Example Of Odysseus And Agamemnon Homecoming Essay

Kings in Greek culture had many responsibilities, which mainly included fighting their enemies and delivering their people. They were mostly to be on the forefront, as it also required to physically engaging with their fellow kings to determine the strongest empire. Surprisingly, most of the wars were not aimed at recapturing territories but were mostly spurred by revenge of a kin that was killed in the war. The seriousness of the matter required them to make painful sacrifices and journeys whose fate they were never sure. Odysseus and Agamemnon are examples of kings who received unexpected rewards for the sacrifices they made for the sake of their kingdoms. In this paper, we shall analyse Odysseus and Agamemnon homecoming and their contribution to the fate that befell them.
Odysseus was a Greek hero who was not able to come back many years after the victory. His was a story of being hijacked because of his fame. He loved his wife and longed to be back yet all possible means were paralysed. Back home, the family was left in a desperate situation not knowing the fate of their sole breadwinner. The Greek culture, the woman remained helpless in case of the absence of the husband and it is only if they have sons who are strong enough that can defend their wives. Even though Penelope her wife loved her, she could not contain the suitors who kept coming to lure her. Her son was not strong enough to fend her and hence living her with no alternative but fall victim to their seduction.
Despite the prevailing circumstances, the king in his isolation missed his wife and son. He longed to be with them and when the opportunity came, he seized every moment to be joined to his wife. We are told of how he disguised himself as a beggar and ultimately received a good welcome. Apparently, the suitors who were operating his house despised him. He did not get angry at the situation but instead worked his own ways to ensure he wins the trust and the love of his family back. This is a case of faithfulness on the part of a king that has rarely been witnessed in Greek mythology. Kings are mostly displayed as promiscuous and manipulative people who take advantage of their power to ride on their families and their people. However, the humility that he displayed in dealing with the suitors and his wife enabled him to win back his territory and even kill the suitors that had taken advantage of his disappearance.
Agamemnon on the other hand has been displayed to be a selfish king who cares less about the needs of his family but rather his reputation. He sacrificed his daughter simply because he wanted to experience victory. Agamemnon traded the love he had for his family to unknown battle, which spurred up revenge upon his wife. This implies that he was fighting a selfish battle. In as much as he was delighting in winning a battle, he did not care about the death of her daughter and how distressed the mother was. The wife must have been thinking that if his husband had the guts to kill their daughter because of war, he would also not hesitate to kill other family members because of the same reason. She believed that the perfect solution was to kill him to avoid any more pain future.
Agamemnon may have expected that after such hard work and sacrifices he made, he would be welcomed like a hero. He was instead welcomed as a criminal who was not just worth of arrest but immediate death. The fact that Agamemnon kept such a secret from his wife also proved how he cared less about his relationships. He was better of fulfilling his responsibilities as a king to deliver his people rather than his responsibilities as a husband and father. It was apparent that the only appreciation he could receive was from the people he cared more about. Since this was not displayed in his family, he could not receive the kingly reception he expected.
Comparing the two stories, we realise how much families matter especially in issues that pertain to power. In many cases, when a person is under power and has many people to control, they forget the simple fact that it is their family they will come back to, when the power dust settles. Odysseus was wise enough to always have the interests of his family at heart. Even though he was separated from them, he understood the kind of relationship they shared and considered them to be the most important assets he has. Agamemnon the other hand took his family for granted because of the power he had as a king. He did not realise that he will have to come back to face the wrath of the very people failed to show loyalty to. He could not therefore receive the victors welcome that he expected but the criminal death he received.