Examples Of Nostos In The Odyssey
Kajaline Rajalingam
Topic two
T.A: Ila Goody
AP/HUMA 1150 9.0A
Friday 10:30 a.m
11 November 2014
Oddyseus: the Human Paradigm of a Civilized Greek Citizen
The Odyssey presents that the wealth of a man in Greek society was primarily based on the amount of livestock he cultivated, and most importantly the honour he accumulated through valorous deeds. Consequently, the degree to which a man was considered civilized was equivalent to his wealth. Homer establishes that achieving nostos was a principal factor for a man to be considered well distinguished and deemed civilized in Greek society. In addition to nostos, three essential qualities of a civilized Greek man include the attainment of kleos, offering sacrifices to the immortals, and possessing …show more content…
For instance, when Penelope tells Odysseus, disguised as a stranger about her contest, he informs her, “..do not put off this contest in your house any longer./Before these people can handle the well-wrought bow, and manage/ to hook the string and bend it, and send a shaft through the iron/Odysseus of the many designs will be back here with you”6. Odysseus cleverly provokes Penelope into commissioning the archery contest, which would enable him to kill the suitors individually. Even though Odysseus is aided by Athena in his nostos, he displays that he is simply not an enforcer of the gods, but a man who is willing to think without godly intervention in order to protect himself and his family. Athena explains the importance of kleos and ingenuity when she advises Telemachus, “.. have you not heard what glory was won by great Orestes/among all mankind, when he killed the murderer of his father,/ the treacherous Aigisthos, who had slain his famous father”7. Orestes presented ingenuity when killing Aigisthos as he would not be able to defeat a man who killed his father, charmed his mother, and ruled Mykene for seven years with brute strength alone8. Possessing ingenuity revealed that a man was able to think beyond the advice of the gods, ultimately allowing him to achieve glory amongst his people and the
Topic two
T.A: Ila Goody
AP/HUMA 1150 9.0A
Friday 10:30 a.m
11 November 2014
Oddyseus: the Human Paradigm of a Civilized Greek Citizen
The Odyssey presents that the wealth of a man in Greek society was primarily based on the amount of livestock he cultivated, and most importantly the honour he accumulated through valorous deeds. Consequently, the degree to which a man was considered civilized was equivalent to his wealth. Homer establishes that achieving nostos was a principal factor for a man to be considered well distinguished and deemed civilized in Greek society. In addition to nostos, three essential qualities of a civilized Greek man include the attainment of kleos, offering sacrifices to the immortals, and possessing …show more content…
For instance, when Penelope tells Odysseus, disguised as a stranger about her contest, he informs her, “..do not put off this contest in your house any longer./Before these people can handle the well-wrought bow, and manage/ to hook the string and bend it, and send a shaft through the iron/Odysseus of the many designs will be back here with you”6. Odysseus cleverly provokes Penelope into commissioning the archery contest, which would enable him to kill the suitors individually. Even though Odysseus is aided by Athena in his nostos, he displays that he is simply not an enforcer of the gods, but a man who is willing to think without godly intervention in order to protect himself and his family. Athena explains the importance of kleos and ingenuity when she advises Telemachus, “.. have you not heard what glory was won by great Orestes/among all mankind, when he killed the murderer of his father,/ the treacherous Aigisthos, who had slain his famous father”7. Orestes presented ingenuity when killing Aigisthos as he would not be able to defeat a man who killed his father, charmed his mother, and ruled Mykene for seven years with brute strength alone8. Possessing ingenuity revealed that a man was able to think beyond the advice of the gods, ultimately allowing him to achieve glory amongst his people and the