Revenge & Justice

Revenge

Polyphemus takes revenge on Odysseus by cursing him after he blinds him, saying he will lose his crew, his boat, be late getting home, and will find trouble there. Poseidon (his dad) makes this all come true, at this time the suitors haven’t invaded his palace so some may say they are his fault to begin with.

The crew reach their deaths in multiple ways which are most of the time their fault, like when they ate the sacred cattle of Helios when they knew it would end in consequences, leading to Zeus striking their ship.

Justice?

Odysseus slaughters all the suitors for courting Penelope wrong and prematurely, they also disrespect and abuse his family and household. But he doesn’t celebrate their deaths, as shown by him telling Eurycleia not to gloat because to him they deserve to die and he was just carrying out justice.

Odysseus decapitates Leodes even though he was supplicating him, even though he was suitor he was nice and a priest, so maybe some may say that his death was unjust.

Telemachus, Eumaeus and Philoetius punish Melanthius by chopping off multiple limbs after letting his dangle upside down during the battle, this extreme punishment might be seen as disproportionate to some.

Telemachus hangs the disloyal maids despite Odysseus saying to just quickly kill them. Before they die they have to clean up the Great Hall and remove all the corpses and then get lead out to be hung, this slow painful death may seem undeserving to some because of the maids limited choice in their disloyalty. Also Homer uses the simile of them being “thrushes/doves caught in a snare” which may suggest them being innocent.