How does polyphemus break the laws of hospitality

It takes a total of 5 men to pick up the stake. I held this in the fire's heart and turned it, toughening it, then hid it, well back in the cavern, under one of the dung piles in profusion there How many Kraters of wine does the Cyclops drink? Why is thiw wine particularly potent? The Cyclops drinks a total of 4 bowls of wine. The wine is very potent because it is nectar and ambrosia, the wine of the gods.

Even Cylcopses know the wine grapes grow out of grassland and loam in heaven's rain, but here's a bit of nectar and ambrosia" "Give me another, thank you kindly Three bowls I brought him, and he poured them down. I saw the fuddle and flush come over him" Lines What does Odysseus tell the Cyclops his name Odysseus is? Why does this turn out to be clever and humorous?

What does it turn out is the Cyclops' own name? Odysseus tells the Cyclops his name is "Nohbdy". When the Cyclops is injured he yells to the other Cyclopses on the island to come help him. When they arrive, the reader learns the Cyclops' name is Polyphemus. When the other one-eyed giants ask who has hurt Polyphemus he replies "No body" and they leave. Odysseus has cleverly figured out a way to confuse the giants.

Lines "he set up a howl for Cyclopses who lived in caves on windy peaks nearby What ails you Polyphemus? Why do you cry so sore in the starry night? Sure no man's driving off your flock? No man has tricked you, ruined you? Out of the cave the mammoth Polyphemus roared in answer: Nohbdy.

Nohbdy tricked me. Nohbdy ruined me! To this rough shout they made a sage reply: Ah well, if nobody has played you foul there in your lonely bed, we are no use in pain And I was filled with laughter to see how like a charm the name deceived them.

What favor does the Cyclops grant Odysseus after being served the wine? The Cyclops gift to Odysseus is to eat him for dinner, but the Cyclops promises to eat the other men first and save "Nohbdy Odysseus for last.

Others come first. There's a noble gift, now" Lines What does the Cyclops do after drinking the wine? The Cyclops passes out drunk in the cave with wine and bits of dead men drooling out of his mouth. Drunk, hiccuping, he dribbled streams of liquor and bits of men" Lines How or where do Odysseus' men injure the Cyclops? Why didn't they just stab him in the heart?

How does this connect with the way they escape the cave? Respect the gods, my friend. Odysseus makes this petition because of Polyphemus failure to uphold his role as host in the guest-host relationship, having deviated from the formula.

He tells the Cyclops what the customs of xenia are and tells him that he and his men are suppliants, therefore presenting the Cyclops with the opportunity to provide them with protection and transport, an element of hospitality present in the other episodes.

Here, then, he fails in providing the protection a suppliant is to be given by a host. Later, he promises to give Odysseus a guest-gift, but the guest-gift turns out to be nothing more than a promise to eat Odysseus last. His gift is simply to spare Odysseus until he is the last man, and then eat him. Because of this, it is clear that Polyphemus fails to uphold his responsibility as host to provide his guests transportation, and rather does the opposite by keeping them held in his cave.

The episode between Polyphemus and Odysseus stands in stark contrast to the previous episodes, where the guest-host relationship is developed according to a formula and where the hosts uphold their responsibilities.

Xenia is largely absent, or corrupted, in this episode. The Cyclops episode demonstrates the failing of a host to provide his guests with hospitality, and can thus be contrasted against the earlier episodes to illuminate further these necessary elements of hospitality. First, Polyphemus asks the identity of the guests before any development of the relationship has begun. It is the first thing, which he does. This is completely unlike the other episodes, where Menelaus, Nestor, and Alcinous have all welcomed their guest and provided him with a feast before asking for their identity.

The stranger must not be kept waiting. He may be offered a bath and fresh clothes. The main item of hospitality is of course a meal. After the meal, not before, comes the question: who are you? It is the responsibility of the host to provide for his guest before anything is to proceed, despite not even knowing the identity or intentions of the stranger.

Next, the Cyclops offers to provide Odysseus a guest-gift, but it ends up being a promise to eat Odysseus last. Finally, the Cyclops traps Odysseus and his men in his cave, without the intention of letting them go. This is the antithesis of offering his guests transportation and travel to their intended destination, and because of this the Cyclops must be tricked and deceived so that Odysseus can escape.

A guest must be provided for before he is to be questioned. Finally, transportation and protection must be afforded upon the guest during their stay at the home of the host. The elements of xenia, of hospitality and the guest-host relationship, have thus been revealed by the episodes in which the relationship is explored. Now the application of the guest-host relationship and the role of xenia in shaping the events of the epic can be examined. At Ithaca Odysseus practices the same caution, but under a disguise and pseudonym.

Odysseus is disguised as a stranger at his home, and thus, as has been revealed by the analysis of the guest-host relationship, must be taken in hospitably as a guest by the members of his household. Perhaps, then, xenia plays a role in allowing Odysseus to shed his disguise during his return home and when he is prepared to fight the suitors.

Indeed, the plot of The Odyssey establishes a positive connection between recognition and the observance of hospitality. In Phaeacia and on Ithaca, the hospitable reception of Odysseus as a guest and the development of the guest-host relationship lead to the recognition and revelation of his true identity.

Odysseus arrives at the island of Scheria, the land of the Phaeacians, without any outward signs of identity. His interaction with Nausicaa begins the process in which his identity is restored. She provides him with food, a bath, and clothes, transforming his appearance from a naked, brutish state back into that of a civilized man.

The following day, Odysseus Alcinous arranges for Odysseus to receive guest-gifts from the other leaders of Scheria and seeks to impress Odysseus by holding sporting contests. Odysseus demonstrates his capacity for sports and his physical acumen by winning in the sporting contests. By doing so, he thereby illuminates further his heroic identity as a champion and man of great strength. Indeed, M. In doing so, Odysseus is fulfilling his portion of the guest-host relationship by being appreciative to his host, and Alcinous reciprocates by suggesting that Odysseus be given another guest-gift.

From this point forth, Odysseus asserts himself more forcefully, asking for a song to be played about the Trojan War, in which he had a decisive role. It is a process in which Odysseus gives displays of his civilized and heroic qualities, which the Phaeacians respond to by receiving him into a series of roles befitting his identity — suppliant, bridegroom, and guest-friend. The process for the reception of strangers practiced by the Phaeacians has enabled Odysseus to earn his recognition without the help of any external mark of identity.

It has allowed Odysseus to integrate himself into a place in Phaeacian society befitting of his heroic character, his identity. Hospitality, then, leads to the complete revelation of identity; inhospitality leads to its complete concealment. The circumstances, however, are quite different. After Odysseus reveals his identity and tells his story, the Phaeacians convey him to Ithaca and leave him on the shore with numerous precious gifts, the ultimate hospitable act.

Where did you sail from, over the running sea-lanes? In The Odyssey being a good guest is of equal importance to being a good host, and the suitors represent the worst possible behavior for guests entering the household of a stranger.

While normal guest-host bonds are about equal relationships, the suitors pervert this by taking advantage of the weakened household because there is no leader to stop them. Ace your assignments with our guide to The Odyssey! SparkTeach Teacher's Handbook. Why does Telemachus go to Pylos and Sparta? How does Odysseus escape Polyphemus? Why does Odysseus kill the suitors? How does Penelope test Odysseus? What is happening at the beginning of The Odyssey?