Revenge as a Symbol of Power
Revenge in Homer's Odyssey* symbolizes the strength of a person or family with their ability to repay evil, thus clearing their name of shame by winning glory and respect. Revenge is an act or instance of retaliating in order to get even, it is an opportunity to show personal strength. The theme is present in different examples throughout the Odyssey: The vengeance of Orestes, Agamemnon's son, upon Aegeisthos for killing his father; Poseidon avenging Odysseus for injuring his son Cyclops, and Phoeacians, for helping Odysseus; finally the protagonist himself avenging the suitors for their disrespectful, arrogant behavior. Revenge brings rising action into the epic. The climax of the book is built entirely upon it. It is not without a reason that Homer devoted such important parts of the book to this theme. This symbolic placement emphasizes the important role revenge played in Greek society. This essay will follow the development of the theme as it appears in the beginning, middle (in medias res), and the end.In the beginning of the Odyssey there is an example of how revenge can be used as a way to restore family honor and win glory: "Orestes took revenge, he killed Aegeisthos who killed his fam
Revenge in ancient Greek society was a positive thing; it was a means to restore family honor. With this deed he cleared their name of shame of letting others harm them and won back honor and respect of the people, which gave him authority and power to rule. He does this in multiple steps: first he proves his intellectual ability by disguising himself and secretly preparing for the final battle. This is an example of transferring the obligation for revenge between family members, in order to sustain the respect and honor of the family. Glorious revenge can make the memory of a hero immortal. In the end of the epic Odysseus has to exact an atrocious revenge to establish his authority as the master, thus bringing back the order in the palace. If one member could not perform revenge, it was an obligation of the other, to make sure that necessary action follows. Finally he confronts the suitors in a battle of revenge. Orestes was made a role model in songs, which were used to educate youngsters like Thelemachos about Greek virtues. rather sail through years of trouble than die like Agamemnon" (115).
Common topics in this essay:
Zeus Poseidon,
Cyclops Phoeacians,
Thelemachos Greek,
Cyclops Poseidon,
Homer's Odyssey*,
Orestes Agamemnon's,
honor family,
homeric society,
greek society,
establish status relation,
status relation agonistic,
negotiation elite warriors,
rank constant negotiation,
sustain respect,
respect honor,
intellectual ability,
agamemnon's death,
system rank,
rank constant,
constant negotiation elite,
based system,
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Acceptance Essays
