Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Social structure in the Odyssey
Greek life as seen in the Odyssey
What aspects of social and political life in Homeric times are reflected in the Odyssey
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Social structure in the Odyssey
Hospitality or Xenia (Greek for guest-friendship) is a prevalent theme used throughout the Odyssey and helps the readers understand more about Greek culture in the Bronze Age. However in that time it was more like Philoxenia (Extending hospitality to one far from his home). Homer used hospitality to define his characters and shows how it affects them. He introduces their cunning personality traits and ignorance through hospitality. He demonstrates how it affects the gods, and odysseus’s journey, and uses literary elements to do so. The gods are perhaps the most affected by hospitality in the odyssey, probably due to the fact that they are the reason people were so courteous. As we know, people believed that they needed to be hospitable, For example when Athena first visited Telemachus, he was shocked no one had greeted her and invited her in, telling her how they would feed and entertain her, and then find out what her need is. He sat her on an elaborate chair and himself on a bench without asking for anything in return. (1.118-124, 130-134) Not only was he shocked a guest was at the door, he made her more comfortable than himself, not even knowing she was a goddess. This shows the gods that people are behaving correctly and putting others comfort before their own. Homer did this to introduce the hospitality theme. He went farther into detail in this passage to tell the audience what hospitality was like during that time as well as characterize Telemachus. He sounds very generous when welcoming Athena into his house and the audience starts to understand who he is. However we see some characters that feel forced to be hospitable for fear of the gods rather than hope for them. Eumaeus showed this when he said "You too, old man of many sorrows, since the spirit brought you here to me, do not try to please me nor spell me with lying words. It is not for that I will entertain and befriend you, but for
Understanding a story requires more than just reading words and matching them with a general definition. One needs the ability to comprehend the themes by carefully reading between the lines. The concept of xenia is displayed numerous times throughout The Odyssey. Xenia is a type of hospitality that many of the Greeks found necessary to abide by. As Carly said in her description of xenia, it "describes guest-friendship as a sort of custom of the home." In order to fully grasp the idea of the book, one must understand this Greek hospitality and the significance it served to many Greeks during this era. If there were an absence of xenia, The Odyssey would not have any cultural depth to it; instead, it would be a book solely about a war hero who experiences few obstacles on his way home. The main characters of The Odyssey followed the unwritten code of xenos, even if it was not self-beneficiary. Them being
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling” (1 Peter 4:8-9). Hospitality can lead down a path of happiness and joy when ensued. In Homer’s epic The Odyssey, Xenia is an important factor in the foremost important character’s journey home. The role of xenia in the odyssey when followed can be very beneficial and when not followed, deadly. When abiding by xenia, Telemakhos and Odysseus make great steps towards regaining the power from the suitors in Ithaka.
The Odyssey and O Brother, Where Art Thou? both contain Homer’s initial implication of the common hospitality throughout ancient Greece. In the movie, one example of this being portrayed is nearing when Ulysses, Pete, and Delmar escape from prison. The men travel to Wash Hogwallop, Pete’s cousin, house to seek refuge. Wash welcomes them into his home immediately, thus showing Homer’s theme of hospitality. He gives them stew and proceeds to talk to Pete about other family members inside his home. One could say that Joel and Ethan Coen, the directors of the movie, purposely incorporate this scene for several reasons, but the main one is to reveal and incorporate the message from The Odyssey. By having Wash so readily take in his cousin, and his cousin’s friends, the two directors wave a red flag, drawing the viewers attention to this theme. This also shows how hospitable King Alcinous was towards Odysseus. Another example of hospitality throughout the movie is found through...
The Greek value of hospitality is exhibited in The Odyssey by Odysseus and Penelope. Odysseus and his hungry men entered an unfamiliar cave, which was home to the Cyclops. Once the Cyclops saw the men he asked why they are there, and in Odysseus's explanation he mentions “It was our luck to come here; here we stand beholden for your help, or any gifts you give-as custom is it to honor strangers” (line 194). Odysseus is tried to convince the cyclops to let him and his men live by using the Greek value of hospitality. He wants the Cyclops to view him as a guest, not food. To Odysseus it was second nature to help out a guest or person in need. While Penelope was speaking to the suitors she noted “Here is a poor man come, a wanderer, driven by want to beg his bread, and everyone in hall gave bits, to cram his bag” (line 1116). She shamed Antinous for not helping the man, because in Ithaca its is accustomed to provide the hungry and poor with food. The fact that Antinous “threw a stool” at Odysseus, and “banged his shoulder” appalled Penelope. The thought of doing such a thing was unheard of to Penelope since hospitality is a part of her way of life along with all other Greeks. The people of Ithaca from The Odyssey a...
