Smith 1 Taylor Smith
Ms. Kelly
Honors English I
December 12 , 2012
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Do Unto Others: Basic Tests of Character in The Odyssey
One of the first Sunday school lessons a child learns is the old cliché to treat everyone
else how he or she would want to be treated. For most, this means being treated well, which is
often defined as receiving kindness and care from others. Bob Sutton certainly had these ideals in
mind when he said, “The best judge of character is how he or she treats those with less power.”
(“What is a true test of a person’s character?”) Sutton is stating that the ideal person treats
everyone, whether they are the simplest, poorest beggar or the highest ruler, as well as he would
want to be treated. It is a common theme within humans to “suck up” to those of greater power in
order to achieve a selfish goal of gleaning some of the wealth and power from those people. The
opposite is also disgustingly common among humans -- they treat those with less power as
unequal and as inferior to themselves, and sometimes it can even turn into violence or torment,
both physically and psychologically. However, Sutton says that the best people are able to look
past the label of a person’s social status and treat them with all the kindness and care that they
would treat themselves. Nowhere are these ideals more common than in Homer’s The Odyssey,
where Odysseus, king of Ithaca, disguises himself as a beggar to learn more about how his
kingdom and his people have changed while he has been gone. He examines which of his people
he can still trust by seeing how they react when Nobody is listening. He primarily examines the
Smith 2 goatherd Melanthius, the cowherd Philoetius, and the suitor Ctesippus to observe their true
character. These men figure that they can be themselves, whether inside they are merciful or
vicious, around the “lowly” beggar. Odysseus learns the true character of his subjects
through careful observation of how they treat one who is lower than themselves on the
social status triangle. The men also receive punishments or rewards based on what is at
their cores.
Melanthius is a goatherd who worked under Odysseus while he was still ruling as king of
Ithaca. As a goatherd, he is nearly at the bottom of the social triangle, and is only just above the
lowly beggars of the kingdom, like Odysseus is masquerading as. Despite this low social status,
he has swagger, and saunters into the dining room of the richest and most powerful man in the
kingdom as if he is of a much greater status. Although he is only a little bit higher on the social
triangle, Melanthius acts and talks to Odysseus as though he is the mightiest king and Odysseus
is the lowest and dirtiest scum on the planet. He scorns Odysseus: “Why don’t you cart yourself
away?...We’ll never part, I swear, till we taste each other’s fists... your begging [makes] us
sick!...we’re hardly the only banquet on the island.” (Homer 416) This action of his further
clarifies the basic human ideal that it is easier to criticize than to compliment. If Melanthius had
not found work as the king’s goatherd, he might have been in the same situation as Odysseus is
pretending to have: begging for every meal and scorned by all. Melanthius makes it seem as
though he is the one in charge in the dining room by stating that his begging makes them all sick;
however, the “beggar” is actually an honored guest of the prince Telemachus and should be
treated as such. He claims that he is completely opposed to the idea of begging at another’s table
for scraps and leftovers, yet that is basically what he and Penelope’s suitors are doing:
scrounging off the absent king of Ithaca and draining all of his wealth and resources. Melanthius’
Smith 3 begging is just more subtle; he is only willing to go with the “winning side.” By being in the
favor of whom he thinks is the winning side (the suitors), he hopes for his status to rise in the
social triangle as power shifts. Even though he appears to be a beggar, Odysseus has kept the
physical strength and ability he had as an able fighter in Troy. The goatherd Melanthius goes as
far to threaten the king. This could be seen as treason if Odysseus were to appear in his full
glory, and it speaks badly about his character. It is also problematic to treat an old man this way
based upon the societal view of elders. They are viewed as wise men who are deserving of
respect and protection; Melanthius does not treat the old man Odysseus with any sort of respect.
Odysseus’ examination of Melanthius proves that on the outside, he is an overly self-confident
man who acts as if he is of a much higher social class. This bravado of self-confidence masks
self-esteem issues on the inside, shown by the fact that he is only willing to be on the winning
side. The cowherd Philoetius, however, proves to be the complete opposite of Melanthius,
despite their similar social class.
