A modern definition of hubris is extreme pride and very high self-confidence, but in Greek society hubris meant violent and excessive behavior not an attitude. Though high confidence was a common trait, when your confidence affects your actions in a horrible way. A person accused of hubris will most likely be punished. You can be punished with death, banishment to the Underworld, or any other horrible tasks that seem fit. A lot of examples of hubris are found in literature such as the Bible or any other fiction work. An example of hubris in the Bible is when God casts Lucifer down to Hell because of Lucifer getting over confident and trying to overtake God and Heaven. The first example of hubris in mythology is the story of Narcissus. One day Narcissus was walking in the woods when Echo, a nymph, saw him, fell in love, and followed him. Narcissus turned Echo down, but Nemesis, the goddess of revenge, heard of the story and wanted to punish him. Nemesis lured Narcissus to a pool where he saw his own reflection, and he eventually fell in love with it. After looking at himself for a long time, Narcissus died due to his pride and lust for his image. Another myth about hubris is Achilles death. During the Trojan War, Achilles was a very fierce warrior which made him very confident about his …show more content…
A recent display of hubris was the controversial Alex Rodriguez and his doping scandal. Alex Rodriguez was a great baseball player, hall of fame worthy, but he got caught doing something should not have done. Alex’s pride blocked him from thinking that he would be caught, but he was wrong. He tested positive for a banned substance by the MLB, and received a major punished from the higher ups in the Major League Baseball Organization. Commissioner Bud Selig of the MLB suspended Rodriguez 162 games, and still to this day Alex denies all claims even though there is irrefutable
In the Epic Novella, The Odyssey, by Homer, both heroic and unheroic character traits of the main character Odysseus are found. On the journey of return to his homeland, Ithaca, him and his men are challenged by various obstacles. His journey shows multiple examples of heroic and unheroic character traits of himself. He was known as a great warrior for being intelligent and quick-witted; although he was selfish and arrogant.
Most Athletes Do Drugs, But Who Really Cares Athletes using performance enhancing drugs have always been in the media. When a beloved athlete is caught using drugs the media tears them apart. Any one’s favorite athlete could become nothing to them after a drug test. The articles “Cheating and CHEATING” by Joe Posnasnski and “We, the Public, Place the Best Athletes on Pedestals” by William Moller, show two sides of the effects of media as well as fame for athletes. As mentioned, “Cheating and CHEATING” by Posnanski gives its own side to the effects of media.
For the fans, the juiced era was exhilarating, but for the game of baseball it was horrifically dark. This era tarnished the name of the great game that was one time formed around the honesty and character of it’s players. Steroid users harmed not only their own careers and chances of joining the brotherhood of the HOF, but the careers and chances of numerous other players who strived to obtain their own ticket to join the prestigious group. The juiced era was ten years of broken records and padded stats. Names like Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa,and Mark McGwire, went from HOF bound to disgraces to the name of baseball.
John Ruskin once said, “The first test of truly great man is his humility”. In The Odyssey, an epic poem by Homer, the central character Odysseus learns humility through his failures and growth in obedience making him a hero. Odysseus reaches a heroic status through the lessons learned on his journey, which ultimately taught him the value of obedience and the dangers of arrogance. Initially, Odysseus appears to lack the heroic quality of humility, through his narcissistic nature.
In baseball today, the common solution to deal with steroid use is to hand out suspensions. As discussed before, in the Biogenesis scandal some of the big named baseball players were handed suspensions that could have been detrimental to their organizations. As the suspensions were handed out, some of the players had already faced the speculation of being connected to steroids. Alex Rodriguez in baseball today has been a common face with the discussion of steroids due to his big home runs and RBI stats. It has been proven that Alex Rodriguez has abused steroids yet he has continue used them.
The Odyssey by Homer is an exemplary story that teaches life lessons to those going on a journey for themselves. It illustrates how the challenges and obstacles one may face can help someone become a better leader. The Odyssey highlights one man, Odysseus, a man filled with excessive pride, experiencing the wrath of the god Poseidon. He expects to arrive at his home, Ithaca, safely to reunite with his wife, Penelope, but unfortunately faces many temptations and setbacks. Due to the challenges he faces, it prevents him from arriving home as early as he thought he would.
