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Violence In The Odyssey Essay

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In The Odyssey, the role of violence is most prominent in Odysseus’ fight to regain his kingship. In Book thirteen, Odysseus impresses the goddess Athena by disguising his identity. She is so delighted that she chooses to encourage and help Odysseus to punish the suitors and take back his thrown. She changes his appearance to a beggar in hopes that no one will recognize him, which will ultimately help him defeat the suitors, his out-group. The suitors are Odysseus’s out-group because of the opposition and contempt he feels toward them and the desire he has to defeat them. He plans to attack the suitors from within the palace with the help of Athena and Telemachus. Odysseus wins a fight against another beggar and is heavily congratulated by the beggars. Odysseus tries to warn one of the beggars by saying he predicts that Odysseus will appear home soon and that he should leave but he refuses. Penelope then appears before the suitors and leads them on by telling them that Odysseus has instructed her to marry another man if he failed to return home. She then retrieves Odysseus’s arrow and proclaims that she will marry the first man who can string it and shoot an arrow through the holes of twelve axes. Each of the suitors try but they all ultimately end up failing. Odysseus then asks for a turn to try stringing and shooting the arrow and is allowed to do so once Telemachus steps in and demands he be given the arrow. Without any problems, Odysseus succeeds. Before giving the suitors time to comprehend what is happening, he sends another arrow flying through the air piercing …show more content…
Athena played the most prominent role in this journey, guiding him and giving him all the necessities to succeed. When Odysseus was fearful due to the fact of the number of suitors he had to fight, Athen reassured him that everything would be alright as long as he had faith in the gods and the two agreed to this

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