Philoetius worked as a cowherd while Odysseus was still reigning as king of Ithaca, and he
still tends to the king’s best cows. As a cowherd, he is also quite low on the social triangle, yet
he knows his place and dutifully fulfills his job. Somehow, he is able to comprehend the beggar’s
plight and knows that the gods have forced him into so much trouble. He is even kind enough to
pray for Odysseus’ luck and safe return home. Philoetius sympathizes with what Odysseus is
going through by begging because he is also poor, and knows it, unlike Melanthius. Philoetius
proves that he is loyal to his old king and wishes for his return: “What a traitor I’d be, with the
prince still alive, if I’d run off to some other country...but isn’t it worse to...[tend] the herds for
upstarts, not their owners---suffering all the pains of hell?..It’s unbearable here...but I still dream
of my old master...” (Homer 417) He has the same beliefs about the suitors that Odysseus holds:
Smith 4 that they are nothing but greedy, gluttonous, and ungrateful moochers who are a problem that
must be dealt with. Philoetius understands the oath that he promised Odysseus, his old master,
and knows it would be treason if he leaves. Philoetius is also extremely loyal to his king, proven
by the fact that he is one of the few to wish for his return, and it would have a terrible effect on
his conscience to leave his master’s son while the suitors ravage his kingdom. He realizes the
wrath the gods would have upon him if he leaves, but he also has personal reasons for staying.
Philoetius could have fled to another, more prosperous land, with no suitors, where his abilities
as a cowherd would be appreciated and needed. He turns this down to stay with all the pain of
having to breed cows for the suitors in exchange for the slim chance that his old master Odysseus
will return. He further proves his loyalty by promising to use his “fighting arms in action”
(Homer 418) if the true king of Ithaca ever achieves his long-awaited goal of reaching home. In
Philoetius, Odysseus has clearly found someone whom he can trust and side with when he
decides to finally put his plan to kill all the suitors into action. But where Philoetius is kind and
thoughtful, Ctesippus, a suitor, is mean and brazen.
Ctesippus is a suitor who has come to the kingdom of Ithaca to court Penelope, the wife of
the absent king. Ctesippus fits the stereotypical image of the spoiled rich kid: he is self-confident
to a level where he thinks that he is above everyone he meets, and he treats those below him on
the triangle as scum and undeserving of life. He is sarcastic and is used to having all the attention
on him. Looking to attract more attention, Ctesippus verbally harasses Odysseus: “from the start
our guest has had his fair share...how impolite it would be...to scant whatever guest...I’ll give
him a proper guest-gift...[he grabs] an oxhoof...[flings] it straight at the king...” (Homer 420)
Usually, gifts given to honored guests of the royal court are lavish presents which are practical
for use. The “gift” Ctesippus gives to Odysseus actually could harm him and potentially kill him.
Smith 5 If Odysseus was actually there in his full glory, Ctesippus would be telling him what he wants to
hear and trying to win his favor. Yet when Odysseus is acting as a beggar, Ctesippus is
potentially committing the highest form of treason: murder of a king. Through this incident,
Odysseus also learns more about the young man whom Telemachus has grown up to be.
Telemachus threatens death for Ctesippus if the ox hoof had actually struck his honored guest, a
clear example of the revenge code. Through this examination of one of the worst suitors,
Odysseus further solidifies the idea in his mind that none of the suitors are virtuous: they are all
greedy, gluttonous, lustful, and ungrateful men willing only to drain the resources of the once
great kingdom of Ithaca.
