The Misuse of Authority in Hecuba In the Odyssey and Hecuba, both Odysseus and Hecuba end up blinding someone who had wronged them; Polyphemus and Polymestor respectively. Although these acts of violence had different motivations, in the end, both Odysseus and Hecuba take it one step too far. Odysseus becomes violent, arrogant, and brash after he blinds Polyphemus and, in addition to blinding Polymestor, Hecuba kills both of his sons even though he only killed one of hers. Despite both parties having gone too far in their revenge, only Odysseus is offered a chance to reconcile with the Gods for his actions. The Gods in the Odyssey act as a moral compass for the humans they interact with; guiding them back to the correct path whenever they
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While this action was necessary, Odysseus immediately becomes much more violent than he needs to be in the situation. Odysseus kept “spinning and spinning… the fiery-pointed stake / In the Cyclops’ eye [until] his lids and brow / were all singed by the heat from the burning eyeball” (9.385-89). Odysseus took control of the blinding and made sure Polyphemus suffered while his men just “stood around” (9.379). In addition to being excessively violent when he blinds Polyphemus, Odysseus also becomes very arrogant when he and his men are escaping from their captor. He tells Polyphemus that he got what he deserved “just to rub it in” and even after the Cyclops almost captures them again Odysseus is still trying to goad him to the point where his men have to physically hold him back to stop him. This behavior is unlike anything we have seen of the usually “godlike” Odysseus and despite all of these ungodly actions he is still given the chance to redeem himself. When Odysseus sees the ghost if Tiresias in Hades, Tiresias gives a prophecy that instructs Odysseus to “offer sacrifice to Lord Poseidon / A ram, a bull, and a boar in its prime” so that he can live a long and prosperous …show more content…
A proper use of authority can be seen in the Odyssey where the Gods make clear how they expect mortals to act by interacting with them and guiding them on their journeys. This is exhibited by Tiresias’ prophesy that puts Odysseus on the right path again and the multiple times that Athena interjects into Odysseus’ life to guide and help him. However, Dionysus misuses his authority because he and the other Gods in Hecuba never appear to guide the humans. Instead, Dionysus only punishes Hecuba after she has already taken her revenge. If Dionysus had laid out any rules earlier in the play, Hecuba might have thought twice about murdering both of Polymestor’s sons instead of just one. But because of the lack of a divine presence Hecuba was forced to follow her intuitions in the situation and she truly believed that her revenge on Polymestor was
While this action was necessary, Odysseus immediately becomes much more violent than he needs to be in the situation. Odysseus kept “spinning and spinning… the fiery-pointed stake / In the Cyclops’ eye [until] his lids and brow / were all singed by the heat from the burning eyeball” (9.385-89). Odysseus took control of the blinding and made sure Polyphemus suffered while his men just “stood around” (9.379). In addition to being excessively violent when he blinds Polyphemus, Odysseus also becomes very arrogant when he and his men are escaping from their captor. He tells Polyphemus that he got what he deserved “just to rub it in” and even after the Cyclops almost captures them again Odysseus is still trying to goad him to the point where his men have to physically hold him back to stop him. This behavior is unlike anything we have seen of the usually “godlike” Odysseus and despite all of these ungodly actions he is still given the chance to redeem himself. When Odysseus sees the ghost if Tiresias in Hades, Tiresias gives a prophecy that instructs Odysseus to “offer sacrifice to Lord Poseidon / A ram, a bull, and a boar in its prime” so that he can live a long and prosperous …show more content…
A proper use of authority can be seen in the Odyssey where the Gods make clear how they expect mortals to act by interacting with them and guiding them on their journeys. This is exhibited by Tiresias’ prophesy that puts Odysseus on the right path again and the multiple times that Athena interjects into Odysseus’ life to guide and help him. However, Dionysus misuses his authority because he and the other Gods in Hecuba never appear to guide the humans. Instead, Dionysus only punishes Hecuba after she has already taken her revenge. If Dionysus had laid out any rules earlier in the play, Hecuba might have thought twice about murdering both of Polymestor’s sons instead of just one. But because of the lack of a divine presence Hecuba was forced to follow her intuitions in the situation and she truly believed that her revenge on Polymestor was