Xenia Essay

The Roman Empire has gone down in history as one or even the greatest empire of the ancient world. Many who were citizens of this glorious empire held deep pride and love for their country, but even though they considered Rome the greatest city in the known world they still compared themselves to past civilizations. Virgil, the author of The Aeneid used his epic poem to accomplish this. In the Aeneid, Virgil pays homage to Rome’s cultural predecessors, the Greeks. He does this by drawing…

Slavery was a despicable period of time in history, but the Underground Railroad was a major breakthrough in helping to free African American slaves during the 19th century. Despite its misleading name, the Underground Railroad was not underground nor a railroad. It was a system of hidden paths and safe houses that allowed slaves to escape to the free states in the North. The trails even led slaves as far as Canada (Trotter). It got its name because its actions all took place when it was dark…

in. Yet sex-workers most always had a mistress or master, which is what made the decision in regards to Neaira as her own mistress shocking. Some years later when Neaira was around 50 years old she was brought to court again. She was charged with xenias, which is when someone impersonates an Athenian citizen after “illegally” marrying Stephanos and trying to pass her kids off as citizens as well. Hamel in this section of her book gets to point out some things about the Athenian court system. As…

Homer was a blind, oral poet who created both The Odyssey and The Iliad. Homer told these epics in many short episodes, then editors would write down the epics and arranged them into books. Homer wrote The Odyssey for entertainment, he does this by depicting events dealing with interaction between the gods and men. The Odyssey is set after the sack of Troy and tells the story of Odysseus’ nostos –journey home- to Ithaca. The epic poem shows us the nature of heroism in classical Greece, and…

path to preserve his wife's life, but his choice eventually led him down a path towards ultimate darkness. Although Anakin’s original intentions were out of love, the suitors from The Odyssey were driven by greed and control. Rather than displaying Xenia, the suitors were “rude men" (Homer 4), who enticed the mother of Telemachus, “sorely against her will” (Homer 13). The suitors came to Odysseus’ home, with bad hearts and all their greed, so they didn't see the pain they had caused…

An example of a character such as this is Circe, the witch-goddess of Aeaea. She uses her enticing home and false Xenia to lure in Odysseus’ men and turn them into pigs. After battling Circe, Odysseus becomes her lover for a year and she makes him forget his ultimate goal of returning home. Because the identity within homeland was so important in Greek culture, Circe…

The Bow of Herakles is a powerful symbol in Sophocles’ Philoctetes. It is used both as a visual and verbal motif throughout the play. Copious references to the Bow convey important themes that ultimately prepares the play’s audience for the events that transpire in the exodos. Some of these points include ___. The significance of the Bow is made evident in the play with several references to the prophecy within which it is invoked. The first of these references was an indirect allusion to the…

In Aristophanes', The Clouds, and Homer's, The Odyssey, both Phidippides and Telemachos are adults age-wise. However, based on the fact that they have not matured yet, they are still considered "children" mentally. Though these two texts differ in genre, they demonstrate a father-son dynamic and how these two characters work on transitioning from childhood to adulthood by stepping out of their fathers' shadows. Over the course of the two texts, the characters transform from weak, dependent men…

In almost all works of literature, the protagonist is typically either the main hero or the main villain of the story. He or she is often either the person that the audience aspires to be or the person the audience aims to avoid becoming. In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, Odysseus is a hero who is trying to reach and reclaim his home. Throughout his journey, Odysseus encounters all kinds of people and beings who affect both his trip home and the repossessing of his home. The majority of…

Odysseus is an undisputed hero. He is the exemplar of the Grecian epic hero, with courage, cunning, and military prowess. Thus, logically, the woman who is tasked with being his equal until death do they part, must be able to match his prowess. Penelope, Odysseus’ other half, withstands these impossible expectations. Her strength is based in her cunning, unlike most women depicted. She was smart in her realm, and in her duties. She was strategic and purposeful with all of her actions, just as…