Odysseus and the Slaughter

In Book 22 of Homer's The Odyssey, Odysseus reveals himself and slaughters the many suitors that have been taking advantage of Penelope's hospitality for the longest time. After he slaughters them, he disfigures Melanthius and has his disloyal servant women hanged. In his preliterate culture, this is acceptable, yet it is not morally sound.

Back in Ancient Greece, there were no written laws. Even if there had been, Odysseus is the king of Ithaca. Not to mention, Odysseus has been away from home for twenty years. He comes home to find that his house is overrun by rude suitors trying to court his wife, and he also finds that a good number of servant women and other citizens are disloyal to him. If that wasn't bad enough, the suitors continually disrespected his wife, Penelope. Odysseus, as a husband, would not appreciate anyone treating his wife in such a way. These suitors also plotted to kill his son, Telemachus, which puts the icing on the cake of vengeance. As a strong and powerful war-king, this can drive a person to a slaughter such as when he killed all of the suitors.

Meanwhile, that doesn't make Odysseus's actions morally correct. Today, this would be all over the news as one of the biggest disasters in history, but it's more about the culture and how the Greeks looked at it. The ancient Greeks praised Odysseus and sang songs about his triumph, and the story itself, in Book 22, shows how the gods actually aid Odysseus in killing the suitors, giving him strength and courage. Despite how moral it is or not, the Greeks praised his actions and hailed him a hero.