Voice of Conscious - the Lame Thersites

Amidst the turmoil of a dragging war, Agamemnon's unjust capture of a young female stirs anger within the Gods to wreak havoc in the Greek army, further exacerbating the chaotic situation. Outraged by the supposed king's stubborn pride (and protective of his own ego), Achilles, the Greek's greatest warrior and hero, directly opposes Agamemnon, going so far as to abandon his army in times of need. His statement is regarded with fear, concern, and yet respect.

Shortly after, another voice outwardly opposes Agamemnon's decision to remain in the war. Thersites, a lowly soldier, recognizes Agamemnon's desire for honor and pride at the expense of the army and speaks for the good of both himself and the rest of the massive Greek army. His attempt to salvage the lives of Greek common soldiers who have fought nine years for a trivial cause, has often earned him title of the "voice of conscience" in The Iliad from modern critics. Ironically, Thersites's outcry is not only regarded as cowardly and inappropriate by the army, but warrants a beating from a respected Greek hero, Odysseus. This disparity in responses to two similar attitudes reflects the Greeks' cultural emphasis on appearance, lineage, and ultimately, social status.

The significance of appearance is made clear by the biased introduction of Thersites: "This was the ugliest man who came beneath Ilion. He was bandy-legged and went lame of one foot, with shoulders stooped and drawn together over his crest, and above this his skull went up to a point with the wool grown sparsely upon it." (l 216-219, b2) Through the imagery of a disfigured, crippled, lame creature, the repulsive nature of Thersites is revealed and seems to suggest corresponding inner uglin...

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...riptions of Thersites by Odysseus, the narrator points out his pitiable harmlessness by describing him as "frightened, in pain, and looking helplessly about" as he "wiped off the tear drops" (l 268-269, b2) after the beating. A mere soldier, demoralized over the triviality of the war and Agamemnon's selfish pride, speaks his mind and is beaten for doing so. This single event effectively portrays the significance of social class in the way one is treated.

With his purpose served, Thersites never again appears in the epic. This "voice of conscience" is evidently overruled by the importance of social status in ancient Greek culture. Amidst a raging war, a suffering man's protests are regarded with disrespect, disgust and are described with such malice that the audience comes to understand the rulings of ancient Greek society and its emphasis on power and status.