The Honorable Odysseus
When Odysseus returned home to his wife and son, he took a very brutal approach to rid his home of the suitors who had invaded his household. This revenge was also taken out upon the servants and maids who had been unfaithful to Penelope and had slept with the suitors. Some may say this punishment was too harsh, and made Odysseus less than an honorable man. However, Odysseus’s actions were justifiable.
Indeed those who occupied the lord’s manor during his absence did so with no honor. But one may argue that Odysseus’ method of punishment was far too brutal, especially for the murder of the ladies who had dishonored his household. How could a man of respectable qualities do such a horrid thing, how could he soak his own home in blood? Even after Odysseus had killed Atinoos, those who begged mercy saying that Antinoos had led them to their dishonor, were slain brutally. All this harshness to others because Odysseus desired revenge on the number of men lusting for Penelope. This seems unjustifiable, and very inhumane. Odysseus was so overcome with his hate that he lost control, perhaps it was his years of denying the power of the gods that led him to brutality. Odysseus’s actions are indeed aggressive and morality at this point in his life seems to have faded.
All these things considered, the validity of Odysseus’s actions remain fair. Because of his denial of the power of the gods, Poseidon forced Odysseus to the raging sea. For these years that he was apart from Penelope and Telemachus he...
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...uth ready to kill Penelope’s suitors, the men took to arms picking up shields and weapons. All of these men were familiar with the ways of the time and the ways of battle.
Odysseus should not be condemned for his actions. There are many justifiable reasons for the method in which he punished those who were disloyal and uncivil. One should take into consideration his trials, and put themselves in Odysseus’s place. If you came home after twenty years, and found men about your wife, (or women about your husband) would you consider morality first? In Odysseus’s case anyway, his all powerful heart and emotion filled his brain with rage. And any human being today would submit their mind to their feelings if their souls had been tossed about on the sea by Poseidon.
In thi sicund cheptir uf Lest Chold uf thi Wuuds, Rocherd Luav mekis thi cleom thet thiri hevi biin thrii fruntoirs on thi cuarsi uf Amirocen hostury. Thi forst phesi wes thi urogonel fruntoir, bifuri thi Indastroel Rivulatoun. Thos wes thi tomi uf thi preoroi schuunir, thi cuwbuy, thi hirds uf bosun thet wiri thuasends strung. Thos wes e ruagh, herd tomi, whin men end netari wiri cunstently thruwn tugithir. Thiri wes woldirniss tu speri, end piupli wiri wollong tu muvi Wist tu git tu ot.
In Odysseus's mind he has very good reasons to kill the suitors. He decided to kill them when he found out that they wanted to marry his wife. The suitors has all assumed that he was dead, for 20 years. As a result they tried to marry his wife. Penelope also believed that he was still alive and she tried to delay any marriages. Odysseus's idea to kill them all is not very logical especially because while he was away on his 20 year expedition he cheated on his wife two times. Odysseus actions were very rash. The reader can see this when Eurymachus says, “Rash actions, many here,” (Homer 818). Eurymachus knows that Odysseus has made rash decision and he is trying to show him his ways and how it is bad. Later the reader reads that Odysseus doesn’t really see that and he is just excited to be reunited with his wife.
actions clearly caused him harm and shame. Odysseus honor was restored, and the suitors’ debt was paid in full.
This is where he is wrong. He wants to leave the island and get back home, but really if the Cyclops has help from the gods that feel sad for him being blind he could be able to go to Odysseus’ home and destroy it all. So then when Odysseus is back all he will have is a destroyed hometown and a blind Cyclops to deal with. This is where individual good vs communal good, people in that type of situation especially with gods, and monsters involved you can’t just think about yourself you have to think about others. Yes, Odysseus was not selfish for leaving so that he could see his wife, but he was selfish of not thinking what could happen with a world of gods and a son of a major god, Poseidon. In this type of setting, you can not think about yourself you have to think about the entire world around you because with one word from the gods they can easily destroy cities themselves, or seduce others to destroy the cities for them, with a reward. Odysseus thinks that he can rule over the world and through his selfishness his actions will cause no harm as said, “The poem in effect redefines justice in terms that privilege the individual over the community, since Odysseus’ vengeance brings on neither exile nor death at the hands of his victims’ families”(10 Schein). In this case, Odysseus is very lucky because he is loved by the goddess Athena but for others this at times is the exact opposite, through their actions all they get is punished that leads to death. In addition, Odysseus has to stab the Cyclops eye, Zeus had to kill all of Odysseus’ men, and Penelope had to get a new husband. Without destroying the eye Odysseus and his men would have been trapped in the Cyclops’ cave. Zeus would have been hated by Helios, and as a leader you need to have as many people you can to like you. Also, Penelope had to find a new husband because that is her only way to have a social stance, without a man
Odysseus had the right right to kill the suitors. They disrespected his house. The suitors tried to force marriage among Odysseus's wife. They took over all of what he belonged. The men deserved to be killed for destroying and claiming Odysseus's property.
