As the precise definition of justice cannot be definitively stated, the line separating just from unjust actions is incredibly obscure. Many factors may influence an individual’s perception of what constitutes justice, such as time period, culture, or personal morals. Thus, while an act may be considered righteous in one context, the same act may be ruled unjust in other contexts. For instance, when Odysseus finally returns home to Ithaca, as retribution for defiling his home and attempting to court his wife, Odysseus murders all of Penelope’s suitors. The extremely graphic depiction of his retribution had appeared almost superfluous, causing the morality of his actions to be brought into question. Therefore, interpreting this scene from a …show more content…
While Odysseus’ actions taken to punish the suitors may appear immoral in modern society, by considering the ways in which modern society differs from Homeric society, Odysseus’ actions are just in the context of the poem. As violence has an extremely negative connotation in modern society, the use of the death penalty is morally ambiguous, and is a highly debated topic; however, violence is far more legitimized in the society of the Odyssey, and therefore, death is a far more acceptable form of punishment. This idea is exemplified by the way in which violence is discussed between characters within the Odyssey. In particular, this general acceptance of violence is demonstrated through the fact that many of the characters within the Odyssey share an almost unanimous belief that the suitors should be put to death to pay for their crimes. When Telemachus informs Menelaos that there are suitors residing in Odysseus’ home, Menelaos responds “I pray he comes as once he was...If only that Odysseus met the suitors,/ they’d have their consummation, a cold bed!“ (Homer 4.371-372). Furthermore, when Athena advises Telemachus on how he should handle the suitors, she suggests,
These statements illustrate that although the death of the suitors was unfortunate, it was brought on by the suitors themselves. Because the suitors and their kinsmen had been warned beforehand about the possible dangers their actions may bring, there is no reason that they should’ve remained around the home of Odysseus. The many warnings expressed towards the suitors leaves their actions inexcusable and provides evidence as to why Odysseus and Telemachos’ actions reached the severity that they
Odysseus justice for the maids who slept with the suitors is also brutal. Revenge Homer seems to think that revenge is well justified and people are entitled to it. i summarized it please give
Lucas Betz Ms. Philipp English I Honors 7 April 2023 The Mentally Strong Prevail People are often allured to stray from the path of what is good by the temptation of glory. Only those of discipline are able to evade these temptations. In Homers’ epic The Odyssey, Odysseus, a hero and warrior who is the king of Ithaca, is the protagonist of the story. He embarks on a treacherous journey full of different temptations such as Calypso, the loveliest of all goddesses, the Lotus Eaters, who make you forget all hope of returning home, and Circe, a beautiful enchantress.
Why don’t people take advice that later comes back to haunt us? This is shown superlatively in the story of the Odyssey, by Homer. There are several times that the great Odysseus did not take any advantage of the opportunities presented to him. These times consist of when the men slaughtered the cattle of Helios, when the several Suitors tried to make Penelope their spouse, and when the fleet of Odysseus’ men and himself bothered Polyphemus. Odysseus and his men met their demise with their poor decisions.
Odysseus thinks he is doing the right thing by killing the maid servants but he is discounting the fact that he willingly slept with Circe and stayed in her hospitality for 1 year. ( “No clean death for the likes of them, by god! Not from me- they showered abuse on my head, my mother’s too! You sluts-the suitors’ whores!”-
Its point passed through his tender neck.” This quote clearly supported the revenge and justice Odysseus was seeking on the suitors. It shows the how brutal Odysseus was and just how
Penelope, his wife, is greatly affected; as many greedy suitors disrespect her and move into their home to try and win her hand in marriage. Throughout ‘The Odyssey’, the greed and folly of men play a huge part in increasing the difficulty and severity of Odysseus’s situations and ultimately change his fate and the directions of his journey. The greed and folly of men are largely represented by Penelope’s suitors. In the very first book of The Odyssey, the disgusting actions of the suitors were introduced to the readers.
Odysseus shows considerable hubris when he brags to King Alconis about slaughtering the small village of Ismarus. Odysseus claims that he and his men “stormed that place,” enslaved the women, and slaughtered those who fought. (Homer 43). Due to Odysseus’ arrogant decision to assault Ismarus, a few of his men died. This demonstrates how arrogance and the hunger for victory will lead to certain death.
In real life we make our own decisions, and some of those decisions lead to bad outcomes, even though we don’t blame ourselves for many of our mistakes, we are to blame. In Greek Mythology, humans make many important decisions in their life, many of them lead to horrible endings. In the journey of Odysseus, he made many choices throughout his journey that eventually led to the death of all his crew members. In other stories from mythology like the stories of Theseus and Icarus, they made decisions that led them and their loved ones to life threatening situations. Even Zeus once stated “My word, how mortals take the gods to task!
Being killed for love was a big thing back in mythology times. Now a person killing for love would be put in jail for murder. People in mythology times loved people and were very loyal because the gods would reward them if they were. In Homer's The Odyssey, Odysseus should have killed the suitors because of the way they were acting towards him, the love for his wife, and the loyalty that his wife had for him. First, he should have killed the suitors because of the men at they were acting toward Odysseus.
From the onset of the book, death is a recurring event, persistent throughout the entire poem. In many ways, the Odyssey is the story of the death of all of Odysseus’ friends and fellow fighters during their return home from conquering Troy. These deaths are particularly heartbreaking to Odysseus because, normally, one would expect that all dying would conclude with the end of the war against Troy. In this case, however, the anticipation of his return to his family at home became a series of tragedies. This sequence of events changes his view and molds Odysseus’ character in regard to his surviving friends and family.
As an attorney for the side of the prosecution, I believe the jury’s verdict to find Odysseus guilty of first-degree murder was in good taste. The evidence and arguments of the prosecution proved to be irrefutable. Contrastingly, the arguments from the defense were cracked, founded upon technicalities, and did not justify letting a killer walk free. Both sides presented their case, but the strength of both was not equal. In the end, the lack of solid reasoning from the defense and the strong delivery of the prosecution led to the guilty verdict.
At various times throughout the story, mainly through the trials, Odysseus made many decisions and forced his crew to go through many potentially lethal situations without preparing his own crew, or situations that were just a waste of time. This then leads to not only all of his crew being killed but the creation of many bad relationships. The first example of Odysseus mistreating his crew is when he and his crew went through the trails, “No more. Come, / let me tell you about the voyage fraught with hardship / Zeus inflicted on me, homeward bound from Troy...” 9.42-44.
Odysseus’ slaughter of the suitors was an act of justice and revenge. The act was revenge because slaughtering 108 men for courting your wife and eating your food is insane. If someone did that present-day, society would frown upon the person who committed such an act. It would be considered mass-homicide and the person would be jailed for life. On the other hand, the act is a form of justice because of the setting of the story.
Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, chronicles the homeward bound voyage of the main character, King Odysseus of Ithaca. After Trojan War which lasted ten years, Odysseus sets foot on another adventure, which also spans ten years, to return to Ithaca. Odysseus is gone from his home for a total twenty years, but upon his arrival back to Ithaca, he finds that his title has been defended by his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus, who have been awaiting his return this entire time. Odysseus and Penelope are meant to be a model couple, so people often argue about which of the two is more admirable. To be admirable is to have faced a struggle with honor and dignity.