The Nature of Honour in Virgil and Homer

1720 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: How is pride and honor manifesred in Homer by Illiad

In the epics of both Homer and Virgil, the meaning and politics of honour play a significant role in the decisions and actions of the characters. Honour involves arbitrary set of rules, so just what is is and why did people need to maintain these rules at all? In these poems, honour is linked to a hero’s possessions, identity, and deed. All three are important, but one’s deeds seem to matter the most and without performing great deeds, honour cannot be had the other two ways.

Honour is often represented by possessions, and, in a way, the possessions are honour itself. Briseis, the girl that was taken from Achilleus, is honour because her movement from one possessor to another is always accompanied by and equal movement of honour. One would think for Agamemnon to lose his prize to a god, an already greater being, would not affect his honour, since his strength compared to other men has not changed. This is true if honour is only based on what is known about a man’s strengths and weaknesses, so the girl herself must be a source of honour.

The Greek army has been camped out on the shores of Troy for a very long, so they do not have much supplies, and much fewer tokens to show their honour, so honour itself is also running out. When Agamemnon says that he will need something to replace the prize that he has lost at the start of the poem, Achilles replies, “...how shall the great-hearted Achaians give you a prize now? There is no great store of things lying about I know of.” (Homer, Iliad 1.124) The men need to continually add to their honour, and without a large victory, they are not able to do so, so there is tension, and the tension is made worse when Agamemnon takes what Achilleus thinks is more than his fair share. ...

... middle of paper ...

...pics we can get at least a partial picture of how the ancient civilizations regarded the concept of honour and come to a few conclusions about what it is and how it functions. At times it seems like a commodity that is traded around, and it is certainly attached to material goods. One’s birth and fate, and more importantly how they act and what they do with their fate, adds to one’s honour, but it is most important to be courageous and show excellence through great deeds, especially military victory.

Work Cited

Homer. The Iliad of Homer. Trans. Richard Lattimore. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1961.

—. The Odyssey of Homer. Trans. Richard Lattimore. New York: HarperCollins, 2007.

Virgil. The Aeneid. Trans. David West. London: Penguin, 2003.

Lattimore, Richard. Introduction. The Iliad of Homer. New York: University of Chicago Press. 1961. 7–55.

Show More
Related

  • The Importance Of Honor In Greek Society

    1308 Words  | 3 Pages

    While a lot of the analysis in the aforementioned paragraphs is Athenian based, the honor that is bestowed upon warriors is best seen through the Spartan society. Spartan’s were heavily military based and used all efforts to create warriors that would serve the polis. Absolutely everything in their society was based off this idea. Women were appreciated because they bore the sons that would become warriors, and sons were sent off at seven to begin their warrior training. Men who carried out their duty well were rewarded within the society and held an elevated status. Spartan’s held that ideal that to,“know that it is good for the city-state and the whole people when a man takes his place in the front row of warriors and stands his ground without flinching.” The wanted to create the strongest warrior possible and the only way to incentivize that was through honor. Honor was made an attainable goal for these warriors and something that they had been conditioned to want to strive for. Greek people also honored the gods though as their first and foremost responsibility. They needed to do right by these deities in order to be successful in their lives. Actions such as questioning their existence, or belief were looked down upon and in some cases even punished. The idea of honor was reinforced throughout their policies, lawmaking abilities and how they treated one another. Consequently, this would eventually lead to competing tensions between Athens and Sparta resulting the Peloponnesian War. However, honor is intrinsic to both of their ideals and integral to the values the Greek society

    Read More

  • Julius Caesar Honor Quotes

    576 Words  | 2 Pages

    What is honor? Honor coins an individual’s nature. A principle that exists on the purpose of perception, a martyr willing to conform and accomplish. In the case of Shakespeare's play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Brutus was the most honorable of men. A brother to Caesar, but a father to Rome, he persist and perish for the future of his child. The idea of ignorance, and the belief of a false faith, turns this noble man toward a vulgar grave, with virtuous notions.

    Read More

  • Honor in the Play Titus Andronicus

    834 Words  | 2 Pages

    With so many words making up the content of plays, it is difficult for one, single word to make much of an impact. However, the word ‘honor’ does just that in the play Titus Andronicus. Honor means different things to different people, and this is quite evident in the tragedy that is Titus Andronicus. The definition of honor has changed throughout the history of man. The character for which the play is named, Titus, puts his honor and the honor of Rome before anything else. In the play, honor is used as justification for wrongful actions. There are murders that happen in the name of honor. Honor is also lost by some and taken from others. Although small in size, the word honor plays a large role in Titus Andronicus.

