Thursday, May 1, 2014
Is the Slaughter Justified?
In Book 22 Odysseus with the aid of his son and loyal servants slaughters all the suitors (despite the pleas of mercy from some of them), all the maids, and even the priest Leodes. Are these killings justified? Could he have punished them without killing them? Could he have driven them from the house. Are some of the killings justified, but others not? What about the people they spared (Phemius and Medon) -- what was Telemachus' reasoning? Was it wise or prudent to kill them all?
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Is Odysseus’ Killings Justified?
ReplyDeleteRevenge is a dish best served cold, but in the climax of the Odyssey, Odysseus was blinded by his rage and his killings were not justified. The great tale of Odysseus has finally reached its epic moment, but it was a little disturbing seeing this great man that was so outraged that he showed no mercy. Even though the suitors trashed his home and affected Ithaca, killing all of them was not a justification. A more suitable punishment would’ve been, to banish all the suitors or make them prisoners or even slaves. The suitors didn’t harm anyone even though they were cruel, so killing them was too harsh. Odysseus should’ve controlled his anger and realized that killing the suitors would hurt their families and start an uprising against Odysseus (which happened in book 24). Making the suitors see their mistakes and making them pay by making them live with their guilt would’ve been a more satisfying solution. Even the bard and herald who he showed mercy too would’ve died if it weren’t for Telemachus. Odysseus made sure to punish everyone even if they were innocent. Few such as the priest and Eurymachus plead for mercy but unfortunately they were killed.
“No, Eurymachus! Not even if you paid me all your mothers’ wealth—
all you possess now, and all that could pour in from the worlds end—
no, not even then would I stay my hands from slaughter
till all you suitors had paid for all your crimes!
Now life or death—your choice—fight me or flee
if you hope to escape your sudden bloody doom!
I doubt one man in the lot will save his skin!” (pg 441 65-71)
Odysseus decision to kill all the suitors was a blood thirst choice that was fruitless and didn’t do anything to make the situation better. It wasn’t a wise decision coming from an outside perspective, but the anger that Odysseus had, he had very little control over his actions and as a result made an unwise decision.
In book 22 of The Odyssey, the killings of the suitors were undoubtedly justified. One would say this because if Odysseus and Telemachus did not diminish them while they could, things could have gotten worse for other good people around them and for themselves. If they were not killed, Telemachus most definitely would have died because the suitors were plotting to kill him. For example, when Telemachus was returning home from his journey to hear if his father was alive still, the suitors plotted to kill him when he returned if he did. “Strike First, I say, and kill him, -- clear of town, in the fields or on the road. Then, we’ll seize his estates and worldly goods.” (16.423-425) So, for that reason, it was a robust proposal to do so for Telemachus’ purposes. On the other hand, Odysseus also had the right to kill each and every suitor that was with the plan of killing Telemachus because once they did this, the suitors were going to figure out and probably fight over which got to marry Penelope, his wife. This enflamed Odysseus because he always thought his men would never try to do this to their king and he also loved his wife with great affection. Even though maybe not all of the suitors deserved death, it was necessary for the lives and safety of Odysseus, Telemachus, Penelope, and his other loyal servants.
ReplyDeleteAre the killings of the suitors and maids justified? To a certain extent yes, the slaughter is justified because they were destroying Penelope who was Odysseus’ main objective to get home apart from his son. Odysseus cares so much for Penelope that he was willing to sacrifice his life and deny a lustful life with Calypso to then find that suitors plague his wife. When he finds out about the suitors and how they are wearing down Penelope to the point of going sane he becomes infuriated. They were destroying and using up the resources he had worked so hard to obtain and were destroying his family, “You dogs! You never imagined I’d return from Troy—so cocksure that you bled my house to death… (22.37-38)” If the suitors were willing to kill his wife and son then why would it not be justified for Odysseus to have slaughtering plans for the suitors? All they wanted were power and Odysseus spared the innocent which makes this slaughtering act not unnecessary. This was a bold move that was not surprising for Odysseus because that is the way he has always been: fight a battle and win. He saw the suitors as enemies and did what he had to do. One might look at it as Odysseus’ only choice because what did he think the suitors would just get up and leave when he got home after waiting for twenty years? They would have probably not left without some type of violence. Odysseus had fought for ten years trying to get home and then the suitors are the only thing left getting in the way of his wife and son. The “slaughter” is justified because Odysseus spares the innocent and the suitors would have tried to kill Odysseus anyways.
