I don’t believe that Dante had any sympathy for Odysseus. In Greek culture, Odysseus was portrayed as “god like” and worthy to be among the gods. In Dante’s Inferno, however, Odysseus is a sinner burning in hell for his crimes during the Trojan War. In addition, Odysseus is deep in hell in the Eighth Pouch of the Eighth Circle of Hell. Dante mentions Odysseus to illustrate that Odysseus’ crimes went against Christian morals. Among the Greeks, Odysseus’ role in the Trojan War may have been seen as heroic. On the contrary, in Dante’s Inferno, nobody can escape punishments if they act against Christian standards. Also, Dante reveres Rome, which back then was an enemy of the Greeks. Thus, showing one of Greek’s greatest hero in hell, Dante sheds light on the relationship between the Romans and the Greeks.
Author: v.yoon
Describe how Plato, Sappho, and/or Catullus conceive of love (and/or friendship). You can choose to only discuss one of the three works or compare two or three of them. You can also choose to compare their views on love with The Odyssey. You can also choose to focus more specifically on either the lover or the beloved if you like.
During the symposium, all the attendees attempt to explain love. Socrates describes love based on a conversation he had with Diotima long ago. He states that love is between beauty and ugliness, mortal and immortal, wisdom and ignorance. Diotima tells Socrates the story behind love: Love is the son of Poros (resource) and Penia (poverty). She explains that love is not just the love between two people, but rather the purpose of love is to give birth in beauty. Diotima then goes on to say that it is not enough for philosophers, or lovers of wisdom, to only assist in the birth of ideas. A real lover of wisdom must conceive ideas himself. Socrates’ speech on love is very different from the others. He delves into the different elements of love and not only the physical, sexual components of love.
Discuss the role of xenia (the guest-host relationship) in The Odyssey. How do guests and/or hosts exemplify or fail to meet the high standard he has in mind for how guests and hosts should treat each other?
In Ancient Greek, the role of Xenia played a huge role in society. Both the guest and host bore responsibilities. The guest must be courteous and not be a burden. The host must be hospitable to provide food, drink, and shelter. In the Odyssey, there are examples of both good and bad guest-host relationships. A bad example of Xenia was with Polyphemus and the cyclops. Polyphemus was not a good host because he was not hospitable and tried to eat his guests. Odysseus was not a good guest because he killed his host, but this was to save his own life. A good example of Xenia was with the Phaeacians. Odysseus followed Nausicca’s instructions and found Queen Arete. Arete recognized Odysseus’ clothes and investigated further. After Odysseus explained his story, Alcinous was so impressed by him that he offered Odysseus his daughter’s hand in marriage. Alcinous also provided a ship for Odysseus so that he can return home to Ithaca. Afterwards, the Phaeacians threw a feast and celebration of games in honor of their guest.