Greek Heroes in and out of Hades (Greek Studies: Interdisciplinary Approaches) by Stamatia Dova

Author:Stamatia Dova [Dova, Stamatia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lexington Books
Published: 2012-07-13T03:00:00+00:00

ἐν δὲ ἰῇ τιμῇ ἠμὲν κακὸς ἠδὲ καὶ ἐσθλός.

κάτθαν’ ὁμῶς ὅ τ’ ἀεργὸς ἀνὴρ ὅ τε πολλὰ ἐοργώς.

Il.9.318-20

Equal is the share of the soldier who fights at the frontline and of the one who stays behind; the coward and the brave receive the same honor. The man who has accomplished a lot dies just as the one who has accomplished nothing.

Since Achilles’ presence at Troy is justified only if the social code of cháris is respected, he sees no reason to keep fighting after Agamemnon’s apáte¯; from this point of view, his decision to withdraw from battle is not only a well-calculated move in anticipation of greater honors, but also the indication of a major shift in his perspective. The uninhibited operation of the heroic system of values is the only way to keep Achilles alive by embalming him in kléos aphthiton (“unwilting glory”) after his untimely death in Troy, away from Phthia and the safety of his discarded lot of a long, peaceful life. Achilles’ choice between kléos and nóstos ceases to exist as soon as his kléos depends on Agamemnon’s good will. It is exactly at this point that foreknowledge of death becomes critical, given that Achilles’ kléos and nóstos are mutually exclusive, a prophecy he is well aware of and willing to fulfill at the expense of his life:

εἰ μέν κ’ αὖθι μένων Τρώων πόλιν ἀμφιμάχωμαι,

ὤλετο μέν μοι νόστος, ἀτὰρ κλέος ἄφθιτον ἔσται·

Il.9.412-13

If yet again I stay here to fight around the city of the Trojans, I will lose my homecoming but gain unwilting glory.

Once the valued war prize is taken away and cháris is replaced by apáte¯, Achilles loses any hope for kléos and begins to question everything around him. We must remember that Achilles is not in Troy for pillage, although he appreciates his share of spoils of war; he enjoys his war prize for the cháris it brings, literally, in the case of Briseis,179 and metaphorically in any prize that he receives. Agamemnon bestows and withdraws this cháris as he pleases; by doing so he causes Achilles’ heroic world to collapse.180 Agamemnon’s apáte¯ has deeper implications than he could ever imagine: the deceitfully suspended awarding of Briseis traumatizes Achilles by annihilating his ambition for a glorious and meaningful death. Achilles tries to explain to the Embassy that denying him the material token of recognition, the war prize, amounts to no recognition at all (9.316-22). Does he suddenly realize, after ten years of intense fighting, that loss of life is beyond restitution (9.401-9)? Is he thrown into a revisionist frenzy, re-evaluating all of his actions from a victim’s point of view? I would argue that the Embassy scene serves as the ultimate eye-opener for Achilles, who sees clearly now that he has become victim of apáte¯; Agamemnon, severely hard-pressed, wants to buy him out—his offer is not an expression of repentance or cháris. With his cháris shamefully removed along with his war prize, Achilles realizes that he never really received any cháris. He is openly

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.