Cultural Norms In The Odyssey

The three values found throughout the odyssey are as follows: Hospitality, Humility, and Home/Family life. When reading the odyssey, we can see these values present; especially when using textual evidence. While reading we should be aware this takes place ten years after the fall of Troy. We also should be aware that Odysseus, the hero, has not returned to his kingdom in Ithaca during this time. Everyone in the kingdom takes Odysseus as dead, except for his wife Penelope who remained faithful to the lost hero. Odysseus was imprisoned by Calypso who had fallen in love with him and kept him on her island, Ogygia. Meanwhile on Mount Olympus, Zeus sent Hermes to save

Within The Odyssey the concept of morals is very important, both to the plot of the epic but also to the structure of the Ancient Greek society. When the suitors ask Telemachus to send his mother, Penelope, back to her father he replies with; “It is quite impossible for me to cast out, against her will, the mother who bore me and brought me up”. This illuminates the importance of family within the society, and in turn morals. Whilst Telemachus then goes on to comment upon the monetary cost sending Penelope away, it is important to remember that his first instinct was to keep her in Ithaca due to their mother-son relationship. Furthermore, the importance of morals within The Odyssey’s is illuminated with the concept of xenia. Hospitality was

To the average person, The Odyssey is a Greek tale about a man, Odysseus, just trying to find his way home. However, it is much more than an entertaining tale of a man, gods, and monsters. It serves as a cultural exemplar of different kinds of people, roles, and relationships of ancient Greece, including the role of women. In The Odyssey, women are often portrayed as suasive and strong people, prime examples being Athena, Arete, and Penelope.

Hospitality was more significant in the time The Odyssey was written than it is today. In the time the poem was written the Greeks possessed a concept of being welcoming to strangers and to display generosity to anyone who is traveling or away from home. The Greeks had a reason for this concept. They believed that a god could take the form of a man and if they were not presented with hospitality the god would punish you. The Odyssey also provides examples of how generosity is abused. There are many details in the odyssey that convey idea of why hospitality was so significant in this poem.

Humans within society will never be equal, no matter what the government is. Consequently, aristocracy has been an integral part of civilizations for centuries -always dominating the lower classes. This dominance was especially strong in the Greek society. After all, the term used to describe the nobility in ancient Greece was aristoi, literally meaning “best people”(Geddes 18). As a result of aristocratic norms in ancient world, aspects of aristocracy have even influenced aspects of Greek culture - including its literature. The Odyssey illustrates the inequality between the aristocracy and the common people by highlighting the inferiority of the common people and the special privilege and superiority of Greek heroes.

Imagine living at a time in which women were only seen as second-class or lesser beings. The Odyssey, by Homer, is an epic poem based on the story of an ancient Greek hero known as Odysseus. The Story follows his twenty-year journey, ten spent fighting the war, and the other ten spent getting home. Throughout the Poem, Homer presents the roles and nature of women. In The Odyssey, Greek society is controlled by men, while women face an entrenched societal expectation to be subservient and loyal without question.

Much information can be gained from Homer’s epic,The Odyssey about ancient Greek civilizations and their what they valued morally. The Odyssey has a variety of different archetypes that are still relevant in modern times. The legend of Odyssey has been passed down from poet to poet for five hundred years until finally Homer wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey down somewhere between eight hundred fifty and seven hundred fifty B.C. In Homer’s epic the Odyssey, there are three archetypes that provide insights to Ancient Greek civilizations and their morals. These are the hero archetype, the monster or villain archetype, and the hero's journey archetype.

An epic is considered a long poem and portrays a hero and his journeys. In Odyssey, the an important theme is Traditions and customs. Homer expressed this theme by adding how people in ancient Greece treated their gods, he also showed us that they treated their guest with the utmost respect towards them.

Culture since the time of Homer has developed social life and personal on your system very different meaning from the harsh demands of warrior code, but the strength to continue the work shows just how strong the importance of the ancient way of life is still talking to the imagination of man. This is true in some respects, though ultimately misleading. It is true that the Iliad describes the war in a completely unvarnished. The Iliad leaves little doubt that the capture of Troy will lead to widespread murder, theft, and the slavery of women and their children. At the same time, however, it described the war as part almost inevitable of human life. Meanwhile, today is not different from the Iliad by the fight scenes are disgusting and brutal but different aspects of theft and enslavement of women and children.

