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Honor In The Iliad

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Similar to The Iliad, fate, honor, and shame are themes present in Chushingura. However, while The Iliad relies heavily on the role of fate, and less on honor and shame, Chushingura does the opposite and places less emphasis on fate and more on honor and shame. Honor is an extremely important aspect of Chushingura and most of the movie deals with honor in one way or another. One of the first examples is with Lord Asano. In the 18th century, political corruption was prevalent and this often included bribing officials and the higher ups in order to gain favor. Lord Asano refused to partake, saying that his honor prevented him from participating in bribery. Even in the face of hardships, at the hands of his superior Lord Kira, Lord Asano still …show more content…

Hara-kiri allowed for samurai to avoid shameful situations, such as capture by the enemy, by choosing the way and time they died (Ikegami 1361). The control of their final moments allowed them to avoid being shamed, and die with their honor. Hara-kiri was also used as a way to repent for shameful acts. In Chushingura, young samurai Sampei accidentally kills a civilian while travelling. The shameful act could only be righted by Hara-kiri, so in order to set things right Sampei was forced to kill himself, and was able to die with some honor. Shame is also prevalent in the movie as shown by people shaming others, or attempting to save others from facing shame. Lord Kira feels as if he is being shamed by Lord Asano with his refusal to give adequate gifts, or bribes. In turn Lord Asano brings shame upon his whole clan by attacking Kira while defending his honor. One of Asano’s vassals, Oishi, tries to protect his wife and family from the shame of his future actions by divorcing her. In these examples, the emphasis on honor and shame in the samurai culture are displayed by the actions of the samurai in the film. While honor and shame are well developed aspects of the film and of samurai culture as a whole, fate is less developed. While still present, it is more of an undertone; exactly the opposite of how fate is presented in The Illiad. One example of fate is the fate of samurais themselves. When accepting the position, it is understood that their death will most likely come by the hands of an enemy, or by one’s self with hara-kiri. The fate of a samurai is sealed with the acceptance of their

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Also stated in “The Way of the Samurai,” and “Le Morte d’ Arthur,” the codes that a samurai follows is Bushido and Chivalry, the moral code that a knight follows (Doc. E). In Bushido, a samurai keeps a state of peace between other people, but uses his weapons only when necessary. One will be respectful between father and child, older sibling to younger sibling, and husband to wife. In Chivalry, knights are to be helpful to

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This example shows how honor is not necessarily one thing, but a combination of how one acts, treats others and handles situations. It is a reflection of how others see us and something that others determine. In the encounter with the Cyclops, Odysseus is seen as honorable by his men due to his actions. Rather than run away, he stays with his men and finds a solution to save them all. He does not put his life or value himself more than his men.

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805 Words | 4 Pages

Because of this the Samurai's loyalty eventually became a part of Japan's culture where the servants of a household are just as proud as the family themselves. The Samurai followed a strict moral code called Bushido that was never written down but taught through example and was always was based on the society of the time this became apart of Samurai culture. Not all of the Samurais' cultural effects were positive

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280 Words | 2 Pages

intentions were to grab the characters of the key figures from that time period. So, going off of what the director says about the movie just proves the historical inaccuracy of the movie. Ever since the days of the Samurai there has been this sense of honor and virtue that you correlate with the Japanese people. No matter what they do it constantly sticks with them. Professor Bolitho says, “It’s an idealized image that’s been pushed onto the entire Japanese people.

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195 Words | 1 Pages

Greek mythology was very fond of corrupt characters, even in famous works such as Homer’s The Odyssey and The Iliad one can see the extreme violence – In The Odyssey a cyclops furiously devours a human being and then he is stabbed in the eye— And it was more or less a reflection of their barbaric but intelligent way of life. The Romans adapted these stories and legends that were all overturned by Christianity around the 300’s AD. The fall of the Roman Empire fell and an enormously conservative religious culture took its place; surprisingly enough, there were several works of violent fiction during the Dark Ages such as Dante’s Inferno and The Divine Comedy – Satan eats Judas for the rest of eternity—other famous works might have been the Marquis

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304 Words | 2 Pages

While the exact definition of shame in Samurai’s culture is explained through the Confucius idea of cheing-ming, their deeds towards shame is depicted through warriors committing harakiri. The historical background of samurai signifies that they “did not simply equate honor with a reputation for military [which] might external to the self; honorific actions were perceived to reflect their dignity” (Ikegami 1361). In this context, this ritual suicide indicates one's notion of their own shame, which presents emblematic of the loyalty, sacrifice, dedication, and honor. A scholar Eiko Ikegami clarifies the meaning of the warriors’ action towards this ritual performance as follows: “The samurai began to demonstrate that they were willing to die

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653 Words | 3 Pages

The shields belonging to both Achilles and Aeneas represent a much larger picture than just a physical object. The shield ofAchilles is greatly emphasized throughout the Iliad, mostly because it portrays the story ofthe Achaeans and their fight against the Trojans. It was forged by Hephaestus. “ He made it so it was intricately designed, but as strong as can be. The shield is made out offive layers ofmetal with five concentric circles, all with different themes.

