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Who got the greater arete, Odysseus or Achilles

analysis of Iliad and Odyssey
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CertHE

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Academic year: 2018/2019
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Before evaluating whether Akhilleus or Odysseus possesses the highest form of

excellence necessary for personal fulfilment, one needs to establish the connotations of

the Greek noun.

Due to the limited scope of the essay, textual analysis will be restricted to select

examples of Homer’s Iliad 1 and Odyssey 2 , excluding the divine sphere. Akhilleus’

persona, as shown in The Iliad, will be compared to that of Odysseus, as displayed both

in The Iliad and The Odyssey. From the information gained it will be argued that Odysseus

surpasses Akhilleus’ excellence.

The term ἀρετή 3 , first employed in The Iliad , is defined as ‘(competitive) physical

excellence’ or ‘technical skilfulness’ within a person’s social frame of reference.

In the highly stratified society of The Iliad , the conduct of its elite is governed by a set of

strict rules. Any nobleman possessing ‘ἀρετή’ is portrayed as an accomplished warrior,

whose life is dictated by achieving κλεοϛ (Segal p. 24-25). Akhilleus’ corporeal dexterity

is underscored by (cf. Dunkle) formulaic epithets (e. ‘κύδιστος/δῖος’ Iliad 1,122;1, 140;

‘φιλοκτέανος’ Iliad 1, 122), with a particular emphasis on his speed (e. ’ποδάρκης’ Iliad

1, 121 ; 9, 599; 22, 22-24).

Although Akhilleus is known as ‘ἄριστον Ἀχαιῶν ’ (e. Iliad 1, 244; 1, 412), who

has been taught to be ‘μύθων τε ῥητῆρ ̓ ἔμεναι πρηκτῆρά τε ἔργων’ (e. Iliad 9, 443) he

violates most conventions of his society. His code of honour ( Iliad 1, 146

‘ἠὲ σὺ Πηλεΐδη πάντων ἐκπαγλότατ ̓ ἀνδρῶν ̓) rests upon prowess in martial combat,

1 Greek and English editions catalog.perseus/catalog/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012 (last accessed October 19) 2 Greek and English editions perseus.tufts/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999. (last accessed October 19) 3 cf%3D*a%3Aentry+group%3D300%3Aentry%3Da%29reth%2F) (last accessed October 19)perseus.tufts)/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04%3Aalphabetic+lett

which generally results in barbaric cruelty (Esposito p. 59-60). Throughout The Iliad ,

Akhilleus transgresses the limits inherent in social and sacred orders.

He is depicted as eloquent in his confrontation of Agamemnon (e. Iliad 1, 225-

243), as healer ( Iliad 11, 831) and as lover of music ( Iliad 9, 185-191), although his

cruelty remains omnipresent. (cf. Legaspi p. 26)

After Patroclus’ death, Akhilleus returns to battle to kill Hector in a most

atrocious fashion. His compassion with Priam is only temporary. ( Iliad 24, 518-551; 24,

560-571)

In The Iliad , Odysseus demonstrates ἀρετή in resolving personal crises, showing

exceptional brilliance in reconciling Akhilleus and Agamemnon (e. Iliad 19, 215). His

‘ ἀρετή ’ is focused on intellectual qualifications (e. Odyssey 4, 97-99), because his major

goal is a safe return home despite overwhelming odds. ( Odyssey 1, 4-5)

Contrary to Akhilleus, he never questions the heroic code by preferring long life

to glorious death. He is praised for his single-minded determination to return to Ithaca

( Odyssey 5 , 215-225), as he refuses Calypso’s offer of immortality (Legaspi p. 34) and

Circe’s magic potions ( Odyssey 12).

He is an accomplished orator (e. Odyssey 1, 145; 1, 247 – 249; 1, 244; 9, 255-

  1. as is impressively shown in his Phaeacian tales but does not lack the physical stamina

of The Iliad (cf. Iliad 2, 272-274; 23, 670–671), when challenged in athletic competitions.

Odysseus' most ingenuous ruse is the Trojan Horse ( Odyssey 8, 492; 8, 510-515).

