"Slaves in the Odyssey represent the labour on which the more leisured aristocratic style of living is based. It is their work and its products that support the way of life and the activities of the families at the head of the various oikoi (e.g. feasts, sacrifices, hospitality etc). Consequently, slaves are portrayed in the narrative selectively and from a particular perspective." This means that the slaves in the poem are "viewed from above and categorized, and their representation is simplified accordingly."

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