Essay About Telemachus Need And Main Theme

Vengeance in the Odyssey
Vengeance in the Odyssey
Vengance in the Odyssey
Vengeance is the main theme in the Odyssey, it is what all the conflict in the story is for
every conflict in the story is caused because of each characters thirst for vengeance
. The three
characters that show this most greatly are as follows. Poseidon through his constant punishment
of Odysseus throughout the story. Secondly Telemachus need to make the suitors pay for
disrespecting his house as well as his mother and the lack of his ability to become or even be seen
as a possible heir to his fathers thrown. Then finally Odysseus and his need to avenge the
disrespect by the suitors. The hardships that each of these character goes through during his
journey inrage them to revenge and push the story to its climax.
The strongest and longest lasting vengeance
in the story is Poseidons he punishes Odysseus
for taunting his son after he had already escaped and taken the cyclops eye. Poseidon firsts makes
Odysseus loose his ship and men at see. Next he must deal with the Charybdis and Scylla.
Throughout his journey Poseidon sends him all over the seas and even taunts him with a glance
of his home but then it is ripped away from him due to his own men and their greed. Poseidon
is unwilling to stop his punishment and even the gods and goddess can see this as said best
by Zeus himself “Bear in mind that Poseidon is still furious with Odysseusthough he does
not kill Odysseus outright, he torments him by preventing him from getting home.”(4 and 5).
Then there is Telemachus and while he shows his vengeance
only at the end of the book
his is also a key part of the story. His need for vengeance
is against the suitors, but he knows he
cant fullfill this until he has the permision of council. Since he is not king they wont allow him to
so now Athena suggest that if he can find his father or his fathers body he could get his chance.
Having not seen his father since he left for the Trojan Wars he thinks that perhaps he at least
can find his were abouts. This then leads him on his journey to manhood. While on his journey
the suitors attempt to take his life so now he has two reasons for revenge. This vengeance
is not
fullfilled