The Signs Of Geras And Hubris In The Iliad

Homer discusses several important themes in his poems the Iliad and the Odyssey in order to develop specific characters and the situations in which they find themselves. Achilles shows signs of geras and Hubris throughout the Iliad. Odysseus also shows signs of these traits throughout his epic poem. Many of Homers other characters share these traits as well, such as Agamemnon in both poems.

We first meet Achilles in book one where he is enraged at the fact that he needs to give up his well-deserved prize Breisis to Agamemnon. This our first look at Achilles and has signs of both geras and hubris. In line 240 Achilles says to Agamemnon “An oath on this has power. On this I swear— the time will come when Achaea’s sons all miss Achilles, a time

In book nine Odysseus and his crew have an encounter with Polyphemus the cyclops and throughout the whole time they spend with him Odysseus never tells Polyphemus his name he always says my name is nobody. So when Odysseus finally slays Polyphemus he tells him his real name even though all his shipmates beg and plead with them not to. “That’s reckless. Why are you trying to irritate that savage? Just now he threw a boulder in the sea and pushed us back on shore. We really thought he’d destroyed us there. If he’d heard us speak or uttering a sound, he’d have hurled down another jagged rock and crushed our skulls, the timbers on this ship, as well. He’s strong, powerful enough to throw this far.” “That’s what they said. But my warrior spirit did not listen. So, anger in my heart, I yelled again: ‘Cyclops, if any mortal human being asks about the injury that blinded you, tell them Odysseus destroyed your eye, a sacker of cities, Laertes’ son, a man from Ithaca.” N.p., n.d. Web. This passage is a sign of Odysseus’s hubris because he tells Polyphemus his name just to be well known for his accomplishment. Odysseus knows that if Polyphemus knows his name it means nothing but trouble but he doesn’t care because his arrogance takes over and the thought of being the almighty warrior who slayed Polyphemus than take care of his crew and get home safe. It is his arrogance over his

In book 1 line 30 Agamemnon argues with Apollo about his most prized honour Chryseis. “Who cares about Apollo’s scarf and staff? I’ll not release the girl to you, no, not before she’s grown old with me in Argos, far from home, working the loom, sharing my bed. Go away. If you want to get home safely, don’t anger me.” N.p., n.d. Web. This shows Agamemnon’s hubris and geras. In the first part he is showing hubris by saying that Apollo a well known god does not matter, he is the king and his pain is much more important and he is much more important than Apollo. Then in the second part of this excerpt you can see his geras, the way he talks about Chryseis is that of a prize something he won and deserves not as another human. Agamemnon makes it known that his prize comes before the thought of the Achaean army or the will of the