ipl-logo

Hubris In The Odyssey

489 Words2 Pages

Our initial introduction to Agamemnon was his not-so-political demonstration of hubris as he disregarded the honor of his men and fulfilled his own selfish desires. Agamemnon's actions led to the retaliation of Apollo and the loss of loyalty of the great warrior Achilleus. It seems like hubris is used by Homer to express power and confidence in a warrior. Interestingly, as the war continues it is Achilleus who demonstrates the most hubris.

Achilleus' displeasure of the actions of his commanding officer, Agamemnon, were clearlye expressed in book eleven. “All the other prizes of honor he gave the great men and the princes are held fast by them, but from me alone of all the Achaians he has taken and keeps the bride of my heart. (page 255, line 335)” He was so butthurt …show more content…

“Son of Peleus, far greatest of the Achaians, Achilleus, do not be angry; such grief has fallen upon th Achaians. For all those who were before the bravest in battle are lying up among the ships with arrow or spear wounds. (page 351, line 22)” The honorable thing for Achilleus to do in this situation would be to rejoin the Achaian forces and defend his brothers. But Achilleus continues to wine about how Agamemnon treated him like a “...dishonored vagabond. (page 352, line 59)” Infact he repeats this statement multiple times whenever discussing this matter. He was so affected by being treated like a lower class, he literally abandoned his duty as a soldier. Patroklos then proposed that he dresses up as Achilleus to inspire the troops and insight fear into the Trojans. Once again, Achilleus demonstrates hubris by rebutting, “So you will diminish my honor. (page 353, line 90)” This interaction between Achillius and Patroklos clearly demonstrates the self-interest of Achillius. He ultimately allows Patroklos to take his armor, knowing that Patroklos will probably

Show More
Related

Examples Of Hubris In The Odyssey

382 Words | 2 Pages

2. The Odyssey holds many themes for the reader to find and dissect, but the lesson Homer attempted to drive in was a warning on the dangers of hubris. Hubris is excessive pride or arrogance. Most of the characters in the Odyssey display hubris at one point or another in the story. For example, many of Odysseus’ troubles are a result of his hubris.

Read More

Why Is Aias Defeated Instead Of The Atreidai

1003 Words | 5 Pages

However, the rejection of a proper burial for Aias evokes the opposite effect in part of the army as seen when the chorus tells Menelaus to “not outrage the dead” (line 1220), defending Aias rather than condemning him. With the chorus as his first wave of support, Aias could have rallied more of the troops when alive to overthrow the Atreidai he loathed so much. However, the dedication to the heroic ethic that makes Aias a hero ultimately causes his downfall. While he is honorable in his battles and sees the corruption and shamelessness of the Atreidai, Aias is blinded by his own shame, unable to see the potential for change he could have brought about if he had lived. He is supposed to be the hero but instead falls short, thus revealing how overvaluing the heroic ethic can cause more harm than

Read More

The Cyclops In The Odyssey

448 Words | 2 Pages

In Greek culture, honor was immensely important and the Cyclops has none. In contrast, Odysseus brags about the great feats of Agamemnon yelling, “So great a city he sacked, such multitudes he killed”(9.298-299) That Odysseus sees pride in killing, shows that the Greeks valued killing, but only if honorable. There is a stark contrast between the killings of the Cyclops and those of King Agamemnon. In the eyes of the Greeks, Agamemnon’s killings were for his country, his people, and the greater good of society. These murders had a selfless purpose.

Read More

Examples Of Hubris In The Odyssey

351 Words | 2 Pages

Why was Odysseus being so resourceful and using so much hubris within the book? In the epic poem ¨The Odyssey¨ by Homer, a key strength and weakness are shown by Odysseus. He shows resourcefulness and hubris in an attempt to save him and his men. This poem by Homer demonstrates Odysseus´ greatest strength, resourcefulness, and his greatest weakness, hubris. He does this to teach his readers that certain actions can have bad consequences.

Read More

Honor And Shame In The Iliad

445 Words | 2 Pages

Achilleus, who considers himself a greater fighter than Agamemnon, does not believe that he should be taking orders from Agamemnon, and becomes angered when Agamemnon takes his prize, Brisies when he has to give up his prize, Criseis. Achilleus asks Agamemnon how “Anyone of the Achaians readily obey you” (79) and looses his temper. Achilleus becomes so enraged that he turns on his

Read More

Extreme Pride And Hubris In The Iliad

394 Words | 2 Pages

But, while all the kings gathered in Greece, the gods would not send a fair wind for the ships to sail. Agamemnon said, “Give me a fair wind and a hope of glory if it will cost me my kingdom and my life.” He is then told by the Greek prophet, Calchas, that the king would have to sacrifice his daughter, Iphigenia at the temple of Artemis in order to sail. Agamemnon was shocked, and refrained from doing anything. Yet, when the days grew long and the kings began to blame Agamemnon, he feared the kings would leave.