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1051 Words | 5 Pages

In Homer’s The Iliad, epic hero Achilles serves as an example of how rage, when unchecked, leads to disastrous repercussions. Achilles, though nearly superhuman in his physical abilities, struggles repeatedly to contain his anger. Throughout The Iliad, as Achilles’ fury compounds, the consequences of his actions become catastrophic, eventually leading to the death of his best friend, Patroclus. Although Achilles ultimately chooses to avenge Patroclus’ death and achieve his own kleos, or honor, his rage-driven actions lead to the death of many Achaean soldiers, and change the course of his fate.

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1190 Words | 5 Pages

A major theme in the Odyssey is reciprocity: people getting what they deserve. Reciprocity is an important theme in the Odyssey because it explains why Odysseus’ journey was very long and treacherous. Eurylochus, Antinous, and Odysseus all suffered consequences due to poorly made actions. Each of them made the wrong decisions which lead to death and a long/adventurous journey. Eurylochus was the first to be killed by Odysseus and his men due to his actions.

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1381 Words | 6 Pages

The Ancient Greeks value specific qualities in a person however they did not value other. Ancient Greeks valued these qualities based on certain achievements or on a performances in war or even inside the city walls making substantial decisions. The Iliad is a epic novel by the Greek poet Homer. The Iliad is based off of the Trojan war between the Achaeans led by King Agamemnon and the Trojans led by King Priam of Troy. This novel focuses on the actions of several characters and how the disparate gods interfered with the war to help one or the other side have a chance to win.

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969 Words | 4 Pages

Revenge theme in the Iliad and the Odyssey The Iliad and the Odysseus are epic poems of Ancient Greek, which are defined as central works of Ancient Greek literature. The Iliad, sometimes referred to as “Song of Ilion” is about a war between two groups, which are the Achaeans and the Trojans. A reason for this war was that Paris, a prince of Troy had taken the most beautiful woman in world, which was a wife of Menelaus, the king of Sparta. Due to this steal, Menelaus decided to avenge and take Helen back.

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1039 Words | 5 Pages

Reputation and honor creates for the most riveting theme in Shakespeare’s Othello. Evidently, no character speaks of themselves as an honorable person; instead they boast and use their reputation to unveil their superiority. Foremost, it defines a character and how they are perceived in society. Allows for the influencing or manipulation of others at the same time, concealing any wrongful acts. Eventually, in the long run it even determines the ending results.

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1396 Words | 6 Pages

Because honor is obtained by taking something away from someone, one way to get honor is by dishonoring someone else. We see this when Agamemnon tells Achilles to give him Briseis if he wants him to give up Chryseis. Agamemnon says, “But if they give me nothing I will take a prize myself — your own, or Ajax’ or Odysseus’ prize” (Book 1, line 161). Agamemnon expects to be given someone else’s prize or honor in return for giving up his own honor, Chryseis. Honor can also be given up in return for ransom.

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394 Words | 2 Pages

Hubris is one of the many themes that were brought up in the Iliad. Its definition is extreme pride and arrogance shown by a person that will bring downfall to that person or to others. The first time this theme is brought up is when Helen leaves with Paris. Agamemnon uses Helen as an excuse to rile up all the Greek kings. Agamemnon knew that if they beat Troy, then he would control a major passage of trade which would make him the undisputed ruler of all of Greece.

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The Ancient Greeks value specific qualities in a person, however they did not value other. Ancient Greeks valued these qualities based on certain achievements or on a performances in war or even inside the city walls making substantial decisions. The Iliad is an epic novel by the Greek poet Homer. The Iliad is based off of the Trojan war between the Achaeans led by King Agamemnon and the Trojans led by King Priam of Troy. This novel focuses on the actions of several characters and how the disparate gods interfered with the war to help one or the other side have a chance to win.

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