife and son must wait ten years while he is trying to make his way home. In Odysseus’s absence wooer’s, or better known as suitors, learn of his absence and travel to Ithaca to win his wife’s hand in marriage. These men come every day feasting on Odysseus’s food and wine, and give his servant’s orders. His son Telemachus, does his best to keep the suitors from ruining his fathers house but he is only a boy, and doesn’t receive the respect of an adult. Telemachus then has a visit from the god Athena, whom Odysseus is friends with, who advises him to travel to find out about his father. In his travels he hears that Odysseus may still be alive. Meanwhile Odysseus goes through a series of adventures and hardships that prove his wisdom. It is interesting in contrast of the Iliad, even though Achilles was much stronger and a better warrior, Odysseus was portrayed as a greater hero due to his wisdom. He uses this wisdom to escape from the Cyclops.

    Read More

  • The Odyssey

    1113 Words  | 3 Pages

    Through characters and situations, The Odyssey promotes and emphasizes many important ancient Greek values such as hospitality, pride, and fate. Stressed greatly in ancient Greek culture, hospitality is evident throughout Homer’s writing, which reflects and expresses many different value systems within it. For example, when in the cave of the Cyclops, Polyphemus, Odysseus confronts him by saying, “we therefore humbly pray to show us some hospitality and otherwise make us such presents as visitors may reasonably expect” (92). To the Greeks, hospitality was very important, to the point that it was an expectation and not just a quality, as it is in today’s culture. If you feared Zeus and the gods, you were to show hospitality.

    Read More

  • Theme of Revenge in Homer's Odyssey

    868 Words  | 2 Pages

    Homer’s The Odyssey is not just a tale of a man’s struggle on his journey home from the Trojan War, but of his struggle from the consequences of revenge. The Odyssey weaves in different characters’ tales of revenge from the gods and what impact revenge actually had on those characters. Revenge is an important underlying theme in The Odyssey because, in essence, it explains why Odysseus’ journey was so prolonged and treacherous. A few examples of revenge in the poem include Orestes’ revenge on Aegisthus, Zeus’ revenge on Odysseus and his men, and Poseidon’s revenge on Odysseus. These different examples of revenge in The Odyssey show the importance of the gods’ revenge in the epic journey of Odysseus.

    Read More

  • Homer's The Odyssey

    779 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...tested Odysseus to make sure it was him for she “feared some man might come and cheat [her] with his tale” (Homer, 226) showing how truly loyal she is to Odysseus. Although Odysseus was unfaithful there is no consequence for his actions for he is a man but for those women who were unfaithful it could be see how they are punished by men. In the case of Odysseus’ maids they were “unworthy” for they laid with the suitors and as punishment Telemachus says that “By no honorable death [their lives will be taken]” (Homer, 220). The difference in expectations between men and women when it comes to loyalty promotes gender inequality which makes the views The Odyssey has on society rather misogynistic.

    Read More

  • Xenia In The Odyssey Essay

    618 Words  | 2 Pages

    “I often gave to vagabonds, whoever they might be, who came in need.” (Homer, 351) Hospitality was evident in Homer’s time period and eventually was seen as an institution in the Greek culture. A guest-host relationship, known as Xenia, takes place throughout The Odyssey whether it’s to gain relationships or to avoid punishments from the gods. It is a major theme and is apparent in every book of The Odyssey. Hospitable characters who use xenia are what keep this novel going. Xenia affects the plot in many ways and influences characters actions and choices throughout the novel.

    Read More

  • Xenia

    746 Words  | 2 Pages

    In The Odyssey, a Greek hero, Odysseus, journeys back home after the Trojan War. Throughout this long voyage, Odysseus meets many people who take him in out of their own courtesy and hospitality. Within this text, the re-occurring theme of hospitality has had much significance and has also made a presence in today’s society. Xenia was common in the Greek culture; however, changes throughout society have made this form of hospitality a smaller occurrence today. Xenia, or the concept of hospitality, is the main theme present in the Odyssey.

    Read More

  • Greek Hospitality in The Odyssey

    937 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Greeks have been known for their hospitality and politeness, especially when treating guests- whether strangers or not. This is demonstrated near the beginning of the Odyssey when Telemachus went to Pylos to visit Nestor. Nestor, not knowing who he was taking into his home as guests, treated them with great honor and respect. "Now is the time," he said, "for a few questions, now that our young guests have enjoyed their dinner. Who are you, strangers? Where are you sailing from, and where to, down the highways of sea water (p 299)?" If ever Greeks were to serve themselves before their guests or even a little better than them, then they were breaking the most basic of all Greek customs, for this tradition of hospitality was passed down from generation to generation, and breaking it would bring embarrassment and dishonor upon the home.

    Read More

  • Greek Hospitality in the Odyssey

    948 Words  | 2 Pages

    Altogether, hospitality was an important theme for Odysseus, during his adventure back to Ithica. Hospitality also played an important role for Telemachus, and the search for information about the whereabouts of his father. Without this tradition of Greek hospitality, the sequence of events in The Odyssey could have changed drastically. Not only was this Greek custom of hospitality important in The Odyssey, it was also important to Greek citizens. Just the simple tradition of hospitality, whether positive or negative, can explain much about Greek citizens, and how they treat each other.

    Read More

  • Hospitality in the Iliad

    1029 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hospitality in the Iliad gives us an insight in ancient greece and was a major characteristic of their culture. In the Iliad there are many instances of the applications of hospitality in the lives of the people back then. We use the Iliad as a tool to look into their culture because this would have been passed down orally for generations as some of the only literature they had. SO their worldviews and values would be apparent in these precious tales.

    Read More

  • The Importance of Hospitality in the Odyssey

    843 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hospitality today is nothing like it was in Ancient Greece. Today, good hospitality is being friendly and respectful to a guest. In Ancient Greece, hospitality was something people had to do, or face the wrath of Zeus. Zeus’s law of hospitality is that any stranger that comes to your home, the host must be willing to feed, entertain, and maybe offer them a bath and anything else they might be in need of without question until those things had been given, and also give them a parting gift. The guest, in turn, would not be a burden in any way. In The Odyssey, most people follow the rules of hospitality, but there are others who do not. The Greek concept of xenia shows the serious priority the Greeks place on the laws of the gods.

    Read More

More about Hospitality In The Odyssey

Open Document