Ancient Greek Idelologist for Heroism

1111 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Similarities between ancient greek beliefs

Of the many conflicting philosophies, morality, when referring to one's sense of ethics, is the greatest and most intriguing disparity between the Ancient Greek ideologies of heroism and the contemporary views of today. By the standards of the Greeks, Achilles was a Hero. He was the embodiment of the individual, a man of unwavering principle, not only unwilling but incapable of allowing his values to become compromised. His credo and the actions determined though it, while certainly irreconcilable with present ethical standards, are strongly rooted in his own idea of justice. Jason, the archetype of the tragic hero, used Medea for personal gain, and then discarded her, but in so doing, avenged his family and freed a kingdom from a tyrant. Heracles, despite having killed his children and wives, rose above the confines of mortality through heroic deeds, and excruciating pain, both physical and emotional, to transform into an immortal god. The Ancient Greeks did not differentiate between the Hero and the Anti-Hero, judging them not by their methods but by their justness.

The rivalry between Achilles and Hector demonstrates foremost, examples of these concepts. However, it is necessary to take into account the driving forces behind the heroes before judging their actions. The warrior ethic, and the influences that society and religion had on it, direct these two heroes to their confrontation. Faced with the inevitability of their deaths, both come to the conclusion that they must define themselves through battle, choosing eternal kleos over a long, yet insignificant life. ¨There you are mistaken: a man who is good for anything ought not to calculate the chance of living or dying; he ought only to consider whether in doing anything he...

... middle of paper ...

...ot be the greatest good.” (Plato 22)

“Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.”
-The Sandlot

Works Cited

Parry, Richard. "Ancient Ethical Theory." Stanford University. Stanford University, 03 Aug. 2004.
Web. 23 Apr. 2014.

Nagy, Gregory. The Ancient Greek Hero in 24 Hours. New York: Belknap, 2013. Print.

Plato. "Apology." The Death of Socrates. Web. 23 April 2014.

Homer, and Richmond Lattimore. The Iliad. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1951. Print.

Gill, N. S. "The Iliad By Homer Critical Essays Themes in The Iliad." Themes in The Iliad. About.com,
13 Mar. 2010. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.

Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. New York: Little, Brown, 1942. Print.

Nagey, Gregory. "Shades of the Hero." Harvard Extension School Distance Learning Education.
Web. 22 Apr. 2014.
.

Show More
Related

  • Epic Heroes: Gilgamesh and Achilles

    833 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...e also existed many differences. Most striking was their view on death; one dreamt of immortality while the other adored death and all its glory. At the same time, one must acknowledge the significant effect their friends had on their lives. One cannot help but wonder how each hero's life would have been without what could be considered his soul mate. Regardless, one must accept the fact that Achilles and Gilgamesh were heroes of their time and will remain epic heroes that are continually analyzed and compared throughout the modern era.

    Read More

  • Epic Heroes: Characteristics Of An Epic Hero

    1353 Words  | 3 Pages

    Greek mythology is a beloved part of literature that has given humans thousands of stories to tell. From stories about deadly quests, powerful deities, to the even more famed aspect of Greek Mythology, its epic heroes. One of the many authors who took inspiration from Greek Mythology, and will serve as reference for this paper, is Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. 1988. The most well known epic heroes from Greek Mythology which Edith Hamilton writes about in her book are Hercules, Jason, Perseus, and Theseus, but the debate lies in which of these heroes is the best. To which the answer is, Theseus is the better epic hero because he possessed superior strength, intelligence, and courage, he was the most just from all other heroes,

    Read More

  • Kleos In Greek Mythology

    593 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout Greek history and mythology, the greatest heroes have been driven by the desire to gain heroic glory. For them, kleos served as a fundamental indicator of their personal value. A warrior’s worth was defined by how they were viewed and discussed by their peers. Personal glory was more important than life itself. Warriors would rather die young with renown than live a long life of little consequence. However, once they reached the underworld, many found their struggle for kleos by way of personal gain never earned them what they desired. True glory goes beyond an individual’s accomplishments and lives on after their death through their posterity as demonstrated by Agamemnon and Achilles who, upon being visited by Odysseus in the underworld, inquire after the

