Student Question
Can a modern reader accept Odysseus killing the suitors in the Odyssey?
Quick answer:
Modern readers can accept Odysseus killing the suitors in The Odyssey by Homer if they consider the context and the time in which it was written. Whether the difference in values would affect enjoyment of the poem is up to each individual reader.
To be able to answer this question, it is important to put the story of Odysseus's return in The Odyssey by Homer in context. As the story opens, Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, has been gone for many years, having been delaying during his voyage home after the Trojan War. His house is filled with suitors vying for marriage to Penelope, Odysseus's wife, not so much because they are attracted to her, but rather because they want to become king in Odysseus's place. While they wait for Penelope to commit to one of them, they abuse her hospitality, eating and drinking at her expense. Her son Telemachus is unable to drive them away on his own.
When Odysseus finally returns, he remains in disguise, realizing that the suitors will not leave his home peacefully. In these ancient times, there are no courts or police officers to whom Odysseus can go...
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for help. In fact, Ithaca has a monarchical system of government and he is the king. Odysseus has the lawful authority to pass judgment on these men and to declare their punishment. However, he has no soldiers with him to enforce any edicts he might proclaim, and the suitors are all armed. For this reason he uses subterfuge. In disguise, he enters the room of the contest with the suitors, strings his bow, and shoots the arrow accurately. He then reveals himself and along with Telemachus and some of his faithful servants does battle with and slaughters the suitors.
It is important to keep in mind when judging this situation that Odysseus has no legal means with which to convince the suitors to peacefully leave, they are all armed, and they have already proven themselves to be unscrupulous and amoral. Obviously the situation would not be resolved in the same way in modern times because we can hire lawyers and go through legal channels if we need to expel trespassers from our property. Odysseus has no such recourse; he lives in a relatively lawless time.
For these reasons, most modern readers would probably have no difficulty in accepting a fantasy tale such as The Odyssey on its own terms and understanding Odysseus's motivations for slaughtering the suitors at the end. However, whether the violence at the end would affect appreciation and enjoyment of the story would vary according to the predilections of individual readers.