...As we are coming to the end of the Odyssey, Homer explains to the reader how Odyssey reestablishes his relationships with his son and wife. Because Odysseus left on a journey when Telemachus was just a baby, Telemachus’ relationship with his father almost does not exist until Odysseus returns home. It is clear that Telemachus has a lot of love and dedication for his father as he is overjoyed to see his father. He cried for a long time. Odyssey, on the other hand, seems calm and has a much more serious reaction when meeting his son for the first time in quite a while. The idea of a father and son relationships in general is an important concept in The Odyssey. We can see that Telemachus grows from a powerless child who will not take responsibility...
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...extraordinary feats. When Helen described Odysseus, she told Telemachus how Odysseus disguised himself as a poor slave to hoodwink the Trojans. "He had, first, given himself an outrageous beating and thrown some rags on–like a household slave–then slipped into that city of wide lanes among his enemies." (pg. 60) Odysseus had done this to blend in with the other townsfolk. He also had heard about the Trojans' plans, so when he learned those plans, he was cunning enough to overthrow their plans. Similarly, when Menelaus described Odysseus, he said Odysseus was...
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...Love comes in many different shapes and sizes. Their is no doubt that a good story like The Odyssey by Homer includes the major emotional theme of love. The idea of love is emphasized throughout The Odyssey in a variety of different ways: Romantic love, familial love, and love within a helping hand of someone. These types of love all come together in perfect harmony to make The Odyssey the amazing story that it is. In life we often look and search for someone to share the love and journey with. Odysseus and Penelope’s strong and powerful relationship was no different when it came to a pure representation of love. Their relationship stayed strong throughout all the hardships they both faced. Odysseus was gone on a journey for over two decades,...
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...Father-Son Relationship in The Odyssey The Odyssey introduces the theme of father-son relationships to exemplify how influential fathers were at the time. Fathers act as role models to their sons and can determine their actions even if there is a physical and psychological space and difference between them, like Odysseus and Telemachus. The reader is able to gain greater insight into the nature of ancient Greek society by analysing these father-son relationships for their complexities and circumstances of their familial ties. With each father-son relationship shown, Homer offers a unique perspective about the roles that were available to both father and son. Book 1-4 Throughout the Telemachia, we learn that Telemachus has been forced to grow up without the influence of his father and has been directly affected by Odysseus’ absence. When he confides in Athena under the guise of Mentor, he proclaims that he does not have solid proof that he is in fact Odysseus’s son and doubts that he is still alive. However, the dialogue between both Athena and Telemachus initiates Telemachus’ spiritual development. So, when the pre-economy of Odysseus and Telemachus re-uniting is fulfilled – Telemachus will be in the position to assist his father in killing the suitors and to restore the natural order in the Ithacan society. Telemachus first asserts his male privilege by ordering Penelope from the public rooms of the palace, indicating to the suitors of his intention to assert his claim...
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...implying the relationship/love affair that Odysseus participated in. As a result, it reveals the disloyal and faithless behavior of Odysseus. Yet, despite engaging in these relationships and being unfaithful to his wife, Odysseus is still praised as a hero throughout the poem and within Greek mythology, revealing how it is socially acceptable for men to have multiple relationships and be disloyal to their spouse. On the other hand, if Penelope did engage in a relationship/affair during Odysseus’s journey, she most likely would be punished or killed, just like the disloyal maids that Odysseus hangs for sleeping with the suitors. Therefore, Penelope’s relationship with Odysseus reveals how women are held to a double...
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...Noah Schoonveld Mrs. Kelley Bailey World literature December 13, 2016 Xenia in The Odyssey Zeus, the ruler of the Olympians, the God of the Sky and thunder, was at the epicenter of Ancient Greek Mythology. Those who worshiped the many Greek gods and goddesses would try to emulate and embody the many characteristics of Zeus, one of them being xenia, The Ancient Greek concept of hospitality. Xenia plays a crucial role throughout Homers The Odyssey. Starting in the very first book, Telemachus is seen opening up his father’s palace to Athena, And later in what might be the greatest display of xenia, Alcinous opens his kingdom to Odysseus. Xenia is so important In the Greek culture, because it develops a mutual understanding and trust between...
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...Lit 13 October 2016 Hospitality Xenia is defined as the Greek relationship between two people from different regions. Hospitality in Homer’s time was essential because in this day and time, methods of travel were less convenient. The communication and technology during this time period was far less advanced than the modern times to come. With the less progressive communication avenues along with longer travel times, more nights were spent away from home in other locations. The most common forms of transportation of this day were boat or on foot which obviously took longer than today’s modern transportation. In addition to this, travelers were not able to afford to stay in hotels or inns every night therefore it was...
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...Laertes and Poseidon helped their sons, just like Telemachus helped his father, Odysseus. Father son relationships in the Odyssey are used for helping each other. Telemachus helped his father take his palace back and ridded of suitors. Homer states, “Telemachus, true son of Odysseus belted his sword on, clapped hand to his spear and with a clink and glitter of keen bronze stood by his...
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...Through The Odyssey, the theme of hospitality is extremely important. In Grecian culture, being is a good host is highly valued and expected by guests. Hospitality was one of Zeus’s ground rules of ancient society. It is a crime against Zeus to commit an offense against a host or guest. Hospitality is an honorable characteristic. It was believed that not being hospitable would result in punishment from the gods. Throughout the Odyssey, three distinct events show the importance of hospitality during the Homer era. The first is Odysseus and the Phaeacian’s who are honorable hosts. The next is the suitors occupying Odysseus’s house, who are shown as horrible guests. Lastly, Odysseus is the guest of Polyphemus, who is an awful host. By comparing and contrasting these three events, one can show the importance of hospitality. The fear of Zeus compels the characters...
