Occupations Revealed In Homer's The Odyssey

The story “The Odyssey” written by Homer was an intriguing epic poem from start to finish. The story had many adventures and scenes that kept readers wanting to read more. The end of the novel turns very violent and gruesome, when the mail character goes on a killing spree and slaughters dozens of men and women who were living and working in his palace while he was at sea. This action was taken to the extreme and was highly unnecessary on his part. When people think of the great adventurer and leader Odysseus, they often forget to add killer to his list of professions.

“The Odyssey” is a story about a King named Odysseus, who goes off to lead a war and is separated from his family and kingdom for 20 years. While he is away for so many years his son grows up into a man and helps his mother; Odysseus’ wife, Penelope rules the kingdom. After many years of Odysseus being gone, suitors or “wooers” arrive trying to win over the queen. When Odysseus gets back he brutally slaughters everyone who was involved with the suitor’s plans, including the innocent servant women, who were working in his castle at the time.

Odysseus could have easily spared the servant women’s lives; in the story all they did was take orders like they were supposed to. Also there were several suitors who didn’t deserve to die either. He could have made them leave
Odysseus ordered the women to clean up the messes of the dead suitors, and then gathered them up for their own execution. What these people did may have been wrong in the eyes of Odysseus, but that’s insanely cruel. He could have just sent them back to where they came from or banish them from Ithaca. There are an endless amount of punishments that would have been more sufficient, but like any enraged ruler from this era, he killed dozens of innocent people