With Great Hospitality, Comes Great Responsibility
By: Wilson Dunn
The social aspect of hospitality is important to understand the role of hospitality in the Odyssey. In Ancient Greek culture, if a person gives many great gifts then he appears to be of a higher social class, and if a person receives many gifts he seems to be favorable in the eyes of others. This explains why in The Odyssey, all the hosts gave gifts to their guests, and why all their guests wanted the gifts. One example of the social aspect of hospitality in the Odyssey occurs when Telemachus voyages to Pylos and Sparta. First, Telemachus visits Nestor on the island of Pylos to find out more about Odysseus. When Telemachus arrives there, Nestor is hosting a feast with his people. Nestor goes out of his way to be a gracious host and make Telemachus feel welcome. When Telemachus goes to Sparta, the Spartans are celebrating a wedding of the son of Menelaus. When Telemachus comes, one of the servants of Menelaus suggests sending him to another house, but Menelaus is outraged and insists that he joins the celebration. These two episodes show the importance of hospitality in The Odyssey. These events made Nestor and Menelaus look favorable in the eyes of others for being such hospitable kings. Another time, when the social aspect of hospitality is shown, occurs when Odysseus is leaving the island of the Phaeacians. Before Odysseus left the island, the Phaeacians gave him many presents including coppers, cauldrons, and gold that Odysseus gladly accepted. The Phaeacians made themselves look like they were in a high social class by giving such great gifts, and it made Odysseus look like someone favorable in the eyes of others. In essence, this made giving gifts a win-win for both the giver and the receiver. The social aspect of hospitality plays a significant role in The Odyssey because everyone wants to give and receive as many gifts as possible.
Image Citation: Cyclops. Illustrations. Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest. Web. 2 Feb 2015.
http://quest.eb.com/#/search/119_1813028/1/119_1813028/cite
Image Citation: Cyclops. Illustrations. Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest. Web. 2 Feb 2015.
http://quest.eb.com/#/search/119_1813028/1/119_1813028/cite
Social Obligations Without Prejudice
By: Aaron Floreani
The social custom of hospitality was expected of all the characters in The Odyssey despite the familiarity they had with whom they were hospitable towards. Odysseus experiences hospitality from the Phaeacians when he washes up on their shore naked. Nausikaa meets the unclothed Odysseus and invites him to come back to town with her. Homer, the author of The Odyssey, writes, “"Stranger," said she, "rise and let us be going back to the town; I will introduce you at the house of my excellent father, where I can tell you that you will meet all the best people among the Phaecians. But be sure and do as I bid you, for you seem to be a sensible person.” Upon meeting Odysseus for the first time, Nausikaa assumes that he is a decent person and helps him without truly knowing whether he deserves the hospitality. Another account of hospitality being offered to a complete stranger is the exchange between Eumaeus and Odysseus disguised as a beggar. At the end of chapter thirteen in the Odyssey, Athena disguises Odysseus as a beggar. While Odysseus is a beggar, he asks a swineherd, Eumaeus, for a place to stay. Eumaeus invites him to his home and Odysseus tests Eumaeus’ hospitality by stating, "Eumaeus, and all of you, to-morrow I want to go away and begin begging about the town, so as to be no more trouble to you or your men.” The beggar offers to leave the next morning as to not be a burden, but Eumaeus responds by insisting that he extends the duration of his stay. This exchange is an example of the commitment that the characters of The Odyssey have to their social customs. Beggars are seen as unwanted and unpleasant, yet the swineherd who had fed him and invited him to his home insists he stays longer based on the expectation of him to be hospitable.
Image Citation: Homer The Odyssey.. Photograph. Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest. Web. 2 Feb 2015.
http://quest.eb.com/#/search/113_902968/1/113_902968/cite
Grandeur, The Best of Everything
By: Bernard Tran
The topic that will be discussed in this essay is the grandeur of the hospitality that the hosts give to the guests of their house. In some instances in The Odyssey, there are people who show great hospitality to strangers that they do not know or are acquainted with them. They show great hospitality by giving many gifts of high value. The great gifts that the characters in The Odyssey give to each other are also an obligation By Zeus that was mentioned in the beginning of the epic.
