Revenge as a Symbol of Power

and he would have won his sons great fame. He does this in multiple steps: first he proves his intellectual ability by disguising himself and secretly preparing for the final battle. Agamemnon’s death is described as shameful for a hero; he is compared in a Homeric epic simile to an animal sacrificed for a feast. All his deeds in Troy could not make up for his inability to see truth behind the lies. With this deed of revenge, he won himself glory. Odysseus has had so much suffering during his journey, that only by killing all who were disloyal to him will provide emotional satisfaction. ) A contrast between two characters is given. Then his physical strength is put to a test; only he is able to string the bow and shoot the arrows. The following quote is an example of it: “Father Zeus, I [Poseidon] will loose all my honor among immortals, mortal men show me no respect…they helped the one who wronged me…”(290). 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. A wrongdoing to one family member was taken as an insult to the strength and honor of the whole family. Orestes had not only to kill Aegeisthos for satisfaction, but also to restore the good name of the family, because in ancient Greek society, it was his duty. If one member could not perform revenge, it was an obligation of the other, to make sure that necessary action follows. (Athena tells him this story, because later, Thelemachos will have to help his father revenging the suitors.

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.