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Pride in ancient Greece
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During the ancient Athens character was subjective, there were people who were envy, sycophancy, and Hubris. There were people who were envy, that is a person who is jealous of another person or of something they have like the power they may have. Envy "is a disturbing pain which is directed against good fortune, not because someone does not deserve it, but because they are our equals and like us.(68)" All rivals were equal during this time and once you went through a lawsuit and lost to your rival, they would gain what you had and you would feel envy towards them. Your loss is someone else's gain of power and that causes envy and agony. Sycophan is a person who uses his/her charm to get what they want. They are very good at lying to people,
When a civilization is emerging in the way which it emerges helps to establish its values. Greek Society emerged in two different ways, through Athenian and Spartan mentalities. Through many wars and differing enemies, Athenian culture became more prevalent. However, each brought forth important ideals that defined Greek Society. They are the reason that when reflecting upon Greece we conjure images of philosophers or strong willed warriors. Greek society through individual action and institution truly valued duty to the community, innovation, and honor.
Investigating Athens' Treatment of Her Allies During the period of 478-431, Athens’ treatment of her allies changed dramatically as she rose to become the leader of an empire. The establishment of the Delian League marked the beginning of a significant series of events, which lead to Athens’ rise to extreme power. From the evidence of Thucydides and the inscriptions, it is possible to track the progress of these events and the rapidly changing treatment that Athens enforced upon her allies. The Delian League was an establishment formed in 478 BC. A large number of Greek cities formed an alliance under this league and together aimed to provide a strong defence against Persia, under the leadership of Athens.
Athens was a much more superior polis compared to Sparta because the Athenians invented new ideas and creations that supported the people, such as democracy, the Athenians led the Delian League, and Sparta created the Peloponnesian League after the Athenians created their alliance, and the Athenians changed the ways of their government many times to suit the people, and the Spartans did not.
Pericles believed the more successful the man, the less he had to be afraid of when it came to death. If you were poor and unsuccessful, you didn't have honor becuase you would lose nothing at
During the time of Aristotle, revenge was seen as something of honor. It was considered noble to try to restore your honor after someone intentionally caused you shame or harm. You were looked at as a coward if you did not try to sneak and plot your revenge. Revenge can either be sought after for ones own internal satisfaction, but in this book, it is usually required because of what others might think as far as ones reputation is concerned. During Aristotle’s time, if you were seeking revenge one had strict guidelines to follow to ensure that the one seeking revenge was doing it out of honor and integrity. In this paper, we will view if the character Odysseus followed these guidelines on two occasions when he was seeking revenge. The two main events of revenge in the book were against the Cyclops and the suitors that were courting his wife.
The Peloponnesian War and the Decline of Leadership in Athens Thucydides set out to narrate the events of what he believed would be a great war—one requiring great power amassed on both sides and great states to carry out. Greatness, for Thucydides, was measured most fundamentally in capital and military strength, but his history delves into almost every aspect of the war, including, quite prominently, its leaders. In Athens especially, leadership was vital to the war effort because the city’s leaders were chosen by its people and thus, both shaped Athens and reflected its character during their lifetimes. The leaders themselves, however, are vastly different in their abilities and their effects on the city. Thucydides featured both Pericles and Alcibiades prominently in his history, and each had a distinct place in the evolution of Athenian empire and the war it sparked between Athens and Sparta.
Xenophon illustrated this very principle in Spartan Society in nearly every example of the greatness of the society is brought up. First, in describing the very ruler, Lycurgus, as wise and, “not copying the other states, but by deciding on an opposite course to the majority that he made his country outstandingly fortunate” (Spartan Society, 166). This statement is in the opening remarks of the writing and lays the foundation of how Xenophon views the Spartans and more clearly their wise leader, Lycurgus. Throughout the rest of the writing Lycurgus is always placed against and superior to the “others” or the nations referred to as “elsewhere.” This does not have specifics of other countries or people groups, but gives a general idea and concept of the ideal society being Sparta. Xenophon says two times in the middle of the work that the views and practices of Lycurgus are opposite of the majority and even the rest of Greece, but then goes to explain their superiority in the following paragraphs (Spartan Society, 173,174). This work goes to show that humanism, idealism, and rationalism all play a heavy part in the development of Xenophon’s Spartan Society, and also in the development of the people of
Throughout the centuries, civilizations have prospered and fallen with only their effects left on the world as their evidence of their existence. Ancient Greece is widely accepted as the most influential civilization ever, with the Golden Age of ancient Athens being its pinnacle. The Golden Age of Athens began when Athens became the most powerful Greek city-state, centralizing their power following their victory of the Greco-Persian wars.
