Theme Of Punishment In The Odyssey

The Greeks were very proud and prideful people, especially the males. Acts of disrespect and disloyalty is what often causes most of the violence seen in The Odyssey. Damaged pride, disloyalty, and disrespect all results in punishment. Examples of these circumstances are shown throughout the epic, from Poseidon, and Odysseus. Of the two men, Poseidon gives out the most punishments that are all aimed at the story’s protagonist, Odysseus.

But Poseidon who encompasses the land, is ceaselessly enraged because Odysseus blinded of his eye the Cyclops godlike Polyphemus...and since that day earth-shaking Poseidon does not indeed destroy Odysseus, but ever drives him wandering from his land. (2)

Odysseus had disrespected Poseidon by injuring his

son, the most powerful of the Cyclops, and therefore is punished with hardships on his return home. Odysseus’ violent act against Polyphemus also damaged the pride of earth-shaking Poseidon. To have Odysseus, a mortal man, blind the son of an almighty god must of have a negative effect on Poseidon’s pride. Odysseus is cursed by Polyphemus and Poseidon to lose all of his men, before he alone, returns home to Ithaca. Although Odysseus receives many drastic punishments for his actions he also discloses many harsh punishments himself. One of the most gruesome punishments being for the disloyal maids of his estate:

He spoke, and tied the cable of a dark-bowed ship to a great pillar...stretching it high across, too high for one to touch the feet upon the ground...the women held their heads in a line, and around every neck a noose was laid, that they might die most vilely. They twitched their feet a little, but not long.(282)
Unlike Poseidon, Odysseus does not have anyone to restrain him from punishing the people they way he deems necessary.

Poseidon had Zeus to keep him from destroying Odysseus entirely, but at this point there is no one in charge of Odysseus. What is most interesting about this particular punishment is that it was due to the maids having affairs with the unmarried suitors. Odysseus had countless affairs with women on his journey and he is a married man! Yet, there was no punishment for his infidelity toward his wife. At that time in Greek culture, the gender inequality resulted in gruesome deaths as punishment for women performing the same activities as men. But Odysseus performs the worst and most horrific punishment upon the traitor, Melanthius. “With rustless sword they lopped his nose and ears, pulled out his bowels to be eaten raw by dogs, and in their rage cut off his hands and feet”(283). When Odysseus and Telemachus kill the maids their focus is solely on shaming the women in their death. On the other hand, when killing Melanthius their focus is on pain, how they could inflict the most pain upon the man? By having affairs with the suitors the maids had simply been disloyal to Odysseus, but by betraying him Melanthius has disrespected and been disloyal. The punishments inflicted upon the characters of The Odyssey has been nothing less than violent which reveals the importance of loyalty and respect in Greek

culture.