Preview

What Is The Guest-Host Relationship In The Odyssey

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
312 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
What Is The Guest-Host Relationship In The Odyssey
Treating guests with respect and generosity has always been a source of pride for hosts, as society has encouraged this way of thinking throughout history. In Homer’s, The Odyssey, the importance of this guest-host relationship becomes reinforced time and time again during Odysseus’ journey. When he finally makes it back home to Ithaca, Homer clearly illustrates for the reader how the guest host relationship holds paramount over everything else: “So you, old misery, seeing a god has led you here to me, don’t try to charm me now, don’t spellbind me with lies! Never for that will I respect you, treat you kindly; no, it’s my fear of Zeus, the god of guests, and because I pity you…” (Homer 313, 314). Immediately, Odysseus’ host, Eumaeus, detects
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Examples Of Hospitality In The Odyssey
    • 677 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Examples Of Hospitality In The Odyssey

    In The Odyssey an epic poem by Homer, Odysseus goes on a twenty year voyage which includes the Trojan War when a sea nymph named Kalypso holds Odysseus captive. During this trip Odysseus meets a lot of new people and when he meets these new people they treat him like he is family, this concept is known as hospitality. In this epic poem this theme is constantly shown by some of the main characters and other characters too. Most forms of hospitality are good but at times there is also bad hospitality shown. Both positive and negative examples of hospitality exist in The Odyssey; Homer uses both these examples to suggest that good hospitality shows loyalty and nobility to others while bad hospitality shows that that person does not care about…

    • 677 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Hospitality And Xenia In Homer's The Odyssey
    • 534 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Hospitality And Xenia In Homer's The Odyssey

    There are many different themes in The Odyssey, but the most prominent theme Homer portrays in his epic poem is hospitality or Xenia. The act of Xenia was perhaps the most important Greek custom out of all because you see it being performed time and time again throughout Odysseus’ journey home. The Odyssey was about the twenty year long journey of King Odysseus return to Ithaca from battling in the Trojan War. The theme of hospitality is present not only while Odysseus is travelling from city to city, but also at his home in Ithaca, where his wife and son, Penelope and Telemachus’, palace is being overrun with suitors.…

    • 534 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Role Of Hospitality In Homer's Odyssey
    • 329 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Role Of Hospitality In Homer's Odyssey

    In just a couple of pages into Book 1, we see the ritual of hospitality where Athena, “gripping her bronze spear,” and to world she looked like a, “stranger now, like Mentes, lord of the Taphians (Fagles 81). So to the world, Athena is a man now and the first to sees her is Telemachus and to welcome her, he say, “Greetings, strangers! (Fagles 81).” And Telemachus insisted on this stranger to have supper first, and then ask what the stranger wanted. It was not just Telemachus who was welcoming to this “stranger,” but the, maid, housekeeper, carver, and heralds were also generous and welcoming by bring out, the “golden pitcher” to wash their hands, “bread to serve them,” and “platters of meat (Fagles 82).” And after the stranger have been there…

    • 329 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Hospitality And Xenia In Homer's The Odyssey
    • 1019 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Hospitality And Xenia In Homer's The Odyssey

    Battered, bruised, and weary from his endeavor through the merciless desert storm, the ragged traveler found his way to a foreign village. He collapsed upon the ground as life - sure enough - was slowly sucked away from his frail, timid body. Upon cue, the native villagers appeared one-by-one and rescued the traveler from the precipice of death and magnanimously clothed and bathed him. Unsparingly, they fed and treated him as royalty. Unconditionally, they asked for nothing in return. Such kindness to guests was a key feature of the ancient Greeks. In order to advance their island-scattered civilization, the ancient Greeks relied heavily on trade and journeys, and in consequence, one of their key beliefs was the concept of hospitality or xenia. As the ancient Greeks tended to embed such beliefs within their literature, Homer, an ancient…

    • 1019 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Examples Of Paeacian Society In The Odyssey
    • 445 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Examples Of Paeacian Society In The Odyssey

