Honor And Dignity In Homer's The Odyssey

Homer opens with Penelope, Odysseus wife and their son, Telemachus showing hospitality to Penelope’s suitors. Despite this kindness, the suitors began overrunning their home, eating all their food, and drinking everything as if it was their own. This type of hospitality was expected, however. No one was turned away and beggars were considered to be from Zeus, sent to test the host. Telemachus finally admits his irritation with the suitors’ misuse of the hosts’ hospitality “But if you decide it is more profitable and better/ to go on, eating up one man’s livelihood, without payment,/ then spoil my house” (I.

The theme of the Odyssey is loyalty and Xenia. Homer uses conflicts in order to show the ancient Greeks that the concept of Xenia is giving those far from home generosity and hospitality and those who receive it, respect it. Being polite was part of Xenia, even if they were mean you had to be a good guest.

In the story The Odyssey, Odysseus males many allies and enemies while trying to get back home. In the Epic The Odyssey by Homer, the hero Odysseus is trying to get back to the land Ithaca from the Trojan War. For the past ten years, Odysseus has been facing obstacles such as monsters, vengeful gods, and living god 's while traveling back home. For another ten years, Odysseus was stuck in the war against the Trojans who lost. On the way home, Odysseus has been tested on his ability to survive and be a good hero.

Hospitality is a courteous way that guests are treated in a stranger’s home. When a person enters someone’s home for the first time, their first impression will be based off the owner’s hospitality. If the host shows respect and care for the guest, the guest will feel admired. If the host shows discourteous, lack of respect, the guest will have a negative impression of the host. In Greek mythology, showing good hospitality (or also known as xenia) was important.

The Odyssey is often cited as an epitome of the hero’s journey and the monomyth. The hero of the story, Odysseus is on a 10 year battle homeward from the Trojan War to see his wife and son again. With the help divine intervention, Odysseus is able to return home and save his wife from the evil suitors who have continuously tried to win her. One could easily argued that Odysseus is an exemplar of the hero, but there is another story: Odysseus is the opposite of a hero and is not worthy to be called such. He is the villain where the gods are the hero.

A major theme that I think is important to the text is perseverance and loyalty. From him and his men getting attacked by Cicones, the Lotus-eaters captures and locks them up, and Polyphemus imprisons Odysseus and his men; Odysseus preservers. Another troublesome moment is between Calypso and Odysseus. While Calypso is trying to seduce him, he remains loyal and preserves through temptation as “he slept with her at night in her cavern, an unwilling lover mated to her eager embrace.”(Book 5, pg. 388).

But Odysseus faced trials that constrained him ten years late to arrive home. His story about how he faced these trials and tests, were written in the Epic: “The Odyssey” by Homer. After reaching home, and completing the trials called upon him, Odysseus was deemed a legend and a hero. In the light of trials Odysseus went through, he revealed a manifold of

Though Penelope treats her guests no differently than she would a king, she enjoys and is comforted by the presence of her hosts, and she takes care of and provides hospitality for people that she does not even know. Penelope goes out of her way to be a magnificent host because it's expected of her. Penelope being gracious is when she instructs her maids to make a beggar, who has a story to tell about Odysseus,

Homer wrote a major, ancient epic poem called The Odyssey. In The Odyssey, Ulysses has been gone for 10 years since defeating Troy, and he is desperately trying to get home to his beloved wife, Penelope, son, Telemachus, and kingdom in Ithaca. While Ulysses goes through many tribulations throughout his journey, his wife stays loyal to him turning down many tyrants seeking her hand in marriage. Many characters throughout the story of Ulysses long journey home stand out as heroes in their own way, but the true hero in this epic was Ulysses. Ulysses has many admirable traits that can be seen throughout the entire story.

Sanders Whiteside English I Mrs. Miller 11 February 2016 Courage Comes with Wisdom A man willing to fight for 20 years and return home to his family is a hard working man indeed. Characteristics can change the way one get is perceived as well can change the way someone acts. Homer's book The Odyssey takes place in roughly 760 BC in the Mediterranean in Greece. The novel tells of Odysseus, who left his home, wife, and son to fight in the Trojan War. He has then been on a mission, to return home to Ithaca.