Hospitality: Overt Kindness or Subtle Stupidity?

Throughout the plot of The Odyssey, the subject of hospitality is a widely-recurring theme. It can be highly debated; the Ancient Greeks appear to have a sense of hospitality defying human imagination (at least according to the epic). Generally, the term "hospitality" is associated with kindness and generosity (obviously, these are good things). However, in The Odyssey some of the examples of hospitality can seem rather stupid to the reader.

The first example of seemingly foolish hospitality is shown in the first book of the epic, where the scene is set: the palace of Ithaca, home to the missing hero Odysseus, is virtually besieged by suitors, hoping to wed the queen Penelope. Odysseus and Penelope's son, Telemachus, now a young man, is becoming increasingly agitated by the presence of the suitors, believing that his father is still alive, while Penelope has confined herself in her chambers, refusing to leave them.
It is clear that these suitors are unwelcome, and the fact that Telemachus and Penelope, the heads of the household in Odysseus's absence are annoyed makes this even more clear. However, despite the silent protests of Telemachus, Penelope, and even some of the servants, the suitors continue to be served, entertained, and humored by Telemachus and his servants. Clearly, this hospitality can lead to no good. As Benjamin Franklin once said, "Fish and visitors smell in three days." If anyone is familiar with the story of the Odyssey, they know that these unwelcome visitors indeed smell after a few days.

Many more examples of over-kind hospitality occur throughout the rest of the story: when Telemachus sets said to Pylos in order to inquire of the fate of his father, king Nestor and king Menelaus (both good friends and companions-at-arms of Telemachus's father) invite him with open arms into their palaces and supply Telemachus and his crew with all manners of luxuries. Yet, it is only after Telemachus is bathed, fed, and given a place to sleep is he asked questions regarding the circumstances in which he visits Pylos. Again, this may seem foolish to the reader. After all, in this day and age, how likely are you to admit a stranger into your house, bathe him, offer him a feast and a place to sleep, and then ask him questions?

All this leads to the speculation that perhaps the Ancient Greeks really weren't this hospitable, and that Homer (or whoever wrote The Odyssey according to conspiracy theories) merely threw in these overly hospitable acts to represent the values of the Ancient Greeks. Whatever the circumstances for these acts, unless someone builds a time machine and travels back to the age of the Ancient Greeks, we shall probably never know.

Journey

Od-ys-sey, a noun, 1)  An extended adventurous voyage or trip.  2)  An intellectual or spiritual quest:  an odyssey of discovery.

       As the title suggests, "The Odyssey" tells the story of a journey; however, the title does not simply refer to the Odysseus's quest to return home from Troy, and the adventures he has along the way.  The odyssey of the of epic poem's title also refers to the figurative journey Telemachus takes from boyhood to manhood.  When the poem opens, "in media res," it opens in the middle of the story.  For the first four books of the poem, the focus is not on Odyssey's voyage home, but rather on Telemachus's journey from pushover to tough guy.  In his father's absence, the goddess Athena guides him along the way.  By Book Two, Athena, disguised as Mentes, has convinced Telemachus to get rid of the suitors, to stand up for what he believes, and also to go on a journey of his own in search of news of his father.  Telemachus first heads to Pylos, to get word about his father from Nestor, and then goes to Sparta to ask Menelaus for any news of his father.
     At the beginning of the poem, Telemachus is a pansy, who lets the suitors eat his food, try to date his mother, and basically rule his life.  With the help of the disguised Athena, he begins to slowly develop his character and find his own potency.  At the beginning of Book Two, he has found the bravery to call for the first assembly that Ithaca has held since his father left for the war.  You can see the progress he has made and also how much farther he has to go in his journey to manhood by examining how he acts during the assembly.  He stands up to the suitors and the rest of the men for the first time in his life saying, "You should be ashamed of yourselves, mortified in the face of neighbors living round about!  Fear the gods wrath - before they wheel in outrage and make these crimes recoil on your heads" (p 95). However, by the end of his speech he burst into tears like the boy he still is, "Filled with anger, down on the ground he dashed the speaker's scepter - bursting into tears" (p 95).

