How Is Odysseus Portrayed In Book 9

In Book 9 of the Odyssey, Odysseus and his men trespassed into the home of Polyphemus, a cyclops, ate his cheese and milk, slaughtered some of his sheep for their meat, and finally, blinded Polyphemus, transgressing the rules of hospitality the Ancient Greeks valued. Poseidon, the cyclops’ father, cursed Odysseus to undertake a long and gruelling journey home. During his expedition home to Ithaca, the hero became the guest to many hosts; ultimately teaching him how to respect and honour the hospitality granted by his hosts. The Odyssey is a story of a veteran returning from war, but this story also revolves around the veteran himself learning to respect and uphold the rules of hospitality at the expense of reuniting with his family as a punishment

Odysseus remained on the island for one year, sleeping with Circe and eventually impregnating her. By sleeping with Circe, Odysseus honoured the hospitality granted by Circe, who showed mercy towards Odysseus and his men. She transformed some of his men into pigs where she could’ve as easily killed them and potentially Odysseus too. In an almost perverted way, by having intercourse with Circe, Odysseus showed his respect towards the hospitality that Circe was providing. However, after a year, his crew begs him to leave Circe and go home. Though she promises eternal and continuous hospitality and care, Odysseus’ longing for his family overrides his duty to accept and respect Circe’s hospitality – as he had already been doing for a year. Odysseus misses his wife, son, and home too much, and almost in a form of gratitude for having her hospitality respected, Circe lets Odysseus leave. She also directs him to the Underworld to get directions to Ithaca. The Odyssey is more than just a story about the return of a veteran back home, it is also a story of a veteran understanding the importance of honouring a host. It is only once he learns this that Odysseus can come