Abstract
Homeric epics are rich in paradigmatic scenes, where it is not inappropriate to look for examples of Greek polite social behaviour. This paper proposes an analytical framework to study ancient Greek politeness, and applies it to a famous scene of the Odyssey: the arrival of the goddess Athena, disguised as the old stranger Mentes, at the door of the royal palace of Ithaca, where she is welcomed by Ulysses’ son Telemachus. The stranger’s welcome in Homer is a very formal ritual following a well ordered pattern, which is made by several steps that require a high level of cooperation between the householder and his guest. My interpretation of Telemachus’ behaviour toward Athena-Mentes is based on the analytical categories developed by Erving Goffman to understand the everyday behaviour code. I take into consideration two main variables: the distribution of authority that characterizes the social situation of Ulysses’ palace and its social density, defined as the degree to which people are in each other’s presence and hence under each other’s surveillance. A close analysis of these variables within the social situation is helpful in defining its members’ social expectations towards each other, and, thus, highlighting which behavioural norms are enforced by the social situation itself.
©2016 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin Boston