Considered ‘Διὶ μῆτιν ἀτάλαντον’ ( Iliad 10, 137), Odysseus’ prowess as master of wiles

is mirrored in the epithets attached to his name, most of which include the ‘poly’ prefix.

(e. πολύτροπον Odyssey 1,1; πολύμητις Odyssey 1, 311; πολυμήχανος Iliad 2, 173)

Despite Odysseus’ vices, the responsibility for the loss of his companions on the

Cyclopes’ island is exclusively attributed to Polyphemus. The companions ( Odyssey 1,

6-9) as well as the suitors are portrayed as guilty of hybris. In maiming the suitors

Bibliography

Bakker, E. (1993) ‘Discourse and Performance: Involvement, Visualization and ‘Presence’ in Homeric Poetry.’ Classical Antiquity 12 (1), pp-29. Brelinski, T. (1994) Narrative Patterns in the Odyssey: Repetition and the Creation of Meaning. Washington. Burton, D. (2016) Immortal Achilles, Greece & Rome 63(1), pp–28. Cairns, D. (1993) Aidôs: The Psychology and Ethics of Honour and Shame in Ancient Greek Literature. Oxford. Clarke, M. (1995) ‘Between Lions and Men: Images of the Hero in The Iliad’, Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies 36 (2), pp-160. Claus, D. (1975) ‘Aidôs in the Language of Achilles.’ Transactions of the American Philological Association 105, pp-28. Curtis, L. (2011) Getting lost: The Search for the archetypal Wanderer in litera ture. Pacifica Graduate Institute. Daly, A.(2013) A study of tears in the Odyssey , University of North Carolina. Dalby, A. (1995) ‘The Iliad, the Odyssey and Their Audiences’, The Classical Quarterly 45(2), pp-27. Dava, St. (2001) Heroic Choices in Archaic and Classical Greek Literature. Harvard. Dobe, J. (2014) ‘Mortal Leadership in Homer's Odyssey’, Public Integrity 8(3), pp- 231. Dunkel, R. (1997) ‘Swift-Footed Achilles’, The Classical World 9 (4), pp-234. Esposito, J. (2015) Hetaireia in Homer. Ann Arbor. Finkelberg, M. (1995) ‘Odysseus and the Genus “Hero” ‘, Greece & Rome 42 (1), pp. 1-14. Frenken, P. (2007) Homeric Consistency: Divine Justice and Character Development. Dalhousie University. Friedrich, P. and Redfield, J. (1978) ‘Speech as a Personality Symbol: The Case of Achilles.’, Language 54 (2) pp. 263-88. Griffin, J. (1986) ‘Words and Speakers in Homer, Journal of Hellenic Studies 106, pp. 36-57. Hawhee, D. (2002) ‘Agonism and “ἀρετή” ‘, Philosophy & Rhetoric 35 (3), pp. 185- 207. Hammer, D. (1997) ‘Achilles as Vagabond: The Culture of Autonomy in the Iliad.’ Classical World 90 (5), pp. 341-366. Held, G. (1987) ‘Phoinix, Agamemnon and Achilleus: Parables and Paradeigmata’, The Classical Quarterly 37 (2), pp. 245-261.

