... contradictions within the epic make us question this motif. Having an uninvited stranger in your home is not something that is joyously welcome, usually. However, Homer takes the phrase "make yourself at home " to another level. When the character Telemachus lands his ship in Lacedaemon to visit Menelaus we witness this overzealous ... potentially kill me. A unique system these Greeks had, all due to their beliefs in the gods watching them from Mount Olympus. Our main character Odysseus has suffered nothing but the cruelest of travels; we listen to his journey and hear of his sorrows an...

• Word Count: 1447
• Approx Pages: 6

... to Greek values. These values include hospitality and generosity. Telemachus is an example of a character who demonstrates good Xenia, while Cyclops (Polyphemus) fails. Respect is a value inherent in the act of Xenia and one Greek character who displays respect is Telemachus. Telemachus shows respect through his hospitality towards Athena when he, ... "took her right hand" and brought her into his home (I. 28). By doing this he illustrated the second step of Xenia which is to bring the stranger into ones ... he gave her his hospitality. In addition Telemachus further exhibits his hospit...

• Word Count: 609
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... and doesn't have much to give to Odysseus. When Odysseus is almost attacked by the watch dogs Eumaios welcomes Odysseus by saying, " rudeness to a stranger is not decency, / All wanderers/ and beggars come from Zeus. What we can give is slight but well meant- all we dare," (249). Eumaios ... saying this shows that he is a good man and will give as much as he possibly can to any stranger including Odysseus. Also, Eumaios knows what it is like to be a beggar because when he was a boy, he was stranded on Ithaca and Odyssey ... in Homer's world, and Menelaos extended welcome to Telemachos ...

• Word Count: 1626
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... wondering why he his manners have gone astray and why he is permitting the stranger to be so abused by the suitors. Could she be analyzing the sudden, questionable relationship between her son and the stranger? She notices that he is acting differently than he normally would and tries to ... Odysseus is coming home to destroy the suitors and reunite with his family. This is a very strange thing for a queen to request of a stranger, but shows how Penelope is just trying to lure Odysseus into revealing himself. When this does not happen, she cleverly sets out to extend a ... makes her an...

• Word Count: 1806
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... on two different occasions that his mother asked him. He told her to bathe and go pray to the Gods and he was going to go retrieve the stranger. After he told her this it seemed that she had to fight replying negatively to the avoidance when it says, "She caught back the swift words ... standing up against the suitors. She says, "Lightminded you were not have you no thoughtfulness or manners? How could it happen in our hall that you permit the stranger to be so abused Telemakhos looked in her eyes and answered with his clear head and discretion- (Bk. 18: 386-402). She is treating him lik...

• Word Count: 1360
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... of the main characters help to put these into play. The main characters are Odysseus, Penelope, Telemakhos, and Athena. Odysseus, Penelope, and Athena play a role in the development of the character of Telemakhos from a boy into manhood. Each offers a little piece of the puzzle till this is achieved. Telemakhos also plays a role in the development of the themes and also these ... play a big role in the development of "coming of age" in the epic for his character. Throughout The Odyssey, Telemakhos's character evolves from a introversive boy to a young man that is courageous and unreserv...

• Word Count: 1860
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... of the main characters help to put these into play. The main characters are Odysseus, Penelope, Telemakhos, and Athena. Odysseus, Penelope, and Athena play a role in the development of the character of Telemakhos from a boy into manhood. Each offers a little piece of the puzzle till this is achieved. Telemakhos also plays a role in the development of the themes and also these ... play a big role in the development of "coming of age" in the epic for his character. Throughout The Odyssey, Telemakhos's character evolves from a introversive boy to a young man that is courageous and unreserv...

• Word Count: 1860
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... what they say, what they do, or what other's say about them. This gives the readers an opportunity to develop their own belief about the character. Nausikaa has the character of a beautiful, caring, and strong princess. In the Odyssey Nausikaa is characterized by what she does, what she says, and what others say about her. Nausikaa is characterized by what ... clean clothes when they meet with the others from the city. She also shows her caring by giving Odysseus, clothing and food, even though she does not know who this stranger is. Her strength is shown when Odysseus emerges from the...

• Word Count: 515
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... more of mythological, unknown creatures without definite personalities, while Circe and Calypso both are more realistic characters with personalities making their ways of tempting a little bit different from each other. A character, which has power that is less apparent, is Penelope. In many instances she uses her power through her cleverness. An example of this is when Penelope tricks the suitors into ... to Penelope and Odysseus being derived from the same archetype just as Telemachus and Nausicaa were. It's not really recognized in, "The Odyssey," but in many ways Penelope was a stro...

• Word Count: 1519
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... looks disgusting, Eumaeus treats him with kindness and compassion. He offers Odysseus food and drink as the ancient Greeks were supposed to do for any stranger. However, a beggar was considered lower class. Odysseus tests Eumaeus" true character and finds him to be a compassionate man. Eumaeus displays hospitality through compassion. In both epics, Homer recreates a time when all was better; men were stronger ... ...

• Word Count: 758
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School