Honor, Glory, Legacy Of The Iliad - 1735 Words

Honor, Glory, Legacy How important is it to be honored? To gain glory in this life? To secure a lasting legacy? To the Greeks and Trojans in Homer’s famous epic, The Iliad, these were the most important things in life. The Greeks of Homer’s time believed that personal honor and glory was just that, personal. Honor and glory belonged to the individual who was skilled and accomplished enough to obtain it for himself. This honor and glory was held in the highest regard, and the worldview that honor and glory are the most important things in life is strongly depicted by Homer throughout The Iliad. The Judeo-Christian worldview depicted in the Old Testament of the Bible contrastingly teaches that all honor and glory belong to God. The heroes of the Old Testament did not attempt to secure the honor and glory of their actions and deeds for themselves, rather they gave it to God. The Greeks, however, saw gaining and maintaining personal honor and glory as foundational to life. They never missed an opportunity to gain personal honor and glory, and certainly never gave away the credit for their deeds. Throughout The Iliad, the characters’ choices and actions revolve around their desire to gain and maintain personal honor and glory. Gaining personal honor and glory--through great deeds, revenge for slights, and through one’s legacy--is a main theme in Homer’s The Iliad. Homer’s clear descriptions of the actions of the heroes in his epic give modern people a clear view into the psycheShow MoreRelatedHonor And Glory By Homer1574 Words   |  7 PagesOctober 5, 2015 Honor and Glory The idea of obtaining honor and glory are what Greek characters dedicate their lives to. The Greeks lived by a heroic code, which shaped their society. Being remembered, as a great warrior, is one of the highest honors a Greek soldier can obtain. Honor and glory are the cause of the Trojan War, which takes the lives of many men. Honor and Glory are what define the hero in the epic poem, The Iliad, written by Homer. Throughout the Iliad, honor and glory is the motivationRead MoreKleos in the Iliad Essay1074 Words   |  5 PagesKleos in the Iliad When we consider the Hero in ancient Greek culture, we must forget our notion of what a hero is. The ancient Greek concept of a hero was different from our own cultures. The motivation for any Homeric Greek is glory, or Kleos, that is to be honored and respected among their people. Not only does kleos imply being honored and respected, it literally means ‘to be heard.’ Achieving kleos entails that your tale and ultimately you will live on forever. Kleos is essentialRead MoreTheme Of Gender In The Epic Of Gilgamesh And The Mahabharata1051 Words   |  5 Pagesdisintegrated down to their sexual appeal. â€Æ' Set 2: Is honor or legacy more important for Achilles? Thesis: Achilles need to uphold his honor guides his actions and ultimately, his fate. Intro: In the Greek society, honor is found on the battlefield, amidst the glory of war. In The Iliad, with the thousands of deaths, murder and the wrath of the gods, the betrayal, the beauty of one woman which caused the war and the heroes in the story, they all fight for honor. 1. Taking another mans spoils of war is dishonoringRead MoreCultural Attitudes Reflected In War. Vanissa Tsang. . Conflict1670 Words   |  7 PagesThe Trojan War happened because Paris took Helen from Menelaus. Although war is a common form of conflict for the Israelites and Greeks, its objective differs by Israelites fight to gain God’s favor, or power, whereas Greeks roots from the honor of one self, legacy of the family, and reputation of the community. The start of wars with the Hebrews are influenced by the Israelites’ displease from or to God, or simple rule violations; Greeks’ wars are influenced by damage to the already-threatened reputationRead MoreThe Timeless Truths of Homers Iliad1784 Words   |  8 PagesJames Hutchinson Ms. Spicer AP Literature 20 August 2010 Homers Timeless Truths Is Homers The Iliad relevant to todays society? Is this work a timeless parable depicting universal human truths transcending time and context or merely a superbly-crafted epic poem to be studied and admired for its stylistic brilliance? Has the text endured simply because of Homers dramatic verse or because of the timeless human truths it conveys? Was it written to persuade readers to question the moral implicationsRead MoreRelationship Between Odysseus And Telemachus1679 Words   |  7 Pageslike a mother would. Homer’s epic poems â€Å"The Iliad† and â€Å"The Odyssey† have emerged from a patriarchal society, where fathers held the dominant role in a family. However, these books show that father and son relationships are shown to have a special bond that is formed through respect and honor. Both poems cover many fathers and son’s relationships, however, I will be focusing on the relationship between Odysseus and Telemachus, and Priam and Hector. The I liad goes beyond tales of the Trojan war, it portraysRead MoreThe Iliad: Literary Analysis1552 Words   |  7 PagesThe Iliad: Literary Analysis Throughout The Iliad, an epic poem written by Homer, there were numerous warriors and other characters that could be looked upon as heroes; some of these heroes included Achilles, Ajax, Diomedes, Hector, and Glaucus. All of these individuals were heroes because of their remarkable mental and physical strength: they were courageous and were better fighters in war than other ordinary men. The trade of battle was a way of life to the Greeks back in Homer’s time. ChildrenRead MoreDeath Of The Great Mysteries Of Human Existence1187 Words   |  5 Pageshave one unitary view. Various cultures conceptualize death, as seen through their unique beliefs, feelings, and native practices often represented in literature. In ancient Greek mythology, and in light of the Trojan War, warriors strove for glory and honor in their mortal lives. The people believed in an afterlife in which their souls would be transported to the â€Å"Underworld.† There, all social statuses and political situations became meaningless. The souls themselves existed, but had no purposeRead MoreAnalysis Of Plato s Apology And Crito Essay1857 Words   |  8 Pagesbodily pleasures, Socrates relates himself to Achilleus, a warrior in Homer’s Iliad, whose philosophies heavily coincide with the Homeric era: honor and glory are the motivating factors for how people should live their lives. For both groups of Greeks, the motivation for their actions heavily revolved around their self-interest; however, their reasoning is what differentiates them from each other. For the Homeric Greeks, honor centered as their motivation; though, men could not fulfil their desires withoutRead MoreThe Iliad, By Homer1141 Words   |  5 PagesThe Iliad, along with the Odyssey, is one of two epics handed down through the Homeric tradition in the Greek Dark Ages, considered by many to be the Heroic Age. However, the key issue lies with the fact that ancient Greeks define a ‘hero’ very differently from what we would consider a ‘hero’ to be today. In ancient Greece, a hero is any human descended from the gods and bequeathed with superhuman abilities. By this definition, Achilles is immediately classified as a hero, no matter his actions.