Aristos: being the best, in any situation
Arete: merit,respect of one's peers; booty (treasure,
the spoils of war) is its symbol
Aristeia: exploits which gain for the warrior the prestige
of having comrades who
consider him meritorious (arete)
Kleos:the
desire for glory, fame; kill or be killed in battle; become the
subject of songs
Under the heroic code, it's not what you think of yourself but what
others think of you.
The heroic code does not admit choice; it is inflexible.
Does Achilles choose or is he guided by his society's code?
Does Achilles do what he does because of what "people might
think"?(Martin)
Sin versus Shame Cultures
Shame cultures -- attribute human
imperfection to external causes, such as failing to make proper
sacrifices or offending a god.
The Greek word, ate: the situation to which the notion of ate is a response arose not merely
from the impulsiveness of Homeric man, but from the tension between individual
impulse and the pressure of social conformity characteristic of a shame culture.
In such a society, anything which exposes a man to the contempt or ridicule
of his fellows, causing him to "lose face," is felt as unbearable. This perhaps
explains the idea of divine intervention.
Guilt cultures -- man considers himself to be responsible for his own
behavior. The Hebrews had a guilt culture.
Does Achilles feel guilt (sin) or shame for Patroclus's
death?
Martin, Thomas. Ancient Greece: From Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times. New Haven: Yale UP,1996.
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