The Lesser Evil

Sarah F. Indangan January 22, 2013
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IV-9 BSE English Professor Jocson

The Lesser Evil

In this paper, evil is measured in terms of “Homeric sins” or how an epic violated Homeric conventions and the goal is to know which of the epics has the less violation of those conventions. The epics Iliad and Odyssey will be compared and contrasted according to the movies by Wolfgang Petersen and Andrei Konchalovsky. Iliad ended in the defeat of Troy, with the epic hero dead but his companions, the Myrmidons, alive. Odyssey, in the other hand ended in triumph, with its epic hero alive but his companions dead. What could be the reason behind their differences? Why can’t both the epics end in triumph? In Iliad, Troy is defeated because Greece is supported by the gods. As Agamemnon had said it in the movie, “the gods support the strong”. Although, Achilles and his Myrmidons desecrated Apollo’s temple and killed his priests, the sun god did not strike Achilles down that is why even Hector was restless after his first encounter with Achilles. Iliad’s epic hero died because of his own Hamartia or tragic flaw, Achilles’ heel was his mortality and it only took the coward and feeble Paris to kill him. The Myrmidons survived the war because of their skills and strength not to mention the favour of the gods. In contrast with the tragic fate of Achilles and the Trojans, Odysseus was triumphant in battle because of his tricks and his experience in war and most of all, Athena’s favour. He was her favourite and she knows him inside out; Odysseus pride and inborn cunningness makes her adore him even more. Athena said that “The gods will not do what man must do for himself”, and so Odysseus did his part in the war but his Hubris or excessive pride placed him in great danger because of proclaiming to the sea that he won the war and will not need the help of the gods when in fact he won the war primarily because of them. Odysseus companions died because of fate although they could endanger their lives because of their own recklessness, disobedience and curiosity. The epic hero in both epics achieves glory and their personal goals for going to war despite defying the gods. Odysseus lures Achilles to fight in the war using glory and immortality which his mother, Thetis approves and urges him to do. In Odysseus’ persuasive words he told Achilles’ that the Trojan will be talked about for generation after generation and indeed it is still being talked and even written about in the present time. Achilles’ beheads a statue of Apollo in a temple at Troy but that did not prevent him from having his prized glory and immortality. Similarly, Odysseus’ boasting at the gods did not stop him from going home and being with his family though it delayed his arrival in Ithaca. Penelope and Telemachus are Odysseus’ motivation for winning the war because he’s just obligated to go into that war his goal would obviously be going home in one piece. Like Achilles, Odysseus reached his goal and achieved glory in war.

Homeric sins in Iliad are the following: The first one is the disrespect of Basileia or proper social order. Achilles’ never submitted to anyone’s command nor fought for another’s cause. He fights the Trojans for his glory and immortality and not for the Greeks which is why he can sulk in his tent because of a prize taken from him while the Greeks are being slaughtered by the Trojans. Another sin is the violation of the convention that Heroes are expected to have sympathy for those who are helpless. Achilles and his Myrmidons ransacks the temple of Apollo, they kills the priests that are serving in it.

Homeric sins in the Odyssey and include Athasthalia or recklessness, Hubris and Theodicy or the justice of the gods. Athasthalia is committed by Odysseus, his men, and also by Penelope’s suitors. Odysseus commits Athasthalia when he leads his men and barges in the cave of the Cyclops and not thought about surveying the land first. Odysseus men commits Athasthalia when they did not take caution when they went up the mountain to find food so in their recklessness they are tricked turned to animals by Circe. Also, they did not heed Odysseus orders and went to the mountain by themselves. Penelope’s suitors in the other hand abused the hospitality of Penelope and stayed there for a very long time harassing their servants and consuming food and other supply more than they should as guests. Odysseus’ hubris is another sin in Odyssey, justified pride is not negative for the Greeks but it should not exceed proper bounds. His excessive pride delayed his arrival in Ithaca because of the wrath of Poseidon. Theodicy is shown when Athena helped Odysseus punish the abusers of Homeric values pertaining to the suitors of Penelope who committed Athasthalia. Athena disguises Odysseus as an old beggar so that only Telemachus would recognize him and gives him wisdom to come up with a plan to get rid of Penelope’s suitors. In addition, those who escape punishment in this life could face it in Hades as it is shown when Odysseus went to talk to the dead prophet Teresias.

So which epic is the lesser evil? Iliad is. Maybe the length and concentration of the epic on the Trojan war made it less susceptible to Homeric sins because there are ethics on war and rulers are on their toes the whole time although loose morals are also seen in Iliad specifically in the inhumane treatment of Achilles to Hector’s dead body. Odyssey still holds more Homeric sins than Iliad with more characters to commit them and different places and situations to tempt the characters to do unbecoming acts and decisions.

References:

homeric ethics. (n.d.). The University of Vermont. Retrieved January 19, 2013, from http://www.uvm.edu/~jbailly/courses/homeric%20ethics.html
Huntsman, E. (2007, October 29). Homer, the age of heroes, and epic. Retrieved from http://hccl.byu.edu/faculty/HuntsmanE/ClCv241eh/Unit 2/23a-Homer.pdf
Konchalovsky, A. (Director). (1997). The Odyssey [Motion picture]. United States of America: Sparrowhawk distribution.
Norman, V. (2003, February). Four conceptions of the heroic. Retrieved from http://www.fellowshipofreason.com/archives/4heroes.htm
Petersen, W. (Director). (2004). Troy [Motion picture]. United States of America: Sparrowhawk distribution.