    Read More

  • Achilles Moral Dilemma Essay

    532 Words  | 2 Pages

    The question "was Achilles' anger justified" brings up issues that seem to have little or no relevance to the war. In time of war I would expect the leaders to prioritize the groups interest for the sake of unity and cooperation rather than being entrenched in achieving their own personal goals. But my expectations are those of a modern day literature student, I'm inclined to think that the Greeks who first read this epic valued different things than myself. Another relevant question might be "were Achilles' actions justified". Anger can be easily justified, but the actions that anger might lead you to take are not as easily justified. Again I am not an ancient Greek and my opinions are irrelevant unless I open my mind to different viewpoints. Therefore I am striving to look into this issue through ancient Greek eyes where the principle of sacrificing ones own interests was apparently not valued, but maintaining ones honor, on the other hand, was greatly valued. In the following paragraphs I will attempt to answer these two aforementioned questions.

    Read More

  • Unpacking the Concept of Honor: A Study of Heroes

    1036 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many people take the word honor very lightly and believe that it is incredibly easy to be defined as a person who shows their honor for the people around them, and that may be true for some people but not for others. Three people who easily fall into the group of being an honorable person includes, William Wallace from the Mel Gibson film Braveheart, Sir Gawain, and Beowulf. Honor may be mistaken for many different things, but the word honor easily falls into the category of being a hero. In order to be a hero someone has to be honorable, and being honorable includes the same characteristics of being considered a hero. There are specifically two different types of heroes including, an Anglo-Saxon Hero and Epic Hero. There are four very strict

    Read More

  • Homer's Honor Culture

    1143 Words  | 3 Pages

    Honor or having an honor culture is a hallmark trait of many cultures both ancient and modern. While many would go to Homer’s The Iliad for clear indications of honor culture within Ancient Greek culture, The Odyssey also provides clear indications of an honor culture. Before honor culture within The Odyssey can be explored, honor and honor culture must first be defined. The most common and relatable explanation for honor culture in our modern day world is a prevailing culture in the southern United States of America especially within the Appalachian communities. This culture and the Ancient Greek culture share simple hallmarks. Honor culture is about neither committing transgressions against another, nor tolerating them when they are done to you. It is about the value of your “good name” and reputation for being honorable. This means that slights not only against you but against your name are taken very seriously. These things are generally held throughout all cultures of honor. Some of the specifics of honor are defined by each individual culture; these specifics along with the general state of an honor culture are shown in three events within The Odyssey. The culture of honor is shown in through Odysseus in his encounter with the Cyclops, the exchange with the Phaeacian man at the games, and in the slaughter of the suitors.

    Read More

  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder In Homer's Iliad

    1064 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Greek commander Agamemnon betrays Achilles by insulting him and taking his war prize, the girl Briseis. The Greek army as a whole, betrays him by acting inactively to Agamemnon’s insults and failing to defend him. As seen in Richard Blucher’s article book discussion, “In the Iliad, Achilles has his war prize, the captive woman Briseis, stolen from him by his Commander-in-Chief, King Agamemnon. Shay explains: We must understand the cultural context to see that this episode is more than a personal squabble between two soldiers over a woman [...] The prize of honor was voted by the troops for Achilles’ valor in combat. A modern equivalent might be a commander telling a soldier, ‘I’ll take that Congressional Medal of Honor of yours, because I don’t have one” (Blucher). These betrayals are so traumatic and insulting for Achilles that he withdrew entirely from the war. Also, in Book 21 of The Iliad, Achilles shows another belief that is identified with betrayal. In this book Achilles acts with reckless courage and takes on hundreds of enemy troops without showing any fear or resentment, even when the river god rises to drown him. As he acts so reckless he disregards his own life, and kills all who comes in his path. This is seen through Irwin Kutash’s review of Achilles in Vietnam, as he said, “Achilles is found to have been betrayed by his commander, Agamemnon, who usurps his prize of honor. The betrayal is described

    Read More

  • Heroic Code in the Iliad and the Odyssey

    945 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the Iliad, heroic characters make decisions based on a specific set of principles, which are referred to as the “code of honor.” The heroic code that Homer presents to readers is easy to recognize because the heroic code is the cause for many of the events that take place, but many of the characters have different perceptions of how highly the code should be regarded. Hector, the greatest of the Trojan warriors, begins the poem as a model for a hero. His dedication and firm belief in the code of honor is described many times throughout the course of the Iliad. As a reward for heroic traits in battle, prizes were sometimes awarded to victors of war. In Book 1 Achilles receives Chryseis as a prize and a symbol of honor. Heroism had its rewards and its setbacks which ultimately was the backbone of the Illiad in the case of Achilles prize. Hector, arguably the greatest Trojan warrior or even the bravest of the Homeric heroes is very fierce and fights for what he believes is his destiny. In book VI Hector expresses his bravery when Andromache pleads with Hector not to fight when Hector says, “But I would die of shame to face the men of Troy and the Trojan woman trailing their long robes if I would shrink from battle now, a coward. Nor does the sprit urge me on that way. I’ve learned it all too well. To stand up bravely, always to fight in the front ranks of Trojan soldiers, winning my father great glory, glory for myself” (VI, 387).

