Xenia In The Odyssey: The Law Of Hospitality

In the Odysseus (book 9), written by Homer, (book 9) has several symbolisms throughout the episode. One major symbolism used throughout this episode was hospitality. Homer use Cyclops and Odysseus to represent the different view of hospitality. Odysseus action symbolize the poor use of hospitality. Odysseus and his men sailed to the land of the Cyclopes. When they made to Cyclopes’ land, Odysseus wants to find out if the men on the land believe “…wild savages with no sense of right or wrong or hospitable folk who fear the gods (l70 line).” Odysseus and his men enter one of the Cyclopes cave without his permission. Odysseus and his men ate all the Cyclopes food, drank his wine and took some the Cyclopes stock. Odysseus wanted to leave but he

In Greek society, xenia is a concept which dictates the relationship between the guest and the household. The household will clothe, feed, and room the guest, while the guest in return shows respect and gratefulness. Penelope continues to practice xenia, even though the suitors “bled [Odysseus’] house to death” by eating, drinking, and stealing, “ravished the serving women [and] wooed [her without consent]” (Homer 22.37-38). Even after an instance when the suitors “broke into uproar… / [and prayed] to lie besides her [and] share her bed]” (1.420-21) when she cried about Odysseus’ absence, Penelope stilled practiced xenia. When Odysseus returns, he

The Ancient Greek practice of “xenia” is highly valued, and in Homer’s The Odyssey the practice of “xenia” is vital to receive good one’s fate. For example, the cyclops, Polyphemus, does not value “xenia”, so instead of welcoming Odysseus and his crew, the monster decides to eat the men. As a consequence, he lost his sight, which was primarily from Polyphemus 's blatant disregard for the Ancient Greek practice. His fate could have easily been avoided if he had not eaten his visitors. Another example is when Nestor of Pylos and Menelaos of Sparta are both hospitable towards Telemakhos, granting him whatever he pleases on his quest. Both of these men are abundantly rewarded by the gods all from their respect for “xenia”. “Xenia” is the most important

Continuing into book 3, Telemachus is taught of the concept called xenia. Nestor, the king of Pylos, goes by the social contract of xenia, and shows Telemachus a good time while he is there. Nestor tells Telemachus stories of Odysseus during the Trojan War as well as Orestes, praising him immensely. Telemachus learns and appreciates the ways of his father, and so decides to follow the story of Orestes, and kill the suitors to take back his father’s home (3.52).

The Odyssey teaches many important themes. The most apparent theme is an individual’s relation to the gods. In addition, a human's’ relations and the struggles within them is another central theme. Finally, growth and initiation is a very essential theme. All of these themes are very meaningful to the Ancient

Homer’s Odyssey exhibits a wide variety of xenia which exhibits hospitality towards others. Most hospitality that we use is xenia. Without xenia we would not show the utter most respect for

As the precise definition of justice cannot be definitively stated, the line separating just from unjust actions is incredibly obscure. Many factors may influence an individual’s perception of what constitutes justice, such as time period, culture, or personal morals. Thus, while an act may be considered righteous in one context, the same act may be ruled unjust in other contexts. For instance, when Odysseus finally returns home to Ithaca, as retribution for defiling his home and attempting to court his wife, Odysseus murders all of Penelope’s suitors. The extremely graphic depiction of his retribution had appeared almost superfluous, causing the morality of his actions to be brought into question. Therefore, interpreting this scene from a

In the Iliad, hospitality is a reoccurring theme that can change situations, inspire character development, and link itself with other themes to make concrete points. Throughout the Iliad, situations are dramatically shifted when hospitality is used. In many cases, when things are going awry, hospitality allows the characters to, instead of acting like animals, find the humanity inside themselves. For example, in book nine, Nestor proposes a feast for Achilles to try and get him to rejoin the Greek force. Hospitality is especially important in this example, because Achilles was angry but also hospitable. If Achilles was angry but not hospitable the scene would have played out much differently. When Achilles is angry but not hospitable, like in the original fight between him and Agamemnon which

Xenia, or rather reciprocated hospitality, is indispensible in ancient Greek life. Zeus, the god of xenia would ensure that Greeks were hospitable and cordial towards their guests, or consequently faced his wrath. Xenia is a mythical theme that appears countless times throughout The Odyssey. Hospitality is not only practiced throughout the epic, but moreover, hospitality is expected between hosts and guests. The scene at the house of Walsh is a primary example of xenia in O Brother, Where Art Thou. The escaped convicts, journey to Walsh’s house where they are met with an unconventional welcome of a small boy pointing a gun towards the men, and shooting at their feet. Still, the boy lowers his gun upon learning that he is related to Pete, and

