ipl-logo

Was Odysseus Justified In His Punishment

844 Words4 Pages

Odysseus learns that while he was away from Ithaca, his home and property were abused by suitors who wanted to marry Penelope. Odysseus takes revenge on the suitors for their rude, wasteful behavior. He also punishes any staff who participated with the wooers. Odysseus is completely justified in his action to punish with death the suitors and staff for their actions. The suitors took from Odysseus’ property, plotted to murder Telemachus, and displayed arrogant, unhospitable behavior. Odysseus was careful to evaluate the suitors and staff, and the correct people were saved.

Odysseus’ property was being abused by the suitors daily for many years. Telemachus was just a child, and he didn’t have the maturity or the …show more content…

On the road walking with Eumaeus, Melanthius kicks Odysseus on the hip (Book 17- p 213). At the palace, Antinous mocks Odysseus and treats him like a pest for asking for food. Antinous doesn’t give him any food and also throws a stool at him (Book 17- p 219). Melantho, a maid servant who Penelope raised, insults Odysseus and doesn’t care about Penelope’s feelings (Book 18- p 231). Eurymachus throws a stool (Book 18- p 233), and Ctesippus hurls a cow’s hoof at Odysseus (Book 20 –p 256). While they don’t realize he is Odysseus, their behavior is still despicable. Hospitality was important to Greeks in this time period, and the lack of it would offend the gods. Amphinomus does offer the most kindness to Odysseus, and Odysseus tries to warn him to leave, but Amphinomus remains at the will of the gods (Book 18- p 227). It isn’t Odysseus fault that Amphinomus remains and is killed with the others. It is the power of the gods that keep him there. After Odysseus reveals his identity, Eurymachus says they will all make-up for their wrong-doings. Odysseus groups them as one and says, “if you would give me all your father’s goods, and all your own, and all that you might gather elsewhere, I would not stay my hands from slaying until the suitors paid the price for all their lawless deeds” (Book 22 – p 272). Every suitor had some part in upsetting

Show More
Related

  • Stereotypes Of Women In Homer's The Odyssey

    731 Words  | 3 Pages

    This story emphasizes not only Odysseus' physical strength, which was needed to kill the boar, but also his pain tolerance, which allowed him to persist through his pain. Furthermore, Telemachus carries on the cultural trait of teenage boys in Ancient Greece, acting as leaders by leaving the palace to find his dad. Prior to book 19, Telemachus left his residence and navigated the sea without permission from Penelope. These actions accentuate Telemachus' level of independence, while dismissing Penelope’s authority. The stereotypes supported in Book 19 of The Odyssey surrounding Greek men actively put Odysseus and his son in dangerous

    Read More

  • Odysseus Hero Quotes

    1012 Words  | 5 Pages

    When Odysseus came back home all the suitors were in the middle of trail and were still competing against each other. Odysseus being dramatic as he is, dressed up as a poor old man and faked to be someone else. He then grabbed the bow looking over it and soon after revealed who he was to all the men in the room. All the men were shook and tried to reason with Odysseus on why they shouldn’t be killed, but despite their pardons Odysseus kills all of them with no good heart as described in page 960, “He aimed and shot, and every shot brought down one of his buddling enemies.” A good hero would not have killed all the men just because they tried to marry his wife, but would forget about it and let them leave without being

    Read More

  • Revenge In Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

    315 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the story the Odysseus, Odysseus finally takes revenge on the wooers who has taken over his home. The fact that they overtake the residence without any regard for the man of the house itself is one example of dishonor. Penelope made a statement that will justify Odysseus anger and actions . She told them "they were "abusing the hospitality of the house because the owner is long gone" .

    Read More

  • Justification Of Odysseus Justified In Homer's The Odyssey

    896 Words  | 4 Pages

    He wants to take revenge on those who had disrespected him and his wife. He disliked the way that they had acted while he was gone, and believed that the only solution was death of them all. Odysseus is angered and desires to “[kill] till the score is paid. (1468)” This reveals Odysseus’s nature and how he values vengeance.

