Justice is a theme of all great literature Essay Example for Free

Justice is a theme of all great literature canvasJustice comes from actions and decisions being balanced, in that when someone does a good thing, they are rewarded, and when they do something bad, they are penali fulfild. It is the gods special role to hand out rightness and make sure everybody is treated fairly. This theme appears immediately in the Odyssey, as Zeus is considering the story of Aegisthus, who courted Agamemnons wife and then killed Agamemnon. Aegisthus was killed for this treacherous act. This story of fair(a)ness shows us directly that the Odyssey will be strongly structured around it. May all who act as he did share his fate says Athene. This shows how openly the gods in the Odyssey despised the works of those who went against the will of the gods. Both Nestor and Menelaus seize this story of Aegisthus, and as god fearing men, they have it a itinerary how important it is to stay on their right side because they know what happens as a result of an imba lance in terms of justice. The Aeneid opens however and were told that the poem is based on the founding of capital of Italy and the main string of justice seems to be coming from one scorned goddess, who exactly doesnt want her favourite city to be destroyed.The balance she tries to restore is simply an act of revenge sort of than actual justice, and rather than convincing the other gods its the right thing to do, she simply bribes Aeolus. Justice is however looked upon a little while later as Venus goes to Jupiter and asks why the Trojans are being made to anguish after doing nothing wrong. Jupiter tells her not to fear as justice will be done and Rome will be founded. Such behaviour seems to recur constantly throughout the Aeneid. For example, in book 8 we learn of the betrayal that a Tuscan tribe suffered at the hands of Mezentius, and in book 9 he continues his evil ways killing Trojans.The Gods have decided to stay out of the battle and so the following events have nothing to do with the justice that is familiar in epic poems. Both Mezentius and his boy Lausus are killed, by Aeneid. I see these demises as acts of revenge rather than justice, although Lausus death is more deserving. The death of his son is Mezentius true punishment. I see these deaths as acts of revenge because Mezentius tried to kill Aeneid, as comfortably as all the other innocent people and the treachery he brought upon the aforementioned Tuscan tribe, and so Aeneas kills them.The fact that the innocent Lausus dies shows that the justice portrayed in the Aeneid is much more malicious, and it doesnt just affect the culprit. Theres too the case of the unfortunate people in the underworld that must wait 100 years to itch the river, through no fault of their own. Justice really does seem obscure in the Aeneid. other caseful of this is when the people of Carthage feel Didos death was just, simply because she fell in love with the wrong man, and through no fault of her own.I beli eve Turnus death to be the best example of the incomprehensible justice served in the Aeneid. His justice only prevails once they see fit, once it fits in with their plans. In the end, it becomes obvious that while justice is a powerful motivator and regulator in the unrecordeds of mortals, it is the will of the immortals that truly controls their lives, and their disfigured system of justice On the other hand, at that place are moments when actual justice is served. Examples include the groups beyond the river in the underworld and the story of Hercules and the giant for example.He goes to extreme lengths to kill the giant for all the robbery and murder hes committed, and its just that Hercules puts a stop to it, even though its brought nigh by someone who isnt quite immortal, and so mayhap not what the gods perceive as justice. Although weve already established that the gods perspective is fairly warped in the Aeneid. The other case of actual justice involves king Minos, who sp ends eternity hearing the cases of people, unjustly executed, and last getting the plea their cases. They are finally being treated fairly, even if it is beyond life.In the Odyssey however, deaths and misfortunes seem to come about through the idea of justice, and nothing else- no malicious or unfair punishments seem to prevail i. e. there seems to be a point behind them, rather than them just being malicious acts of immortals. For example, Zeus becomes wild at Odysseus because his men eat the sun gods cattle, despite being warned not to however he doesnt permit Odysseus die, because the sun god only asks that the crew be penalize, because after all, Odysseus did warn them. However he does of necessity get caught in the cross fire and this is how he winds up on Calypsos island in the first place.Another example is Poseidon. He makes Odysseus aqua adventures a nightmare because he impairs Poseidons son Polyphemus vision, which goes against the rules of Xenia really. It is of cou rse, Odysseus own fault because he becomes arrogant about what he did to Polyphemus, by telling him his name, after hes left. Therefore its just and fair to punish him. Even though hes such a great hero, he does a wrong act and is punished as any other man would be. Then of course, there is the case of the suitors the epic conclusion to the Odyssey.Odysseus finally returns to find all the suitors and some of the maids running riot in his home, having raunchy sex, eating all the food, and beverage away his wealth. Odysseus is of course a bit bothered by this, so he decides, and Athene, who borrows Mentors image again, agrees that he, Telemachus and a couple of close friends will pick up their weapons and launch them through any part of the suitors they see fit. The fact that Athene helps proves that the act is just. Rarely do gods help out in a way that we can perceive as just in the Aeneid, because most of the time, the punishments are just vicious or over-exaggerated.So anyway, Te lemachus sees to it that the ill-mannered maids are hung until they stop twitching, and Odysseus destroys all the suitors so that he and Penelope can live happily ever after, as they justly deserve. By the end of homers poem, everyone has been served the justice theyve earned, both good and bad. I think its fair to say that justice is very important in both plays, but as a modern day reader, its easier to understand the justice in the Odyssey because at times, the events in the Aeneid seem so obscure.