Examples Of Hospitality In The Odyssey

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The Odyssey of Homer, translated by Allen Mandelbaum, is the story of a Greek hero, Odysseus, who struggles to return home after the Trojan War. Odysseus experiences many hardships and obstacles along his journey. Among his many journeys, he encountered many forms of hospitality. In this epic poem, hospitality is crucial; its purpose is to provide aid to those who need it, a method used by the gods to test individuals. Awful hospitality, in which the gods do not, shows disrespect from the host and/or the guest. Exceptional hospitality must show the kindness and respect between the host and the guest.
There were many displays of terrible hospitality throughout the Odyssey. The suitors, for example are rude and disrespectful guests in the halls of Odysseus. Telemachus complains to Antinous that he “cannot feast in peace / or be content. What more do you [Antinous] require? Through all those years / when I was still a boy, you suitors squandered / the riches that …show more content…
Homer characterizes the suitors’ impropriety and disregard of Odysseus and his family. He also used poetic justice to show the gods will punish the suitors with death after their many years of pillaging through Odysseus’ wealth. Another example of cruel hospitality is Polyphemus. Odysseus had begged for hospitality, but rather than giving it to Odysseus and his men, Polyphemus had sprung up and “stretched his hands and snatched two of my [Odysseus] men / at once and smashed them to the ground like pups: / their brains gushed out and wet the earth” (Homer, Odyssey 9.281-313). Homer characterizes Polyphemus’s negligence and cruel treatment towards Odysseus, a traveler in need of hospitality. Due to Polyphemus’s antipathy, Odysseus is rejected and faces death when Polyphemus retaliated cruelly

Examples Of Hospitality In The Odyssey

The Odyssey, an epic poem written by Homer, is set in an ancient Greek era when hospitality was considered one of the most important components of life. One can assume that the reason Odysseus took so long to return home is not only because of the great battles he fought, but also because he was obligated to accept and return hospitality that was shown to him by the gods and others he met along his journey. In The Odyssey, being hospitable towards others is an important quality to have because nobody…

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After reading The Odyssey, one may infer that Penelope is portrayed as the ideal woman and wife according to ancient Greek culture through her characteristic hospitality. One example of how Penelope demonstrated the characteristic of hospitality is that she welcomed the beggar, who was Odysseus, kindly into her house. After witnessing the suitors treat the beggar horrifically, Penelope says to her maid, “Go to that man on my behalf, Eumaeus, and send him here, so I can greet and question him” (Homer…

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