A general cliche in life is that “what goes around comes around,” basically meaning that
for every wrong there will be a wrong in return, and for every good deed there will be a good
deed in return. This general rule is certainly applicable to the situations of the three men whom
Odysseus examines. In literature, this term is called contrapasso and applies to the punishment
or reward for all of these men. The ancient Greeks believed that justice would always emerge as
a result of conflict, and that evil would be vanquished. They believed that every man would get
what he deserved based on what was at the core of his character. Philoetius, who proves his
loyalty to his king and pledges to fight in the name of that king, is rewarded for having
exceptional character. In return, Odysseus reveals his true identity to him and his plan to rid his
kingdom of the suitors. Odysseus also promises him, “I’ll find you wives ... grant you property,
sturdy houses beside my own, and in my eyes you’ll be comrades to Prince Telemachus, brothers
from then on.” (Homer 431) If Philoetius had stayed a cowherd, he would never have found a
wife, received a nice house, or been a “comrade.” He would never have found a wife because of
the general distastefulness of his job and his level in society. He is poor and dirty from working
Smith 6 as a cowherd, and although it is awful to think of, this is not the most attractive position to be in
when looking for a wife. As a cowherd, he lived in a small, dirty shack in the countryside, but
now he lives in a large, exquisite house right next to the king’s own palace. This new luxury
likely comes with servants and the ability to not work, which makes living a lot easier for him.
These rewards launch him to the top of the social triangle, almost equivalent to the king himself.
He also becomes a “comrade” to the prince, Telemachus, further clarifying his new status as an
upper class man in the new meritocracy of Ithaca. Thus, Philoetius is increased in social class by
performing good deeds and helping, not hurting, the beggar. Ctesippus, on the other hand, treats
the beggar poorly, and thus his contrapasso is worse than Philoetius’. Ctesippus, believing that
he is a mighty suitor, is killed by the lowly cowherd, Philoetius. Philoetius gives him a spear as a
“guest gift” (Homer 448) in return for the guest gift that Ctesippus once used to almost kill the
beggar. His death by cowherd is also ironic given the fact that he threw an ox hoof, and the man
killing him is a member of the lower class who raised the cow from which the ox hoof came.
Melanthius treats the beggar worst of all, hurling insults at him, and stealing from his own king’s
armory and aiding the king’s enemies. Melanthius is “rewarded” justly for these terrible sins
with two punishments. First, his arms and hands are tied behind him, and he is lashed to a pole.
He is then hoisted to the ceiling, where he is forced to dangle for hours while his new masters are
slaughtered. This is perfect contrapasso, as it temporarily steals from him the hands and arms
that he used to steal the king’s arms, and it also temporarily steals from him the legs that he used
to run and bring his new masters these stolen goods. Later, Melanthius is taken down, only to
receive worse punishment. He is brought outside, where Odysseus “lopped his nose and ears
with a ruthless knife, tore his genitals out for the dogs to eat raw and in manic fury hacked off
hands and feet.” (Homer 454) This is permanent theft of the body parts that he used to steal the
Smith 7 king’s weapons and possessions. This also causes him incredible pain in return for the pain that
Odysseus’ kingdom has suffered while the suitors were there, as well as the pain that Odysseus
suffered under Melanthius’ abuse and while at sea. Melanthius is also forced to see his genitals
being eaten and the stumps of all of his limbs; this brings the torture he experiences to a whole
new level.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once said, “The way you see people is the way you treat
them.” (“Treat Quotes”) Odysseus plays upon the ideal of this quotation in examining
Melanthius, Philoetius, and Ctesippus by cloaking himself in the disguise of a beggar.
Furthermore, in following Bob Sutton’s quotation, Odysseus is able to determine which of these
three men can be trusted or not trusted when he finally reveals himself as king of Ithaca. By
treating those with less power poorly, Melanthius and Ctesippus have sealed their fate. If they
had treated him better, then maybe they will actually survive the bloody massacre that Odysseus
is about to start.
Works Cited:
Homer. The Odyssey. New York: Penguin Group, 1997. Print.
Sutton, Bob. “What is a true test of a person’s character?” The Happiness Project. 10 February
2009. Web. 15 November 2012. <http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project
/2009/02/what-is-a-true-test-of-a-persons-character/>
Wolfgang von Goethe, Johann. “Treat Quotes.” Brainy Quote. Web. 14 February2012.
<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/treat.html>