The Iliad Book I Theme Analysis Three themes found in The Iliad include the gods, glory, and hubris. The gods are an important topic for understanding the distinction between different religions and in understanding the human condition. The themes of glory and hubris intertwine with divinity as ways humans attempt to elevate themselves to the level of gods. However, glory also emphasizes the difference between the mortals and the immortals because it is an honor the immortals cannot obtain. Divinity refers to the distinction between the gods/goddesses and humanity. This emerges in the first book through the gods’ and goddesses’ interaction with the Greeks. The book begins with Agamemnon, King of Mycenae and the head Greek war general, …show more content…
This is arrogance that inflates them beyond their boundaries. One early example of how this attribute plays out in The Iliad is when Agamemnon refuses to take Chryses’ ransom. Chryses is a priest who represents the god Apolo. Denying the ransom is the same as denying Apolo’s authority over the mortals. Thus, Agamemnon elevated himself to a god-like status and committed hubris. As discussed previously, this is something to which the gods take serious offense. Lower levels of arrogance are also revealed in the first book. Achilles refers to himself as the greatest Greek Warrior. Even if this is true, this statement reveals Achilles’ pride. Similarly, Agamemnon shows arrogance when he threatens to take everyone else’s war prize because he had to return his own to appease Apollo. The consequences of the arrogance and hubris committed by these characters are obvious in that it becomes the driving conflict throughout The Iliad. These values of glory and hubris, although perhaps altered, still have implications in today's world. Man commits hubris by attempting to control life by deciding what deserves to live and what does not. During World War II, glory can be observed in studying the Japanese Kamikazes. The Japanese were willing to give their life for the war, which made them a difficult opponent. Perhaps one could argue that glory motivates serial killers and terrorist to behave the way they do to achieve fame, So theses values have implications for the modern world just as much it does in the ancient
hroughout the Iliad Achilles shows how the ego of a Kardashian is being portrayed and the emotional maturity of an eight-year-old because of the certain adult qualities he lacks, for example: he does not work well with others, he lacks the concept of forgiveness, he is selfish, thinks highly of his self without regard to others, being rude and unkind, aggressiveness when talking to others, and having too much pride and not thinking about the consequences of his actions and how it can affect not only him but others as well. Achilles does not like to work with others he prefers to be the one in charge of everybody and he likes for everyone to do as he says. In the Iliad Agamemnon says, "This man wants to be ahead of everyone else he wants to rule everyone and give orders to everyone" (1.302-303). Achilles and Agamemnon are having an argument amongst one another because no one wants to give Achilles the honor he feels that he deserves for being the best fighter in the war and for all the blood sweat and tears he shed while defeating the Trojans "he is a mighty bulwark in this evil war" as Nestor says.
There are many historic and fictional figures where hubris led to their downfall. Hubris is defined as being arrogant and having pride for your self. There are many people that are led to their downfall because of hubris. People that are hubris are blinded and can’t see what they did wrong. Those who contain hubris only think about themselves and can’t see the big picture. They think the world revolves around them and think they are the best. They are always going to be successful but suddenly will drop down. They will do anything to make themselves look good. There are many people that contain hubris. Oedipus is a fictional character in the novel Oedipus the King by Sophocles. The novel focuses on hubris. Oedipus is a man that is blinded by hubris through his whole life. Oedipus killed his father and married his mother. Oedipus killed his father because he was filled with hubris and did not let him pass the intersection so he got mad and decided to slay him. Dr. Frank Tassone a historic figure was also filled with hubris which is what led to his downfall. Dr. Frank Tassone was the former superintendent of Roslyn. Hubris was the reason for Dr. Frank Tassone’s downfall. Dr.Tassone is very arrogant and believes the “world revolves around him”. Dr. Tassone was taking the schools and the parents money. He did not think it was wrong to take their money. Dr.Tassone was blinded for money. Bernie Madoff was also filled with hubris and was blind for money. Bernie Madoff was an American stockbroker and investment advisor. Bernie Madoff loved and was obsessed for money. Bernie thought that his company Bernard Madoff Investment Securities LLC was the best. Another person that is filled with hubris is Alex Rodriguez. Alex Rodriguez is an ...
The Iliad begins with the clash between Achilles and Agamemnon. Agamemnon has little, if any, respect for the gods. This is displayed by his irreverent behavior towards the priest, Chryses. Agamemnon refuses to release the princess even when the Achaean soldiers suggested "`Respect the priest, accept the shining ransom!' But it brought no joy to the heart of Agamemnon" (104). Achilles is, unlike Agamemnon, respectful of and revered by the gods. In order to expose the cause of Apollo's wrath against the Argive army, Achilles uses the prophet, Calchas. Achilles already knows why Apollo is angry, but decides the fact should be stated by someone other than himself. He knows that Agamemnon will become angry once the truth is revealed. I believe that in this instance he is trying to keep his rage in check by avoiding a direct confrontation with Agamemnon. Calchas also fears for his life because he also knows Agamemnon's fury is unyielding at times. However, with a great deal of encouragement from Achilles, Calchas "spoke out, bravely: `Beware-The god's enraged because Agamemnon spurned his priest'" (106). When the truth is exposed, Agamemnon be...
“There is no safety in unlimited hubris” (McGeorge Bundy). The dictionary defines hubris as overbearing pride or presumption; arrogance. In The Odyssey, Homer embodies hubris into the characters Odysseus, the Suitors, and the Cyclopes. Odysseus shows hubris when he is battling the Cyclopes, the Cyclopes show hubris when dealing with Odysseus, and the Suitors show it when Odysseus confronts them at his home.
