Odysseus And Telemachos Go Too Far In Seeking Their Justice

As the noble Odysseus’ returns to his beloved homeland of Ithaka, he comes to find a sea of suitors awaiting their chance at marrying his wife Penelope and taking his home as their own. After enduring a twenty year long odyssey, the Trojan war hero has run out of patience and seeks only to reunite with his family. Following his return, Odysseus and his son Telemachos plot to take their revenge on the suitors and retake their home. Their plan proves to be a success and their goal is reached, however a dilemma is now presented to the readers- did Odysseus and Telemachos go too far in seeking their justice? Post battle, it becomes evident that Odysseus and Telemachos’ actions were justified and rational due to evidence provided by Halitherses,

Acting as a neutral force, Halitherses speaks with “kind intention” at the assembly of the kinsmen of the fallen suitors (24.453). Amidst the sorrow and anger, Halitherses calmly states that “it is by your own weakness, dear friends, that these things have happened”, explaining that due to the ignorance of the suitors and their kinsmen, the suitors’ death came as a direct result of their own actions (24.455). Because no one listened to Halitherses initial warning seen earlier in the epic when he told them “to make [the suitors] give over their senseless mood”, their death by the hands of Odysseus and Telemachos became inevitable (24.457-458). Halitherses blatantly states that “[the suitors], in their evil recklessness, did a great wrong in showing no respect for the wife, despoiling the possessions, of a lordly man…[that] they thought never would be coming home” (24.458-461). These statements illustrate that although the death of the suitors was unfortunate, it was brought on by the suitors themselves. Because the suitors and their kinsmen had been warned beforehand about the possible dangers their actions may bring, there is no reason that they should’ve remained around the home of Odysseus. The many warnings expressed towards the suitors leaves their actions inexcusable and provides evidence as to why Odysseus and Telemachos’ actions reached the severity that they