The cyclops Polyphemus effectively sets up the entire plot of Homer’s Odyssey, unleashing Poseidon’s wrath on Odysseus and consequently emerging as one of his most formidable rivals. Despite being perceived by Odysseus as an uncivilized savage and the polar opposite of a Greek citizen, it becomes evident that although the two are opposed in terms of customs, they fundamentally resemble one another when analyzed through the lens of xenia, rendering Odysseus’ worldview xenophobic. Thus, the Polyphemus episode turns into a powerful allegory for how the West has traditionally viewed people from foreign cultures that they sought to subjugate.

Parent-child relationships are very prevalent in works of literature especially in the pieces written in Ancient Greece and Rome. Some examples of these are the works we have read in class such as the Iliad, the Odyssey, the Electra plays, and Aristophanes’ the Clouds. Although mother-daughter relationships are important throughout each of these works; father-son relationships are even more so. The father-son relationship is one of the most important aspects of these societies especially in the Odyssey written by Homer. The significance of all of the father-son relationships depicted in the Odyssey itself is for the purpose of exploiting its themes of family, xenia and tradition. The father-son relationship is used as well to exploit the importance

Xenia is an Ancient Greek religious custom which captures the essence of the guest-host relationship. It is a sacred, religious law that may lead to severe punishment by the Greek God, Zeus, if not abided by. However, xenia may do more harm than good in some cases, plenty of which presents itself in the Odyssey. Xenia is a process and has to do with hospitality and mutual respect between a guest and a host. This is an extremely civilised practice placed in such a chaotic and barbaric age. It starts with the guest seeking lodging in a home fitting to his social-standing in society. No person should refuse a guest. Guests and hosts were expected to respect each other and were not allowed to hurl insults at each other. It was considered extremely rude to question the guest until the point of guest comfort was reached. The guest cannot make demands and the host is expected to treat the guest as well as he possibly can. In addition to this, the guest is under the host’s protection for the duration of the stay. The interchanging of gifts was also customary. Other practices included feeding, bathing, clothing and entertaining the guest, thus basically ensuring he or she is totally comfortable. The guest also had responsibilities such as not overstaying his welcome, providing entertainment and to avoid offending the host.

First, Athena makes a plan for Odysseus to meet Princess Nausicaa on Phaiacia. The two Greeks do meet, and even though Odysseus is a complete stranger, which the Phaiacians are not fond of, that Nausicaa is aware of, the princess welcomes Odysseus and makes a plan for him to stay in her father Alcinoos’ palace. When Odysseus arrives in the palace of Alcinoos, he is given a throne in which Alcinoos’ son Laodamas was previously sitting in, and is given a feast. “There they were, face to face: the King in his majesty, and the castaway with only his knowledge of man and his ready wit. Alcinoos held his hand out to Odysseus and led him from the hearth to a high seat where his own son was sitting, near himself, for he loved the courteous Laodamas best of all his sons. He moved his son out of that seat and placed Odysseus there. A servant brought the hand-wash, poured it from a golden jug over a silver basin to rinse his hands; then set a table beside him. A dignified housewife brought bread and laid the table with all sorts of food, and plenty of it. Then the strong man ate and drank after all his troubles” (87). As well as feeding, bathing, and bedding Odysseus, Alcinoos agrees to convey Odysseus back to Ithaca, and protect the warrior from harm until he reaches his destination. The Phaiacian royals show that they adhere to the critical nature

What is the definition of a good person? The view of a good person changes as time goes on. However, the Odyssey is still the foundation of human morality. The Odyssey, created by Homer, is an ancient telling of a man named Odysseus and his journey home from the Trojan War. The morals found in the Odyssey show readers the benefit of being able to view situations from multiple points of view. Also, the text shows the beneficial outcome of resisting from temptations that distract people from completing their goal. As well, how learning from mistakes can prevent their repetition. The Odyssey, a text of antiquity, serves its purpose as a moral guidebook for contemporary behavior.

A major theme in the Odyssey is reciprocity: people getting what they deserve. Reciprocity is an important theme in the Odyssey because it explains why Odysseus’ journey was very long and treacherous. Eurylochus, Antinous, and Odysseus all suffered consequences due to poorly made actions. Each of them made the wrong decisions which lead to death and a long/adventurous journey.