For example, when Odysseus was shipwrecked on the Phaeacian Island the king gave him food, drink, and water for almost nothing in return. The princess gave him clothes even though he was naked and looked threatening. She showed him great hospitality and helped him get back to his home island. She showed him the way to please her father so that he could return home. Odysseus was finally able to return home, with all the help of the Phaeacians, and the king also gave him many gifts for him to take home. The Phaeacians treated him with respect and were extremely helpful towards Odysseus. They were being kind towards Odysseus, but they also had an obligation to show hospitality because Zeus ordered people to show great hospitality to anyone who showed up at their doorstep.
Another example of great hospitality in The Odyssey was when Eumaios took Odysseus in when he found him in Ithaca. He also gave Odysseus food, water and shelter, but Eumaios did not have much money or provisions, buts still provided all he had for Odysseus. Eumaios defended Odysseus from the ridicule of the suitors and stood up for his guest. Eumaios showed both kindness and hospitality for Odysseus even though Odysseus did not look like he could do anything in return for the help that Eumaios gave him. Similarly to the example above, Eumaios showed great hospitality because he was both kind and he had the obligation to show hospitality.
The characters showed hospitality towards each other even though they did not know each other before. They gave the best of everything they had. The Phaeacians gave him provisions, many gifts, and a way back to Ithaca while Eumaios gave a lot of the provisions he had to Odysseus and stood up for Odysseus against the suitors. They did not show great hospitality just because of their kindness, but because of their obligation by Zeus to show hospitality.
Image Citation: Homer The Odyssey.. Photograph. Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest. Web. 2 Feb 2015. http://quest.eb.com/#/search/113_910780/1/113_910780/cite
Be Hospitable or Die
By: Colin Koerin
Hospitality or the lack of it, affects Odysseus throughout the Homeric epic of The Odyssey, and significantly contributes to the development of the story. It allows the reader the ability to judge the characters in the story by the degree of hospitality offered. The act of hospitality is paramount to the characters in The Odyssey. It is seen as more than just a kind courtesy. It is considered a law to them, a decree of the gods where they are obligated to meet all the needs of their honored guests. However, this also means that disrespecting the hospitality given is a major offense. There are multiple examples of abuse of hospitality seen in The Odyssey. Odysseus' own home was taken over by a horde of suitors who crudely took advantage of Ithaca's long-standing tradition of hospitality. Unfortunately, Telemachus and Penelope lack the strength to evict their unwelcome guests, nor could they hope for much aid from the community because the suitors represented some of the strongest families in the area. This blatant disrespect is not tolerated, and at the end of the epic, the suitors are slaughtered for their ignorance and disrespect. They are killed by Odysseus who was used as a tool of the gods. As the patron god of hospitality, Zeus too is disrespected indirectly by the suitors and enacts his revenge through Odysseus. This divine intervention can also be seen in the episode of Odysseus and the Cyclops, Polyphemus. In contrast to the abusing hospitality, in this episode, the host doesn't even offer any sort of hospitable treatment. Instead, Polyphemus traps his guests and even begins to eat them one by one. This is seen as a major violation according to the Greeks because it is the host’s duty to make his guests comfortable and pleased rather than eating them. The gods too view hospitality as a vital aspect of society which is why Zeus works through Odysseus like before, to enact revenge on Polyphemus by poking out his eye and blinding him. These events prove that abuse of hospitality was not tolerated among the characters of The Odyssey. Everyone was held to the same standards, and if one were to falter from those standards, they would undoubtedly face the wrath of the gods.