    “Tell your squires to mix some more wine so that we can make a fresh libation, to Zeus the Thunderer, patron of suppliants, who deserve respect. And let the housekeeper give him (Odysseus) a meal from all she has available.” Here we see authentic hospitality and civilized behaviour towards a stranger they have just met. They are showing respect to the Gods by preparing a fresh libation for them to wish for goodness and hope for this weary traveller. They show that the Gods are a very important part of their lifestyle and that they do not think that they are better than the Gods in any way. “I wish- by Zeus, and Athene and Poseidon….” These people are believers of the Gods and wish for nothing more than to serve and please…

    • 445 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Calypso And Laistrygones In Homer's Odyssey
    • 981 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Calypso And Laistrygones In Homer's Odyssey

    I’ll show you our town, tell you our people’s name” (Odyssey, Book 6, lines 204-205, 210-213). This is the proper way a guest was expected to be treated in Ancient Greek times. She welcomes him to their land and offers him clothing. Later when the maids are being disrespectful to Odysseus, Nausicaa tells them, “Enough. Give the stranger food and drink, my girls” (Odyssey, Book 6, lines 272-273). This is another example of good hospitality in the epic poem. This is how guests were expected to be treated. At one point on his visit there, Echeneus tells King Alcinous,…

    • 981 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Xenia In Homer's Odyssey
    • 534 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Xenia In Homer's Odyssey

    The ancient Greek code of hospitality xenia influenced the epic in various ways. The Phaeacians welcome Odysseus under this code. “’In accordance with our [Phaeacian] custom, let us make the immediate arrangements to escort him [Odysseus]’” (95). They followed with their custom and later saw him back to Ithaca. This influences the end of the epic greatly without the Phaeacians generous interpretation of xenia Odysseus would never have reached home and taken revenge on the suitors. Xenia was shown again when Telemachus welcomed Athene into his when she wore the guise of Mentes he fed her and asked about his father. She told him to go inquire about Odysseus’s fate. He does this and learns of no accounts of his father’s death so he was more apt…

    • 534 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Odysseus In Homer's Epic Poem The Odyssey
    • 538 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Odysseus In Homer's Epic Poem The Odyssey

    Heroes are characterized by their intelligence and resourcefulness, strength, bravery, and loyalty. Based on this description, Odysseus, the protagonist of Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, is a hero. In the section “The Cyclops”, Odysseus represents these five characteristics in many forms. His bravery is shown when he approached the Cyclops, Polyphemus, while trapped in his cave, to yell about not obeying the gods’ rule of treating guests well, as he was not, to Odysseus and his men. A portion of what he told Polyphemus was, “We would entreat you, great sir, have a care for the gods’ courtesy; Zeus will avenge the unoffending guest.” While hollering at him, Odysseus was very much in danger of being eaten alive, being so close and yelling at…

    • 538 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Hospitality In Homer's The Odyssey
    • 564 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Hospitality In Homer's The Odyssey

    Hospitality is one of the most important themes in Homer’s The Odyssey, and the Phaeacians seem to be among the more hospitable people that Odysseus meets. Among the other people that Odysseus encounters are Aeolus, Polyphemus, Eumaeus, and the suitors. Most of the people he meets are generally pretty hospitable, due to the fear of Zeus punishing them.…

    • 564 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Good Hospitality In Homer's The Odyssey
    • 432 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Good Hospitality In Homer's The Odyssey

    In the Odyssey, hospitality is one of the most important values. In modern times people rarely think of hospitality, but in Ancient Greece it was a pillar of the social structure. In addition, this guest-host relationship, commonly referred to as Xenia, proved to be a lot more than simple courtesy. In a time period where the world was still uncivilized, demonstrating good hospitality showed the mark of a civilized person. Numerous narratives within the Odyssey illustrate the value Homer places on showing good hospitality. He does this by showing bad things happening to those who abuse hospitality such as the suitors, and good things happening to those who practice good hospitality such as Eumaeus, the loyal cowhead.…

