The Odyssey Theme Essay Example!
Mrs. Johnston!
CP English 9!
2015! !
Give Freely or Die: The Theme of Xenia in The Odyssey!
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Homer’s Odyssey documents cultural customs of the Ancient Greek people. One
important Greek custom emphasized in Homer’s Odyssey is xenia, the ancient Greek
practice of hospitality. During a time when the Greek world was full of Mediterranean
travelers, the law of xenia demanded respect from both host and guest: the host was to
generously provide for any guest, while the guest was supposed to be grateful,
respectful, and not overbearing. Throughout the epic The Odyssey, Homer’s message
to his listening Greek audience about xenia was clear: “Obey xenia and be rewarded;
disobey xenia and be punished.”!
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The Odyssey has many examples of characters giving xenia. Gods, kings,
sea nymphs, and even pig herders are seen giving generously to the traveling
Odysseus, which illustrates how fundamental and pervasive the law of xenia was during
Ancient Greece. The first example of xenia appears “when Odysseus leaves Calypso’s
island; she “promises him a raft and provisions (92-3). Against her personal goal to
keep Odysseus with her, Calypso still follows xenia, giving generously. Later, when
Odysseus arrives at Alcinous’s court, he is given “a gift of pork, crisp with fact” (100) and
finally another boat with which to return home. Upon returning home, Odysseus,
disguised and unknown to his servant, is greeted hospitably by Eumaus who gives him
“trenches of meat...willow baskets of full of bread” and “an ivy bowl of honey-hearted
wines” (985-7).”1 From beginning to end, the ritual of giving generously to guests is
apparent. Gods, kings, and peasants all acted the same way: with generosity and
openness to travelers in need. However, not all characters obey the hospitality law. !
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In The Odyssey, whenever a host fails to be generous, the host pays
a high price. One such example is the cyclops Polythemus. Odysseus and
his crew land on this island and meet with the cyclops. Upon meeting, Odysseus
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Content from Owen Mahoney
states that "here we stand, beholden for help, or any gifts you give... Zeus will
avenge the unoffending guest" (256-261). But the cyclops still does not provide
any gifts, for he does not fear the gods. Instead, he boldly tells Odysseus that
"we cyclops, care not a whisper for your Zeus or all the gods in bliss" (264-266).
Polyphemus does not show Xenia and does not think anything will happen to
him, but Odysseus leaves the cyclops blinded with no rams.2 The cyclops could
have easily obeyed xenia. He had much and could have supplied Odysseus with
milk, cheese, and even perhaps a ram. But he does not. He breaks the law of
xenia, and what is the consequence? The cyclops loses his ability to live. He
cannot see, which means he cannot eat or hunt. He has lost his food source, as
Odysseus has stolen his rams, and he is also humiliated in front of his fellow
cyclops. The lesson is clear: break the law of xenia, and the price will be
emotional, physical, social, economical, and possibly fatal. In a time when
governments and courtrooms did not exist, this story is warning Greeks of a cost,
a price, a consequence for breaking the hospitality law.
There is also another example of the disobedience of Xenia in this
story. The people who disobeyed were the suitors, who took too much for
granted at the house of Odysseus. Once Odysseus finally returns home, he
finds his "house filled with trouble”: “insolent men [are] eating [his] livestock as
they court [Odysseus’s] lady" (635-637) But little do these men know, because of
their overbearing stay, they are soon going to be killed by the man who has
hosted them, the man they think dead. Odysseus arrives at his house accusing
the suitors of a crime: “You took my house to plunder, twisted my maids, to serve
your beds" (1255-1257). Odysseus will show no mercy. The suitors took more
than was given, broke the law of xenia, and must pay the price with their lives.
Even though they plead to Odysseus and offer up abundant gifts, he turns them
down and kills them gruesomely. During the fight, Athena assists Odysseus,
which seems to suggest that the gods do take the side of the offended: the host
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This italicized content contributed by Vincent Lacorazza.
who has given and has been taken advantage of. Therefore, the message about
xenia becomes even more clear: a guest has a responsibility to the generous
host. A guest must be thankful, not overstaying his welcome; any guest who is
ungrateful will suffer grave consequences.3
On the other hand, the characters that do heed xenia’s law and
benefit greatly. Odysseus’ family - Telemachus, Eumaeus, and Penelope all demonstrate adherence to xenia by giving generously to guests. Not
surprisingly, they end up happy, at peace and fulfilled, proof that being hospitable
pays off. When first returning home, Odysseus, disguised as a beggar, goes to
Eumaeus who gives the homeless traveler [his king, Odysseus] “trenches of
good meat and willow baskets full of bread (983). By Eumaeus obeying the laws
of xenia, Odysseus ends up trusting Eumaeus, recruiting his help in the fight
against the suitors, and rewarding him with “marriage” and “cattle and houses
built near mine” (1147). As a result of giving generously, Eumaeus gains
everything - a wife, a home, and livestock. Additionally, during the meeting of
father and son, Odysseus is still disgused as a beggar. Regarless of his
Odysseus’s appearance, Telemachus allows the beggar to “sit down” on his own
couch. Soon after, Odysseus will reveal himself to his law-abiding son. Finally,
Penelop continues with the obeying of xenia when she “calls for the old nurse” to
give a “foot wash for the guest” (998). Also, being fair and generous, Penelope
allows the beggar to string the bow and shoot. By doing this, Penelope was
following the law of xenia, which allowed Odysseus to rid the castle of the suitors.
Truthfully, Penelope had many reasons to be distrustful of guests, to disobey
xenia, since the suitors had taken advantage of her graciousness. However, she
still obeys, and because she obeys, she is rewarded, proof that being hospitable
pays off. In fact, Eumaeus, Telemachus, and Penelop all obey xenia by giving
charitable gifts and end happy, fulfilled, and at peace.4!
3
This italicized content contributed by Vincent Lacorazza.
4
This material contributed by Bailey Kent.
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The law of xenia supported the Greek civilization, a society that realized that
survival occurs through mutual respect. The epic’s promises of success would have
encouraged adherence, and the threat of punishment - pain or death - would have
discouraged disobedience. No Ancient Greek listener would have desired the eye pain
of the cyclops or the neck wound of Antinous. No, certainly, the listeners would’ve
desired to live “happily ever after” like Odysseus, Penelope, Telemachus, and Eumaus. Perhaps too, the Ancient Greek listeners would have recognized the entire tale of the
adventures of Odysseus as a gift of xenia, earned by the Princess of Phaeacia. She
obeyed the law; she treated that naked, homeless, shipwrecked guest to dinner in a
kingdom, and in return, she received a gift, a story of the greatest hero in Greece, the
man she had just rescued from the seashore, proving once again that when one is
gracious and hospitable, good things happen.