Nadia Della Penna

Professor Peer

English _____

September 25, 2017

Throughout the Odyssey, Homer highlights major facets of Grecian society with each character Odysseus encounters. One major theme of the Odyssey is the well-maintained regard for hospitality that appears to be consistently valued by people of this ancient society. It can be seen that hospitality is an essential part of their culture and must be displayed when hosting guests who are friends, foes, or even complete strangers, without regard to class. It is safe to say that the key boundary between the civilized and the savage is demonstrated through acts of hospitality. However there is a very profound exception to this within this epic poem. Homer’s depiction of Polyphemus, the cyclops, as an inhospitable host reveals this key difference. The portrait he paints of civilized people is mirrored by their generosity as they welcome guests into their homes and in contrast his portrayal of Polyphemus’ tendency to consume his guests reflects his own savage nature.

The episode begins with Odysseus refusing to leave Polyphemus’ cave after entering it with gifts for Polyphemus that included “a goatskin filled with red wine” (Line 188). Line 215 pg 430 reads:

My men thought we should make of with some cheese
And then come back for the lambs and kids
… but I wouldn’t listen. It would have been far better
If I had! But I wanted to see him, and see
If he would give me a gift of hospitality.”

Odysseus was in fact familiar with the type of giant Polyphemus was when he mentions, “A savage with no notion of right or wrong” (Line 206) right before they interact but he refuses to dishonor the tradition of humbling yourself as a guest. By refusing to leave before Polyphemus returns home Odysseus’ premonition is confirmed (Line 204). He endangers the lives of himself and his men by being steadfast about his virtues. One can argue that Odysseus is being foolish by staying behind but this behavior is quite courteous and noble and in fact is evidence that he will continue to show consideration for his own high moral principles even while being faced with danger. This is one of many instances in which Homer distinguishes Odysseus as a heroic character by demonstrating the utmost importance of discipline that Odysseus possesses.

Homer writes:

We lit a fire and offered sacrifice
And helped ourselves to some of the cheese.
Then we sat and waited in the cave
Until he came back” (Line 222).

Odysseus lights a fire and offers a sacrifice to the Gods amidst the danger that lingers right before Polyphemus returns home. Homer places this strategically, right before Odysseus and his men eat, to emphasize how civilized Odysseus is. In contrast, as readers, we assume that Odysseus and his crew are famished and would more likely than not fail to take the time to engage in a ritualistic slaughter before eating. But Homer successfully draws attention to just how virtuous Odysseus is as he demonstrates an outstanding amount of temperance in this paragraph. His self-restraint remains quite dignified given the pressing circumstance.

Homer has Odysseus explicitly state to Polyphemus that Zeus is the protector of strangers in line 263 and in response to this Polyphemus says:

You’re dumb, stranger, or from far away,
If you ask me to fear the gods. Cyclopes
Don’t care about Zeus or his aegis
Or the blessed gods, since we are much stronger.
I wouldn’t spare you or your men
Out of fear of Zeus. (265-270)

This was intended to demarcate the difference in beliefs between the civilized and savage. Odysseus tries his best to convince Polyphemus to be hospitable by pleading with Polyphemus to respect the gods and his society’s customs but his savage nature exhibits his lack of concern because moral axioms do not hold in his uncivilized world. Note that “his society” refers to the fact that Polyphemus and Odysseus do not share a common domain but instead Polyphemus lives “far away” amongst other Cyclopes (Line 265). This makes further sense seeing as that Odysseus and his crew traveled by ship to reach this land. With this information we can deduce that there is truth that Polyphemus “lived apart from others and knew no law” because of the geographic location of this untouched land (Line 183). In ancient Greece fearing a higher power or god was commonplace and can be attributed as a characteristic of the formation of social development. It can be argued that existing without fear of god meant that your values or priorities were skewed and therefore uncivilized in the context of how this ancient society was structured.

Odysseus had come to Polyphemus bearing an offering of gifts in return for help (Line 345). It was customary to come prepared with an offering when strangers traveled abroad for it was usually followed by a reciprocal gesture. Odysseus has brought Polyphemus wine and says, “‘I was bringing it to you/ As an offering, hoping you would pity me. And help me get home’” (Line 345). In great contrast to Odysseus virtuous hospitality, Polyphemus offers a vile gift in return for a promised gift and responds, “’Noman I will eat last after his friends./ Friends first, him last. /That’s my gift to you’” (Line 367-368). Homer renders a vivid image that captures a wicked delight that the Cyclops experiences as he consumes his human meal. This twisted gesture is broadcasted as foreign to everything Odysseus has known as he spotlights the audacity Polyphemus has to consume his guests within his own home (Lines 477-478). This type of behavior is the antithesis of the sacred hospitality rituals in Odysseus’ world and again verifies that the torment Polyphemus subjects his guests to is extremely primitive. Odysseus later states that Zeus is responsible for punishing Polyphemus’ for his heinous acts of eating his own guests in his home. Homer soon reveals there may be little truth to this later on when Odysseus’ sacrifice to the gods is not accepted (Line 549-550).

The unwavering acts of hospitality that Odysseus demonstrated in this epic poem is paralleled by its great cultural importance within the ancient Grecian society. Odysseus is confronted with many opportunities to neglect his responsibility, as a civilized person during his grueling encounter with Polyphemus but the virtuous hero, as depicted by Homer, remains faithful to Athenian customs. The distinction between civilized and savage is exemplified through the many contrasting responses made by Polyphemus the savage and Odysseus the hero as the episode progresses. This ultimately reveals that the most notable key difference is relative to how each character defines hospitality. The rivalry between these two perspectives sheds a light on how far removed one must be from society to exist without a moral compass.