Read More

Oresteia And The Odyssey Essay

1334 Words | 6 Pages

In contrast, in the Oresteia, the myth demonstrates an overwhelming theme of justice. Agamemnons’ death here shows the curse hunting his household from generation to generation, starting from Agamemnon’s father

Read More

The Iliad Rhetorical Analysis

697 Words | 3 Pages

Patroclus tries to persuade Achilles by telling him to “at least send him out, let him lead a troop of Myrmidons” so that he can “light the way for their army” (Homer 16.43-44). Patroclus expresses that he loves the Greeks too much to just sit around at the camp. He feels very emotional for his friend, so he wants to take his place and fight this war for him. Patroclus still has a mindset that “If the Trojans think” he is Achilles then “they’ll back off and give the Greeks some breathing space” (Homer 16.44-46). Patroclus believes his cleverness can outdo the Trojans in battle.

Read More

Achilles Speech In The Iliad

977 Words | 4 Pages

In the Iliad, Achilles is responding to Odysseus’s speech attempting to convince him to return to the war. Achilles’ main argument against returning is his incalculable rage against Agamemnon for “the prize of honor / The warlord Agamemnon gave me / And in his insulting arrogance took back” which is not only an insult to Achilles’ status, but also to his honor as a warrior (Il. 9.378-379). In addition to focusing on the main argument of Achilles’ speech, it is worth noting the contradictions present within his speech as well.

Read More

Achilles: A Modern Day Hero

1035 Words | 5 Pages

Book 21 focused heavily on setting up for the audience and everyone around him that the entire reason he was there was to avenge his best friend and make sure that everyone responsible paid for his death. One particular quote caught my attention as being a good explanation, stating “No, you’ll all die, die ugly deaths, until you have paid for the Greeks’ loss, for Patroclus dead, killed by the ships while I was away” (Iliad, Book 21, 141-43). He also exposes his motive for why he feels he must avenge Patroclus- he feels responsible for not being there when Patroclus died, possibly able to prevent him from meeting such a fate. Now he is taking out his anger over Patroclus’ death on all Trojans and refuses to show any of them mercy. Going beyond just seeking revenge, he’s also continuing to partake in the aforementioned brutal violence.

Read More

Agamemnon's Leadership In The Iliad

662 Words | 3 Pages

Also, the fact that he contended with the top man drove his point home: he demanded respect. A man capable of capturing the respect and admiration of an army is a man capable of leading an army; inspiring them, stirring them to bravery, to courage, to wrath, to love, to sorrow, to indignation, to arms, to war. He understood the importance of the way the men viewed him, and knew exactly how to manipulate this to his advantage. Achilles was socially aware, whereas Agamemnon neglected his social

Read More

Essay On Achilles In The Iliad

1051 Words | 5 Pages

Agamemnon’s taking of Briseis enrages Achilles and spurs him to remove himself from the war, leading to a massive death toll in the Achaean forces. In stealing Briseis from Achilles, he is not only robbing of him of a material prize, but also a symbol of honor, his geras, in Greek culture. In retaliation, Achilles removes himself from the war and prays to his mother, Thetis, that she will ask Zeus to damage the Achaean forces. Achilles’ only goal is that “even mighty Atrides can see how mad he was to disgrace Achilles” (1.488-490). Despite having no true grievance against the Achaean army as a whole, Achilles’ rage blinds him from the potential harm that may befall his troops.

Read More

Comparing Homer's Iliad And Sophocles Antigone

995 Words | 4 Pages

When Patraclous is killed Achilles returns to the battle after he said we will not be fighting for the Achaeans because of the insult that it was made to his honor. He decided to go back and kill Hector for killing his best friend and most loved person, and to get the body which illustrate the idea of the glory after life. The idea of family honor adds a new level of understanding how important is pride is in ancient Greek literature. Another Example of this can be shown when Achilles kills hector, The reaction of Priam Hector’s father. Priam says “I have gone through what no other mortal on earth has gone through; I put my lips to the hands of the man who has killed my children (Homer, Iliad 24.505)”

Read More

Theme Of Honor In The Iliad

1396 Words | 6 Pages

Achilles is seen to be full of wrath in the beginning of the book. This wrath is not caused only because Agamemnon takes his prize of war. He is angry at the system which allows Agamemnon to play around with other people’s honors and the system which allows him to decide who gets how much honor. In other words, Achilles does not like the idea that someone else can decide what happens to his honor, despite him deserving most of the honor in relation to how much he contributes in war. As the story proceeds, Achilles seems to contradict himself a lot, and the concept of honor helps us understand this better.

Read More

Greek Values In The Iliad

1381 Words | 6 Pages

If I stay here and fight before the city of Troy, there will be no home- coming for me but my fame shall never die; if I go home to my native land, there will be no great fame for me, but I shall live long and not die an early death.” (Homer 110) This shows that he is selfishness and fearful at the same time of losing and dying in the war. In the very beginning of the Iliad, King Agamemnon and Achilles have an argument for a couple of different reasons. After, the Achians won a battle against a city that was allied with the Trojans each of them received a prize consisted of a young woman from the war.

Read More

More about Hubris In The Odyssey

Related Topics

Open Document