Far removed from our individualistic society today is the ancient Greece portrayed in The Odyssey, by Homer, where hospitality and good will are the way of things. As decreed by Zeus himself, those who wish the favor of the Gods must welcome foreign and domestic with hospitality. A man was supposed to offer the best of his food, his home, and his knowledge before ever asking for his guest’s name or why he was there. There is a sense that those of high status are the main givers of hospitality, but they are not the only ones commanded to offer hospitality. Homer emphasizes hospitality from everyone during Telemachus’ and Odysseus’ journeys, using a man’s xenos, host/guest relationships, with his guest to infer his integrity and character. If a man isn’t pure, then he doesn’t show hospitality and Homer makes sure that man is put in his proper place through the vengeance of those he has wronged.
Homer’s depicts several scenes of positive hospitality throughout the story of “The Odyssey “. For example, the scene with Telemachus treatment of Athena shows how a young man showered their female goddess with more than enough food, clothing, and gave the goddess the best seat in the house. In addition, to Telemachus scene with Athena, Nestor’s shows good hospitality towards Telemachus in Book III.
Throughout his work, The Odyssey, Homer develops a potent theme of hospitality. In the times of ancient Greece, Xenia- or the guest law- was a very important concept. Xenia consisted of two basic rules: the host must welcome in the guest, feed them, and take care of them; in return the guest would be courteous to the host. In The Odyssey, Xenia is one of the only codes of moral conduct that is universal, and a characters hospitality influences others on their journeys throughout the book. When the Phaeacians show a strong sense of hospitality towards Odysseus, he benefits strongly from it and is able to arrive home as a cause of their generosity. On the contrary, when Circe and Polyphemus show a lack of hospitality, they are punished for their doings. Throughout The
Home was a prevalent concept in Ancient Greece. Not only was there a goddess of the hearth and home, Hestia, but hospitality towards others was highly stressed. Home was regarded as a place to escape from chaos in the outside world. Homer and Euripides in The Odyssey and Medea, respectively, use the motif of home to show the difference in an individual’s public manner versus their personal, more natural manner. This difference is caused by the different levels of comfort individuals have in different settings. Specifically, the two works portray the difference through experience of the characters, mistrust developed towards others, and the maintenance of dual identities.
In Homer’s The Odyssey there is another mention of Zeus, the god of hospitality and when Odysseus reaches the cave of the Cyclopes, he tells Polyphemus, “Zeus protects all suppliants and strangers—as god of guests, he cares for all respected visitors “(Bauschatz, 31). The Cyclopes reply expresses that he can care less about the Gods because he believes the Cyclopes hold more power. Towards the end, Polyphemus prays to Poseidon and he throws in Odysseus way but this demonstrates how much interaction the Gods have with the
“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.
Hospitality in the greek is Xenia which was the guest to host friendship and obligations of the host and guest. The giving of gifts was usually done between guests and hosts. They really strived for a symbiotic give and take relationship in which the host does most of the leg work but a honorable and good guest would give so gift or reward in return. The only time when the host could really reject or throw out a guest was when a guest violated xenia terribly to the point where Zeus would give the order to seek justice for an act of such magnitude. For example when Paris is a guest in the King of Sparta Menelaus’ house as a guest and then steals his beautiful daughter from him and runs away. The theft of a princess is a major offense and would definitely deserve some repercussions it says many times in the Iliad of how the gods disapprove of this act.
Many Greek gods were seen as both benefactors and tormentors, typically it depends on which god or goddess you are researching about. The seemingly contradictory behavior of the gods, acting as both benefactors and tormentors of man, can readily be explained when viewed in light of the prime directive for man, to worship the gods and not “overstep,” and the ensuing “Deus ex Mahina” which served to coerce man to fulfill his destiny as evidenced by the myths: “Pandora,” “Arachne, and “Odysseus.” Humankind and it’s range of vision over the gods beauty and power portrayed them to be benefactors but unseemingly it depicted their affliction towards humans.
For example the treatment of slaves. Slaves in many societies were people who were treated poorly, whipped for not doing work, had very little possessions, and treated with disrespect. In contrast, Homer displays a world where slaves are treated with dignity, even though they are lower down in society’s hierarchy. (Slavery Ancient Greece, n.d.) The Odyssey also shows how mortals and the gods exhibit many similar attributes and failings. Homers uses these to give his world of The Odyssey a new meaning, one that may have lessons for today. To not be caught in the trap of jealously, greed and lust, and to treat people who are not as ‘powerful’ with some respect. This is a core message in The Odyssey and which is still relevant
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.
In ancient Greek society, the mistreatment of strangers was considered to be a serious offence. Hellenic culture was encouraged to cultivate ethics, an attitude of welcome, and was very proud of its hospitality to strangers. The Greek word for hospitality, philoxenia, literally means “love of strangers”. Homer might have had such a definition in mind while introducing the theme of hospitality in his epic poem, The Odyssey. His idea correlates with those of his time.