lity and proper punishments will be taken into effect. Just as good hospitality was rewarded, bad hospitality had its consequences. Not being a good host means that you do not respect the gods, and that means trouble. A bad host does things that are out of the ordinary, such as: eat the guests, try to kill them, or both. Just as the Cyclops named Polyphemus does to two Achaeans that he discovers are in his den. Unfortunately for him, he did receive his punishment for the way he treated his guests. Since Polyphemus did not treat Odysseys and his men well, Odysseys wanted his revenge. They seized their "...stake with its fiery tip and bored it round and round in the giant's eye till blood came boiling up around the smoking shaft and the hot blast singed his brow and the eyelids round the core and the broiling eyeball burst." (IV, 433-437) Odysseys got revenge on another group of men that weren't very hospitable to him, not even in his own house. When he returned home, disguised as an old man, the suitors that were guests in his house, did not give him a very warm welcome. Antinous, one of the suitors, hit him with a stool while the others "... all gave to the beggar, filled his sack with handouts, bread and meat." (XVII, 53-54) Odysseus waited patiently for a chance to get revenge on Antinous and the other suitors for not being good hosts. After asking Apollo, the god of archery for glory, "...Odysseus aimed and shot Antinous square in the throat and the point went stabbing clean through the soft neck and out..." (XXII, 15-16) After that, Odysseus also killed all of those that were disloyal to him and that were bad hosts. The Odyssey depicts the importance of good hospitality and also the consequences that follow bad hospitality. Inviting, dining, and gift gifting are the rules of being a good host and are very pleasing to the gods. Although, when good hospitality is not given, even to the poor, the outcome is very severe and sometimes is...
