Early Greek Legacy - Essay Example

Hesiod’s Work and Days are all about the life of the peasant class and through this 800 lines epic poem, he has tried to instill the concept of hard work as the most worthy way of life which allows people to contribute towards a better life and which is appropriately rewarded by everyone including Gods. According to this, idleness is frowned upon by the Gods because it not only takes one towards evil deeds but it also tries to live off other people’s hard work. The poem is moralistic or didactic and extols hard work and honest living as the ideal way of living. “But in front of excellence the immortal gods have put sweat, and long and steep is the way to it, and rough at first. But when you come to the top, then it is easy, even though it is hard.” (line 287).

Hesiod through his works has conceived an ideal person as the one who works hard and is generous. He is also honest and believes in justice. According to him, people who work hard are rewarded by flourishing and becoming prosperous. They also earn the goodwill and friendship of good people who rejoice in each other's success. They are truly happy and live peacefully. On the other hand, people who do not work hard but try to follow a path of deceit, violence, and disloyalty are rightly rewarded with a life of poverty and untold misery because the Gods always see and make sure that all that is unjust is duly punished.
Hesiod has been quite specific about the justice that is always meted out by the Gods who are immortal and omnipotent. The poem lays down a whole precept of a good moral life and clearly states the degenerating values which may tempt and entice the weak to commit an immoral act that leads to fitting retribution.
Homer, on the other hand, has represented the rich and the nobility. His most famous works, Odyssey and Iliad, are characterized by the theme of revenge and violent encounters which probably bespoke of the time. Personal glory and honor were major factors that defined the course of action of the nobility.
In Homer’s work, the concept of an ideal person was different from that of Hesiod, in the sense that the social backdrop necessitated certain changes in their life and ideologies. The nobility espoused courage and honesty as commendable human traits and intrinsically believed in dispersing justice to the people. Homer portrayed Gods as a deceiver with human traits like anger, greed, revenge, and currying favors to their favorite persons, and “it is the nature of mortal life, why any human being would, if offered the chance to be a god, still choose to be mortal” (Homer).

Homer’s poems lacked characters that depicted common people. But the protagonists of his epic were full of character and integrity. The people and soldiers were loyal and committed, not only towards the kings and superiors but also towards each other depicting a consensus towards a life that was characterized by mutual respect and bonhomie.
Homer’s characters believed in taking revenge and meting out justice by themselves. Odyssey and Iliad both started as a saga of revenge which resulted in violence and the death of an untold number of soldiers. His characters are often depicted to have the weaknesses of a common man who could be enticed by a beautiful face. All through the epic, women have remained the main cause of battle and revenge. The role of Gods, in Homer’s epics, has been that of providing people with special powers and their support in the battle fought for revenge and honor.

Were the Greek gods "real" to the Greeks (i.e., did the Greeks believe in them)?
Greek mythology abounds with the depiction of Gods in the day-to-day lives of the people. In Greek literature, the Gods played vital roles in the stories. Theogony by Hesiod is the mythological narration of the origin of the universe and the Gods. Hesiod, through his works, has proclaimed Gods as the ultimate immortal judge of human actions who oversees all their actions and delivers appropriate justice for good and bad behavior. "Theogony was a very important work for the ancient Hellenes because it served them as the touchstone which would enable them to check which of the various beliefs about gods were reliable” (internet).
The Greeks have several Gods each signifying certain art of nature or character like the God of the sea, wind, love, fire, etc., and offending them is tantamount to calling their wrath on themselves. In Work and Days, Hesiod tells about getting his inspiration for writing from the appearance of Muses who inspires him. In Odyssey, Homer’s characters invoke the assistance of Gods to help them in their hour of need. Athena, daughter of the Kings of Gods, Zeus, often helps Odysseus when he is in difficult situations. Poseidon, the God of the sea, obstructs Odysseus' journey by calling storms when he kills his son.
Since mythology reflects the socio-cultural life of the people, one can conclude that Gods are real entities for the Greeks who worship them regularly to keep them pacified and in good favor so that they can avail their blessings in their hour of need. Read More