The Ethics of Revenge and the Meanings of the Odyssey [Hardcover]

The first in-depth examination of revenge in theOdyssey, this book provides a careful analysis of the several revenge plots in theOdyssey-- above all, of Odysseus' revenge on the suitors. It argues that Odysseus is an ambivalent hero and that revenge is an unstable organizing principle.This book is the first in-depth examination of revenge in theOdyssey. The principal revenge plot of theOdyssey--Odysseus' surprise return to Ithaca after twenty away and his vengeance on Penelope's suitors -- is the act for which he is most celebrated. This story forms the backbone of theOdyssey. But is Odysseus' triumph over the suitors as univocally celebratory as is often assumed? Does the poem contain and even suggest other, darker interpretations of Odysseus' greatest achievement?This book offers a careful analysis of several other revenge plots in theOdyssey-- those of Orestes, Poseidon, Zeus, and the suitors' relatives. It shows how these revenge stories color one another with allusions (explicit and implicit) that connect them and invite audiences to interpret them in light of one another. These stories -- especially Odysseus' revenge upon the suitors -- inevitably turn out to have multiple meanings. One plot of revenge slips into another as the offender in one story becomes a victim to be avenged in the next. As a result, Odysseus turns out to be a much more ambivalent hero than has been commonly accepted. And in theOdyssey'sportrayal, revenge is an unstable foundation for a community. Revenge also ends up being a tenuous narrative structure for an epic poem, as a natural end to cycles of vengeance proves elusive. This book offers a radical new reading of the seemingly happy ending of the poem.AcknowledgmentsAbbreviationsIntroduction1 The Archaic Context of Vengeance2 Vengeance in theOdyssey: Tisis As Narrative3 Three Narratives of Divine Vengeance4 Odysseus' Terrifying Revenge5 The Multiple Meanings of OlCz