Morality In The Iliad

The Ancient Greek era was a time of great development, in fact, it is often referred to as the birthplace of western civilization. During this period there were many advancements as the Ancient Greek people began to explore topics such as philosophy, science, art, theatre and more. From Socrates and Plato to Herodotus and Euripides, the Greeks did great things that furthered thinking about life, the universe and beyond. Another major advancement was with regard to literature, with the first appearance of Homer’s iconic works. The Iliad and the Odyssey changed many things in Ancient Greek culture as it was a large source of inspiration for people at the time. Homer’s two tales of heroes, gods and monsters especially inspired the Greeks concerning …show more content…
The Iliad and Odyssey told powerful moral stories through the characters who faced difficult situations, and it is this that translated valuable lessons to the reader. Two characters in particular that showed great morality, despite being enemies, towards the end of the Iliad were Achilles and King Priam. After the fight, King Priam of Troy made a deal with his enemy for the return Hector’s body (Strauss.2). Not only that, but the entire interaction was one of humility, particularly for the King, as he did something very unexpected; he kissed Achilles’ hand (Manguel.7). King Priam’s actions and Achilles’ kind reaction displayed morality because despite being opposing forces Achilles showed respect for his enemy and his mercy was his morality in this scenario. As for King Priam, he sacrificed his ego in order to do the right thing for his son, which is truly honourable. Additionally, moral righteousness came from Penelope, the wife of Odysseus,who demonstrated the value of loyalty. Before Odysseus left for war, he had made his wife promise to re-marry if he had not returned after ten years. While that it a long time to remain alone, she was true to her word, despite the many rich suitors who proposed, she awaited his return (Bradford.16).While she displayed loyalty to Odysseus, he showed loyalty to her and his home as he tried endlessly to return. The perseverance on both of their parts paid off in the end as Athena placed a lasting peace on their homeland, Ithaca (Bradford.23). Moreover, Achilles is one of the main heroes of the Iliad, and naturally his moral story changed as he learned more about himself and the world through his journey in the epics. At the beginning of his story Achilles is offered a choice from his mother, the goddess Thetis; either live a long, happy life but be unknown or live a short life to be remembered as a hero forever and as