Odysseus Was Not Justified In Homer's Odyssey

After a long journey and countless number of stops, battle and encounters with many people, creatures, and Greek God’s, Odysseus believed he was returning home to his peaceful wife, family, livestock, and wealth. But what he returned to was not how he left it. To solve some of the problems that he was faced with, he had to brutally murder some of the wooer’s or servants, he was hosting. Some people believe that Odysseus acted out of character and his actions weren’t justified. There are plenty of reasons that killing the wooers was the only choice he had. For example, they tried to marry his wife and turn her against him or how they stole his weapons which were going be to be used in a plot to kill him. Not all the wooers were evil or deserved

to die but fate met most of them when Odysseus returned home.

I believe that although the slaughter of the wooers was brutal, it was needed, necessary, and justified.

Despite the fact that Odysseus was their host, the servants acted out of control in his home and has given him every right to kill them. Nothing other than death would’ve have fit the situation because they plotted to kill Odysseus for 20 plus years so they could marry his wife, that’s strike one and two. Strike three was earned when they treated Odysseus’ son poorly. Telemachus would be so frustrated that he had to beg them to be quiet at night. “You suitors who plague my mother, you, you insolent, overweening…for this evening let us dine and take our pleasure, no more shouting now, What a fine thing it is to listen so such a bard as we have there- the man sings like a god,” (1.422-427). That quote alone shows how much they were running rampant around Odysseus’s house. Had they not been killed them and Odysseus just used a verbal attack, the wooers might have come back to kill him, marry his wife, eat all his livestock, and left his family less

wealthy.

Majority of the punishment of death that was handed down by Odysseus was warranted and fully permitted. What other choice did he have besides punishment of death? Telemachus tried to tell his father that the innocent should be spared and only kill those worthy of death, who has caused the family harm or was the ringleaders involved with all the mess they created. The only people you could make a case for them not deserving to die would be Phemius and Medon. The main reason they could’ve possibly been save is because Telemachus vouched for them and pleaded to his father to spare them. Medon also stated that “They were too strong, too many-/they forced me to come and sing-I had no choice!” Medon and Phemius loyalty was proven and trusted by Telemachus and Odysseus wouldn’t go against his son’s word.

The punishment for disloyal servants was nothing but something they caused upon themselves or earned.

Of the 50 servants on 12 was deemed unfaithful but they all did something that was against their job or will. Such as servants sleeping with other servants (Melantho and Eurymachus), and the female wooers, suitors, servants whatever you want to call them, they were supposed to pure ladies who weren’t supposed do those type of things with men. The female servants failed at their job of cleaning the great hall to begin with, which was left with blood everywhere. Leading to what was their cause of death. Melanthuis betrayed Odysseus by going to get weapons that were put away by Telemachus. Just the little things that the servants did that caused them death or to be killed by

Odysseus.

In conclusion, Odysseus was perfectly justified and had every right to punish every wooer, suitor, or servant he did. Punishment by death, corresponded perfectly with their actions. Odysseus had to make a choice to stand up for his wife and family or let people cause him harm, money and anger. A man protects what’s his and tries to eliminates anything standing in the way of their happiness. After battling for many years and proving himself to the Greek God’s the last thing Odysseus wanted to do was come home to more fighting.