The Odyssey

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Violence in the Odyssey
The Odyssey is an epic poem by renowned poet Homer. It is the story of Odysseus as he journeys from the Trojan War. The story of the King of Ithaca as portrayed by Homer in this poem is rife with scenes of violence, some graphic and others subtle (Liang 43). Scholars and commentators on the subject have been able to classify the scenes of violence as either fueled by anger or not and have gone a step further to accord rationale for each of these scenes.
One of the most prominent scenes of violence without necessary anger is the initial setting of the poem (Liang 46). The poem is set at the end of the Trojan War borrowing from the violent nature of war. It is also notable that most wars are entered into due to diplomatic breakdowns and not out of anger. The Trojan War was no exception. The purpose of this scene of violence without rage was to highlight that war is not necessarily fatal. Odysseus is seen leaving the battlefield on his way home which shows that there is an alternative outcome of the war. Also, the author uses those scenes of violence without anger to show the effect of fighting on the joy of a people; which is often negative (Liang 47).
It is also noteworthy that Homer described the reaction of Odysseus when he encountered the suitors who had come to his wife, Penelope. The king, in a fit of rage, murdered the suitors in a graphic scene of violence. The purpose of this scene was multifaceted with the most acclaimed being that this was done to send a strong message to any future would-be suitors and to appreciate Penelope’s resilience (Liang 44).

Also, the issue of honor was of the great essence to a man of status like Odysseus, and the graphic violence and expression of anger goes a long way in bolstering this. Lastly, the idea of poetic justice, which infers that bad things happen to evil people deservedly, is another vital purpose of this scene of violence (Liang 45).
Works Cited
Liang, Meng. “The Making of Odysseus the Hero in Homer’s Odyssey.” International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature 6.7 (2017): 42-48.