admonishes Alkinoos for not instantlyoffering his hospitality. Alkinoos then offers the wanderer a seat of honor,orders food brought, and decrees the customary rituals to be performed. Thenhe speaks to Odysseus, is taken by him, and offers him his daughter's hand inmarriage. Everyone rests, and the next day is spent in festivities.Afterwards, Odysseus recounts his various wanderings to the Phaiakians. Thenhe is sped on his way home. In the Aeneid, Venus sends Cupid in the form ofAscanius to make Dido fall in love with Aeneas. Aeneas then recounts twotales to Dido and her court: the fall of Troy and the Trojan wanderings.Meanwhile, Dido has become enamored with Aeneas, and eventually Aeneasreciprocates her love. He decides to stay in Carthage and help with thebuilding until he is chastised by Hermes. When he then prepares to leave,Dido becomes enraged and then despondent. Finally, after he is gone she takesher own life. Even though Odysseus is given very good treatment by a variety of people,he never doubts for a moment that he belongs home on Ithaka. For example,when he was with Calypso, he had immortality and divine companionship;moreover, his return home would be fraught with adversity. Yet, "each day,[he longed] for home" and felt his "tough heart could undergo"17 any trail.Hermes had to chastise Calypso to let Odysseus go, rather than spurring thewanderer himself. On Skheria, Alkinoos would make Odysseus his "son-in-law,if [he] remained. A home, lands, and riches"18 would be his as well. Offereda place in this ideal society, Odysseus still chooses to return home. Fromthe Cyclops' island, where is known "none but savage ways"19; to Aiolia, wherethey still "gave [sisters] to [brothers] to be their gentle brides"20; to the"magic house of Circe", where there is "eating and drinking, endlesslyregaled."21; Odysseus realizes that he belongs in none of these places. Hiswanderings merely represent his unceasing climb back...
