Violence In The Odyssey

Many people in this world cringe at the sight of conflict, war, or violence without ever thinking about the reason behind that violence. Throughout Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, there are many scenes of blood, gore, and brutal violence that convey certain cultural themes to the reader. In Homer’s The Odyssey, scenes of violence that are described connect to the cultural messages and significant attitudes of independence and hospitality.
In The Odyssey, the violent acts that Poseidon inflicts on Odysseus connects to the cultural message of independence. Poseidon is relentless in his pursuit of Odysseus as the mere mortal blinded his son Polyphemus (Homer 112). Poseidon shows his independence because all of “the other gods felt compassion, all save Poseidon, who steadily strove with godlike Odysseus” (Homer 1). Poseidon has a deep hatred for Odysseus that none of the other gods do, but Poseidon does not give into his fellow immortals advice and continues to make the journey back to Ithaca difficult for Odysseus (Homer 64). Additionally, Odysseus
When Polyphemus arrives to his cave and finds Odysseus and his crewmates eating his food, the giant Cyclops shows his cruelty and “seized on two [men] and dashed them on the ground as if they had been dogs. Their brains ran out upon the floor, and wet the earth. Tearing them limb from limb, he made his supper” (Homer 110). Instead of welcoming strangers to his house and preparing food for the tired seamen to eat, Polyphemus violently eats two men, and keeps the rest of the crew hostage in his cave. Polyphemus has no respect for Zeus, boasting that, “The Cyclops pay no heed to aegis-bearing Zeus” (Homer 109). Zeus is the guardian of strangers, and whoever welcomes strangers is hospitable, so it is clear to see that Polyphemus has no hospitality, which leads to him violently eating two of Odysseus’