These are one of the few moments where Odysseus is questioned if he should be a well known Greek hero. However, Odysseus did learn his lesson after Zeus stuck his ship with a lightning bolt. The third time was when Odysseus, Laertes and Telemachus were fighting with relatives of the suitors. The arrogance Odysseus shows here is ill befitting the seasoned warrior and renowned king of Ithaka he is rumored to be. Feeling enraged that he would receive less than a mortal, Zeus removed their source of fire leaving them to starve, and to suffer.
Feeling an eternal guilt, being the caretakers of mankind, Prometheus stole the fire. Being born as a demi-god Prometheus body would rejuvenate therefore causing the cycle to repeat.
Forcing him to suffer for his transgression towards the gods. Despite the horrendous punishment, Prometheus was satisfied by his decisions. Odysseus tells Polyphemus of his name and the cyclops tells his father. If Poseidon never had a grudge against Odysseus for blinding his son,he would have made it back to Ithaca without a problem. When Odysseus finally returns home after a long torturous adventure he comes home to find suitors wasting away at his stores.
In Book 1, Athena comes to Ithaca in disguise as the hero Mentes to convince Telemachus to go in search of news of Odysseus. Have supper first, then tell us what you need. The true exemplars of good hospitality in The Odyssey are the Phaeacians who host Odysseus when he washes ashore near their town. In Book 6, Odysseus meets Princess Nausicaa, who, despite the threat of a strange man and the possibility of becoming the subject of rumor, offers him food and help reaching the city of Scheria.
Her parents, King Alcinous and Queen Arete, are similarly hospitable. After Odysseus reveals his identity and tells his story, the Phaeacians convey him to Ithaca and leave him on the shore with numerous precious gifts, the ultimate hospitable act. Where did you sail from, over the running sea-lanes?
In The Odyssey being a good guest is of equal importance to being a good host, and the suitors represent the worst possible behavior for guests entering the household of a stranger.
Hospitality seemed to play a significant role in ancient Greek societies. How well a person could accommodate guests determined social status. Only the poor or uncivilized could not accommodate guests.
The richest and most prestigious of ancient Greek society gave the best food and most expensive parting gifts. Providing excellent hospitality was the best thing ancient Greeks could do to please the gods because they could never know when they were in the presence of the gods. Among all cultural elements of ancient Greek society shown in The Odyssey , hospitality was the most prominent.
In Ancient Greece, hospitality was something people had to do, or face the wrath of Zeus. 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.
An example of complete xenia would be when Telemachos meets the people of Pylos. Telemachos meets the Pylonians while they are in the middle of an important ritual to Poseidon.
The people of Pylos welcome Telemachos without question, and as soon as he arrives. They do not ask his name or where comes from until they have fed and entertained him, further following the rules of hospitality.
They honor the law of Zeus and continue their festival to Poseidon. The people of Pylos are polite to their guests and treat them very well from the moment they greet them. They wait until Telemachos has eaten to ask him his name and where he has come from. The people of Pylos are the perfect role models of xenia in The Odyssey because they follow all the rules of hospitality unreservedly.
The Cyclops is The Cyclops, Polyphemos, shows how xenia can be not given at all, by the way that he treats Odysseus and his men. How one disregards the rules of hospitality, and does it knowingly, is how the suitors behaved. Throughout the Odyssey, Homer writes about many different instances of good hospitality, like the people of Pylos. Homer also shows instances of bad hospitality, like how the suitors behave as guests and how Polyphemos treats his guests. No matter if it is a good or bad example of hospitality, the impression of how important xenia is to the Greeks is always present.
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