Arrogance has been the downfall of many great leaders including Odysseus. Examples of Odysseus’s arrogance are clearly discernible at the Cyclops’s island. “Here we stand, beholden for your help, or any gifts you give – as custom is to honor strangers. We would entreat you, great Sir, have a care for the gods’ courtesy; Zeus will avenge the unoffending guest” (Homer 900). This exhibits Odysseus’s arrogance as he threatens a much stronger foe with the god’s power, not his own. “Cyclops, if ever mortal men inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: Laertes’ son, whose home’s on Ithaca!” (908). This is another illustration of Odysseus’s deadly ego. Despite his crewmate’s suggestions, he taunts Polyphemus, almost
than the times of today. Back then, the most important aspect of life for a
Early Greece, a period that began 1000 B.C.E was a transition into one of the most successful periods in human civilization. The Greeks transformed art, sculptures, theater and wars. They established the stepping-stones for the future civilizations of the world. The first known “writer” for the Greeks introduced the Heroic Age with the “Iliad and the Odyssey”. During this time period Homer displayed the great tragic flaw in heroes, which was hubris. Hubris is defined during the time period as excessive pride toward or defiance of the gods, leading to nemesis (Collins). In most Greek tragedies hubris causes the disastrous ending for many of the main characters.
In The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Allen Mandelbaum, Homer retells the story of Odysseus’s expedition from Troy to his homeland, Ithaca. Along the way, Odysseus faces numerous challenges—from dealing with Poseidon’s wrath to getting trapped on Calypso’s island. With Athena’s guidance, he returns to Ithaca to reunite with his son, Telemachus, and loyal wife, Penelope. Throughout the book, hubris or excessive pride is in display especially with Odysseus and the suitors. Hubris causes the them to neglect the gods and create careless mistakes which backfire in the future. Their incapability to make good decisions is affected by their pride which blurs what is and is not a good idea. In addition, hubris is also a trait looked down on in Greek culture. Homer lets his audience understand how pride can be part of one’s success. However, hubris will not only cause his or her downfall but also of those around them.
In the Iliad, revenge causes problems where justice is the solution to those problems, as seen through Achilles and Hector. Pride is a person dignity from their own achievements. The Iliad shows pride being used to be the consequence of revenge from Achilles. In book one, Agamemnon and Achilles are seen showing pride and revenge. Agamemnon, an overly powerful king who only thinks about himself and having the biggest army in taking control of others can result in having pride.
“Then the screaming and shouts of triumph rose up together, of men killing and men killed, and the ground ran blood.” From first examination the Iliad seems to be an epic founded on an idealized form of glory, the kind that young boys think about when they want to join the army. A place full of heroism and manliness where glory can be achieved with a few strokes of a sword and then you go home and everything is just lovely. Many people view the Iliad this way, based on it’s many vivid battle descriptions and apparent lack of remorse for the deaths that occur. This, however, is not how war is presented in the Iliad. Homer presents a very practical outlook on war countering the attainment of the glory with the reality of its price and the destruction it causes. He successfully does this by showing the value of the lives of each person that dies and, in a sense, mourning their passing, describing the terror and ugliness of war, and, through the characters of Achilleus and Hector, displaying the high price of glory.
The chorus sites hubris, the Greek word referring to mortal pride or arrogance, as being the cause of many bad fates. Someone guilty of hubris aspires to be more and do more than what the gods allow, resulting in severe punishment and a tragic destiny. As an example, the chorus recites the story of Ouranus in lines 168-175 of Agamemnon. They tell of his pride and arrogance, and how both ultimately led to his fall. They continue to list two of his successors who suffered the same fate. Hubris is also discussed in lines 461-470, explaining that, "The gods are not blind to men who... unjustly prosper." The chorus views this arrogance as a terrible offense to the gods, and warns all those who dare set themselves beyond Justice to limit their belongings to what they need and what the gods allot them. They offer this warning so that all people might "avoid this suffering," (Agamemnon, lines 370-381).
In Homer’s The Iliad, Achilles is often referred to as a very courageous Greek hero but a further look into the epic will reveal a man that is more arrogant than courageous. It was truly his arrogance that made his name famous and not his courage. Achilles was a narcissistic, self-serving man who was not concerned with his fellow country man. His actions of courage can easily be revealed as selfishness instead of what most people believe.
One of the most compelling topics The Iliad raises is that of the intricate affiliations between fate, man and the gods. Many events related by Homer in his epic poem exhibit how these three connections interweave and eventually determine the very lives of the men and women involved in the war. Homer leaves these complex relationships slightly unclear throughout the epic, never spelling out the exact bonds connecting men's fate to the gods and what can be considered the power of fate. The motivation for the ambiguousness present in The Iliad is not easily understood, but it is a question that enriches and helps weave an even greater significance of the results into Homer's masterpiece. I feel that the interaction between man, god, and fate can be shown to be one great fluidity that ultimately leaves life mysterious, giving much more depth and complexity to the bonds between the three.
Divine Intervention is a “direct and obvious intervention by a god or goddess in the affairs of humans”. In various myths such as the Iliad, the Epic of Gilgamesh, and Herakles, divine intervention was called upon in order to restrain a hero’s destructive or too powerful forces. Although the divine intervention was used to impair different heroes, the purpose to constrain was the same in all the narratives.
Throughout the Iliad, a conflict develops through the process of each chapter which rests on the surface over a Maiden. The disagreement is caused due to one person or the other feeling far more powerful or superior than the other and is left to sense as if they should receive what is rightfully theirs even if it is not a fair exchange. This conflict is seen between two leaders who view each other with different status: Agamemnon the Argive leader of the expedition to Troy, who had inherited the role of king through his father, and Achilles the leader of Myrmidons. As the dispute develops, it is apparent that the discord between Agamemnon and Achilles is more than something about women; it seems to be their mindset distracting them from having a dispute between their views on power, honour, glory and pride amongst themselves.