The Odyssey: Is Odysseus justified in taking his revenge?

Upon Odysseus’ return to Ithaca from his long and dangerous crusade, he discovers suitors raiding his palace. Due to the fact that these suitors are posing a great threat to Ithaca, Odysseus is justified in taking his revenge. Since these suitors try to steal his property, assume his wealth, and threaten the royal family of Ithaca, his right to defend himself is just.

Odysseus was the king, and suitors have invaded his property. These suitors are young nobles from Ithaca and elsewhere who try to take Penelope, Odysseus’s wife, in marriage along with the kingdom. The suitors have intruded into Odysseus’s palace, announcing that they will not leave the estates until the Queen has picked the best suitor to marry. No one has been able to remove these uncontrollable suitors from the palace while Odysseus is not present. They stay in the palace, unwelcome, and plot the future of Ithaca. They plan to divide the land amongst the suitors and the one the Queen chooses to marry will take over the palace. However, if Odysseus had not taken his revenge and killed these savages they would have seized his life along with his property.

The suitors had been consuming his wealth, feasting on his stock, and drinking his valuable wine. Assuming Odysseus is dead the suitors treat themselves to Odysseus palace. The one hundred and eight suitors stay in the palace demanding the maids to serve them these commodities, which they consume faster than the estate produces. The twelve maids betray Odysseus and are just as guilty as the suitors because they support the suitors in their actions. These suitors are over-consuming their day-to-day essentials which could easily led to famine.

The uninvited suitors not only create a plan to take the land of Ithaca but conspire to murder Telemachus, son of Odysseus. Odysseus is protecting and defending his family, which is a natural human instinct to anyone whose privacy has been invaded. The suitors conspire to kill Telemachus in the country, well away from the town; however, they fail to do so. By the suitors’ uncivilized actions they bring their deaths upon themselves. Odysseus is an expert in survival and uses his expertise to rid his palace and country of these evil suitors. However, if Odysseus had not rescued his family from these suitors they would have killed his son and help themselves to his fortune.

As humans, we should have the right to defend ourselves as Odysseus did. In the present day if someone intrudes into another person’s home and attempts to kill that person, the victim has the right to defend himself. In The Odyssey, Odysseus had no other choice but to kill the suitor’s or the problem would have become a disaster. The suitors wanted Odysseus’s wife, his wealth, his property, and wanted to kill his son. That clearly justifies Odysseus’s actions.