Odysseus reflects many characteristics of ancient Greek culture. Two of these are xenia and bravery. First, he has a strong commitment to xenia, the Greek word for hospitality. Greeks were expected to go to great lengths to show hospitality to their guests, even if they were strangers; likewise, visitors were expected to be good guests. In the Odyssey, there are several times where Odysseus punishes people for not abiding by the code of xenia. Polyphemus the cyclops did not extend xenia to Odysseus and his crew; instead, he tried to eat them, so Odysseus blinded him. When Odysseus returned to his home in Ithaca, his house was full of single men who wanted to marry his wife since he was presumed dead; these men were incredibly bad guests, which is one of the reasons Odysseus slaughtered them.
Second, Odysseus reflected the Greek virtue of bravery. Despite facing a number of incredibly difficult trials (shipwrecks, imprisonment, monsters, etc.), Odysseus remained brave and did not lose heart.
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