Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
Discus role of women in greek mythology
Women in greek myths
Why is odysseus so violent towards the suitors
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Discus role of women in greek mythology
Women in greek myths
Why is odysseus so violent towards the suitors
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
After he won he slaughtered every wooer. Odysseus orders the unfaithful maids to take the bodies of the wooers outside and to clean up the mess he made. Odysseus then orders his son, Telemachus, to chop the unfaithful maids to pieces. Telemachus, taking things into his own hands, thinks this is too noble a death for these women. He instead hangs them.
The suitors in Odysseus’ house made him very vengeful after all that they did. The suitors will finally pay after all that they have done. Odysseus is finally home and can now do to them what they deserve: “Your last hour has come. You die in blood” (22. 40). Odysseus is not one to be messed with and the suitors did just that.
The suitors of Penelope were obnoxious, rude, despicable, men who practically robbed Odysseus of his goods and wealth, and went on to try and take his wife. It was also justified for Odysseus to kill the suitors, for their stubbornness. These men had just plotted the murder of Telemachus, so as not
The prosecution tore this aspect to shreds. Firstly, while it was not right of the suitors to treat him that way, they had no way of knowing the beggar was actually the master of the house; Odysseus tricked them. Then, there was the question of why Odysseus had to pretend. The reason for it was because he had already planned to murder all to suitors and didn’t want to tip them off and have time to prepare. Then came the defense’s last-ditch attempt at letting Odysseus walk free.
In Edith Hamilton’s Mythology this event is not mentioned at all. She only mentions the killing of Antinous, but does not even include his name, instead saying: “...he shot an arrow. It found it’s mark; one of the suitors fell dying to the floor” (Hamilton 317). Hamilton is painting the big picture - how Odysseus is killing the suitor and making the kingdom his - while Homer is writing in detail about the death of the important suitors. Melanthius may not be mentioned in Mythology, but his death is the end of the suitors.
He then releases another arrow going through the throat of Antinous, the head of the suitors. The suitors are confused at first, they think that it was an accident until the beggar shows his true identity revealing that our great King Odysseus has returned. The suitors are filled with fear as they beg for
At the end of part 2 of the Odyssey, when Odysseus is finally home and confronts the suitors in his home, he decides to slaughter them all for invading his home and courting his wife: “Not for the whole treasures of your fathers, all you enjoy, lands, flocks, or any gold put up by others will I hold my hand. There will be killing till the price is paid” (22.62-64). This quote from Odysseus shows that he was furious at the suitors, and he would allow no other atonement for their crimes except death. While the suitors all did wrong things, their actions did not deserve the death penalty. This shows that Odysseus was not thinking straight and being fair, and this is not something a hero would do.
When Odysseus finally returns home, he has Athena disguise him so he can look at how his home has been going without him. Everyone besides his wife, son, and two other of his men have been disloyal to him and there is a group of suitors there who have overstayed their visit trying to get Penelope to be their wife. Odysseus locks the suitors all in one room where the
In the Odyssey, Odysseus had to go to The Land of the Dead in order to speak with Tiresias who is a dead sage. He had to ask him about his future and how to get back to his homeland, Ithaca. He gave him useful information that helped him with his life. For example, he said to avoid the cattle of Helios. He is the god of the sun.
Although Odysseus is still hiding his identity, Penelope’s confidence grows because she knows that this will force Odysseus to finally come out of disguise and compete in the contest to finally prove that he is indeed the one true Odysseus, king of Ithaca. During the contest while the suitors struggle, Odysseus still disguised as the beggar pleads to Antinous to give him a shot at stringing the bow. They are enraged by the fact that a mere beggar will even think of competing but most importantly they are frightened he will prevail. Penelope uses this moment to finally get Odysseus to reveal his true identity. Odysseus proves his identity by stringing the bow and successfully shooting it through all twelve
He picks up an arrow and aims to shoot through all of the rings. When he does he turns back to himself. All the men figure out who he is and tries to attack him and his son. While all the doors are guarded Odysseus and his son kill all the men in the room. Later that night he finally sees Penelope again and they hug and kiss.
After learning about the mistreatment of his palace and household by the suitors, Odysseus, with the help of his son Telemachus, plans and executes a surprise attack on the suitors. Leading to the “slaughter of the suitors” bloodbath. It is important to note that this event can be seen as a moral dilemma, as hospitality and xenia was a sacred duty in Ancient Greek culture and Odysseus acted as a host and guest at the same
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.
Odysseus came home to find suitors who were trying to marry his wife when he was away at war for 20 years. They have ruined his home and made it into a place of their own, all they wanted was the fame and power that Odysseus had and did not care to respect Penelope and Telemachus. When Odysseus finally revealed himself in the epic, he was able to get his revenge against the suitors. It has been long awaited but was able to kill them all including the fact that justice was served after all those years of their disrespect. Odysseus was able to put his revenge on the suitors when he found the opportunity after finding a way to disguise himself that way to gain trust from his people in his home.
They were all attempting to take his bride, Penelope, for their own. It was a dangerous situation for Odysseus, and so he was disguised as a beggar so that he could enter his own home without being threatened or killed. Penelope thinks the beggar may be Odysseus, so she devises a contest for all the suitors to determine who she will choose. Whoever can string Odysseus’ bow will be her husband. Of course only Odysseus was able to do it, and so