Renee Hsieh

Professor Yvette Siegert

English 2800: Great Works of Literature I
24 March 2014
Revenge? Justice?
According to Websters Dictionary, revenge is to avenge as oneself usually by retaliating
in kind or degree and justice is the process or result of using laws to fairly judge and punish
crimes and criminals. So the question is now, can an act of retribution be justifiable? In modern
world, an act of revenge wouldnt necessarily justify a crime Our idea of justice originated in
Ancient Greece, during that time the idea of justice consisted two key elements, fairness and
reciprocity, was built on conclusions drawn by Plato and Aristotle of Homers poetry. One of the
epics that was used to depict the word justice was portrayed in The Odyssey. Homer provides
many examples throughout the poem to show how the Greeks react to rage and fury. Some of
those stances that best exemplify retributive justice would be Odysseus and Telemachus
vengeance on the suitors, Poseidons vengeance on Odysseus, and Orestess vengeance on
Aegisthus illustrates the Greeks views on vengeance closely correlates to their understanding of
justice, although they are not necessarily interchangeable.
One of the tales that was mentioned a couple of times in the beginning of the epic was the
story of the murder of Agamemnon by his wifes lover, Aegisthus on his return from Troy. After
killing the son of Atreus, Aegisthus reined the people of Mycenae for seven years before Orestes,
son of Agamemnon, avenged his fathers death. Zeus speaks of this misfortune in order to
express the nature of human beings,
Mortals! They are always blaming the gods
For their troubles, when their own witlessness

Causes them more than they were destined for!

Take Aegisthus now. He marries Agamemnons
Lawful wife and murders the man on his return
Knowing it meant disaster because we did warn him,
Sent our messenger, quicksilver Hermes,
To tell him not to kill the man and marry his wife,
Or Agamemnons son, Orestes, would pay him back
When he came of age and wanted his inheritance.
Hermes told him all that, but his good advice
Meant nothing to Aegisthus. Now hes paid in full. (1, 37-48)
Zeus is stating that when people face problems or difficulties, they tend to blame the gods
rather than themselves. This passage is critical in understanding how people view the gods and
how the gods regard revenge. we did warn him, sent our messenger, quick silver Hermes,
In this instance, the gods act as a conscience for Aegisthus (us humans in a sense). It is
Aegisthus decision to choose to act on his own accord, which he did and ultimately suffer the
consequence. The gods didnt see his murder as an act of unjust as Athena comments on her
fathers criticism, Yes, O our Father who art most high That man got the death he richly
deserved, And so perish who would do the same. Her response is a clear indication that the gods
believe Orestes act of revenge to be justifiable, as Orestes killed his fathers murderer in order to
honor his father.
The underlying focus of the story is Odysseuss struggle to return to Ithaca after the
Trojan War and Telemachus desperation to exact retribution for the heartache and woes caused
by the suitors. Athena visits Telemachus under a guise in order to encourage Telemachus set out
to find search for news of his father.
Suitors of my mother you arrogant pigs
For now, were at a feast. No shouting, please!
Theres nothing finer than hearing
A singer like this, with a voice like a gods.
But in the morning we will sit in the meeting ground,
So that I can tell all of you in broad daylight
To get out of my house. Fix yourselves feasts

In each others houses, use up your own stockpiles.

But if it seems better and more profitable
For one man to be eaten out of house and home
Without compensation then eat away!
For my part, I will pray to the gods eternal
That Zeus grant me requital: Death for you
Here in my house, with no compensation. (1, 388-401)
You dogs! You thought I would never
Come home from Troy. So you wasted my house,
Forced the women to sleep with you.
And while I was still alive you courted my wife
Without any fear of the gods in high heaven
Or of any retribution from the world of men.
Now the net has been drawn tight around you. (22, 48-57)
Zeus, the god of hospitality is described by Eumaeus as:
It would not be right for me to show less respect
Even to someone less worthy than you.
All strangers and beggars come from Zeus,
And our gifts to them are welcome through small,
Since this is how it is with slaves, always fearful
Of the masters over them, especially
Young masters. Yes, and the gods have blocked
The return of the master who would have treated me
With kindness, given me possessions of my own,
A house, some land, and a wife courted by many,
The things a kind master gives to his servant
Whose long, hard work a god has made prosper,
As the work I have done has come to prosper.
My mater would have rewarded me richly for this,
Had he grown old here. But hes gone, perished
As I wish Helen and all her clan had perished,
Since she has unstrung the knees of many heroes.
Yes, he too went to Ilion, land of fine horses,
To fight the Trojans on Agamemnons account. (14, 64-82)
Hear me, Poseidon, blue-maned Earth-Holder,
If you are the father you claim to be.
Grant that Odysseus, son of Lartes,
May never reach his home on Ithaca.
But if he is fated to see his family again,
And return to his home and own native land,
May he come late, having lost all companions,

In anothers ship, and find trouble at home. (4, 527-533)

In response:
I lose face among the gods, Zeus,
When Im not respected by mortal men
The Phaeacians yet, my own flesh and blood@
I swore that Odysseus would have to suffer
Before getting home I didns say
He would never get home, because you had already
Agreed that he would and now theyve brought him
Over the sea while he napped on their ship,
And set him down in Ithaca, and given him
Gifts of bronze and clothing and gold,
More than he ever would have taken out of Troy
Had he come home safely with his share of loot. (13, 132-143)
Zeus responds by:
Well, now, this is what I would do:
Wait until all of the people in the city see her
Pulling in to port, and then turn her to stone,
Stone shaped like a ship, marvel for all me.
And then hem their city in with a mountain. (13, 160-164)