For the Greek people, most of their lives centered around honor. In the text from both Homer and Hesiod, the importance of honor is subtle and effectively shown. To the Greek people, the idea of having honor in social, economic, and political mean that they could pass on to future generations meant everything.
Social honor among men, women, and with the gods could all be different things in terms of what actions needed to be taken to be considered honorees, however, being honorable was still preferred for everyday life. The amount of honor a person had could affect their status economically and politically. When Demeter comes down dressed as an old woman and the girls find her they repeatedly say that they’ll point her in the direction of …show more content…
For a man honor, could mean anything from fighting in wars to owning land. One of the noticeable ways honor amongst men was shown was by outright saying it, for example, on page 12 of the Iliad it states, “Prince Achilles, whom Zeus delights with honor.” It was a big deal for men to have and gain honor but just as important for them to keep it. The effect of being considered honorable can be seen on page 14 of the Iliad, as soon as Achilles says he’s going home Agamemnon declares, “I have others in plenty who will honor me, first and foremost Zeus all wise.” Honor was considered over military experience which is stated by Athena page 00 of the Iliad. The man with the most honor and the most ships would be the one to be named king of the army (Fuhrmann …show more content…
The man with the most honor usually was king and had the most ships. When an army successfully captured a city, they would gather all valuables and the king would receive a prize this is referenced in the Iliad on page 13. Economic honor was important because it meant you had a change to be favored by the people and by the Gods. One thing that could benefit a person both social and economic honor was being in an army. These men would get compensation for doing a good job however the king was usually the one that decided how the valuables would be distributed (Iliad 13). The king of course was considered the most honorable person so he got the best prize (Iliad 14).
At this time not having the money system we know of today things like prizes meant a lot to them and taking a prize away insulted one’s honor (Iliad 14). These prizes added to a person’s economic fortune which to Greeks meant they were leaders it did not matter if a person had a divine parent or not the person with the most was the ruler (Iliad 16). Property is also a factor when it comes to honorable economic influence. Telemachos makes a point to remind men of this when he tells them to leave his house (Odyssey 20). The idea of having and keeping one’s property was honored with respect by others (Odyssey 20) but people were always on the lookout for gaining more. For the most part people followed others who were deemed honorable and had wealth. Kings being
Social honor among men, women, and with the gods could all be different things in terms of what actions needed to be taken to be considered honorees, however, being honorable was still preferred for everyday life. The amount of honor a person had could affect their status economically and politically. When Demeter comes down dressed as an old woman and the girls find her they repeatedly say that they’ll point her in the direction of …show more content…
For a man honor, could mean anything from fighting in wars to owning land. One of the noticeable ways honor amongst men was shown was by outright saying it, for example, on page 12 of the Iliad it states, “Prince Achilles, whom Zeus delights with honor.” It was a big deal for men to have and gain honor but just as important for them to keep it. The effect of being considered honorable can be seen on page 14 of the Iliad, as soon as Achilles says he’s going home Agamemnon declares, “I have others in plenty who will honor me, first and foremost Zeus all wise.” Honor was considered over military experience which is stated by Athena page 00 of the Iliad. The man with the most honor and the most ships would be the one to be named king of the army (Fuhrmann …show more content…
The man with the most honor usually was king and had the most ships. When an army successfully captured a city, they would gather all valuables and the king would receive a prize this is referenced in the Iliad on page 13. Economic honor was important because it meant you had a change to be favored by the people and by the Gods. One thing that could benefit a person both social and economic honor was being in an army. These men would get compensation for doing a good job however the king was usually the one that decided how the valuables would be distributed (Iliad 13). The king of course was considered the most honorable person so he got the best prize (Iliad 14).
At this time not having the money system we know of today things like prizes meant a lot to them and taking a prize away insulted one’s honor (Iliad 14). These prizes added to a person’s economic fortune which to Greeks meant they were leaders it did not matter if a person had a divine parent or not the person with the most was the ruler (Iliad 16). Property is also a factor when it comes to honorable economic influence. Telemachos makes a point to remind men of this when he tells them to leave his house (Odyssey 20). The idea of having and keeping one’s property was honored with respect by others (Odyssey 20) but people were always on the lookout for gaining more. For the most part people followed others who were deemed honorable and had wealth. Kings being