Moral Standards In The Odyssey

s are standards of behaviour that shape the way an individual behaves. They have been around for centuries, guiding people and their decisions. The book - The Odyssey, by Homer and translated by Robert Fitzgerald - shows many characters and their virtues. The Odyssey is about how Odysseus angers different Gods which results in his long escapade home after the Trojan War. Odysseus’ trials during his journey home help expand his values and those of his community. Throughout the book, different characters showcase their moral standards - or lack thereof - through their actions and words.

One value The Odyssey illustrates is techne. Techne is possessing virtuous skills like stringing a bow or sailing a ship. A few of the characters - such as Telemakhos

Clear out, why don’t you? Or will you have to taste a bloody beating before you see the point? Your begging ways nauseate everyone. There are feasts elsewhere” (Book XX, Lines 194 - 199).

Odysseus is asking for food as a guest of Telemokos when he asks the suitors for food he is told that his begging is disgusting. For xenia, a person gives food to the guest(s) they have but the suitors are ignoring the customs even though they are guests of the hall themselves. In Ancient Greece, a person should have provided their guests with clean clothing, a bath, and food and when the suitors are asked to do only one of these tasks they scoff at it and refuse to give Odysseus food. They are guests in the hall who are acting as if this is their land but they do not have to pay for all the things.

Metis is another virtue that the Greeks held highly. Metis is the ability to be cunning. Now a person with this trait is a liar. Throughout the book, Penelope and Odysseus displays this

He just revealed himself and is waiting for Penelope to come and run into his arms. Penelope has had to learn how to trust no one because she has spent 20 years without her husband and because she has had suitors in her house for the last 3 years, taking everything she loves and cherishes from her, so when Odysseus reveals himself, she can not just trust it is him and not somebody else. Because of this, she asks him about a secret that only he would know by telling the servants to move their bed. This bed is so important because Odysseus has built their entire house around this bed and it can not move. When Penelope asks him to move it, he thinks another man has been in his bed, and he gets very angry and, at that moment, Penelope can finally trust that her love is back. Metis is cunning acts and what Penelope does is very cunning because she does not allow herself to feel safe and loved until she knows it is