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...Greeks had certain rules, expectations and customs as part of their culture. Xenia, meaning the relationship between host and guest was a term that the ancient Greeks used to refer to hospitality. Hospitium, was what the ancient Romans used too describe hospitality it meant the divine right of the guest to receive hospitality and the devein responsibility for a host to provide hospitality. Hospitality towards a stranger or a traveler was an important element in the ancient Greek and Roman culture. The Odyssey and the Aeneid best demonstrate 1) why hospitality is so important, 2) what do the gods have to do with hospitality, and 3) what was expected from the host as well as the guest. There are many reasons why hospitality was so important in those times. It was for shelter, food, protection and most importantly it was a matter of life or death. One example would be Odysseus’s long traveling in the Odyssey. Traveling back then was not as advanced as it is today. The method of traveling was done by boat or on foot. This meant that many nights would be spent away from home and the travelers would have to rely on the hospitality of strangers for food and shelter. There were no hotels or restaurants in the ancient times and if there were hotels and restaurants, the travelers would probably not be able to pay for the many nights that they would have to stay. In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus and his men relied...
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...Alma Morales Professor Derbyshire English 391 March 9, 2016 The Odyssey: The Power of Gods The epic of Homer The Odyssey is about Odysseus and his 10 year struggle to return home Ithaca where his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus are struggling with the suitors who are waiting to take Penelope’s hand and Ithaca’s throne while they await for Odysseus return. However, Odysseus struggled to return Ithaca for the reason that Poseidon one of the gods that appear during the epic prevent him to return to his homeland. The theme that I considered interesting about the epic The Odyssey is the Power of Gods. Gods were considered ‘supreme’to humans. This was because humans plead to the Gods whenever they need to achieve something, and the gods decided to please or not to please humans according to human’s effort in obtain their help. Through the epic The Odyssey from Homer, in numerous occasions gods interact with humans for example, in Book II ,Athena one of the goddesses interact with Telemachus as Mentor and she advises him to embark in a journey to go to look for his father Odysseus “the journey you have your heart set on won’t be delayed. I myself, your father’s old comrade, will equip a fast ship and sail along with you” (II.309-311). It seems that the power of gods in this epic is a very important part of human’s life. In addition, another aspect of the relationship between the gods and humans is that since humans believe gods have all the power over them, humans...
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...circumstances. In “The Odyssey”, the theme of love is very powerful and becomes the major driving force for Odysseus throughout his journey back home. In “The Odyssey”, the bond of love between Odysseus and his wife Penelope is very strong. When Calypso gives Odysseus the choice to be protected from future foes and immortality by staying with her, Odysseus refuses. This proves that even the most desirable temptations can’t stop Odysseus from returning home to his wife and his family. Also, when Odysseus is reunited with Penelope, Penelope isn’t sure it’s him so she tests him about the moving the wedding bed. Odysseus says it can’t be moved since it was a tree in the ground and can’t be moved. This proves that not only the cleverness of Penelope but they are guided together by their incredible wits. They were made for each other and there’s nothing that could of broke them apart. Penelope also exhibits the same kind of love towards Odysseus. While everybody else thinks Odysseus is dead, Penelope doesn’t give up hope that he’s still alive. At home, she stays loyal to Odysseus by delaying her marriage to the suitors that are trying to court her. By constantly delaying her remarriage plans to the suitors, she’s risking her own safety and the safety of her son Telemachus. Penelope refuses to marry anybody else with the thought of Odysseus still being alive and proves that her love for him is intensely strong and cannot be broken. While the husband and wife relationship is very strong....
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...“Those in power write the history, while those who suffer write the songs.” -Frank Harte. In The Odyssey, readers learn how most of the events unfold from Odysseus’ point of view or as the center of attention. He has power and therefore readers are easily influence by what he, and Homer, want them to see and focus on. The minor characters become backgrounds, objects that are simply “there” to add bits to the story and are without much attention or empathy from readers. The Penelopiad relieves this shameful act of the readers, forcing them to see the humanity of the minor characters, more specifically the twelve hanged who mostly tell their stories through song. While reading The Odyssey, the event of hanging the maids is shared in such a cold,...
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...only prodigies can master. And when it comes to prodigies, history raises the classic words of The Odyssey by Homer, The Epic of Gilgamesh, and Antigone by Sophocles and puts them on a pedestal of perfect implementation. Throughout the course of these stories, there is one uncut emotion that makes today’s world go round: love. Often times in life people search for the perfect partner -- a true love and a happily ever after. In The Odyssey, Odysseus and Penelope could be considered a power couple even in modern-day society. Although Odysseus is gone for twenty years, he never forgets his faithful wife in Ithaca. This love seems to help him persevere through the many hardships that he encounters on his journey home. On the other hand, Penelope, of course, maintains balance in the scale of affection by unraveling his shroud and delaying her marriage to the suitors...
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...Xenia is the Greek word for hospitality. It is the law that requires both hosts and guests to be polite and respect each other. To be a good guest, one should provide his own stories, or bring trade or gift to the host. On the other hand, a good host has much more things to do than a good guest. He should bathe the guest, give him clothing, food, as well as guest present, and also transportation and protection. Gods might also disguise themselves into human beings to test the hospitality of a host. Xenia is an essential and highly expected quality for both guests and hosts according to Homer. In The Odyssey, he provides several examples: the suitors and Polyphemus (the Cyclops), Telemachus, Nestor, and Menelaus, as well as Calypso and Circe....
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