It's basically unquestioned that the most disturbing moment in The Odyssey is at the end of Book 22, when Odysseus and Telemachus have finished killing all the suitors, and they proceed to kill the female slaves who had slept with the suitors. The reasons for the disgust this scene creates are strong and numerous, but we have mostly attributed Homer's decision to include such a brutal killing to the difference between our views of this manner of murder and the views of Ancient Greece. However, I believe that he includes many of these horrific details to make it clear that Odysseus and especially Telemachus aren't perfectly moral heroes; perhaps, we aren't supposed to like Telemachus at all.
The strongest example which I believe points to this conclusion is the discrepancy between the emphasis Homer puts on the suitors and the slave girls. As we have discussed, he spends several books showing us the crimes of the suitors, which are likely meant to make us hate the suitors as much as Odysseus does. He shows us over and over that they deserve death, as they treat Odysseus, disguised as an old beggar, extremely poorly in his own halls, refuse to give him a taste of his own food, and throw his own stools at him. All the while they show no sign of redeeming qualities, even when given the chance. Homer clearly intends that the suitors look evil and deserve what they have coming. In contrast, he spends almost no time describing the crimes of the slaves Odysseus has killed, giving little more reason for their slaying than their disloyalty. At times, he even seems to stick up for them, as Odysseus notes that the suitors made them do the things he kills them for, and Homer compares them to birds being caught in a trap as they simply try to fly to their nests. The reader has little reason to believe that they should deserve a punishment as great as death, let alone the a more torturous death than the suitors received.
This brings us to Telemachus. While Odysseus made the decision that the slaves deserved to die, a decision we see that he had made well in advance, it it was Telemachus whose spontaneous "initiative" worsened their deaths. Odysseus tells Telemachus to "hack at them with long swords", which is roughly equivalent to what he did to the suitors. Telemachus, who develops into a hero through the course of the poem, develops one more step by insisting that the slaves not die a clean death. In my view, this is the step that draws into question whether we should continue to support him. His heroism flourishes at the same times as his father's, during the battle with the suitors, as he killed several of them in support of Odysseus and as revenge. Yet, he only shows "initiative" when none is needed, when he has the slaves trapped. He brings his development as a hero and as a warrior too far, taking revenge on those who Homer appears to believe don't deserve it. If I am correct in this assessment, then it should be clear that Homer means for us to lose all our appreciation for Telemachus as a hero.
This is an interesting observation. I think there's definitely a case to be made for Odysseus and Telemachus not being made into heroes by Homer, but I think that there's also a possibility that there's something to slave loyalty that we don't completely understand. However, I personally think that Odysseus and Telemachus aren't exactly hero material, and I think you've done a fine job picking out examples of why they're not.
ReplyDeleteTbh I think some of the slave girls deserve to die because not only did some of them failed "the begger test", how would the suitors sleep with them? Certainly not in the house of Odysseus, or else Penelope/Telemachus would know. I think some slave girls actually made the choice to sleep with the suitors, which would explain why they failed the begger test and let Argus die.
ReplyDeleteI get where you're coming from with the "failing the beggar test", but I really have to disagree with your other point. They're young women with absolutely no rights or agency - they were raped. They made mistakes, but the fact is, they were trapped in a horrible situation and shouldn't be the ones who get blamed for what happened in Odysseus' house.
DeleteI think Telemachus overdoing the slaves' executions shows a notable difference between him and Odysseus. Through his Wanderings, Odysseus has seen several times what can happen if his pride and anger get out of control. When he returns, he has learned to keep them in check. Telemachus, however, hasn't gone through similar trials, and hasn't learned to tame his emotions. As a result, while Odysseus suggests a simpler execution, Telemachus's anger leads him to take it overboard.
ReplyDeleteI'm not entirely sure that the punishment towards the slave girls was not meant to be "pleasing" in some way, as Telemachus was showing "initiative," as you said. Someone who shows initiative is showing forethought and being creative. If anything, this part was meant to make us say "Good job Telemachus! You're really growing up to be like your father." This was meant to be "part 2" of the slaughter, where Odysseus had his moment, and Telemachus gets his part in at the end. That doesn't make it any less gruesome, but I think that it was more of a compromise of Homer between Odysseus looking like he went to soft on them, and Telemachus looking like he did too little.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of The Odyssey I was pretty sympathetic to Telemachus, because he was a pretty young guy who never knew his father and had a tough situation to deal with at home. However, this scene totally changed my opinion of him. Not only do I have issues with punishing the slave girls for what, if anything, happened between them and the suitors because I think it's very likely they didn't have much choice in the matter. Regardless of that, there's no reason to make them suffer in such a painful death.
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