    Read More

  • Wrong Decisions In Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

    471 Words  | 2 Pages

    Odysseus kill all of the Suitors with the help of his son Telemachus. The Suitors treated Odysseus very poorly. The Suitors were trying to marry Penelope and kill their son Telemachus. Odysseus loves his wife and dislikes the fact that these men are trying to get with her and kill his son Telemachus. So, he seeks revenge.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Odysseus And Thomas Jefferson

    698 Words  | 3 Pages

    For example, while Odysseus was away, his wife Penelope remained completely faithful to him for 20 years and turning away more that 100 suitors. However, Odysseus is not as honorable, cheating on Penelope twice. In addition to this, after Odysseus finally returns, he decided to slaughter all of the suitors that pursued Penelope, all of whom were kings of other kingdoms. Along with killing 108 young men, he killed 12 handmaidens that he felt were disloyal to Penelope as well. At the time, those who heard the Odyssey originally most likely thought that Odysseus was justified in his killing of the suitors and maids because it was seen as him protecting his kingdom and his wife, but reality, all it was was

    Read More

  • Telemachus Coming Of Age Analysis

    712 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Homer's epic poem The Odyssey, translated by Allen Mandelbaum, reveals the theme of coming of age through Telemachus. Telemachus starts off as a quiet young boy that is stepped all over by the suitors and then later grows to a brave and mature young man. He stands up and takes charge when he comes to realize enough is enough along with the help of one god in particular, Athena. After Telemachus’ father, Odysseus, had left for war and never returned several suitors began to move in in order to obtain Penelope’s, Telemachus’ mother, hand in marriage.

    Read More

  • Odysseus Crew In The Odyssey

    1764 Words  | 8 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Hypocrisy In Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey '

    296 Words  | 2 Pages

    Odysseus was, in my eyes, not justified in punishing everyone he did. Some people such as the maids where punished just for sleeping with the wooers. They didn’t deserve to be punished as harshly as they did. However, the wooers themselves got what they deserved. Odysseus won the competition set up by Penelope.

    Read More

  • Justice In Odysseus The King

    187 Words  | 1 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Overcoming Obstacles In Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

    384 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nevertheless, Odysseus overcomes his hubris at the end of The Odyssey and returns to his rightful place as a father, a husband, and as a nobleman in Ithaca. Odysseus’s twenty years worth of karma depicts the reality of the saying, “what goes around comes around”. In ways such as when he vitiated and stole the Cyclops’s belongings and in return, his home and belongings were vitiated as well; and when he cheats on Penelope with Calypso, and afterwards, many men sought after Penelope for marriage Odysseus mistreated others and the same was done to him in the end. Treating others how you want to be treated is one of the ulterior messages in this story because when you treat others badly, you may get twenty years worth of

    Read More

  • Honor And Dignity In Homer's The Odyssey

    1018 Words  | 5 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Unadmirable Things In The Odyssey

    836 Words  | 4 Pages

    There are 2 people embracing each other. You can tell that they love each other. There are tears of joy that are rolling down their cheeks as they hug. It is a reunion of sorts with onlookers crying as well. Odysseus is finally reunited with his loving Penelope.

    Read More

  • Morality In The Odyssey

    1314 Words  | 6 Pages

    Another situation where the moral was shown in the story is the difference between Odysseus and Telemachus’s view towards the suitors. Although they both knew that the suitors had to leave, they had different methods of doing so. “‘And you, if you have any shame in your own hearts,/ you must leave my palace!’”, Telemachus said to the suitors in attempt to remove them from the palace (2.155-56). Telemachus complained about the suitors and threatened them, while Odysseus took another route of action. Odysseus and Telemachus created a complex plan in order to kill each individual suitor who attempted to wed Penelope, Odysseus’s wife (16.298-330).

    Read More

  • How Did Odysseus Kill The Maids

    741 Words  | 3 Pages

    Even though the maids are employees of the family, they also committed disgraceful acts. Night after night they would sleep with the suitors, fully aware that these men were courting their mistress, Queen Penelope. While the maids are cleaning up the remains of the murdered suitors, Odysseus converses with

    Read More

More about Was Odysseus Justified In His Punishment

Open Document