    Read More

  • Achilles' Honor in Homer's Iliad

    1308 Words  | 3 Pages

    He feels that his honor was besmirched when Agamemnon demands that Achilles relinquish his war prize, Brises "Are you ordering to give this girl back? Either the great hearted Achaians shall give me a new prize chosen according to my desires to atone for the girl loss, or else if they will not hive me I myself shall take her, your own prize?(Homer 1.134).

    Read More

  • Honor in the Iliad and Antigone

    991 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the Iliad, Homer portraits the extent to which honor plays a role in the lives of Greeks and the manner in which they are willing to sacrifice in order to reach their goals. The Iliad is set during the Trojan War, a particularly long and bloody war, fought not over boundary disagreements, and not over political conflicts, and not to protect the nation. Rather, it was a war fought to defend the personal honor. The possession of women was important to a man’s standing and honor. Paris’ theft of Helen struck a huge blow to the honor of Menelaus and becomes the initial cause of the Trojan War. Consequently, Menelaus, the Spartan ruler, called upon his brother Agamemnon to gather the Greek forces to launch the war against Paris demanding the return of Helen and reinstating the honor for the king. The war lasted for ten years and cost innumerable Greeks’ lives and brought incurable pain upon their families. To Greek heroes, honor is more important than their life as much as that life would be meaningless without it, and they even willingly sacrifice their lives in order...

    Read More

  • Summary Of Kwame Appiah's The Honor Code

    573 Words  | 2 Pages

    Webster’s dictionary defines Honor as high respect, good reputation or high moral standards of behavior. Kwame Appiah in his book The Honor Code: How moral revolutions happen believes that honor is tied to the ethical emotions (particularly to pride, shame, and disdain), to one’s social identity, to the value of nationalism and group unity, and to moral motivation in general. He argues that honor is “a system of entitlements to respect,” Two forms of honor exist and these relate to two forms of respect. A person is worthy of “competitive” honor when they merit respect for excelling relative to some honor code. A person is praiseworthy of “peer honor” when they merit respect, not because they meet certain standard, but on the basis of a recognition of an equal status. Achilles fought for competitive honor, (176) whereas the Duke of Wellington and the Earl of Winchilsea dueled, because of

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Gilgamesh And The Odyssey

    1543 Words  | 4 Pages

    The selected text for this argument is/are Gilgamesh and The Odyssey. Both texts place a notable emphasis on the idea of honor. Characters of considerable power or influence tend to make mention of the honorable actions they do or just how honorable their reputation really is. This honor relates to them doing exactly what is expected of them and fulfilling their gender roles in some cases. When an individual fails to fulfil their expectations, there is great shame associated with that particular character, their family, and their gender. With this idea consistently appearing in both texts, a connection can be draw flowing from social expectations or obligations to honor, and then, tying honor to power. So, this essay will argue that in both

    Read More

  • Honor And Glory In Homer's The Il

    540 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Ancient Greece, honor and glory is one of the most important things. Honor is high respect and esteem while glory is to receive honor from doing great achievements, such as dying for one's country. The story of the Iliad is about Akhilleus, a demigod and Greek warrior, and his fight in the Trojan war, along with the struggles between the Greeks and Trojans. The war was actually caused by dishonor when Paris of Troy had run off with Helen Sparta. The ideas of honor and glory play an important role in Homer's The Iliad.

    Read More

  • Family Honor In The Iliad

    276 Words  | 1 Pages

    Honor plays an important role in family relationships. For example, it was very important in

    Read More

  • The Conflict Between Agamemnon And Achilles In The Iliad

    1416 Words  | 3 Pages

    The two leader’s characteristics unfold where it seems as though Agamemnon cares more about power and wants something that was supposed to be given to him whereas Achilles is way more likely to choose honour over anything because at the end of the Iliad Achilles did not take the death of his dear friend Patroclus and he was not happy when his friend passed away and found out who did it. Agamemnon views his honour is greater than any army, but Achilles states “wrapped in shamelessness, with your mind forever on profit” (Homer, Iliad 1.149) proving how Agamemnon seems to always think about himself before others . The only aspect that these two leaders agree on is that honour can be received through women. They believe honour can be received through women because it is a sign of power and status. Agamemnon goes out of his way to ask for Brisesis because the lady that he received in war Chryseis was taken away. Honour was a very important factor for both of these men as they made sure that their one source of honour through a maiden was not

    Read More

More about The Nature of Honour in Virgil and Homer

Open Document