Justice In The Odyssey

Even in today’s time, there is much controversy in the severity of punishments issued to law-breaking citizens. There is much disagreement when it comes to the offer of a death penalty, as some view it as fair justice and others see it as constitutionally banned cruelty. A similar theme is touched upon in “The Odyssey” when Odysseus orders that the suitors and all involved with the suitors be killed. However, based on the time period, the suitors’ plan, and the women’s involvement in this plan, Odysseus’ route of punishment is justified.

In the closing passages of the Odyssey, the suitors and disloyal servants are punished for their crimes against Odysseus, and it does indeed seem that the death penalty doled out by Odysseus is harsh. However, at this particular period of Greek history, it was expected that each man take his own vengeance against his trespassers as there was no judicial system in place to deal with these problems at the time, therefore it seems justified that as their crimes stretched over a period of nearly 20 years and were directly against xenia, the law of Zeus, that Odysseus take his revenge as he wishes.

Odysseus and I are both contentious. Odysseus is combative and always ready for a fight we see this is the Odyssey many times throughout the book. An example of this would be when they were going up to Scylla and Odysseus didn’t listen to the advice he was given “I tied on my cuirass and took up two spears” (936). This shows he is antagonistic and is always ready for a fight or argument. Odysseus knows how to fight and win too he killed a man in a very gruesome way “Odysseus’ arrow hit him under the chin and punched up to the feathers through his throat” (955) which that action sparked him killing most of men in Ithaca. I am also contentious and am always ready for an argument but not a fight. Most of my days I am always ready for a political

Based on the motif of “ with hard work and persistence you can accomplish anything “ and in The Odyssey, the theme Homer is conveying is perseverance.The motif is first shown in the poem when in line (26-28)ordained for him to make his passage homeward, trials and dangers, even so, attended him even in Ithaca, near those he loved.This demonstrates the theme because he is “ making his passage homeward” even though he has all these dangers and trails he is still going to reach his goal..A later time the motif appears is when (773- 777)”‘Friends,have we never been in danger before this?More fearsome, is it now, than when the Cyclops penned us in his cave? What power he had!Did I not keep my nerve, and use my wits”.Odysseus tries to cheer his men up by reminding them that they've persevered through worse, but that doesn't sound like much of a motivational speech to us: "Oh, come on, being stuck in the cave with a huge, homicidal giant can't be that bad. We've been through worse." I personally would be scared for my life, their lives, and the giants stomach. The motif appears again when (1413-1419)”in joy, in joy, knowing the abyss behind:and so she too rejoiced, her gaze upon

To some, revenge may not seem like the outcome outweighs the process. To others, revenge makes the world go ‘round. The Odyssey, by Homer and later translated by Robert Fitzgerald, tells the story of Odysseus’ return home after the war in Troy. While he was away, a group of men, referred to as suitors, took over his estate and tried winning over his wife, Penelope. Through this epic, Homer uses precise word choice and specialized literary effects to suggest Odysseus’ actions and the actions of others fuel their fire from revenge. Revenge becomes an evident theme and factor in their lifestyles when actions of the suitors and Odysseus’ loyal men take place due to the actions of someone else.

B. After the escape from Scylla and Charybdis, the remainder of Odysseus’s men go hungry on the island of Helios. They remember Odysseus’s warning about not eating Helios’s cattle but proceed anyway because of their need for food. Even though they give offerings to the cattle they still eat them and Zeus punishes them with a lightning bolt destroying all the men besides Odysseus. Instead of listening to Odysseus’s orders and obeying Helios’s command, his men act in a selfish manner and consume the food.

An incident of justice is seen in book nine, when The Cyclops traps Odysseus and his men in a cave and eats a few of his men. When Cyclops when out with his sheep,

In the epic poem The Odyssey, written by Homer, the main character Odysseus has been lost for twenty years. During these twenty years many men had come to try to marry his wife and destroy his home since he was presumed dead. However, when he finally returns home, he is outraged by the dishonor that these suitors have brought upon his family. In order to bring justice to his name, Odysseus kills all the men in a very bloody battle. His search for justice is successful, and it is important to the central message of the story.

But even though Helios may feel justice was served, his cattle are still dead and Zeus's actions didn't do anything to help Helios. If Helios and Zeus took mercy on Odysseus's men, they could have made it up to Helios. Revenge only added to the trouble and Helios didn't get his cattle back. Poseidon put Odysseus through much trouble because he wrongfully stabbed his son’s eye. Posiden saw that Odysseus needed to be punished, although nothing he did could help his son see again.

Odysseus's actions were in the right while the wooers were clearly in the wrong. Odysseus served justice only against the suitors, not the innocent. Odysseus was justified because the wooers ate his livestock, wooed his wife, and wanted him and his son dead. The punishment was well deserved, for most men would be terribly angry with anyone who would think him dead and woo his wife. His son, Telemachus also wanted to kill the suitors who wanted to take his mother away.

In The Odyssey by Homer, many characters feel prejudiced toward others. Many of these characters have opinions solely based on rumor. Such characters are influenced by many factors,, but all of them lead to improper judgement. In the same context, many characters in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird also possess such prejudiced thoughts. Through her use of the characters within Maycomb, in her novel To Kill A Mockingbird; Harper Lee shows how injustice and prejudice between African American and white people was impossible to beat at this point in history, however some characters attempt to fight it anyways.

The Odyssey gives a great outlook on how a person can develop through time as well as how one’s actions can cause the trouble later and lead to unfortunate circumstances. In the book, there are several cases when Hubris, an excessive pride and arrogance as characteristic of a particular, is shown by different figures. Consequently, this is often followed by Nemesis, as justice has to be determined by the gods for the actions taken to maintain a heroic status, most of the time in form of a punishment. In “The Odyssey” by Homer, Hubris is exhibited by the main character and hero, Odysseus, in the Ancient Greek world, who proves it by his self-confidence in his adventures. Homer uses inter alia alliterations, similes, concrete details, and vivid imagery throughout the

The poet and critic W.H. Auden described the Homer’s heroes as “born, not made to do brave deeds, he cannot be called brave in our sense of the word because he never feels fear.” I agree because Homer’s heroes, such as Odysseus, often exemplify bravery in the most frightening situations, while keeping their composure. Moreover, the Auden also comments on how free choice and responsibility is circumscribed in Odysseus’ journey. His comments suggests that Odysseus is mainly controlled by fate and does not feel fear.

The Odyssey is an epic poem that showcases the heroic actions contrasted with the grave disasters of Odysseus, a tragic hero on his way home from the war in Troy. The author, Homer, shows through Odysseus’ actions that even a hero such as he, has flaws. Flaws that if not acknowledged and learnt from, can spell grave disaster in the journey yet to come. Many Greeks recognize Odysseus as the most renowned hero of the Trojan war, thanks to his own accounts of his years away from Ithaca. Following the Greek beliefs, many believe that Odysseus couldn’t have kept himself away for so long, for only the gods can do something like this, and Odysseus can’t be the cause of the crew’s deaths, only the gods could be so cruel. While

Within The Odyssey the concept of morals is very important, both to the plot of the epic but also to the structure of the Ancient Greek society. When the suitors ask Telemachus to send his mother, Penelope, back to her father he replies with; “It is quite impossible for me to cast out, against her will, the mother who bore me and brought me up”. This illuminates the importance of family within the society, and in turn morals. Whilst Telemachus then goes on to comment upon the monetary cost sending Penelope away, it is important to remember that his first instinct was to keep her in Ithaca due to their mother-son relationship. Furthermore, the importance of morals within The Odyssey’s is illuminated with the concept of xenia. Hospitality was