Athens’ governmental shift in 501 BC was unprecedented and innovative, being the first notable implementation of democracy in an ancient world inundated in monarchy. This form of government, founded by Cleisthenes, has been instrumental in Western Civilization, especially since the modern age. Democracy gave Athens life, providing not only a well functioning governing system, but also enabling the city-state to grow and survive multiple Persian invasions. However, at the dawn of the Athenian empire and the rise of Pericles, democracy began to die, and Greeks lost their love of freedom when they sought power and glory through their military conquests. I argue that Athenian’s rejection of democracy can be seen through their mistreatment of other states and their lust for power and glory.
The strengths and weaknesses of the Athenian character traits laid out in the “Funeral Oration” are exemplified by the character of Creon in Sophocles’ Antigone, and suggest that Athenians held certain concerns in the Golden Age of their empire.
There are many historic and fictional figures where hubris led to their downfall. Hubris is defined as being arrogant and having pride for your self. There are many people that are led to their downfall because of hubris. People that are hubris are blinded and can’t see what they did wrong. Those who contain hubris only think about themselves and can’t see the big picture. They think the world revolves around them and think they are the best. They are always going to be successful but suddenly will drop down. They will do anything to make themselves look good. There are many people that contain hubris. Oedipus is a fictional character in the novel Oedipus the King by Sophocles. The novel focuses on hubris. Oedipus is a man that is blinded by hubris through his whole life. Oedipus killed his father and married his mother. Oedipus killed his father because he was filled with hubris and did not let him pass the intersection so he got mad and decided to slay him. Dr. Frank Tassone a historic figure was also filled with hubris which is what led to his downfall. Dr. Frank Tassone was the former superintendent of Roslyn. Hubris was the reason for Dr. Frank Tassone’s downfall. Dr.Tassone is very arrogant and believes the “world revolves around him”. Dr. Tassone was taking the schools and the parents money. He did not think it was wrong to take their money. Dr.Tassone was blinded for money. Bernie Madoff was also filled with hubris and was blind for money. Bernie Madoff was an American stockbroker and investment advisor. Bernie Madoff loved and was obsessed for money. Bernie thought that his company Bernard Madoff Investment Securities LLC was the best. Another person that is filled with hubris is Alex Rodriguez. Alex Rodriguez is an ...
In Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello, good is often confronted by evil, in which almost every case is in the form of jealousy. Iago, the plays antagonist, is a very manipulative villain. Iago uses his own agony and distress brought upon him by his envy of others, to provoke the same agony within the characters in the play. Jealousy’s ability are shown to influence people to new ends and make all humanistic judgment disappear leaving that man a monster torn apart by envy. Jealousy’s true destructive wrath and the pure evil it brings out in people can be revealed through Iago’s actions throughout the tragedy Othello.
the door, to make sure no one came in when the man of the house was away,
“... habits… to envy… offence… to an outburst of hatred and passionate resentment” (Polybius, Histories, 6.7).
Sophocles’ Philoctetes dramatizes strength versus wits with Odysseus and Neoptolemus. Odysseus is the antagonist in the novel and he serves as a mentor in the beginning of the story but shows to be manipulative and persuasive. He begins to convince Neoptolemus to lie and deceive to achieve victory over Philoctetes. He uses his “wits” to get what he wants. Neoptolemus is one of the central protagonists in the play with evolving morals. He makes important decisions using logic throughout the play. He is the son of Achilles and it is his obligation to be noble even though him being young makes him a little impressionable and falling to Odysseus. Though he is not as smart as Odysseus he is strong.