Thursday, September 20, 2012

Hope and Loyalty

When Odysseus comes home to Ithica, he has foreknowledge of what awaits him. He has to go home in disguise to protect himself from being killed in his own neighborhood. To top that off, his house has been host to the biggest and longest frat party in Ithica (in the world?). It's been trashed, the suitors are still there, and to make matters worse; some of the servants are now loyal to these hooligans. I mean, who in their right mind with the slightest shread of decency and respectability goes and trashes the king's house and tries to make away with his wife while the king is gone. That's just plain rude and barbaric. Does honor mean nothing to these degenerates? Is it something others must show them but they, themselves, do not return the gesture in any form or fashion. The only shining beacons in this trash heap are Penelope, Telemachos, Eurykleia the nursemaid, the swineherd Eumaios, and the cowherd Philoitios. They are filled with hope and/or loyalty for Oddyseus. The citizens of Ithica have pretty much sided with the revolting suitors, and therefore Odysseus can only trust these few souls (plus Athena) to know his true identity. They have, in the round about way of doing nothing, that Peneolpe should suck it up and marry one of the brats. The suitors were so bad in trashing the house, gorging all the choice food; sharing grudgingly the smallest and worst pieces, and abusing the staff and guests that Telemachos breaks the big rule/code of hostpitality and tells his crewmates that it would be better to stay in the streets than at his house. If honor (kleos) was such a part of the Greek culture, then I would like them to explain to me exactly why this wasn't dealt with when it first began! Tell me, how were they justified in their actions?! And if in fact they weren't, then pray tell why didn't those lily livered elders do something?! It seems more like social politics than true justice to me.

1 comment:

  1. I've often wondered about that double standard as well. It reminds me of what Dr. Schuler said about idealized forms. As in, a lot of times the true hospitality/honor thing wasn't always followed, but it was supposed to be. Maybe the same way our culture values equality but we don't always live that way.

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