Student Question

What does ancient Greek literature reveal about its culture?

Quick answer:

Ancient Greek literature, such as the Odyssey, reveals key cultural values including hospitality, loyalty, and filial piety. Hospitality is essential, as seen in Odysseus' reliance on the kindness of strangers during his journey home. Loyalty is exemplified by Penelope's unwavering faithfulness to Odysseus despite his long absence. Filial piety is highlighted through characters like Telemachus and Orestes, who show deep respect and commitment to their parents, even under challenging circumstances.

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From the literature of ancient Greece, such as the Odyssey, we can infer several things about Greek culture.

1. First, the ancient Greeks value hospitality highly. Odysseus must rely on hospitality as he travels home from Troy to Ithaca, and he is granted it by all civilized peoples with whom he interacts. Without the assistance of others, he would likely never make it home.

2. Second, they prize loyalty. Penelope remains loyal to Odysseus throughout the entirety of his twenty-year absence from home. Although she is pressured by the suitors to marry one of them, and though it has been so long without any news of her husband, she remains steadfast in her commitment to him, and she is held up as a model of good female behavior.

3. Third, they value filial piety. In other words, children are supposed to respect, even revere, their parents. Telemachus is held up as a positive example as he risks his own life to go in search of his father, deceiving the greedy suitors and receiving help from a goddess. Further, Orestes, the son of Agamemnon, avenged his father by killing his mother and her lover (because they murdered Agamemnon), and he is also revered as a good son.

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