    Read More

  • Iliad

    1317 Words  | 3 Pages

    The subject of Homer’s epic poem, the Iliad, is very clearly stated--it is “the rage of Peleus’ son Achilles.” The reader remains continually aware of the extent of Achilles’ rage, yet is never told the reason why Achilles remains angry and unreconciled. There is no definitive answer to this question. Achilles is not a static character. He is constantly changing; thus the question of why he remains angry solicits different answers at various stages throughout the poem. To find an answer, the reader must carefully examine Achilles’ ever-changing dilemma involving the concepts of mortality and honor. At its simplest, Achilles’ dilemma is that if he goes to war, he will die. But he will die with glory.

    Read More

  • Importance of Male Relationships in Homer's Iliad

    1628 Words  | 4 Pages

    Clarke, Howard. Homer's Readers: A Historical Introduction to the Iliad and the Odyssey. Newark, Del.: University of Delaware Press, 1981.

    Read More

  • The Values Of Warrior Ethics In The Iliad

    828 Words  | 2 Pages

    Homer’s moral exemplars in the heroic tragedy, The Iliad, can be analyzed to further understand warrior ethics. Agamemnon, a powerful warrior king, was proud and arrogant. These qualities made him an excellent warrior and the Greeks respected him. However, Agamemnon demonstrated excess pride and arrogance, as well as stubbornness. The Greeks believed that people must face their destiny with pride and nobility.

    Read More

  • Achilles' Hero Behavior Cycle in the Iliad

    1038 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Ancient Greeks admired their heroes and tried to learn from both their achievements and their mistakes. They believed that most great leaders and warriors followed a predictable behavior cycle, which often ended tragically. In Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad, Achilles is a great warrior who traces the stages of the behavior cycle twice, from arete to hubris to ate and then to nemesis. Achilles is a highly skilled warrior and a great leader who becomes a narcissist and an arrogant person, which leads to selfish and childish behavior resulting in the death of his best friend. Following Patroclus’ death, Achilles repeats the behavior cycle by regaining his courage and motivation, and goes back to battle against Hector. The pride he feels in killing Hector and his overpowering hatred for him, leads Achilles to another bad decision: disrespecting the body of his enemy. This foolish choice leads directly to Achilles death. Although The Iliad is mainly known as a story about the Trojan War, it is understood as a story about Achilles and his struggle to be a hero.

    Read More

  • Creon: A Tragic Hero

    852 Words  | 2 Pages

    Over time, history has given society many to whom we call true heroes. There are many reasons these heroes have been looked up to such as: bravery, dedication, confidence, and inspiration. However, a tragic hero requires a few different qualities. Aristotle describes a tragic hero as a “member of royalty,” someone who “must fall from tremendous good fortune,” and someone who creates pity for him or herself (“Connections: A Theory” 2000). In Greek drama, Sophocles’ Antigone and Euripides’ Medea both contain several possible tragic heroes including Medea, Jason, and Creon. More specifically, in Antigone Creon exemplifies the qualities of a tragic hero best due to his prominent power as king of Thebes, the way he holds strong to his stubborn pride, and the sympathy felt for him in his tragic downfall.

    Read More

  • Honor in the Iliad and Antigone

    991 Words  | 2 Pages

    In conclusion, one sees that honor is central to the Greeks because honor is the foundation of family and society. Both texts, the Iliad and Antigone depict the goal of every Greek hero is to ensure his place in the social memory of his society by seeking honor in his lifetime and performing a proper burial after he passes away. The pursuit of honor is the driving force for what Greeks have done to their society, family and friends. Both texts imply that family’s love is a main ingredient in making decisions. Because of love, Achilles, Priam and Antigone are willing to sacrifice themselves in order to gain honor for themselves as well as for their families.

