Vengeance in Homer's The Odyssey: Family, Hospitality and Will of the Gods - Research Paper Example

May 8, Vengeance in Homer’s The Odyssey: Family, Hospitality, and Will of the Gods The Odyssey is an epic poem that narrates Odysseus’ voyage to his homeland after the Trojan War. It highlights his struggles in his journey to his home, Ithaca, so that he can get rid of his wife’s suitors, who disrespect his house by using up his resources and courting his wife. This poem is written in the seventh century B.C., which makes it one of the oldest Greek epics. The Odyssey explores Odysseus’ love for his family and the hospitality, or lack thereof, of the people around him. Due to these main driving forces for the warrior-king Odysseus, the poem also illustrates the mores of ancient Greece. This paper applies sociological and religious approaches in analyzing The Odyssey. Homer’s The Odyssey is a poem about vengeance, because social and religious beliefs and behaviors in the epic justify vengeance as an appropriate punishment for people who do not respect the traditions of hospitality, loyalty, and centrality of the family. SOCIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS Family. The Odyssey shows that the Greeks value their families, and so the bonds between them are expected to be long-lasting, which means that only death can sever them. Odysseus goes through great lengths to be reunited with his family, which includes exacting vengeance to those who obstructed him from this goal. Kalypso can easily captivate him with immortality, but he declines it, because he intends to go back to his family. Cyclops and Poseidon want to punish and kill him, but Odysseus uses his cunning and strength to outwit them. Odysseus wants nothing more than go back to his home and be with his people and family. Homer shows the inextricable link between a man’s existence and his family: And as welcome as the show of life again in a father is to his children, when he has lain sick, suffering strong pains, and wasting long away, and the hateful death spirit has brushed him…so welcome appeared land and forest now to Odysseus, and he swam, pressing on, so as to set foot on the mainland. (Homer 5.394-399). This simile shows the centrality of a family in ancient Greece. Homer exhibits the propensity towards family life through an epic that he focuses on a family in the process of unification. For him, Odysseus’ family and the power of their bonds to each other depict strong family values that are sought after in Greek society. These bonds exist, not only between husband and wife, but also between parents and their children. Penelope loves Telemachus dearly and fears for his life. She says: “…and now again a beloved son is gone on a hollow ship, an innocent all unversed in fighting and speaking, and it is for him I grieve even more than for that other one, and tremble for him and fear…” (Homer 4.817-821). In Greek society, the bond between mothers and their children is strong too, as strong as the bond between husband and wife. Parents are revered in ancient Greece, and one of the reasons that Odysseus is enraged against his enemies is when the latter contribute to the death or shame of his parents. Telemachos sets out to find his father, because he knows that the latter will help him set order in his house and empire, at all costs. With the belief that his father is alive, the son prepares to help his father return to their homeland. Furthermore, Odysseus learns that his mother has died while he is away. When he sees her spirit, he desperately tries to take his mother’s “shade” in his arms. He feels acute pain for not being able to touch her again. Odysseus narrates this feeling of loss: “Mother, why will you not wait for me, when I am trying to hold you…? Or are you nothing but an image that proud Persephone sent my way, to make me grieve all the more for sorrow?” (Homer 11.210-214). As the poem ends, Odysseus illustrates his devotion and duty to his family by right away leaving to see his father, after his poignant meeting with his wife. He says: “But now I shall go to our estate with its many orchards, to see my noble father who has grieved for me constantly” (Homer 23.354-355). Avenging his parent’s honor is one of the drivers of revenge in The Odyssey. Odysseus believes that parents should be honored, but the suitors display nothing but impertinence to the elderly and household owners. Fidelity for married couples is critical to Greek society. Odysseus may not have been sexually loyal to his wife, but the woman he only loved is Penelope. Odysseus’s sexual attraction for Kalypso is no match for his loyalty to Penelope. Homer narrates: …the sweet lifetime was draining out of him, as he wept for a way home, since the nymph was no longer pleasing to him. By nights he would lie beside her, of necessity… but all the days he would sit upon the rocks, at the seaside, breaking his heart in tears and lamentation and sorrow as weeping tears he looked out over the barren water. (Homer 5.152-158). Odysseus yearns more for the love and company of his wife than the caresses of Kalypso. After hearing the performer sings, Odysseus feels his heart wrenched from his yearning for Penelope: As a woman weeps, lying over the body of her dear husband…she cries high and shrill, while the men behind her, hitting her with their spear butts on the back and the shoulders, force her up and lead her away into slavery… her cheeks are wracked with pitiful weeping… (Homer 8.521-532). This simile demonstrates the intensity of love between a husband and wife. Odysseus displays