Phaeacia is a kingdom with royalty. The king, Alcinious has to call to an assembly to vote for and get permission to give Ulysses a boat to travel home with. Thus the kingdom of this island is not monarchy in its strictest form; the king does not command the people with the power of sole authority. Phaeacia is an oligarchy made up of the elite or nobles that constitute the assembly. Thus this oligarchy is led by the royalty but does go through the process of debate and discussion to reach agreements. The courtship of the princess portrays the females place in the society and the part she plays in choice and attracting a male, yet her father can and does make the final offer to the suitor that she will marry. the custom of marriage might take on both types of arranged and courtship rituals, however one can argue that Alcinious offers his daughters hand in marriage to Ulysses because he and she both courted or met on the beach and the perfect conduct and educate was followed by both proving them a good match for the royal family. The marriage as mentioned is symbolic of the political alliance of Ulysses as the Greek and the phaeacians represented by the princess. The alliance is between the Greeks in common and not based on a marriage of nobility as Ulysses is not known to be anything but a common Greek. The pheaecians are a liberated people who treat both males and females with equal dignity and regard; the king even portrays a sympathetic heart when he sees Ulysses cries.
Till next week
Val
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