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The Odyssey: Virtues And Vices - Online Term Paper

The Odyssey: Virtues And Vices

In the epic, the Odyssey, many showings of virtues and vices were displayed. Some actions were common back in the mythological era but if done in modern times, they would be unacceptable. Two of the themes found in the Odyssey are the showing and not showing of hospitality and the practice of revenge.
One of the themes commonly used is the abiding and the breaking of the law of hospitality set by the Greek gods. One example of not showing hospitality is where Antinous strikes "the man's (Odysseus') right shoulder blade – like solid rock..." with a stool. Because of Antinous' foolish action, he eventually dies due of it. His sentence went with the crime and served him right. Some ...

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if hospitality is not practiced bad things will happen.
Also a theme found in the Odyssey is revenge. One case of revenge is where Odysseus blinds the Cyclops in order for his crew and himself to escape and at the same time obtain revenge for the deaths of his men. Polyphemus deserved his fate because of his cruelness. Even after being blinded, Polyphemus stumbles out of his cave to thrown boulders at Odysseus' ship and to curse the men to never return home. Later along the story, when Odysseus, Telemachus, and the faithful herdsmen slaughter all the suitors, it displays to what extremes one would go to obtain revenge. This act of vengeance suits the crime of what the suitors did to Odysseus' household. The episode of the suitors would have made more sense if they made the suitors serve Odysseus' family for the rest of their lives rather than killing every one of them.
Many of the acts in the Odyssey are pitifully thought to be acceptable for example the slaughtering of ...

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The Odyssey: Virtues And Vices. (2004, September 10). Retrieved January 22, 2025, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Odyssey-Virtues-And-Vices/14139

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 9/10/2004 07:08:14 PM
Category: English
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 432
Pages: 2

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