strong emotions, because of his strong love for Penelope, and so Homer shows that it was only natural for him to kill all Penelope’s suitors. Penelope’s fidelity to her husband is one of the approved social values in the poem. She does not submit to any of her suitors, even when her husband has been missing for a long time. Ames underscores that Penelope carefully ascribes her fidelity to the gods’ guidance of her. Ames explains that Penelope believes that the gods put “folly” on Helen, because that it is the only way that a decent married woman will choose abandoning her family and committing adultery (135). Penelope is thankful for her fidelity that the gods have decreed, because she knows too what happens to unfaithful wives. Either society denounces them or their husbands or other family members murder them. Loyalty. Loyalty refers to Oedipus’ loyalty to his people, including his crew, a loyalty that drives him to avenge their deaths. Odysseus narrates: Oh, Circe, how could any man in his right mind ever endure to taste of the food and drink that are set before him, until with his eyes he saw his companions set free? So then, if you are sincerely telling me to eat and drink, set them free, so my eyes can again behold my eager companions. (Homer 10.383-387). Odysseus is a loyal leader, and he puts their interests first before his own. In the poem, when his comrades died, Odysseus is overcome with grief: “There, shedding tears, he [Odysseus] went unnoticed by all the others, but Alkinoos alone understood what he did and noticed, since he was sitting next to him and heard him groaning heavily” (Homer 8.93-95). Odysseus feels grief for his dead comrades, and though he knows that he cannot kill Poseidon who caused their deaths, at least, he is able to exact his revenge on Poseidon’s son, Cyclops. Some of Odysseus’ people are also loyal to him, which indicates that they deserve a king who is also loyal to them. Eumaios is so faithful to Odysseus that even when so many have resigned to his death, he continuously treats him as lord and master. Eumaios stresses his love for his king: “but the longing is on me for Odysseus, and he is gone from me; and even when he is not here, my friend, I feel some modesty about naming him, for in his heart he cared for me greatly and loved me. So I call him my master, though he is absent” (Homer 14.144-147). Odysseus values the loyalty of his people. The poem further depicts his appreciation for their loyalty: “Only the swineherd did not please to leave his pigs, and go to bed indoors, but made preparations as he went out; and Odysseus was happy that his livelihood was so well cared for while he was absent” (Homer 14.524-527). Odysseus knows that such loyalties are critical to a well-functioning kingdom. Argos also stands for the categorical love and loyalty of servant for master: There the dog Argos lay in the dung, all covered with dog ticks. Now, as he perceived that Odysseus had come close to him, he wagged his tail, and laid both his ears back; only he now no longer had the strength to move any closer to his master … (Homer 17.300-305). Homer presents the values of loyalty through the characterization of an animal, which is often defined as humanity’s best fried. These people are abused through the excesses of Penelope’s suitors, and in Greek society, it is just to kill the abusers of these loyal people. Hospitality. Hospitality is a cherished value in Greek society, and to violate it calls for the hand of death. Bolton asserts that since ancient Greece has no banks or currency and traveling depends largely on the gods, “one had to rely upon the kindness of strangers” (1). He underlines that “the relationship between host and guest therefore partakes of the divine” (1). The Odyssey shows that people are judged through their kindness and generosity in receiving their guests. The poem shows that Telemachos, Eumaeus, Nausikaa, and Odysseus are all exemplary hosts. Telemachos does not know the guest, and yet he welcomes him with open arrms: “[Telemachos] saw Athene and went straight to the forecourt [and he told her] ‘Welcome, stranger. You shall be entertained as a guest among us. Afterward, when you have tasted dinner, you shall tell us what your need is” (Homer 1.118-124). Telemachos does not even ask the guest’s name, and instead, he takes him inside and treats him like a royal guest. Nausikaa tells Odysseus: “But now, since it is our land and our city that you have come to, you shall not lack for clothing nor anything else, of those gifts which should befall the unhappy suppliant on his arrival” (Homer 6.191-193). This is an example of generosity that guests expect from their hosts. The bad hosts pertain to the suitors (who are also appalling guests), the Laestrygonians, the Lotus Eaters, the Cyclops, and Circe. Telemachos shows what hospitality is, when the suitors barge in like they own the house: Then the haughty suitors came in, and all of them straightway took their places in order on chairs and along the benches… They put their hands to the good things that lay ready before them… [after feasting, they ] turned to other matters, the song and the dance; for these things come at the end of the feasting. (Homer 1.144-152). These people have abused the hospitality of the owners, which is unacceptable in Greek society. Myrsiades describes this as "violated hospitality" (xii). The suitors not only threatened to sink the household to bankruptcy, but also threatened to also force their way on Penelope, when they are mere guests. Weigel analyzes the centrality of hospitality in The Odyssey and abhors how the suitors behave as hosts and guests. “Their radical abuse of hospitality is contrasted with the excellent relations between guest and host when Telemachus goes to visit Nestor and then Menelaus” (4). The actions of these guests are far from Odysseus’ behavior when he is the guest. Odysseus does not challenge his host as a sign of good grace and respect for his hospitality: Let any of the rest, whose heart and spirit are urgent for it, come up and try me, since you have irritated me so…except Laodamas himself, for he is my host; who would fight with his friend? Surely any man can be called insensate and good for nothing who in an alien community offers to challenge his friend and host in the games. He damages what it is.’ (Homer 8.204-211). Odysseus respects hospitality so highly that he compares challenging the host as equal to injuring his body. Hence, when suitors challenge their host through their bad manners and lewd conduct, this is a forewarning for their death warrant. RELIGIOUS ANALYSIS Will of the Gods. The epic poem shows that the will of the gods demonstrate the value of revenge. Zeus informs Athena that she cannot stop Poseidon from taking revenge against Odysseus, although he will not allow the latter to kill him: For his sake Poseidon, shaker of the earth, although he does not kill Odysseus, yet drives him back from the land of his fathers. But come, let all of us …see to it that he returns. Poseidon shall put away his anger; for all alone and against the will of the other immortal gods united he can accomplish nothing.” (Homer 1.74-79). Vengeance is also part of the will of the gods and not even Odysseus can escape Poseidon’s ill will. The poem also shows that gods ascertain human life. Zeus stresses that Odysseus is destined to suffer and to finally go home, but his actions throughout his journey will be his free will. Athena, who is the goddess of war and wisdom, constantly intervenes for Odysseus. Apparently, she favors the ways and personality of Odysseus. Furthermore, one of the reasons that Greeks show kindness to strangers is that they believe that some of them are gods who disguise as mortals. Definitely, gods do not want to be treated shabbily, even when they are in disguise as poor or wretched mortals. They believe that they deserve stately treatment and those who will not show hospitality deserve to be punished. Odysseus also uses a disguise to know who his loyal subjects are. Like gods who are strict with how they are treated, Odysseus aims to reward those who welcome him and are kind to him, while he is bent on punishing those who show no hospitality. Violence. Homer seems to agree that violence is appropriate to exact vengeance on disloyal subjects, because the gods also use violence on mortals to control their lives or to teach them a lesson. Martin compares it to the god’s way of punishing evil: “The bad are punished” (8). Zeus says: [Odysseus] shall come back by the convoy neither of the gods nor of mortal people, but he shall sail on a jointed raft and, suffering hardships… For so it is fated that he shall see his people and come back to his house with the high roof and to the land of his fathers.’ (Homer 5.31-42). Zeus asserts that it is his will for Odysseus to return to Ithaka, but not with his friends. He underscores that the will and whim of the gods define the tragedy of their people. Odysseus also shows his whim as a king, when he uses violence to subdue all his enemies. The belief that gods support violence can be shown in how Homer kills his wife’s suitors, which provides a sense of peace in the story. Weigel believes that the climax of the story is the battle between Odysseus and Telemachos and Penelope’s more than one hundred suitors. Weigel stresses: “The house of Odysseus is at last purged of its predators, and the emotions of the audience are restored to …equilibrium” (4). Athena provides her blessing, so that what seems to be insurmountable becomes a “mission accomplished” feat for Odysseus and Telemachos. CONCLUSION The Odyssey is a poem about vengeance, because social beliefs about family, loyalty, and hospitality assert that vengeance is proper to the unfaithful and inhospitable. The Greek society accepts retribution as moral, if it is equal to the nature and depth of people’s sin. Furthermore, an analysis of the religious beliefs of Ancient Greece portrays that the gods respect revenge from gods to human beings and that they also expect hospitality from people. Violence is a norm too for the gods who can control people’s fates, even when this control is based on their emotions and whims. Fortunately for Odysseus, Athena approves of his ways and cunning. Even in the end, she leads Odysseus to his victory. Hence, vengeance is described as a worthy end in Greek society. Works Cited Ames, Keri Elizabeth. “The Oxymoron of Fidelity in Homer's Odyssey and Joyce's Ulysses.” Joyce Studies Annual 14 (2003): 132-174. Web. 4 May 2012. Literary Reference Center. Bolton, Matthew J. “Literary Contexts in Poetry: Homer's Odyssey.” Literary Contexts in Poetry (2007): 1. Web. 4 May 2012. Literary Reference Center. Homer. The Odyssey of Homer. Trans. Richard Lattimore. New York: Perennial Harper, 1965. Print. Martin, Richard Peter. “Homer.” Critical Survey of Poetry (2002): 1-8. Web. 4 May 2012. Literary Reference Center. Myrsiades, Kostas. “Homer; Analysis and Influence.” College Literature 35.4 (2008): xi-xix. Web. 4 May 2012. Literary Reference Center. Weigel, Jr., James. “Odyssey.” Masterplots (2010): 1-4. Web. 4 May 2012. Literary Reference Center. Read More