Competition is a normal element of life, and it can be depicted in a multitude of various situations. For example, different species of animals competing for food in order survive, companies competing to gain more consumers and profit, or just two sports teams competing for victory to bring home the glory. As illustrated in these examples, competition is a natural characteristic of human nature, as humans tend to compete for they want to gain overall satisfaction and triumph above others. In, addition, competition also raises social status and brings honor to one that is successful of winning in that said competition. This theme of competition is heavily emphasized in the ancient Greek literature like Homer’s Iliad, and Sophocles’ Ajax. This
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When thinking of men competing over women as if they were an object, this idea today seems misogynistic and petty to many people. On the contrary, the men of the Iliad, like Agamemnon in particular, did not think this way and took the idea of capturing women as prizes during war very seriously. To these men, this did not apply to them and it meant receiving kleos, or glory, as a token of success and victory and part of their eternal legacy. Although in the epic poem, Agamemnon was forced to given his war prize, who happened to be the daughter of a priest of Apollo, because as a result the god brought a plague among the Achaean army as punishment. This is depicted in lines 11 to 19, “Apollo…offended by the warlord. Agamemnon had dishonored Chryses, Apollo’s priest, so the god struck the …show more content…
The cause of this is Ajax being disappointed and livid over the fact that Odysseus was given the honor of receiving Achilles’ armor. This is narrated in lines 486 to 501, “But the Atreidai seized the prize instead, and gave it away to schemer, a man of all minds. They scorned my mastery!...daughter of Zeus caught me as I brought my right hand down on them, and drove me to madness. I bloodied my hands on cattle. They escaped…they exult in their triumph, laughing at me…” (Sophocles 42-43). Ajax is frustrated that he is not considered the best when he does not receive Achilles’ armor, which relates to the sense of competition over who truly deserves the armor. Because of this, Ajax feels that he has been dishonored and betrayed, stripping him of his
When thinking of men competing over women as if they were an object, this idea today seems misogynistic and petty to many people. On the contrary, the men of the Iliad, like Agamemnon in particular, did not think this way and took the idea of capturing women as prizes during war very seriously. To these men, this did not apply to them and it meant receiving kleos, or glory, as a token of success and victory and part of their eternal legacy. Although in the epic poem, Agamemnon was forced to given his war prize, who happened to be the daughter of a priest of Apollo, because as a result the god brought a plague among the Achaean army as punishment. This is depicted in lines 11 to 19, “Apollo…offended by the warlord. Agamemnon had dishonored Chryses, Apollo’s priest, so the god struck the …show more content…
The cause of this is Ajax being disappointed and livid over the fact that Odysseus was given the honor of receiving Achilles’ armor. This is narrated in lines 486 to 501, “But the Atreidai seized the prize instead, and gave it away to schemer, a man of all minds. They scorned my mastery!...daughter of Zeus caught me as I brought my right hand down on them, and drove me to madness. I bloodied my hands on cattle. They escaped…they exult in their triumph, laughing at me…” (Sophocles 42-43). Ajax is frustrated that he is not considered the best when he does not receive Achilles’ armor, which relates to the sense of competition over who truly deserves the armor. Because of this, Ajax feels that he has been dishonored and betrayed, stripping him of his