Personalism, Pluralism, and Guest-Host Ambiguity

Raymond D. Boisvert, Siena College

"HOST" is a complicated word in English. It can identify someone who graciously welcomes us into a home, an "army" or large gathering of individuals ("heavenly host," "marauding host,"), and a sacrificial victim, a usage now used most prominently in relation to the Eucharistic bread as "host." Aeschylus's play The Suppliants depicts a situation in which these various elements are intermingled. A ruler faces a difficult decision. Refugees, women fleeing forced marriage, have arrived on his shore. Should he and his people, taking on the role of gracious "hosts," welcome the suppliants? If they refuse, it is the women who would become "hosts" of the sacrificial sort. Hovering in the background are the women's tormentors. Being powerful, they can gather themselves into a marauding "host," wreaking havoc on the peaceful island.