Analysis of Iliad and Odyssey - Essay Example

Literature 25 March Difference between the Projection of Greek Values and Culture in Iliad and Odyssey Introduction Culture and values are two fundamental building blocks of a society that merge together and result in building and providing the people of a particular place their individualism and identity. With reference to this concept in the history of Greek society there is a large variety of values and cultures that writers of various eras have explored and extensively written about in their works such as Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. Dana states that, “Greek society has been described as a collectivist one” (260). In other words Greek history is an amalgamation of vices and goodness, strength and weakness, and betrayals and friendships yet all these aspects of human life amalgamate in a manner that each aspect provides the readers with a variety of moral lessons to be learned. Homer in both of his works applies the same phenomenon and deals with two paradoxical situations and presents the readers with two highly contrasting scenarios although both the works project the some good and bad values and culture of the same Greek society. Homer utilizes the plot, setting, character and their actions as a tool in order to depict two different personal interpretations of the Greek society and its culture and values. 2. Iliad Homer’s epic Iliad is based on the War of Troy. This piece of literature deals with warfare, bloodshed and revenge. The poem depicts a tale of a war that is fought between Greek King Agamemnon and the Trojans. Homer in his depiction of the whole scenario of the war incorporates and explores a variety of aspects of Greek values and culture. These aspects include greed, pride and deception. 2.1. Greed and lust Greed and lust are two of the major seven sins that exist in this world. Consequently the Greek society was also engulfed in these sins and a common practice of these vices was also observed amongst portrayal of various characters in Greek Literature. Homer also assimilates this concept in his poem and presents the adverse and fatalistic affects of practicing such vices through the condition of the Greek troops when Achilles refuses to fight for Agamemnon. The reason behind this was because of Agamemnon’s desire to Briseis who was awarded to Achilles. Hence the greed and desire of Agamemnon leads to Achilles refusal and consequently the Greeks lose a large number of their warriors in the beginning. 2.2. Pride and Arrogance Through Achilles character Homer depicts another vice that was common in Greek Society i.e. Pride. So it can be perceived that the reason for the loss of a large number of The Achaean men and the death of Achilles closest friend Patroclus resulted because of Achilles’ Pride and refusal to fight in the war. Hence through this example Homer illustrates another common vice and tries to make his readers understand the power of destruction that pride and ego holds and the extent of damage and despair it can cause. 2.3. Deception The death of Patroclus can be interpreted in terms that the reason he died was because of deception as Hector mistook him for the great hero Achilles and murdered the hero’s innocent friend. Hence Homer is of the point of view that it is better to stick with truth rather than taking aids from lying or deception because it can have unpleasant consequences. Moreover it also enlightens the readers about another negative aspect of the Greek society. 3. Odyssey The Protagonist of this poem Odysseus is a famous but lost hero from the War of Troy who had been a captive of the nymph Calypso and finally returns to his land after ten years of captivity. Unlike the Iliad in this poem Homer illustrates the positive aspects of Greek culture and values. Some of these aspects include faithfulness and love and good conquers all although he also talks about greed and strength in the poem 3.1. Faithfulness and Love The most prominent example of loyalty and faithfulness in the poem is the relationship of Odysseus and Penelope. Although fate provides both the individuals with temptations and chances to taste the forbidden when adultery was a part of their society yet they restrain themselves from being swept by temptation. Also the premonition of Penelope about the beggar’s true identity i.e. the beggar was her husband can also be interpreted in terms that it was because of her true love for her husband that she was able to identify her husband even in his disguise. 3.2. Good Conquers All Another major aspect that is explored in this poem is that ultimately good will and strength wins every battle. As it is also observed from the competition that is held amongst Penelope’s suitors and Odyssey followed by the murder of the lusting suitors reiterates the fact that in life every individual pays for his sins and in the end goodness wins over all else. 3.3. Greed Although in both Iliad and Odyssey Homer suggests that greed always leads to destruction yet the manner in which he deals with this common vice of the Greek society is different. In Homer he projects greed through the characters of Penelope’s suitors whose greed leads them to their deaths. 4. Religion and Role of Gods In Greek culture religion and their Gods hold a lot of significance and consequently Greek writers give due importance to Gods in their works as also observed in Homer’s case as well. Although in Iliad the partiality of the Gods during the war of Troy illustrates that at times partiality leads to more chaos rather than solving problems. While in Odyssey the Gods play the role of helpers and the navigators who navigate the action of the poem in a manner that leads to the destruction of the evil and victory of the good. 5. Conclusion Hence it is observed that through both his poems Homer highlights various good and bad aspects of Greek culture and values that provide the reader with an insight of the lifestyle that was followed by the Greeks in ancient times. However one similarity between the values of the times gone by and the present is that this world is full of evils and vices but it is highly dependant on an individual to select the right path and lead his life accordingly. Moreover evil has a short life span because every unjust action and deed ultimately meets its end i.e. destruction or death. Reference: Dana, Henry, Richard. Multicultural Assessment: Principles, Applications and Examples. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., 2005. Print. Read More