A Woman's Role

In the Odyssey a person's roles is determined by their class, age, and gender. At the top of the pyramid are the wealthy men and kings, below them are the male citizens, still further down on the ladder are the women. Even the noble women are considered below any young man. Below women there are only three groups, children, servants and slaves. There are many instances in this story of men exercising their power over women.

In the first several books of the Odyssey it is made very clear that men are superior to women. When Telemachus is introduced to Helen at the palace of Menaleus, the queen clearly feels regret of her actions in Troy. Her image of herself in the past is very negative and she calls herself a "shameless whore" (129:163). She has very little self respect because of the images forced upon her by men. She is considered the most beautiful woman alive at the time and yet she has very little power or confidence. Even though Helen is beautiful she is not considered to be very clever.

Penelope on the other hand is cunning and wise. Even though this wisdom helps her to keep back the suitors, she is frowned upon for being smart and tricky. When Telemachus tells the suitors to leave his house, they blame Penelope calling her "the matchless queen of cunning" (96:95). The suitors believe that she has been leading them on for a very long time. They are disgusted by the idea that a woman can outsmart them. The suitors accuse Penelope of "[exploiting] the gifts Athena gave her-- a skilled hand for elegant work, a fine mind and wubtle wiles too--" (97:128-130). They punish Telemachus for Penelope's supposed wrongs. This introduces the idea that even young men like Telemachus, have power over the women of society, even their own mothers. When Penelope begs the bard to pick a different song Telemachus has the power to send her back to her chambers. He clearly puts his power as the male heir of Odysseus into play saying "Mother go back to your quarters" (89:409-410). He also makes clear the role of women in the household adding "tend to your own tasks, the distafff and the loom, and keep the women working hard as well. As for giving orders, men will see to that" (89:410-414). He explicitly states the male power in the Greek household at the time. It is interesting that he wants the women to work, but at the time all of the men were lounging and eating lazily. Throughout the stories women will bathe the visiting men. This puts the females of the time in a serving role. There are no examples in the story of men bathing women. All of these examples point to the obvious male dominance during the time of the Odyssey.

The God's Influence on Future

In the Odyssey, the Greek gods seem to have a huge impact on one's future; if they live at a point or die, succeed or fail. Odysseus is one of the main characters in the Odyssey, along with his son, Telemachus. At this point in book 5, Odysseus is trapped in Calypso's island as a love slave, being kept away from his wife, Penelope and his son, in Ithaca where he was king. At the beginning of the book, the gods are deciding of his fate. In a meeting of the gods, Athena starts by saying,

"Father Zues, you other happy gods who never die, never let any sceptered king be kind and gentle now, not with all his heart, or set his mind on justice. Think: not one of the people whom he ruled remembers Odysseus now, that godlike man, and kindly as a father to his children. Now he's left to pine on an island, racked with grief in the nymph Calypso's house, she holds him there by force. He has no way to voyage home to his won native land, no trim ships in reach, no crew to ply the oars and send him scudding over the sea's broad back. And now his dear son... they plot to kill the boy on his way back home" (pg. 152-153).

Athena has taken a liking towards Odysseus and Telemachus, since the beginning of the epic. In this meeting, Athena is trying to convince the gods in sending Odyssues home, to pay the traitors. In the same meeting, Zues agrees in sending Odyssues home, but on a raft with different hardships, eventually making a painful landing. Towards the end of the book, Athena convinces Calypso in letting Odyssues go. On Odyssues's journey home, Poseidon sees him. Because Odyssues beheaded his cyclopse in the beginning of the epic, he is angry. Poseidon then unleashes huge waves and earthquakes, trying to make sure that Odysseus will not find land and will be unsuccessful in his journey. Because of Poseidon's attempt, Odysseus is forced to swim towards land, almost drowning multiple times. Odyssues's journey proved that the gods have complete controll of fate, controlling if one ends up living or dying, etc... This also proves that some gods' imput can have more power and more say than another gods imput, proven in the argument between Athena and Zues.

Greek Gods: Compassionate Deities or Backseat Drivers?

