ea god Poseidon (I.30), and to Telemachus, whose actions establish a foundation in justice and morality for searching for Odysseus. In describing Odysseus's offense against Poseidon, the gods set forth a principle of justice and piety to which humankind is obliged to adhere or suffer the consequences. On the other hand, there is a weight, or more exactly proportionality, of divine sentiment against Poseidon's persistence in throwing Odysseus off course away from Ithaca for so long. Athene, who has more or less adopted Odysseus as a personal favorite, successfully pleads with Kronos and Zeus to overrule Poseidon's control over Odysseus's seagoing fortune (I.30-31) and allow the homeward journey to continue. The homeward journey itself, meanwhile, is also an exercise in the establishment of justice and piety, not only in regard to humankind's relationship to the gods but also in regard to the relationships between human beings in general. Indeed, The Odyssey can be interpreted as a narrative that clarifies life-governing principles and lays the ground rules for universal human order. The disordered domestic situation of Odysseus stands for the situation of all humankind, and Odysseus becomes the agent for clarifying the situation before the gods and man.
Odysseus's household is in disarray for reasons that link Greek rules of hospitality to the idea of justice and that point to both greater and lesser themes in the narrative. In Book I, Telemachus makes much of the strange seafarer who visits Odysseus's palace in Ithaca; it is Athene in disguise. The point is, however, that Telemachus cannot seem to apologize enough for the fact that matters are in disarray in the family compound. He points to the suitors who have taken up residence, to their rowdy ways. He apologizes that things cannot be made more comfortable for the good stranger. It is perhaps curious that Telemachus, who complains about the suitors, does not simply throw them out ...