Friday, October 9, 2015
An Eye for Eye Makes the Whole World Blind?
In Book 22 of the Odyssey Odysseus -- with the help of Athena and Telemachus -- exacts his revenge on the suitors, killing them all, as well as his disloyal servants and maids. Yet, after Odysseus and Penelope are reuinited the book does not end. Odysseus and Telemachus retreat to the countryside to fight the kin of the slaughtered suitors who are themelves seeking vengeance. Only with the intervention of Athena is a bloodbath averted. What is the ending of the story telling us about the value of vengeance? Is is necessary to restore order but dangerious? Is it a foolish and counterproductive practice? Does it make the whole world blind or is it the only way to establish a just society?
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The end of The Odyssey has a very clear message when it comes to vengeance. Vengeance is important, but there is a point when it crosses a line and becomes detrimental to both parties. This reason is why Athena stops Odysseus from fighting most of the suitor’s families. As Zeus states when discussing Odysseus with Athena,
ReplyDeleteNow that royal Odysseus has taken his revenge,
let both sides seal their pacts that he shall reign for life,
and let us purge their memories of the blood slaughter
of their brothers and their sons. Let them be friends,
devoted as in the old days. Let peace and wealth
come cresting through the land (483).
As explained by Zeus, vengeance was beneficial when Odysseus slaughtered the suitors. However, now the kingdom of Ithaca should be peaceful, and people should be friendly. In other words, vengeance can be necessary like when Odysseus slaughtered the suitors. He would not have been able to restore order to his kingdom without killing them because they would have plotted against him. However, the fight between Odysseus and the families of the suitors would just have caused war, hatred, and more death. Vengeance can blind the world when it is unjustified which is why Athena had to put a stop to Odysseus’s fight against the suitor’s families. She says, “Royal son of Laertes, Odysseus, master of exploits,/hold back now! Call a halt to the great leveler, War-/don’t court the rage of Zeus who rules the world” (485). Vengeance is important, but that it should be left at that. Vengeance should not start wars, and that is what makes the whole world blind.