Certainly, one of the biggest values presented by the Odyssey is loyalty. Penelope is extremely loyal to Odysseus, never doubting that he is still alive, and refusing to choose another husband from among her very persistent and aggressive suitors. Odysseus is somewhat less loyal, by our standards, because he does sleep with a few goddesses while he is away from his wife; however, one could make the argument that he could hardly reject the advances of immortal women without dire consequences. We also very much value loyalty today, especially marital fidelity.
Another important value from the Odyssey is the ancient Greek concept of xenia. Xenia refers to the importance of offering hospitality to travelers, a group believed to be under the especial protection of Zeus; it also includes the reciprocity of the guest-host relationship: the host is supposed to offer what he has freely, and the guest is supposed to behave gratefully and not take advantage of what is offered. Today, we don't seem to place the same level of importance on hospitality; in fact, we would likely see it as foolhardy to welcome a stranger into our homes. For them, it was a religious imperative as well as a necessity in a world that lacked hotels, ATMs and restaurants. Now, if we travel far from our home, we have resources available to us to sustain ourselves; they did not have these resources, rendering hospitality to strangers a great deal more necessary.
No comments:
Post a Comment