Once humbled when Oedipus was king, Creon became the king and hubris became his fatal flaw. Throughout Creon’s reign, he constantly ignored others and put himself first. Creon shows an example of Hubris when he doesn’t listen to Antigone’s argument by saying, “Go join them, then; if you must have your love, Find it in hell!” (211). This came after Antigone pleaded that all bodies deserve to be honored and buried.
In Homer’s, The Odyssey, the traits of an ideal Greek man is described many times over. Often times, Homer indirectly illustrates these characteristics through the qualities of men who do not appear to be ideal. Zeus relates the traits of an unideal man: “Greed and folly . . . stole his wife and killed the soldier on his homecoming day”(2). Zeus’s description of Agisthos, the man who had an affair with a king’s wife and killed him after he returned from the Trojan war, chastises this behavior, he indirectly teaches men the characteristics of a quintessential man.
In the past prideful rulers have caused more destruction and downfall than anything. Having pride may be good, but having to much can be the downfall of man. In the play Antigone, King Creon being overyly prideful ultimately leads to the death of himself emotionally. Creon shows a couple of occasions when he has way to much pride; when Antigone and he sister are condemned to death for trying to give burial rights to their brother, but Creon has them arrested and does not care even though he is related to them.
Have you ever felt tempted to cheat on your homework or on a test? Have you been prideful of what your status or accomplishments? In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, the brave hero Odysseus encountered these obstacles of temptations and pride that people today still face. Therefore, temptation and pride were Odysseus’ greatest enemy throughout his journey back to Ithaca, as they distracted him on his voyage, prevented him from getting home, and displeased the gods.
Hubris is one of the many themes that were brought up in the Iliad. Its definition is extreme pride and arrogance shown by a person that will bring downfall to that person or to others. The first time this theme is brought up is when Helen leaves with Paris. Agamemnon uses Helen as an excuse to rile up all the Greek kings. Agamemnon knew that if they beat Troy, then he would control a major passage of trade which would make him the undisputed ruler of all of Greece.
When a person goes through a trial, he or she faces a challenge and their characters are revealed through their actions as they try to overcome it. In the movie, The Odyssey, the Greek hero Odysseus, king of Ithaca, leaves his queen Penelope on the island and goes off to battle in the Trojan War. Victorious after fighting in ten years of war, Odysseus announces that he conquered Troy alone, without the help of the gods. His hubris angers Poseidon, the god of the sea, who decides to punish him by making his return to Ithaca nearly impossible. This punishment brings forth many trials for Odysseus and his wife, Penelope.
Hubris means death from excessive pride. An example of hubris that is used in Odyssey is when Odysseus returns back home from his voyage and he unites with his son to plot to kill all the suitors. One of the main suitors that were killed was Antinous. “Odysseus/ Took dead aim at Antinous’ throat and shot,/ And the arrow punched all the way through/The soft neck tissue. Antinous fell to one side” (Lombardo 336).
Ironically, Zeus is said to punish liars, while he is the most deceptive god in Greece. Zeus was known for his numerous affairs and mistresses, and the problem was so pervasive that Greek women used to worry that their baby was Zeus’s. The most devious trick Zeus played was on Alcmene. He came to her as her husband and slept with her, all the while making her think she was loyal to her husband. This trick bore Hercules, but not all of Zeus’s romantic trips were so clever.
Greek mythology can be viewed as a mirror to the ancient Greek civilization. Ancient Greek myths and legends often reflected how the Greeks saw themselves. Myths were used by Greeks to make justifications of every existing aspect of earth as well as their own society. In myths, Greek gods & heroes often represented key aspects of the human civilization. From Greek mythology, we can learn about the favorable characteristics of humans, such as their behavior and valuable skills that were approved of by the ancient Greek society.