I have thoroughly enjoyed reading The Odyssey. In particular, books 21 and 22 were very satisfying for me as a reader in a climactic sense. Someone in class mentioned that they found the books to be simply brutal and not nearly as satisfying because Odysseus is made out to be a crafty character in the other books and we lose the sense of admiring his wit when he murders most of the suiters in cold blood. I thought Homer did everything he could to make the reader feel fulfilled to see Odysseus get his revenge. Even Athena is on Odysseus’s side as she helps Odysseus slaughter the suitors and as a reader it seems like everything goes right for Odysseus in the slaughter scene in book 22.
For one, we as a reader are in on the plot at the end of the novel because we know Odysseus's identity and are waiting for him to reveal himself and show his inherent superiority to the suitors. This gives the reader an upper hand over the suitors and even Penelope who can’t be trusted to know who Odysseus is for emotional reasons. There is a definite formal quality to this carefully choreographed narrative. The microscopic attention to detail that Homer uses to describe the violent events that take place are like a cinematic scene. The details when Antinous is shot in the throat are truly gruesome as we get the image of the food mixing with the blood on the floor after the king kicks the food. I personally think that Homer describes the events that transpire in a “slow-mo” way because he wants the reader to relish Odysseus getting his revenge and showing off who he really is. Mr. Mitchell cited a few key lines in the text that were particularly revealing.“Horror swept through the suiters” and “Odysseus snatched a wing or arrow”. There are several examples of this throughout the text.
As the suitors are falling, Homer is there to remind the reader of all the terrible things the suitors did that called for this measure of action by Odysseus. This makes us fell less sorry for the suitors, and makes this purge even more satisfying. Antinous is easily the most hated suitor and we already hate him for various reasons but more recently because he rudely warns Odysseus that he may end up like the drunken Centaur Eurythion if he fails to string the bow. When Ctesippus falls, Philoetius reminds him of his abuse of Odysseus with the cow’s hoof.
I definitely agree with you that Homer worked to make the "Slaughter in the Hall" as epic and satisfying as possible, but I also think that he missed an opportunity to emphasize Odysseus' wits in the scene. Although his plan is cleverly set up, in the battle Odysseus basically just shoots everyone with arrows. I was hoping to see him unveil some master strategy like the protagonists do in modern works like Ender's Game and the Ranger's Apprentice series. Perhaps it speaks to the differences in our cultures that we are so put off by the suitors' gruesome deaths.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all good post Varun. I definitely agree with what Andrew is saying. Odysseus is given time to plan out his revenge, and for a second we see his cleverness. The only problem is when his plan his ruined by his son, and he resorts to brute force. This just makes the lead up to the climactic scene seem unimportant.
DeleteHomer really dramatizes the climax of The Odyssey. Each detail is stretched out to give the readers a vivid picture of the rampage. I like your point about it being like "slo-mo". I felt that this strongly applied to the scene where Odysseus fires the arrow through the the ax heads. The reader gets a clear image of the grandeur and significance of Odysseus revealing himself before he gets his revenge.
ReplyDeleteWhile the scene as a whole is pretty satisfying for the reader, Homer leaves us with a few subtle details that leave us slightly unsatisfied. For example, before the chapter begins Telemachus is described as "prince Telemachus, son of King Odysseus" suggesting he has reached maturity, but then has he has the major screw up of leaving the storeroom door open. It seems that Homer is describing a realistic scenario where not everything occurs exactly according to the ideal.
ReplyDeleteThe suitors were terrible, but did they all deserve to die, especially in the way that Odysseus killed them? They were living in his house for three years, trying to woo his wife and disrespecting his son, but does that warrant a mass execution? The climax seemed pretty extra in my opinion; Odysseus didn't need to kill them all.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with the assertion that Homer did what he could to make the massacre satisfying. A lot of people use the "back in those days" excuse but even so I think the detail that Homer uses to describe the brutality of the slaughter would have even made his audience feel a bit sick. I can't back that up, I suppose, but all the same the way that it was carried out and described is uncharacteristic of Odysseus and the Odyssey and so, then, I think, is not satisfying.
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