The Heroes however, live by the martial code, which is a code much different than the mortal civil code shown in the first city on shield; but is still linked to the central plot-line. On the shield we read of the second city—a city under siege. The residents of this city are resilient and ready to fight to protect their city, Homer describes their mentality as “. . . armed for a raid, hoping to break the siege—loving wives and innocent children standing guard on the ramparts, flanked by elders bent with age as men marched out to war” (18.598-602). This is the anthesis of the first city, these people are not on their feet dancing and youthful, but seem rugged and courageously determined to fight off the besiegers for the honor of their peers
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. . grab you, strip the clothing off you, cloak, tunic and rags that wrap your private parts, and whip you howling naked back to the fast ships.” (1.302-08) shows that Odysseus sees himself as someone higher, nobler, and all around better than a lowly disfigured common solider and that he has no say in the decisions made by King Agamemnon. The martial code may have given the heroes power and the ability to achieve honorable statuses but it also governed their lives. This “honor code” according to G. Betcher of Iowa University, exists for heroes to achieve honor because a hero without honor is no hero at all. Furthermore, Betcher explains the requirements necessary the heroes to pass in order to achieve their honor. It is quite different from the civil code as these rules are unwritten and may have variation dependent on a hero to hero basis. Firstly “Honor is gained through engagement in life-threatening activities” (1). It is the courage one shows in the face of adversity, and engaging into adversity that gives one honor
. . grab you, strip the clothing off you, cloak, tunic and rags that wrap your private parts, and whip you howling naked back to the fast ships.” (1.302-08) shows that Odysseus sees himself as someone higher, nobler, and all around better than a lowly disfigured common solider and that he has no say in the decisions made by King Agamemnon. The martial code may have given the heroes power and the ability to achieve honorable statuses but it also governed their lives. This “honor code” according to G. Betcher of Iowa University, exists for heroes to achieve honor because a hero without honor is no hero at all. Furthermore, Betcher explains the requirements necessary the heroes to pass in order to achieve their honor. It is quite different from the civil code as these rules are unwritten and may have variation dependent on a hero to hero basis. Firstly “Honor is gained through engagement in life-threatening activities” (1). It is the courage one shows in the face of adversity, and engaging into adversity that gives one honor