ReplyDeleteOdysseus decision to slaughter all of the suitors is not justified because of the serious negative effects it has on the entire kingdom of Ithaca. The slaughter of the suitors sends a dishonorable image of Odysseus as a leader and causes many political problems in Ithaca. Odysseus, a leader that had always cared well for his good and loyal servants such as Eumaeus, acts as poor leader when he slaughters his own people that it his duty to rule. The example that Odysseus is setting for his people to follow is that it is perfectly acceptable for to kill and possibly torture large numbers of people to teach them a lesson. The completely justifiable solution to the problem of the suitors would be to have taken Eurymachus’ offer: “So spare your own people! Later we’ll recoup/ your costs with a tax laid down upon the land,/ covering all we ate and drank inside your halls,” (22.57- 22.59). Odysseus could have taken this offer for the suitors to repay everything that they took from him and use this as an opportunity to teach and punish the suitors rather than act violently towards them. The slaughter of the suitors causes other pressing issues to arise that could have been solved by making this deal with Eurymachus. Odysseus must come up with a complex plan to avoid having chaos and violence break out in Ithaca:
ReplyDelete“What’s our best defense?
When someone kills a lone man in the realm
who leaves behind him no great band of avengers,
still the killer flees, goodbye to kin and country.
But we brought down the best of the islands princes,
the pillars of Ithaca. Weigh it well, I urge you.” (23.134 -23.138)
Killing the suitors, men of power in Ithaca and Greece, is serious. Many of the people of Ithaca supported these suitors and there could potentially be more violence if they found out that the suitors had been slaughtered. Taking Eurymachus’ deal that punished the suitors less severely would not have caused nearly as many problems for the entire kingdom of Ithaca. Odysseus put his own kingdom in jeopardy so that he could kill the suitors for personal reasons, which is why there is no justification for this act.
Odysseus, overwhelmed with bloodthirsty rage, has no right to kill all of the suitors and nearly everyone else. Although the suitors are an inconvenience to have inhabiting the palace, they do not harm Penelope or anyone else. The suitors consume a substantial amount of food and space, but there is still a sufficient amount left. Slaughtering men that do not harm Penelope is not justifiable, but they do deserve to be punished less severely. More acceptable punishments are banishing the suitors from Ithaca or forcing them to inhabit an island far from Ithaca, but certainly not slaughtering men out of violent rage. Odysseus reveals how ruthless he is when Eurymachus begs him for mercy. Odysseus replies:
ReplyDeleteNo, Eurymachus! Not if you paid me all your father’s wealth—
all you possess now, and all that could pour in from the world’s end—
no, not even then would I stay my hands from slaughter
till all you suitors had paid for all your crimes (22. 65-68).
Odysseus is basically saying that none of the suitors are getting out alive because they need to be punished for the crimes they committed. Even though the suitors do, in fact, inconvenience Penelope and her servants, they do not commit drastic enough crimes to deserve death. A minor punishment would have sufficed for the suitors.
While the actions of Penelope’s suitors throughout the Odyssey have been reprehensible to say the least, I do not, however, believe that Odysseus’ slaughter of each and every one of them was justified. The suitors’ have been despicable throughout the story, and most certainly deserve to be held accountable for their actions, but for some, there was a better course of action that could have been taken when it came to Odysseus’ vengeance. Certainly, those suitors who in Book 22 decided to take up arms against Odysseus were justifiable kills. Not only did these men have the audacity to ravage Odysseus’ family of their goods, terrorize his son, and to court his wife for years without even a second thought, they had become so greedy that they thought that they deserved all of the spoils of being king. For these suitors like Antinous and Eurymachus death was justified, but, Odysseus’ judgment was not as great when he killed his disloyal servants and those suitors who begged for mercy. After 20 years away from Ithaca, it seemed to many in the kingdom that Odysseus would never return. Despite their best attempts to remain faithful, it was nearly impossible for every single person in the kingdom to hold on to the hope that Odysseus would come back. For this reason, I feel that only the servants who committed some egregious act other than doubting the return of Odysseus should be killed. Additionally, Odysseus does not have the right to senselessly slaughter the suitors who decide against warfare and instead beg for mercy. Odysseus has every right to be upset about how the suitors have treated both his family and his home, but he does not, however, have the right to play god and senselessly kill innocent men. These suitors, like Leodes, should not be blamed for simply being a suitor. Courtship is what would have theoretically happened had Odysseus never returned, and Odysseus should not expect some sort of courtship exclusivity. However, the suitors can and should be held accountable for their actions when Odysseus was away and when Odysseus had returned. That is why the slaughter of the suitors is justified in the cases of some, but for the suitors like Leodes, who quickly gave up the idea of fighting to grovel at Odysseus feet, “Odysseus – mercy! Spare my life… But I was just their prophet – my hands are clean – and I’m to die their death” (22.328, 334-5), death was not necessary.