The employment of themes in chronological stories and poetry are major contributions to the educative nature of literature. Themes from legends form of literary appreciation were importantly considered as the only means of conveying the meaning of legends, poetry and even myths, In Homer’s the Odyssey, of the many themes seen through Odysseus, Hospitality (xenia) is seen as a central and very dominant theme throughout the poem. hospitality is defined as a generous or friendly reception and entertainment of strangers, guests and visitors. Many readers would view the theme of hospitality as a little strange to see it literary works. In Homer's world, however, hospitality is essential, Fagles and Knox refer to hospitality as a dominant part of "the only code of moral conduct that obtains in the insecure world of The Odyssey" (Knox, 45). When looking into the idea of hospitality, readers would have to go back and examine the reasoning of its use as a central issue in the development of the story and how it forms an important part in the setting, study the interpretation of hospitality from the gods, and finally review the consequences of hospitality throughout the poem.

Greek mythology deals significantly with culture and its factors, as they describe the societies and the people inhabiting it by depicting their everyday life and the state of their land. Both Hephaestus, in Homer’s Iliad, and Odysseus, in Homer’s The Odyssey, set out to portray the cultures that they saw, yet the cultures and societies varied greatly, from Hephaestus illustrating the highly developed societies of the Greek and their culture; while on the other hand, Odysseus seems baffled by how underdeveloped the Cyclopes land and culture is. Hephaestus and Odysseus seem to have the same understanding what is normal of a culture, society, and their factors; however, there are noteworthy variations between their accounts.

Ever since The Odyssey by Homer was written in the 8th century BC Greek women were limited to their rights compared to a man who had more freedom. The Odyssey is an epic poem about mainly a Greek hero named Odysseus and all the poems take you through his journeys and problems that occur to find his way back home to Ithaca. As the novel progresses, an indiscriminate and rambunctious group of suitors who have invaded Odysseus's royal residence and looted his property keep on courting his wife, Penelope. Ultimately Odysseus uncovers himself to the whole royal residence and reunites with his wife Penelope. Homer’s epic poem offers valuable insight into how Greek women were viewed as and treated during the 8th Century. When attempting to read this epic poem with an open mind, a reader can view Homer’s intake on how women were looked upon, the role of women in Greece, and their limited rights just because of their gender. Focusing on the portrayal of women within The Odyssey reveals Homer as an author who attempts to illustrate women’s expected roles in this society, but still realizes their importance for what women do behind the scene is clearly shown in The Odyssey.

Connections between humans and their culture over time,rarely found, happen to be found in ancient literature. The connections ,archetypes, can be found in the adventurous book The Odyssey. Ancient greek culture is brought up by Homer through archetypes. In the Odyssey, topics such as terrifying monsters , love tests, and an unstoppable hero are all related to ancient greek culture. The Odyssey shows archetypes that also reveal this culture. Three archetypes found are monsters, loyalty, and a hero which shows ancient greek culture for modern readers.

The theme of Homer’s The Odyssey is the importance of hospitality in Greek culture. Hospitality is rewarded when done properly, but the characters are punished when they fail to show adequate hospitality. Homer reiterates this idea through Odysseus’ punishments as the book follows his lengthy twenty year journey back to his wife and family back in Ithaca. Homer sheds a positive light on hospitality through the giving of gifts as rewards. The last example of the importance of hospitality is the punishment of Odysseus estate through the death of the people who haven’t shown hospitality to Odysseus and his family. Odysseus trades roles at the end of the story as he punishes others for disrespectful acts, just as he has been punished twenty years as he journeyed home.

Myths were a very important part of the ancient Greek civilization. They explained the world to the people of ancient Greece, including how and why the physical world worked, human emotions and relationships, how and why the gods acted, but arguably the most important thing they did was give the people of ancient Greece values to live. However, these values often varied by gender. For example, myths showed how women should belong to men and be treated as something evil. Differently from what they said about women, myths showed men how to obtain honor and glory. By studying these myths we can begin to understand the values held by the people of ancient Greece.