Vengeance And Justice In Homer's Iliad

Agamemnon’s taking of Briseis enrages Achilles and spurs him to remove himself from the war, leading to a massive death toll in the Achaean forces. In stealing Briseis from Achilles, he is not only robbing of him of a material prize, but also a symbol of honor, his geras, in Greek culture. In retaliation, Achilles removes himself from the war and prays to his mother, Thetis, that she will ask Zeus to damage the Achaean forces. Achilles’ only goal is that “even mighty Atrides can see how mad he was to disgrace Achilles” (1.488-490). Despite having no true grievance against the Achaean army as a whole, Achilles’ rage blinds him from the potential harm that may befall his troops.

Patroclus’ aristeia is cut short when he is brutally murdered by Hector, after Apollo’s intervention in the battle. When the news of Patroclus’ slaughter reaches Achilles, he finds himself suddenly responsible for much of the bloodshed--and the death of his best friend. He can no longer ignore the consequences of his fury, and mourns Patroclus, “the man [he] loved beyond all other comrades,” before armoring himself and preparing to reenter the battle (18.95). Although Achilles’ superhuman skill in battle proves a major asset to the Achaean forces, he cannot reverse his actions, and cannot bring Patroclus back to life. Achilles now has nothing to do but choose his own fate, and fight brutally until he either leaves the battle and achieves nostos, or kills Hector and achieves kleos, while also sealing his own fate to die in the war.

The theme of revenge as depicted in Homer's The Odyssey comes into play when Odysseus exacts his punishment on the wooers that invaded and denigrated his home. The revenge, in my opinion, was not only acceptable, but also, a necessity given the gravity of the situation. Although Odysseus' justice was swift and severe, this epic could not allow moderation in punishment, as it wouldn't follow the grandiosity of the story's theme. The actions of Odysseus were justified because he endured years and years of turmoil and battle. His goal was to return to his home-land and wife, Penelope.

Once Achilles decided to return to battle, anger and pride still possessed him, and the actions of Achilles after killing Hector that he did not care about his reputation. Homer writes, “Achilles still would not dismiss his Myrmidons...“Charioteers in fast formation - friends to the death!” (559). Gloating in victory, Achilles did not refrain himself from killing even more Trojans and fought to death just so that he could bask in more glory. Also, although not describe in The Iliad, Achilles went to such extremes after killing Hector, that he even lost his own life in battle (Krause). Not suffering a valiant death as a result of the war, Achilles died once his pride consumed him and encouraged him to kill for entertainment.

I think ultimately anger is what lead to Achilles downfall. When Achilles finds out that Hector has killed his dear friend Patroclus, Achilles becomes very anger and vengeful. The only thing on Achilles mind is killing Hector. Achilles is so angry at Hector that he only thinks about killing him and getting revenge. Achilles anger takes over his body and nothing can stop him from getting to Hector, not even the gods.

Nero has his step brother, Britannicus, killed so that his rule was not opposed. He then has his mother assassinated due to her opposition to his relationship with a married woman (Seneca xii). When Nero discovers the Pisonian Conspiracy to overthrow him, he goes out of his way to have anyone so much as implicated as having a part in the plot executed. Much like Atreus, Nero lets his passions rule his life by unjustly killing those that he felt threatened his power. Since all of Seneca’s plays lack dates, it is unknown when he wrote Thyestes.

Romeo ended up stabbing Tybalt, who instantly fell. By killing Tybalt, not only did the Capulet family detest Romeo further, but also Romeo got banished from Verona. If Romeo had held himself together long enough to leave the fight scene without fighting Tybalt, he could have had a chance to escape with Juliet. Instead, Romeo made the dreadful mistake of fighting Tybalt, which ultimately led to him getting banished. Romeo could have saved his and Juliet’s future, but he was so desperate that he had to kill

For example, in the Odyssey, Odysseus slaughters the hundreds of suitors endeavoring to court his wife, Penelope. Although his actions appear quite drastic, the ignominy the submissive Penelope endures elicits Odysseus, the strategist, to inflict vengeance unto the infringers of Grecian conventions with the sanction of the Olympians. Moreover, Odysseus, the genuine hero, jeopardizes his life for the security of not only his wife but for the civilians of Ithaca who suffered through the debilitating regime of the degenerate suitors as well. Contrary to Odysseus’ underscored intrepidity in respect to integrity, Om Sokdae’s deficiency of perturbation stems from an assurance that the instructor lacks consciousness of his misdeeds; thereby, due to teacher’s unequivocal faith in the class monitor, Sokdae forsakes the implementation of rationale and rectitude in his governance. To illustrate, through the utilization of trepidation, Om Sokdae coerces the students to proffer their meals, and oftentimes, he purloins cherished possessions -- as one may discern by the pilfering of Yun’s gold pen -- without fretting over the consequences.

