Examples Of Revenge In The Odyssey

There are many occasions where revenge is used in “The Odyssey”. Revenge doesn't always help the situation. However, revenge can be justified or acceptable. An example of this is when Odysseus and Telemakhos kill the suitors. The suitors are in Odysseus’ palace for many years without his consent, trying to marry his wife, disrecting his estate, and disrespecting Telemakhos. In short, the massacre of the suitors was a necessity for Odysseus and Telemakhos. The suitors are in Odysseus’ palace because they claim that their main goal is to try to win Penelope's hand in marriage. All of the people of Ithaka at the time think that Odysseus is dead, so this is an acceptable action of the suitors. The problem with them doing this is that Penelope doesn’t want to marry any of them and they disrespect her by staying there for almost four years. Penelope made this very clear because one day, she was weaving fabric on her loom when the suitors came in. She said to them, “Young men, my suitors, now my lord is dead, let me finish my weaving before I marry, or else my thread will have been spun in vain.” (Homer 2.104-106). Antinous, one of the suitors, recalls that every night Penelope …show more content…
In that time, if Odysseus doesn’t kill the suitors he looks weak in society. Odysseus disguises himself as beggar , with Athena’s help,at the end of “The Odyssey”. He does this so that he can see who he can trust while he takes on the suitors. Odysseus says, “ You yellow dogs, you thought I’d never make it home from the land of Troy. You took my house to plunder, twisted my maids to serve your beds. You dared bid for my wife while I was still alive. Contempt was all you had for the gods who rule wide heaven, contempt for what men say of you hereafter. Your last hour has come. You die in blood.” (Homer 22.37-44). Due to the suitors not following the rules of society in that time, Odysseus has every right to kill