    Read More

  • Morality In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

    1507 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Epic of Gilgamesh, the Iliad, and Oedipus Rex all center on morality in terms of each character’s social behavior from the beginning to the end of the story. Gilgamesh, Achilles, and Oedipus are three central characters that embody strong qualities of strength, however carry different experiences of morality. Furthermore, all three characters hold different moral codes that are dependent on their ability to resolve the unique situations that they are in. Nevertheless, morality has ultimately impacted the character’s perception of their role in society in terms of whether or not their actions benefit someone or something. This paper will be examining the morality of the three main characters as they undergo major character transformations

    Read More

  • Jason Versus Odysseus

    724 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jason sent on an impossible mission by a king in order to remove him from the country. Both Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece and Odysseus' journey home is thrust upon them. Jason does not feel the same need to complete his journey unlike Odysseus whom yearns to return home out of a feeling of nostos. Jason's story is more a story of multiple heroes where the Odyssey surrounds the story of one man, a king, and his followers. Odysseus was the "thinking man's hero," One of the famous warriors of the Trojan War, it was Odysseus who retrieved the slain body and armor of Achilles in the thick of heavy fighting. It was Odysseus who devised the stratagem of the Trojan Horse. His virtue was his mind, a supernatural type of ingenuity and intelligence that he used to overcome the trials of his journey, such as: The Cyclops, Circe, and how to deal with his wife's multitude of suitors. Jason is much more human with less personal devices to help him achieve his goal. Jason must rely on the supernatural talents and gifts of his fellow-man in order to survive. Yet both men are very human when it comes to their faults and both can be seen and the anti-hero. Odysseus can be seen as such because is the new form of hero, the think before you kill, type of hero. His cr...

    Read More

  • Heracles: A Primary Example of Joseph’s Campbell’s Hero’s Journey

    2103 Words  | 5 Pages

    This paper is to show that Heracles is the prime example of a hero’s journey through his actions and the struggles that he faced during his life until he was about to die but instead of death, his father, Zeus, saved him and he conquered the mortal realm, to become a god.

    Read More

  • Achilles: a Tragic Hero

    1170 Words  | 3 Pages

    The first requirement of Aristotle's tragic hero is that they are more admirable than the average character. Achilles meets this requirement because of his ability on the battlefield. In The Iliad, the background to the story is the war between the Greeks and the Trojans. This background is not only the basis for the story overall, but is also the basis for Achilles' own story. This begins when Achilles refuses to join the battle because he is insulted by Agamemnon. This decision results in the action that drives the remainder of the story. Later in the story when Achilles becomes angered and goes to the other extreme, launching into battle and killing ferociously. The significance of this is that it places battle as central to both Achilles' story and to what is important in the setting of the story. Importantly, the aspect that makes Achilles greater than most is his ability o...

    Read More

  • Achilles: The Tragic Hero

    936 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Iliad, the Greek epic documented by Homer that describes the battles and events of the ten year siege on Troy by the Greek army. Both Trojans and Greeks had their fair share of heroes and warriors, but none could match the skill and strength of the swift runner, Achilles. Achilles had the attributes of a perfect warrior with his god-like speed and combat abilities. However, even though he was Greek’s greatest warrior, he still possessed several flaws that made him fit the role of the Tragic Hero impeccably. Defined by Aristotle, a Tragic Hero is someone who possesses a high status of nobility and greatness, but must have imperfections so that mere mortals cannot relate to the hero. Lastly, the Tragic Hero’s downfall must be partially their own fault through personal choice rather than by an evil act, while also appearing to be not entirely deserved of their unfortunate fate. Achilles is a true Tragic Hero because he withholds all of these traits. Achilles proves to be a good man that puts his loved ones first, reveals his tragic flaws of pride and anger, shows dynamic qualities as a character when his flaws are challenged, and has a moment of clarity at the end of his rage. Achilles truly exemplifies the qualities of a Tragic Hero.

    Read More

  • Achilles; the True Hero of the Iliad

    664 Words  | 2 Pages

    Because he embodied Greek ideals, was ‘immortalized’ through his actions and glorious death, and was courageous, Achilles was an epic hero. Honor was of the utmost importance to both him and the entire Greek society, he chose to die a hero in battle, and he avenged the death of Patroclus even through mourning; Achilles is the true hero of the Iliad.

    Read More

More about Ancient Greek Idelologist for Heroism

Open Document