Heverly, G. (1984) Neglected Warnings In The Iliad: A Study In Characterization , Pennsylvania State University. Holway, R. (1989) Poetry and political thought in Archaic Greece: The “Iliad”, the “Theogony”, and the rise of the polis , Berkeley. Hopman, M. (2012) ‘Narrative and Rhetoric in Odysseus' Tales to the Phaeacians’, American Journal of Philology 133 (1). Horner, A. (1975) Ancient values: ’ἀρετή’ and Virtus. University of Virginia. Kershaw, S. (2007) A brief guide to The Greek Myths. London. Lateiner, D. (2004) The Iliad: an unpredictable classic, The Cambridge Companion to Homer pp-20. Legaspi, M. (2018) Homer and the Wisdom of the Hero, Wisdom in Classical and Biblical Tradition pp-31. Martin, R. (1989) The Language of Heroes: Speech and Performance in the Iliad. Ithaca: Cornell UP. Prior, W. (2016) Virtue and Knowledge: An Introduction to Ancient Greek Ethics, Routledge. Post, D. (2014) Anteros: On Friendship Between Rivals and Rivalry Between Frien ds Columbia. Respess, S. (2017) Teaching Excellence: The Use Of Heroes In Moral Education. Old Dominion University. Scanlan, T. (2018) Class tensions in the games of Homer: Epeius, Euryalus, Odysseus, And Iros, Bulletin Of The Institute Of Classical Studies 61 (1), pp 5-20. Segal, C. (1983) ‘Kleos and its Ironies in the Odyssey. L'antiquité classique 52, pp- 47. Smith, A. (2014) Homeric Constructions: The Reception of Homeric Authority. Columbia. Smith, T. (2000) ‘The Audience of the Nicomachean Ethics’, The Journal of Politics 62, (1), pp-186. Wallach, J. (2011) ‘Demokratia And “ἀρετή” In Ancient Greek Political Thought’, Polis 28 (2). Warnick, B. (2006) ‘Review: Achilles and Hector: The Homeric Hero.’ Journal of Aesthetic Education 40 (3), pp-19. Warwick, C. (2018) For Those Yet to Come: Gender and Kleos in the Iliad. UCLA West, M. (2003) 'Iliad and Aethiopis', Classical Quarterly 53, pp-14. Witherspoon McCrary, W. (2017) Homeric Subjects: Psychoanalysis and the Iliad , Ann Arbor.

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Who got the greater arete, Odysseus or Achilles

Module: CertHE

5 Documents
Students shared 5 documents in this course

University: University of Oxford

Was this document helpful?
Which hero has the greatest arete – Akhilleus or Odysseus?
1
Before evaluating whether Akhilleus or Odysseus possesses the highest form of
excellence necessary for personal fulfilment, one needs to establish the connotations of
the Greek noun.
Due to the limited scope of the essay, textual analysis will be restricted to select
examples of Homer’s Iliad 1 and Odyssey 2,excluding the divine sphere. Akhilleus’
persona, as shown in The Iliad, will be compared to that of Odysseus, as displayed both
in The Iliad and The Odyssey. From the information gained it will be argued that Odysseus
surpasses Akhilleus’ excellence.
The term ἀρετή 3, first employed in The Iliad, is defined as ‘(competitive) physical
excellence’ or ‘technical skilfulness’ within a person’s social frame of reference.
In the highly stratified society of The Iliad, the conduct of its elite is governed by a set of
strict rules. Any nobleman possessing ‘ἀρετή’ is portrayed as an accomplished warrior,
whose life is dictated by achieving κλεοϛ (Segal p. 24-25). Akhilleus’ corporeal dexterity
is underscored by (cf. Dunkle) formulaic epithets (e.g. ‘κύδιστος/δῖος’ Iliad 1,122;1, 140;
‘φιλοκτέανος’ Iliad 1, 122), with a particular emphasis on his speed (e.g. ’ποδάρκης’ Iliad
1, 121; 9, 599; 22, 22-24).
Although Akhilleus is known as ‘ἄριστον Ἀχαιῶν’ (e.g. Iliad 1, 244; 1, 412), who
has been taught to be ‘μύθων τε ῥητῆρ᾽ ἔμεναι πρηκτῆρά τε ἔργων’ (e.g. Iliad 9, 443) he
violates most conventions of his society. His code of honour (Iliad 1, 146
‘ἠὲ σὺ Πηλεΐδη πάντων ἐκπαγλότατ᾽ ἀνδρῶν᾽) rests upon prowess in martial combat,
1Greek and English editions https://catalog.perseus.org/catalog/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg001 (last
accessed October 19)
2 Greek and English editions https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0135
(last accessed October 19)
3
cf.http://www.perseus.tufts.edu)/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aalphabetic+lett
er%3D*a%3Aentry+group%3D300%3Aentry%3Da%29reth%2F) (last accessed October 19)

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