Odysseus' Cruelty
Book 22 startled me even though I was prepared for bloodshed. The graphic detail with which every killing took place reminded me of a fast-paced hack-and-slash video game, and the lack of mercy that Odysseus fought with was definitively uncharacteristic of a hero. I was already hesitant toward the idea of killing all of the suitors -- the entire population of noble young men in the area -- especially when they were acting within the rules of their society (to court Penelope). Granted, they were not graceful and at some points were downright rude, but that didn't completely justify in my mind the decision to kill them.
That's why I was taken aback by the absolute slaughter that took place. Odysseus did not take mercy on anyone except the people that could tell stories of his greatness: the minstrel Phemius and the herald Medon. Others who begged for his mercy were cut down. Again, we saw Odysseus' overwhelming self obsession. As evidenced when he asks the Phaeacian bard to tell the story of Odysseus, assuming that his story was well known and also wanting to showboat in front of everyone, Odysseus often seems more concerned about the well-being of his legacy as opposed to the morally correct thing, or the best thing for his kingdom. Certainly, as we saw, there was outrage at the fact that all of the eligible noble young men in the kingdom were killed. That is a huge hit to not only the society, but also the economy.
What really made me angry was the way that Odysseus treated his female slaves that slept with the suitors. First of all, he acknowledges that they were raped. He knows that they did not have any agency, but he treats them even worse than the suitors! A severe punishment in itself is cleaning up all of the dead bodies and blood and guts. Odysseus himself is described as covered from head to toe in blood, so one can only imagine the work that is needed to clean up the whole slaughter. Then, he still kills them. Worst of all, he makes their deaths purposefully slow and painful (as opposed to the easy, quick deaths that the suitors had) by hanging them. That moment made me loathe Odysseus. It was so cruel, and he went about it like it was just business, like it was just cleaning up the loose ends.
That's why I was taken aback by the absolute slaughter that took place. Odysseus did not take mercy on anyone except the people that could tell stories of his greatness: the minstrel Phemius and the herald Medon. Others who begged for his mercy were cut down. Again, we saw Odysseus' overwhelming self obsession. As evidenced when he asks the Phaeacian bard to tell the story of Odysseus, assuming that his story was well known and also wanting to showboat in front of everyone, Odysseus often seems more concerned about the well-being of his legacy as opposed to the morally correct thing, or the best thing for his kingdom. Certainly, as we saw, there was outrage at the fact that all of the eligible noble young men in the kingdom were killed. That is a huge hit to not only the society, but also the economy.
What really made me angry was the way that Odysseus treated his female slaves that slept with the suitors. First of all, he acknowledges that they were raped. He knows that they did not have any agency, but he treats them even worse than the suitors! A severe punishment in itself is cleaning up all of the dead bodies and blood and guts. Odysseus himself is described as covered from head to toe in blood, so one can only imagine the work that is needed to clean up the whole slaughter. Then, he still kills them. Worst of all, he makes their deaths purposefully slow and painful (as opposed to the easy, quick deaths that the suitors had) by hanging them. That moment made me loathe Odysseus. It was so cruel, and he went about it like it was just business, like it was just cleaning up the loose ends.
I agree that the murder of the female slaves is probably the most egregious moment of the slaughter, and I'd add that it's also a good example of "aestheticized" violence--it's as if we're called on to admire the ingenuity and niftiness of this hard-to-picture mass-hanging. There's an aesthetic form to it that is separate from any concerns about its justness. The moral qualms seem not to be part of the picture, and it's this sense of a total loss of moral perspective at the end that is so unnerving.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your points. The sheer violence of Odysseus is quite shocking and repulsive. Not only did he kill all the suitors (many of whom didn't deserve it), but as you mentioned, he killed all the female slaves. He even acknowledges that the female slaves were raped, in other words they couldn't have had a say. Yet, the slaves still get killed and with a harsher and slower death than the suitors, who've committed much worse. This punishment dealt by Odysseus isn't just and ruins the satisfaction defeating the suitors.
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