Honor In The Odyssey

One of the founding principles in the Iliad is the Homeric code. The hero’s belief that honor is more important than anything, even death. They strive for this allusive concept of immortality through the deeds they accomplish and the honor that they are able to attach to their name and lineage. It is a theme that helps to carry the story line along and gives a viable reason for his characters to act on certain ways. A Homeric character does not fear death in its entirety; instead he fears the shame of a dishonorable death and not achieving that allusive perfection that they seek to define themselves as.

The Homeric hero lived by strict social and cultural Ideas that would guide throughout his life and his career as a warrior. This position heavily depended on understanding his place in this society defined upon the

In this way, a Homeric hero can achieve what is his ultimate goal, immortality through an honorable “hero’s death.’ Because, society in which the Homeric hero bases his life on values that are primarily in line with war and deeds of astounding strength and athleticism, this means that the heroes actions throughout the poem seek to reiterate that defining goal. Their every action is a reminder of the strict moral and societal guidelines that they find themselves trapped in. Agamemnon, for example, is introduced as a prideful man often controlled by his emotions. In the first book of the Iliad, entitled “the rage of Achilles” we see how when Achilles demands he give up his prize to the war god Apollo to appease his wrath, his immediate response is a negative and defensive reply. Achilles’ demand that the king give up his prize