In The Odyssey, possibly one of the most prevalent epic conventions is the influence of the gods on the fate of humans. This is especially the case with Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and battle strategy (along with weaving, female arts, crafts, justice, skill, and the patron goddess of Athens) and her borderline obsession with Odysseus and Telemachus. Throughout the entire epic, Athena assumes various human forms and gives advice to these two characters, and sometimes takes indirect action to help Odysseus and Telemachus. For example, when Telemachus decides to set said to Pylos in Book 2 to seek news of his lost father.

"Then bright-eyed Pallas [Athena] thought of one more step.
Disguised as the prince, the goddess roamed through town,
pausing beside each likely crewman, giving orders:
'Gather beside our ship at nightfall--be there.'
She asked Noemon, Phronius' generous son,
to lend her a swift ship. He gladly volunteered."
~Page 105

"Then bright-eyed Pallas [Athena] thought of one last thing.
Back she went to King Odysseys' halls and there
she showered sweet oblivion over the suitors,
dazing them as they drank, knocking cups from hands.
....But calling the prince outside his timbered halls,
taking the build and voice of Mentor once again,
flashing-eyed Athena urged him on: 'Telemachus,
your comrades-at-arms are ready at the oars,
waiting for your command to launch. So come,
on with our voyage now, we're wasting time.'"
~Page 105-106

These two passages are some of the most evident examples of Athena's influence upon Telemachus. Not only does she assume various mortal guises (Mentor, Telemachus himself, etc.), but she also takes indirect action against the suitors, causing them to become inebriated, allowing Telemachus a night of peace from the suitors before he departs for Pylos.

Throughout the rest of the epic, Athena continues to assist Odysseus and Telemachus in their various quests. However, the many ordeals the two bypass with the help of Athena raises an important question: Why do the gods assist mere humans? Is it merely because the gods feel compassionate towards the plight of Odysseus and Telemachus, or is there a further cause behind the actions of the gods?

The Use of Alcohol in The Odyssey

Alcohol has been a topic frequently mentioned in The Odyssey. In The Odyssey, King Odysseus was held captive on an island, leaving his wife, Penelope, and his son, Telemachus, alone at his palace. It had been ten years since Odysseus has been home and many suitors fled the palace in order to have Penelope's hand in marriage. Telemachus wanted to flee in search of his father, so the goddess Athena used alcohol to help him escape. Homer wrote, "Then bright-eyed Pallas thought of one last thing. Back she went to King Odyesseus' halls and there she showered sweet oblivion over the suitors, dazing them as they drank, knocking cups from hands. No more loitering now, their eyes weighed down with sleep, they rose and groped through town to find their beds" (105). Athena used alcohol in this case to distract the many suitors and allow Telemachus to have a secret escape. Another example where alcohol is in strong use was when Helen (the daughter of Zeus) used it as liquid to slip drugs into. She used alcohol and drugs in order to bring everyone at ease from the pain they were rehashing about Odysseus. Homer wrote, "Then Zeus' daughter Helen thought of something else. Into the mixing-bowl from which they drank their wine she slipped a drug, hearts'-ease, dissolving anger, magic to make us all forget our pains...No one who drank it deeply, mulled in wine, could let a tear roll down his cheeks that day, not even if his mother should die, his father die, not even if right before his eyes some enemy brought down a brother or darling son with a sharp bronze blade" (131). Helen in this example drugs the men to make them invinsible to pain. She wants them to feel no sorrow on this night, which is also similar to how the suitors felt. A third example of alcohol use is seen with Calypso, the goddess-nymph. Calypso is the goddess keeping Odysseus captive and Hermes (son of Zeus) comes to deliver a threat from Zeus which said to release Odysseus. Before Hermes said anything, Calypso fired off a bunch of questions then gave Hermes a cup of wine. Homer said, "And the goddess drew a table up beside hiim, heaped with ambrosia, mixed him deep-red nectar. Hermes the guide and giant-killer ate and drank" (155). In this example, Calypso offerred a drink as a possible symbol of hospitality. She might have offered it to soften the god up also. Overall, these examples all connect in the way that females have been giving males alcohol. It is also used as a gift and tranquilizer. I'm sure that we will see other examples of alcohol in the future chapters of The Odyssey.