Good and Bad Xenia in The Odyssey by Homer - 892 Words

More Than a Cup of Tea Offering a hot beverage, food, the safety of your home, or entertainment are all examples of presenting good xenia to guests. xenia is commonly used to portray hospitality or a guest/host relationship. xenia, is important in Ancient Greek society. Zeus is the God of travelers, in addition to being the king of the Gods. This forces for the host to feel obliged to treat their guests with much hospitality, and vice versa with guests, serving with high responsibility. Zeus would severely punish those who break the fine rules of xenia and hospitality. In the epic,â€Å"The Odyssey† by Homer, there are multiple examples of good and bad xenia. The group of 108 men who slouch around Penelope show poor xenia and are eventually stricken with their bitter death. Conversely, Eumaios presented great xenia when taking Odysseus in, even while he was disguised as a beggar. Xenia is a prevalent theme in the book and holds a central place in The Odyssey. Throughout the bo ok, Zeus demands the highest level of Xenia, yet some people do not abide by his rules. When Odysseus and his men end up in the cave of Polyphemus, the Cyclops, Odysseus demands welcoming hospitality under the name of Zeus, as they are guests; Polyphemus says â€Å"Give me still more, freely, and tell me your name straightway now, so I can give you a guest present to make you happy.† (Homer 355) When Polyphemos begins speaking about hospitality, it’s evident that its not going to end well. Not only will heShow MoreRelatedWhy Is Xenia Such an Important Theme in the Odyssey?1211 Words   |  5 PagesWhy is Xenia such an important theme in the Odyssey? Explain your views and support them with details from the poem. (45 marks) The concept of guest hospitality was extremely important in ancient Greece. Evidence that Xenia was integral to Greek society can be found in the fact that Zeus, the king of the Gods, was also portrayed as the God of Xenia. Xenia created an obligation for the host to be hospitable to their guests, and conversely, the guests had their own responsibilities too. If eitherRead MoreXenia in the Odyssey Essay760 Words   |  4 Pagesancient Greece. Hospitality, or Xenia, is so essential in Greek society that Zeus, in addition to being the king of the Gods, is also the God of travelers (Wikipedia). This created an obligation for the host to be hospitable to their guests, and conversely, the guests had their own responsibilities as well. If either the host or the guest was to break any rule set by Xenia, there would be severe penalties dealt by Zeus and also by society (Wikipedia). In The Odyssey, Xenia is a theme which is shown repeatedlyRead MoreFar Removed From Our Individualistic Societ y Today Is The1514 Words   |  7 Pagessociety today is the ancient Greece portrayed in The Odyssey, by Homer, where hospitality and good-will are a given in the lives of decent, moral people. As commanded by Zeus himself, those who wish the favor of the Gods must welcome foreign and domestic visitors with hospitality. The term developed to describe this concept is the Latin, xenia or guest-friendship. In ancient Greek literature, forms of the word xenia (ÃŽ ¾ÃŽ µÃŽ ¯ÃŽ ½ÃŽ ¯ÃŽ ±), are fairly common: Homer s two books, for example, contain about one hundredRead MoreXenia in the Odyssey1993 Words   |  8 PagesThe Importance of Xenia in The Odyssey and it’s Consequences One of the most important themes in The Odyssey is the concept of xenia, which is the old Greek word for hospitality. In modern times, hospitality is something we rarely think of, and the first thing that comes to mind is the hotel industry, but in ancient Greece, xenia was not about hotels, or just about etiquette, it was a way of life with many benefits in a world that was still mostly savage. Xenia was more than just being polite toRead MoreIn What Ways Is the Telemachy Important to the Odyssey as a Whole1553 Words   |  7 Pageswhat ways is the Telemachy important to the Odyssey as a whole? What would the poem lose if these first four books were removed? Homer’s the Odyssey is the epic tale of Odysseus’ return home from the battle of Troy, yet we do not truly get to the hero in action until after we are drawn through the story of his son life in the absence of his father in Ithaka. In the first four books, we see how Telemachos, Odysseus’ son, matures and through his eyes Homer shows us the unrest and troubles of IthakaRead MoreXenia As A Major Key Of A Civilized Society896 Words   |  4 PagesXenia Hospitality is a very diverse tradition leading all the back to the Mycenaean era. During the time period of The Odyssey, the Greeks considered hospitality a major key of a well civilized society. Throughout The Odyssey, Xenia was an extremely significant theme which was recalled many times throughout the poems. Odysseus throughout the way has shown he is exceedingly hospitable. The Odyssey reflects Xenia through Odysseus’s journey of: Odyessus’s Crew, nymphs, and the Gods. Xenia was shownRead MoreAnalysis Of The Odyssey 1368 Words   |  6 Pagesanalysis of xenia in The Odyssey William Shakespeare, in Timon Of Athens Act III Scene line 39 writes : I charge thee, invite them all: let in the tide of knaves once more; my cook and I ll provide† Shakespeare is explaining to his readers that he will invite everyone in and he will cook for them meaning that he will provide everything to his guests. Similarly, in The Odyssey Odysseus without knowing it is providing for all the suitors with a home and food for endless days. The Odyssey has manyRead MoreThe Odyssey By Homer s Odyssey Essay1314 Words   |  6 Pages8th century, The Odyssey, is Homer s epic of Odysseus 10-year struggle to return home after the Trojan War. Odysseus defining character traits, such as nobility, courage, thirst for the glory and the appealing confidence in his authority dominated the storyline throughout. The many themes of this epic mainly focus around the Greek hero Odysseus however in my essay I will attempt to analyze hospitality. Hospitality shaped an important part of social interactions in The Odyssey. Although Greek societyRead More The Significance of ?Xenia? Essay1442 Words   |  6 PagesThe Significance of â€Å"Xenia† nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Ancient Greece is known for its beautiful theaters and its skilled poets. One of the most famous ones at that time and famous even now is Homer. Nobody knows who he actually is but the works that he has created are far more than magnificent. The Odyssey and The Iliad are two poems that turned into myths, have actually been accepted as part of the history of the Greeks. The Odyssey is a story about a hero from the Trojan War who strugglesRead MoreThe Importance of Hospitality in the Odyssey523 Words   |  2 Pages In The Odyssey, Homer uses fear of the gods to portray the idea of Xenia, which means hospitality to all, to live a normal and happy life. On multiple occasions people ignore this idea and in result get a streak of bad luck. For example, the suitors that stay in Odysseus house are terrible guests. They get brutally murdered by Odysseus. Polyphemus eats several of Odysseus crew mates. Polyphemus gets blinded by Odysseus. Aegisthus does certain unsta ted acts with Agamemnons wife, then kills Agamemnon