    • 432 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Eumaios In The Odyssey By Homer
    • 500 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Eumaios In The Odyssey By Homer

    Eumaios exemplifies the qualities an excellent host should retain. When Odysseus, convincingly disguised as a poor, rugged beggar by Athena, comes to the humble abode of the swineherd, Eumaios tells his men to “bring in [their] best pig for a stranger’s dinner. A feast…

    • 500 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Hospitality In The Odyssey Essay
    • 1114 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Hospitality In The Odyssey Essay

    Hospitality is valued a lot in the greek culture. This can be seen in the book by the actions or words used in the book. These actions or words tell us a description of the greek culture and the importance of hospitality in the greek culture. There are many places in the Odyssey that shows many acts of hospitality. One of these instances where hospitality can be seen in book 5. In book 5 there has been a meeting assembled by the Zeus with other Olympian gods except Poseidon, they gather to talk about Odysseus's fate. They send messages to Calypso through the god of messenger Hermes. Meanwhile Odysseus is with Calypso. Calypso is likes Odysseus very much and tells him that she should just say here with her, but Odysseus turns down the offer because he is concerned with his wife and son. Instead Calypso offers Odysseus hospitality in forms of foods and even transportation to reach back home.. She even builds him a ship to reach home. This…

    • 1114 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Hospitality In The Odyssey
    • 840 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Essay On Hospitality In The Odyssey

    They offer little to no hospitality to Odysseus. Although one suitor does offer hospitality to Odysseus after he wins a fight ( page 187) , it's very brief. The suitors do not fear or honor Zeus because of their own carelessness and foolishness. They underestimate the power of Zeus. This is ironic because this part of the story teaches the consequences of being inhospitable. On page 211 it shows the support Zeus has for Odysseus, and the suitor’s deaths. Zeus fires off a lightning bolt right before the suitor’s deaths. Earlier in the story ( page 146) it shows the opposing opinion on Odysseus, from Zeus since he destroys his whole ship. Zeus destroys the ship since Odysseus’ crew eats Helios’ sacred cattle. This turn from unsupporting Odysseus to supporting him shows that something makes Zeus change. That something could either be a bloodlust or revenge for not following the hospitality code. It's probably both honestly. This book ( Book 22 ) also shows that you should always be hospitable to everyone because you don’t know if a god or a king is a filthy looking beggar in disguise. This fear of gods, maybe being a beggar in disguise, shows that people in Ancient Greece would have been to afraid to deny…

    • 840 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Examples Of Arrogance In The Odyssey
    • 1364 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Examples Of Arrogance In The Odyssey

    To quote Ralph Waldo Emerson, “A great man is always willing to be little”. In Homer’s “The Odyssey”, the oldest epic poem known to man, Odysseus, king of Ithaca, is called to the Trojan War. He leaves his home, thinking that he will be back soon, without realizing that the God’s wrath would prevent him from getting home. Odysseus demonstrates many concepts throughout his journey, but the most prominent is his usage of hubris and humility towards the Gods. The hubris he shows towards the Gods is what fuels their rage and makes his journey longer. Although Odysseus shows a great amount of hubris towards the beginning of his journey, as he experiences many humbling experiences, his humility increases.…

    • 1364 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Hospitality In The Odyssey
    • 1166 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Hospitality In The Odyssey

    In our modern day, there are plenty of different ways that a person can show hospitality towards a guest whether it be a stranger or friend. Having only lived in the United States, I have found myself to be treated most graciously by my friends, but every so often, I do find myself to be lost in a friends house. Every person was taught certain morals as a child that they now use in their adult lives, but for some people, hospitality has been thought to be just letting them come into the house. In the Odyssey, so far, we as the readers have come to see how hospitality can be very well done. Whether it be Telemachus or Odysseus traveling and staying at places, they were served at the finest level even though they were complete strangers.…

    • 1166 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics