Hospitality in the Odyssey
Hospitality in Homer’s Odyssey is a central theme of the epic poem. Throughout the story, we are given scenarios in which hospitality, both on the part of the guest and the host, plays a key role in the events that transpire immediately afterward. This tradition, evident in Greek mythology and custom, serves many purposes as the epic unravels. Through exploration of these scenes, we will discover things about Greek customs, character differences, and the role of the gods in determining how future events will be played out. That is, a good or bad act of hospitality can oftentimes alter the outcome of events in a good or bad way. In comparing and contrasting different instances of hospitality throughout The Odyssey, the significance of this theme will be better understood. It is important to understand that hospitality in The Odyssey is much different than any modern definition or custom we have today. Today, hospitality is thought of as entertaining friends and hosting parties. This is quite the contrary to the ancient Greek view of the same subject. To them, hospitality meant offering all you had if only to feed and house a complete stranger. The hosts sincerely believed that "it is wrong to…send any strangers
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1270
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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