Cassius influenced Brutus to conspire against Caesar by stating, Caesar “is now become a god… and his name has been sounded more than [Brutus’s]” (Act 1, Scene 2, Line 118-145-6). Cassius’s arguments convinced Brutus in proving Caesar's murder would be just, but Caesar’s death is unjust because he is being murdered out of Brutus and Cassius’s jealousy. Both of the individuals are envious of the power that Caesar is being given by the people of Rome and want to end his life before they will lose their own power in the senate after Caesar becomes king. Brutus’ naive mind was easily convinced by Cassius that Caesar was not the best choice to assume the Roman throne because he would not listen to their political thoughts. Individuals, such as Cassius and Brutus, in the senate were afraid of having their power decreased because Caesar, as Brutus states, is an “unhatched serpent’s egg” (Act 2, Scene 1, Line 33).

He is feeling threatened by her because Jason (Medea’s husband) took another bride to bed which happened to be the king’s daughter. Medea plots her revenge by murdering the king, the bride and her two children in order to make Jason suffer and take away everything Jason cared about. The Greek gods felt that Medea was in her right and they proved this by allowing and even helping her escape in the end of the play

The star-crossed lovers’ deaths were unavoidable, no matter what decisions led up to them. Without a doubt, the most destruction was made by Mercutio. Mercutio was Romeo’s best friend, which led to Romeo’s underestimation transform into angry rage once Tybalt killed Mercutio. His decision to fight Tybalt put himself amid an ongoing quarrel between Romeo and Tybalt, causing tension between the Capulets and Montagues, and disconnecting Romeo from Juliet.

Tell me, Muse, of the twins Apollo and Artemis who were driven by devotion to protecting their mother Leto. Of how Apollo driven by insanity sought to create destruction Of humanity, and of the many pains he caused for vengeance. Even so, mad crazed Apollo would not stop until the Light Bearer, Athena, intervened before the sun god Was destroyed by his own impulsiveness, leaving the Earth Shrouded in forever darkness. Twins born from the king of Gods and a daughter of the Titans. Leto, among the favorites of Zeus’ lovers, caught the eye Of the infuriated Hera, who sought to push Leto out of Olympus.

Socrates execution was a politically motivated killing that was a result of corrupting the youth and neglecting the gods. During the golden age of Socrates, Athens had recently lost a war to their neighboring city-state, Sparta. Everybody in Athens was suspicious of anyone who displeased the gods (it was a common belief that the gods controlled war and that if someone displeased them, then they would turn the tide of the war in the enemy 's favor). Because of Socrates profession, many people were suspicious of him. Socrates got the attention of some very powerful politicians who didn’t agree with his ways and were angry with him because they thought that Socrates had lost the war for them.

For example, gods were very angry at Gilgamesh with his friend Engidu because they killed “the king of the bull-of-heaven” (10). The gods then decided to kill Engidu as revenge because they were mad at him (10). Another lesson learnt also is the existence of death in the society. For example, Engidu died and his friend Gilgamesh was afraid that he might die too (11). He ran away across the sea to avoid death, but he later realized that death is inevitable and no one can evade it (11).

They killed different things for different reasons, but both were considered great. Though both were epic heroes, their cultural backgrounds are what defined them. Their reasoning for fighting differed greatly. In the epic poem Beowulf, it stated, “that mighty protector of men/ Meant to hold the monster till its life…(313-315).” This shows that Beowulf protected the people and that he was a good person. In the epic poem, The Iliad, it states, “Would god my passion drove me/ to slaughter you and eat you raw…(191-192).” Achilles only killed one person.