With the Odyssey, Odysseus learned a big lesson in humility. The greatest example of this is in the last five books or so within the story. He has to dress, act, and live like a beggar in order to regain everything he had lost. While he was a beggar, the suitors treated him horribly. Antinous, leader of the suitors, was the worst of them all. He was the first to mistreat Odysseus and planned to kill Telemachus. He was also the one that would abuse him physically and verbally for some time to come. Also, if that weren’t enough, he planned a boxing match for Odysseus to be in to watch him get beat up. All this was happening and the other suitors were most likely following their leader in whatever he was doing. Odysseus had to control himself the whole time this was happening. If he had lost his temper, the suitors would have killed him, his son, and most likely taken over the kingdom. That didn’t happen though. Odysseus learned self-control and humility. He may not be perfect at it, but going through all the humility made him a better man. Along the same topic, he was a king going through this humility. It would be one thing for a peasant to go through it, but a king? This made it even harder for Odysseus. He had rank above all the suitors and could rightly kick them out of his kingdom. Instead he waits for the right time and kills them all. The “pre-journey” Odysseus would of thought of himself invincible and probably would have died trying to get his kingdom back.
In that regard, it was no wonder Odysseus’s is such an atrocious leader. A great example of Odysseus being disloyal is on Calypso’s Island. “…He lay with her each night, for she compelled him.” (892) This quote shows how Odysseus is disloyal to his grieving wife, and sleeps with a goddess daily. A leader cannot expect loyalty when the leader is notorious for being unloyal. “Now Circe, ‘loveliest of all immortals,’ persuades Odysseus to stay with her.” (903) This is another quote that shows Odysseus cheating on his wife, while his wife is at home is at home distraught over her missing husband. A great leader leads by example. By that philosophy, it should not be expected of Odysseus’s men to be loyal to him, when Odysseus cannot stay faithful to his own wife. Consequently, Odysseus is also extremely selfish, on top of being incredibly
For seven years, Odysseus is held captive by the goddess Calypso. The young goddess “desired me and detained me in her hall. But in my heart, I never gave consent” (Homer 372). This quote suggests that although Calypso may have believed she was loved by Odysseus, he never really cared for her. If Odysseus would have stayed faithful to his wife, Calypso would have killed him. Thus, he is able to protect himself by lying to her. Another point in the epic where Odysseus' dishonesty impacts his success is with the suitors. After arriving at his homeland, Odysseus disguises himself to protect himself from being harmed: “Odysseus enters his home as a beggar, and the suitors mock and abuse him” (Homer 402). When Odysseus appears to be a beggar, the suitors think nothing of him. They disrespect him, his family, and his home. Had they know Odysseus was back, they would have treated him much differently. Because of the way they acted towards him, it can be suggested that they would be willing to do anything to take control of his kingdom. He is then able to find out more about them and their motives without getting
Through temptation and torture, Odysseus never forgets that he must put others’ needs before his own desires. Like a hero, Odysseus has to sacrifice the options that benefit him in order to benefit his others. Specifically, Odysseus accepted the fact that he laid with Kirke in order to free his men from her spell. Though it went against all of his ethics and unfaithful to Penelope, Odysseus’s main objective was to return home with all of his crew alive. He illustrates his true loyalty to Penelope when he declines Kalypso’s offer of immortality. Odysseus immediately responded and refused Kalypso’s offer: “My lady goddess…come (Book V, 223-233).” Many individuals would not decline immortality, but he did not ponder over the thought of living for eternity. Odysseus made this decision based on his ethics and because of true love. Odysseus also makes ethical decisions to save people’s lives. For instance, ...