ReplyDeleteDuring chapter 22 of the Odyssey, Odysseus, Telemachus and his servants, Eumaeus and Philotius, slaughter the suitors that have been wasting his wealth for years. This slaughter is justified because the suitors would have killed Odysseus and Telemachus if they had the right opportunity. There was no other way Odysseus could keep himself and his family safe if he let the suitors go. If Odysseus did not kill all of the suitors, any survivors would have conspired and laid out a trap in the future to kill him and his family. During the slaughter, Telemachus, Odysseus’ son spares two people, the herald Medon and the bard Phemius,
ReplyDeleteStop, don’t cut him down! This one’s innocent.
so is the herald Medon—the one who always
tended me in the house when I was little—
spare him too. Unless he’s dead by now,
killed by Philoetius or Eumaeus here—
or ran into you rampaging through the halls. (22.374-380)
Telemachus told his father not to kill these two because they were innocent and neutral people. These two people were spared because they did not take part in the suitors’ activities and were merely doing their jobs. Medon the herald, attended to the suitors’ needs and Phemius, the bard, played his lyre. After the slaughter Odysseus, Telemachus and his servants have to deal with the consequences of massacring many of the island’s nobles. Although killing the suitors was necessary and the best option, there will be many consequences as a result of this event. Odysseus must be ready to endure any punishment given to him for his murders of the island’s nobles.
The slaughter, despite being incredibly brutal and gory, was justified. Odysseus has been away from his home for 20 years and returns from the horrors of war, the fury of Poseidon, and the trials of Bronze Age Greece to find his home overrun with suitors. They plague his estate, decimating his ranks of cattle, haranguing his wife, and tarnishing his palace. Furthermore, Odysseus finds that when he poses as a beggar, all of the suitors as well as the maids and servants, ridiculed their absentee master. This sort of behavior was completely unacceptable for the standards then, and even more so nowadays. It is very obvious earlier in the book, during one conversation between the suitors and Odysseus’ beggar character that Odysseus wants to give them every opportunity to leave his home, before he reveals himself. He does this because he knows that once he ditches the disguise, he will have no choice but to kill them. To reside in someone’s home, abusing their courtesy and hospitality, making tens of attempts to court and marry their wife, is, and should be taken, as a direct insult to the “host”. To back down from this blatant challenge to one’s livelihood would be an in excusable act, of great shame. Additionally while even those who don’t believe this killing was justified, do believe that killing the suitors make the most sense. These people ask, why were the maids and servants killed, why kill all of them? The answer is a simple and harsh one. These people believe it or not did in fact commit a crime. I believe a quote from one of my favorite movies, The Boondock Saints, illustrates it perfectly. “Now, we must all fear evil men. But, there is another kind of evil which we must fear most … and that is the indifference of good men!” What is said here applies perfectly to this situation. While the servants and maids did not do anything to directly hurt Odysseus, their casual indifference helps the suitors just as much. The men and women of Odysseus estate did not so much stand up to the suitors to protect the heritage of their master, the man who feeds them, clothes them, and provides for their families. After all Odysseus has done for them, and we do not hear a single word, of protest, not one shred of disbelief or anger for the way their employers image is discarded and trampled. And that is why, they must pay.
ReplyDeleteThe slaughter of the suitors of Penelope by Odysseus was fully justified by the suitors’ previous actions against him. Also, the suitors had previously received a prophecy that Odysseus would come back, and they knew that if they were there, they would be killed. But since they stuck around and still tried to violate Odysseus’s marriage and steal his kingdom, they showed that they deserved to be punished. But not everyone who died that day showed the same lack of values and warranted death. Through his rage, Odysseus found it difficult to see that there were people there without fault, but Telemachus saw them and was able to show mercy to some of them. When Odysseus was about to kill the bard, Phemius, he pleaded for mercy and told Odysseus that he was innocent because the suitors made him sing to them and he didn’t want them to kill him. Telemachus heard his story and told his father:
ReplyDelete“Stop, don’t cut him down! This one’s innocent.
So is the herald Medon—the one who always
tended me in the house when I was little—
spare him too.”
Telemachus could see that the bard, although he didn’t directly oppose the suitors on their quest for power, did not support them either and thus was not guilty. On the other hand, there were people who died that didn’t deserve to die. One of these examples is Odysseus’s priest. He pleads for mercy because unlike the suitors, he never tried to win the heart of Odysseus’s women, and he had served him for years. People like this did not deserve to die, but are in stark contrast with the suitors of Penelope who aggressively tried to take Odysseus’s power and ruin his kingdom.