In Homer's The Odyssey, hospitality is a major theme in regards to the Greek culture. ... "When they had feasted their eyes on the sight, they went and bathed in polished baths, and after the maids had washed them, rubbed them with oil and dressed them in thick cloak and tunics, they took their places on chairs at side of noble Menelaus, son of Atreus " (Homer, 42), Telemachus and his men walked into the home of Menelaus whom they never met, and were washed, given a nice oil rub down, and were handed fresh clothes-all before having actually seen the host of the home. ... A unique system t...

• Word Count: 1447
• Approx Pages: 6

The connections run from similarities in methods of transmission, namely the oral traditions, to themes, characters and formal structural components. ... The stories concerning Gilgamesh in Sumerian are short and episodic and present no unifying theme, but in the Akkadian versions it appears that the poet has unified these traditional stories into one larger eleven or twelve tablet epic with more unified themes (West 65, Noegel 240). ... Achilles as the son of Thetis has a special relationship which allows him to communicate with the gods by way of Thetis's favor in the eyes of Zeus (Il. ...

• Word Count: 4256
• Approx Pages: 17
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Major conflict of the poem is Agamemnon's demand for Achilles' war prize, the maiden Briseis, which wounds Achilles' pride; Achilles' consequent refusal to fight causes the Achaeans to suffer greatly in their battle against the Trojans. ... Major themes of the poem are the glory of war; military values over family life; the impermanence of human life and its creations. ... Major conflict of the poem is that Aeneas is fated to travel from the ruins of Troy to Italy, where he will establish a race that will lead to the founding of Rome. ... Themes of the poem are the pr...

• Word Count: 8864
• Approx Pages: 35
• Grade Level: High School