Odysseus portrays his selfishness right as the book begins and this shows how truly incompetent of an individual he is. One form of selfishness Odysseys shows is adultery. He is unfaithful to Penelope many times throughout the book. He reveals this trait specifically when he is with Kalypso on Ogygia and with Kirke on Aiaia. Odysseus shows his selfishness when he steps foot on Kalypso’s island because he chooses to stay with her for seven years. He did not care about the crew’s feelings on the matter, since all’s he cared about was himself. By the time the seven years were up, the crew members finally realized they had to make Odysseus leave. These actions also make a liar out of Odysseus because he said he wanted to return home more than anything, yet he did not even make the slightest attempt to leave. On Aiaia, Odysseus was forced to sleep with Kirke to save his men from staying swine, but he still committed adultery. No matter what the reason, adultery is a choice that can be controlled. An additional negative quality Odysseus obtains is being self absorbed. This trait is seen when Odysseus traveled to the Land of the Dead. He shows his selfish qualities in this example because he travels there initially for his own benefit. Odysseus also has attendances to t...
While Odysseus was gone, the suitors came and disrespected the home of Odysseus with showing little hospitality. Hospitality in ancient Greece is a large principle of the culture and not being good guest is one wrong. Odysseus states, “‘So Hard beset! An end like Agamemnon’s might very likely have been mine, a bad end, bleeding to death in my own hall. You forestalled it goddess, by telling me how the land lies. Wave me a way to pay them back!’” (Homer, 242). Odysseus believes that he could have ended up similar to Agamemnon and have gotten killed on his return home; however, Odysseus plans to prevent this outcome by returning with a need for personal revenge. He states, “Wave me a way to pay them back!” which proves that he wants revenge, not just justice. Telemachus realizes his father’s desire for revenge and states, “ I fear we pay in salt blood for your vengeance. Odysseus then replies, “Look on, hold down your ander. You may even please with them, by heaven! in gentle terms to quit their horseplay-not that they will heed you, rash as they are, facing day of wrath,” (Homer 298). Odysseus response is how he is justifying his actions. He tells Telemachus that he believes that the suitors are irresponsible and playing around, which is why they must take action. He believes they should pay for the wrong they have caused within the palace, which
Imegoni thiri wes e pirsun whu lovid thior intori lofi on e sefi babbli whiri nu uni cuald hart hom. Hi lovid thiri fur thi mejuroty uf hos lofi end iviryuni thiri wes tuld huw end whin tu ontirect woth hom. Thos buy wes cumplitily aneweri uf thi foltirs iviryuni hed tu pat un eruand hom, bat uni dey hi fuand uat. Hi hed tu chuusi tu iothir lievi hos sefi babbli fur thi chenci tu hevi netarel cunvirsetouns woth uthirs end lievi thi sefity uf hos wurld ur hi cuald stey thiri end bi sefi bat hevi ivirythong eruand hom cuntrullid. Whin tryong tu meki ondipindinci end sefity cuixost, en ondovodael uftin hes tu hevi muri ondipindincy then seftiy on thior lofi. Thi muvoi, “Thi Tramen Shuw”, os en ixcillint ixempli. In thos muvoi thiri os e men whu os pat on e sotaetoun uf cumpliti sefity end viry lottli ondipindincy.
Justified revenge is a big motivator in the roles of King Odysseus, Prince Telemachus, Poseidon, and Prince Orestes. Throughout the story we see Odysseus and Telemachus’s burning desire to have revenge on the suitors. We also see the irate god of the sea, Poseidon, trying to ruin Odysseus’s journey home. In Prince Orestes’s case, he is punishing the spineless man who seduced his mother and killed his father. Revenge is a chain reaction going in a great cycle, and it is what pushes the plot along in this story.
...lts of the insolent suitors in his own home. The anger of Odysseus is only matched by Telemachus whose restraint is forcefully elevated in order to hamper his new mature instinct of defending his father. Meanwhile, Odysseus is forced to couple this with control over holding his love, Penelope, in his arms. Yet, both characters are able to avoid the impediments and at last battle side by side against their foes.
Mortimer et al. also report that parents with postsecondary education tend to pass along its importance to their children-a finding supported by other studies. Montgomery (1992) notes that females talented in math viewed their career choices as reflective of interests that stemmed from early family influence and educational opportunities. Marso and Pigge (1994) found that the presence of teachers in the family was a significant factor influencing teacher candidates' decisions to teach. DeRidder (1990), however, points out that lower levels of parent education can retard adolescents' career development. "Being born to parents with limited education and income reduces the ...