The Greeks, as portrayed by Homer, are a very vengeful people. Throughout The Odyssey, a theme of vengeance is dominant. These displays of retribution come from different entities for fairly different reasons. So why is revenge such a factor in The Odyssey? Fear and the overwhelming feeling of payback are two answers. Homer gives numerous examples of how certain characters demonstrate their power in a fury of rage. He writes of the payback Zeus gives …showed first 75 words of 687 total…

…showed last 75 words of 687 total…task of getting on with his life with Penelope and without the traitorous suitors. As you can clearly see, The Odyssey has an overwhelming theme of revenge. It is important to the culture as a whole. It is shown through examples of Zeus’s rage and Poseidon’s persistence. It is then completed through the great triumph of Odysseus. The Greeks definitely make it a point to gain retribution against those who have wronged them.