From the beginning of the epic to the end, what stands out most in the Iliad was the concept of honor held by the Greeks. Honor in the Iliad is not regarded in the way it is in Western society; more honor won by victory and exacting revenge. I will not say that this is the only idea of honor in the Iliad, however prevalent it may be in the play. There seems to be more honor with mortals than with gods. The gods have trouble constantly intervening in the lives of warriors who cleverly take honor from battle, but the brave, fulfilling their vows to destroy enemies seems to be more important than fighting.
The propriety of the Achaeans is brought forth by Nestor, who is the leader of the Achaeans. He says, therefore, that no one hasten to go, until he has first had intercourse with his Trojan wife, and the labor and pain which she suffered for Helen’s sake has been avenged. warriors to continue to fight with Troy. Odysseus, a few lines before, expresses similar sentiments, saying: “Let us still be ashamed if after so long we go to an empty house Stay.” [2] Odysseus believes that rather than receiving honor by going home without defeating the Trojans, only disgrace will come from the untimely end of the war, clearly showing through victory and the revenge of honor. Achilles, who was livid because of Apollo, who had saved Hector and the Trojans from fate, exclaims: “With great glory you rescued me and saved the Trojans.” the Trojans
In conclusion, it will be clear to the reader that, although the Greek concept of honor differs from the modern Western understanding of honor, the basic idea is present. The concept of honor differs primarily in that to act civilly and justly, justice is the main aspect of honorable actions. It is truly a disgrace to the Greeks to inflict a lack of justice on the enemy; at least this is how the Iliad is shown. Western society holds this concept in some form or another, as the concept of dueling is all about retaining honor by killing whoever offends. However, the method of combat is different because fair combat is born, since the Greek warriors are necessary to rob and kill in any way. As a system of honor lacking certain standards of civility and playfulness, Greek warfare must stand out sharply to modern Westerners in its sense of honor and chivalry.
Bibliography
Homer. Ilias Translated by Samuel Butler. 800 BC
[1] Homer. Ilias Translated by Samuel Butler. 800 B.C., BOOK II. [2] Ibid [3] Ibid., lib.