Revenge vs Justice and Crazy Clytaemnestra

In continuation with today’s class discussion, I thought I’d offer some more input on the topics of Justice and Revenge, and my reactions to the text with these themes in mind. At the moment Dr. Patterson presented the question “What is justice?” a simple, yet profound quote from Christopher Nolan’s version of the well-known comic book hero “Batman Begins” came to mind. (Yes, in my mind, all things come back to Batman). The quote is spoken by Rachel Dawes, Bruce Wayne’s childhood friend, who is providing the struggling hero some advice before he makes a hasty decision about acting upon his parents’ death:

Rachel: Is this about justice, or revenge?

Bruce: Both. Sometimes they’re the same.

Rachel: No, they’re never the same. Justice is about harmony. Revenge is about making yourself feel better. Which is why we have an impartial system...

In today’s class discussion, many people related words such as impartial and peace, or harmony, with the idea of justice, and related self-gratification with the idea of revenge or vengeance. I thought this was an interesting point to bring up because I’m sure I’m not the only reader who still cannot decide or pinpoint how I feel about the characters’ actions and decisions thus far in The Oresteia. I know I can distinguish between the ideas of justice and revenge, but I can argue that Clytaemnestra’s specific acts could quite possibly fall under either category. Perhaps once I finish the third play my views shall be more concrete, but I’m always one to argue things from both sides, and I can never be certain, when it comes to characters, who I side with, and who should be dubbed “good guy” and “bad guy”.

As I read Agamemnon, I was definitely on Clytaemnestra’s side, and felt as though what she did was right. Perhaps I also took her side because she’s pretty badass, and its nice to see a woman, who isn’t a goddess, actually do something cool in ancient texts. But as I read “The Libation Bearers” my view of her continued to shift, and in class discussion, my stance continued to sway. I began to see that Clytaemnestra was a bit of a hypocrite. She believed she was “justified” in killing her husband because of Iphigenia’s death, but also because of his affair. 

All in all, I totally back her decision if killing Agamemnon was one hundred percent to avenge her daughter’s death, but if her reasoning was more about ending his affair and gaining power for herself, then I’m not a fan, because, as Rachel Dawes says, it was about making herself feel better.

Hospitality in The Odyssey

        In many ancient cultures, especially with the Greeks, hospitality and gift giving were each a very important custom. It not only was a gracious gesture, but hosts and hostesses believed it pleased the gods and built connections between families and cities. 

In The Odyssey, it is interesting to read about what Homer does with this theme throughout the poem. There are plenty of examples of greek hospitality and gift giving, and it is interesting to compare the different examples of hospitality being revered and respected with the examples when hospitality is disrespected. 

Early on, we see that the suitors are terrible guests, and would be any Greek host or hostess’ worst nightmare. They basically show up uninvited, and eat Penelope and Telemachus out of house and home. It is interesting to take into consideration what Mike Coyle said in his blog, that perhaps the suitors were just being... well, suitors, because they thought the king was as good as dead, but I still think that if they were trying to win Penelope over, the way to have done it would at least be to have been a good guest in the home of a grieving “widow”. 

There are plenty of other examples of hospitality in The Odyssey, but none as embarrassing as that of the suitors. There is an example, however, where we see a family’s hospitable nature gets the best of them. This occurs in the poem when Odysseus finally escapes Ogygia, where he was the miserable guest-slash-prisoner of the deceiving goddess Calypso. Odysseus becomes the guest of honor in the home of the Phaecians, where over dinner he retells his story of his epic journey thus far. The Phaecians serve as amazing hosts, but in the end pay the price for it; by helping Odysseus on his way back home to Ithaca, the gods who are holding a grudge against Odysseus punish the Phaecians.

Soon after, we see how the act of gift giving and being hospitable can also get the best of those on the receiving end who are greedy. Two specific instances of this are found in the poem. The first occurs when Aeolus gives Odysseus’ men a bag they think is a gift, but since they think it is a treasure and want to know what is inside, they open it only to find that inside the bag is gusts of wind which send them backwards in their journey home. The second is when the men reach the land of the sun, Thrinacia. They are beached there for a month, and Odysseus’ men, again, against the host’s rules, slaughter and eat forbidden cattle. This not only proves that their greed led them to be disrespectful guests, but it also allows Zeus to punish the men once more. 

Odysseus, now alone, finally reaches Ithaca, but disguised as an old man. The tables are turned as now he must be a guest in Eumaus’ home and in his own home. How humbling it must have been for Odysseus to be a guest in his own home, and to have his feet washed by his own nurse. 

Overall, I think the prevalence of the theme of hospitality and gift giving reflect’s the poet’s ideas towards these customs. 

Continued...

In continuation with the theme of identity, it is interesting to compare how the roles of men and women characters fall under this larger theme. Many students have also recognized the distinction between the roles of males and females in Homer’s epic.

It seems as though the theme of identity almost turns into a stereotype; the men (Odysseus and Telemachus) are on epic journeys, facing hardship and difficulty, while the women are disguising themselves, deceiving others, and lying. There are many examples of this deception, and all on different levels of the scale. From innocent and faithful Penelope, who, in good intentions, unravels her woven shroud each night in hopes to keep off the suitors, to fickle Helen, who even still may seem like a harmless enchantress, mixes potions to drug those whom she wants to forget something, usually about the past. 

It is interesting to see how, though many characters possess cunning, strategic quality, gender roles cause the views of each to be different. WHen a male is strategic, cunning, or tricky, he is honored and viewed as the smart, brave-in-the-face-of-danger-hero. When a woman uses her beauty or charms or tricks, she is viewed as one who destroys men, and is therefore degraded.

I believe these are interesting concepts to keep in mind as the plot further unfolds  and the story of each character is further revealed.

Identity in The Odyssey

     From the first pages I read of the Odyssey, a theme that struck me immediately was identity. I think that it’s obvious to people who have not even read the Odyssey that it’s a story about Odysseus’ heroic quest home and in the meantime his journey of discovering himself and his identity. But something else i found interesting is that there are many other characters who contribute to this greater theme, some in a great way, and some only in small ways. Nonetheless, I can tell it will be a theme that intertwines throughout Homer’s entire epic. 

When reading, I like to find themes that will not only relate to the so called “bigger picture” of the work, but I also like to see how that theme progresses, changes, or stays the same as I move forward in the story. Identity is a huge concept in the Odyssey, and not just in the obvious and literal sense of Odysseus’ journey home. Multiple characters can contribute to this greater theme of identity, and many characters struggle with their own identities throughout the story.

Early in the story we are introduced to Telemachus, who, much like the father he has never met, is going through his own journey. He is no older than nineteen or twenty, which in a way hits home for us as twenty-something year old readers, because we too are on a journey to find ourselves and to develop a legacy or reputation in college and in the real world. 

        He is becoming a man, but does not know his father. With no true male role model to look up to, the only things he knows about his great heroic father are stories and legends. When Athena (disguised-- how’s that for identity?) arrives, he is skeptical of her presence at first, but once she reveals knowing something about his father, who he is, and his possible whereabouts, he softens, welcomes the stranger, and is grateful for the information he has received. Athena presents the quest or challenge for him to travel to discover information about his father, believing he is still alive. Telemachus then realizes he must accept, because he is the male heir, and in the absence of his father, is the man of the house, and must do justice for his mother and family.

As I continue reading, I can already see how this theme is unfolding, tangling and untangling, and as each character is introduced and becomes more fully developed, I’m curious to see how the theme of identity will play out for each of them.