Image Citation:
Lebrecht Authors / Universal Images Group / Universal Images Group
Rights Managed / For Education Use Only http://quest.eb.com/#/search/113_906828/1/113_906828/cite
Image Citation:
Lebrecht Authors / Universal Images Group / Universal Images Group
Rights Managed / For Education Use Only http://quest.eb.com/#/search/113_906828/1/113_906828/cite
Respect Hospitality, or Suffer the Sirens
By: Ryan Jarvis
The Sirens, the women and winged creatures that drive countless weary sailors to their death by their powerful song, also play a key relation in disrespecting Hospitality within The Odyssey. The first correlation to the Sirens lies within the suitors and Phemios. With Odysseus gone, Penelope is left to deal with over one hundred suitors that lounge and live off of the wealth of her palace. They abuse hospitality, by what is supposed to be merely gifts, into full economic and financial support. The suitors do not leave however due to the tales and songs from the bard, Phemios. The story relates to the Sirens in the sense of each character's role. Phemios is considered to be the Sirens for he draws the suitors in with such elegant and interesting tales, that they refuse to leave until they are to hear his song. Phemios' tales, consisting of empty promises and gifts, lure the suitors to not only remain in Ithaca, but also in abusing the palace's wealth. The suitors' role within the story is that of the weary sailors. The suitors like the sailors are intelligent, strong, and brave, but they are not wise and lack in kindness/compassion. Due to these fields of lacking, the suitors abuse Hospitality, and their own selfishness and pride consume them, in which they live off the palace's fortune, and treat those within it with great maliciousness, such as Odysseus dog, Argos. Odysseus and Telemachus play the final crucial role of the crushing rocks. As the sailors drove their ships to be obliterated by rocks, so are the suitors by Odysseus and his son. The suitors abused Hospitality, in which they must suffer their fate, as the Sirens do to the sailors. In which Odysseus, disguised as a beggar, reveals himself and slaughters all the men for their insolence and arrogance. The story of the Sirens also comes into play when referencing Odysseus' men, refusing to leave the island of Scyros. Odysseus men lay upon an island in which necessary food and drink is lacking and is scarce in supply except for Helios' cattle. Odysseus warns his men that there will be a curse if they are to eat of these animals and that they will never want to leave the island. For a number of days, the men stay loyal and true to their word, until one day Odysseus returns from exploring the area, only to go back to his men, having slaughtered one of the cows. The men then suffer a terrible curse, and Odysseus must then drag and carry all his men back to the ship, to save them. The Sirens role in this episode is in which Odysseus' men like that of the sailors, eat of Helios' cattle (Sirens' song). Odysseus men are then unable to leave, as the sailors crash into the rocks, and it was due to the same cause, which led to the fall of the suitors. The men, while living on someone's island, disobeyed the foreboding law and would suffer the fate like the Sirens. As the evidence shown, respect of Hospitality is the vital core, to suffering a Sirens' destruction.
Image Citation: Sirens. Illustrations. Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest. Web. 2 Feb 2015.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/546538/Sirens
Image Citation: Sirens. Illustrations. Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest. Web. 2 Feb 2015.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/546538/Sirens
Conclusion
The major themes in The Odyssey are especially significant because they serve to form the moral and ethical constitution of the characters within the epic. The reader learns about the characters through the themes, allowing them to better relate and understand each person. Thinking of hospitality as a major theme in a literary work may seem odd to modern readers. In Homer's world, however, hospitality was essential. Arriving strangers may be dangerous or harmless, and residents are wise to be prepared for trouble. Often, however, strangers are but wayfarers, probably in need of at least some kind of help. Therefor, in The Odyssey, civilized people make an investment in hospitality to demonstrate their quality as human beings and in hopes that their own people will be treated well when they travel. Furthermore, the level of hospitality also affects the social and economic standings of the hosts and their guests. The more gifts one gives or receives the better they are seen through the eyes of society and the gods. Because of the major role hospitality plays in The Odyssey, when characters choose to abuse that gift, they are severely punished like the suitors of Ithaca who overstayed their welcome and were slaughtered by for it. And a punishment also awaits those who choose to ignore the tradition of hospitality all together like the Cyclops, Polyphemus. These reasons all contribute to the emphasis of hospitality seen in The Odyssey. It was a custom practiced by almost all the characters whether they did it out of fear, love, or greed.
Other Sources:
Homer, A. T. Murray, and George E. Dimock. The Odyssey. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1995. Print.
Other Sources:
Homer, A. T. Murray, and George E. Dimock. The Odyssey. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1995. Print.