The Idea Of Hospitality In Homer's Odyssey

In Homer’s great poem, The Odyssey, one of the central themes in the story is the idea of hospitality. Homer shows two sides to this theme, the side of the guests and how they treat their hosts, and the counter, hosts and how they treat their guests. Homer also shows various examples of these interactions, with differing ways in which the hosts and guests. Additionally, Homer shows multiple different outcomes for the hosts and/or guests. In the process, Homer is showing his perception on how the reasons for why you are offering the hospitality are important as to how you are judged, usually by the gods. The first such example of hospitality is Odysseus’ time on the island of the Phaiakians. Odysseus washes ashore onto an island, which …show more content…
Odysseus and his crew find themselves on an island inhabited solely by cyclopes. He and his soldiers venture onto land, intent on procuring supplies to continue their journey. As they attempt to steal food from Polyphemus, they are caught and held prisoner, with some of the soldiers being eaten as well. Polyphemus makes it clear that it is his plans to eat the remaining soldiers, including Odysseus. This is obviously an extreme example of a lack of hospitality on the part of Polyphemus. The only reason he feeds the soldiers is to keep them healthy and plump for eating, not because it is the right or kind thing to do. As a result, he is punished by Homer, in the form of being tricked and blinded by Odysseus with a hot stake. Odysseus and his remaining soldiers then sneak out with Polyphemus’ sheep and leave the island. It is abundantly clear that Homer’s idea of correct hospitality is on display here. Polyphemus doesn’t even attempt to be a good host, saying: “The Cyclopes do not concern themselves over Zeus of the aegis...” which was in response to Odysseus asking to be taken care of, saying: “We are your suppliants, and Zeus the guest god, who stands behind all strangers with honors…”. Clearly, Polyphemus is consciously disregarding the laws of Zeus, which are the laws of hospitality. This active denial of the idea of hospitality towards guests is why Homer chose to punish Polyphemus. …show more content…
The suitors, believing that Odysseus is dead, occupy his home with the intent of marrying Odysseus’ wife, Penelope. From the start, these guests are already present for the wrong reasons, at least from the point of view of the story’s hero, Odysseus. To add insult to injury, the suitors had overstayed their welcome, by eating and drink nearly all of Odysseus’ food and wine. Already, the suitors can be seen as poor guests and violating the supposed rules of hospitality. This is evident when Telemachos is describing the suitors: “... they come and loiter in our house and sacrifice our oxen and our sheep and our fat goats and make a holiday feast of it and drink the bright wine recklessly. Most of our substance is wasted.” Following the same pattern shown in the previous examples, the suitors were punished as well. Once Odysseus returns, he slaughters all of the suitors, with no mercy. The responsibility for the suitors presence extends to the parents of the suitors, who were also powerful lords in Ithaka. Homer (via Odysseus) is simultaneously punishing the suitors, by killing them, and their parents, by murdering their sons and heirs. The parents eventually raise an army to kill Odysseus, but Athena convinces them otherwise. Clearly, by being bad guests and abusing the hospitality given to them by Telemachos and