How Is Revenge Justified In The Odyssey

Revenge is a controversial topic throughout any society. It is not normally justifiable, but in some circumstances, it can be. Odysseus’s revenge in The Odyssey, for example, is one of those instances. The acts leading up to his revenge, the fighting, and whether or not it is justifiable, are all factors to consider.

Odysseus fought so hard at the battles of Troy and throughout his journey to get back to Ithaka. However, there was still a battle waiting for him when he returned home. For all of the years that he had been gone, countless suitors flooded his house, supposing him to have been dead. They were all trying to win the hand of his wife, Penelope, “and rocky Ithaka’s young lords as well, / are here courting my mother; and they use

/ our house as if it were a house to plunder” (Homer 1.292-294). She had tried her best to stall them, by weaving and unweaving a shroud for Lord Laertes every day for three years, but it was all to no avail. The suitors would not be contained for much longer. Not to mention that they disrespected Odysseus’s son, Telemakhos, in all of their proceedings. They ate all the food in the house and didn’t offer anything in return; hopelessly thinking that Penelope might marry one of them. Finally Odysseus returns, and it is time for the suitors to learn their lesson.
Odysseus is back and enlists the help of his son and two other loyal servants, Eumaios and Philoitios, to help him carry out his plan for revenge.

There is a contest among the suitors to see who can string Odysseus’ bow, and whoever wins gets the hand of Penelope. Odysseus, disguised as a beggar, is the only one who strings the bow and hits the target. He then is revealed to have been Odysseus. His first act of revenge is to kill the ringleader of the suitors, Antinoos. Then he, Telemahkos, Eumaios, Philoitios, and Athena (disguised as Mentor), take on the suitors. They are all killed except Phemios and Medon, the only loyal ones left, according to Telemakhos: “Wait: that one is innocent: don’t hurt him. / And we should let our herald live-Medon” (Homer 22.400-401). The last part of Odysseus’ revenge is to kill the rest of the maids who were disloyal to him by hanging

them.
Are these acts of revenge justifiable?

Maybe not under normal circumstances, but in Odysseus’ case, most definitely. The suitors did nothing but make trouble while Odysseus was away. They harassed Telemakhos and tried to marry Penelope, who obviously did not want to have been with any of them. They ate all of the household’s food: “Now they laid hands upon the ready feast / and thought of nothing more” (Homer 1.185-186). They were lazy and gave nothing back to the family. They even took advantage of some of the maids. The suitors were selfish, and did not even consider the fact that Odysseus could still be alive. They took everything for themselves and abused the hospitality that was given to them. Therefore, Odysseus was justified in killing them. Telemakhos was also supported in his role he played in Odysseus’s revenge, because the suitors were just as much of a pain to him, if not more than Odysseus. Finally the revenge was validated in Penelope’s eyes, because all of the suitors took advantage of her house and only wanted to be with her because of her

status.
It was not an easy task for Odysseus, but with the help of his loyal companions, he carried out his revenge on the suitors. They completely deserved it because of all they had done to Odysseus and his family. In this instance, revenge was used to bring justice to a situation that might not have been able to be solved otherwise. Odysseus righted the wrong doings going on in his house, as he rightfully should have. Without his revenge, the situation would have never righted itself.