Examples Of Hubris In The Iliad
The Purging of Hubris In Homer’s epic, The Iliad, every character deals with some form of hubris, whether they are the main character or if they show up for one book. Throughout the epic Homer shows how people are blinded by hubris. Only through a loss of something dear will one purge themselves of hubris. The characters in The Iliad deal with many different forms of pride. Paris deals with a pride that makes him think he’s better than everybody else. This pride comes from both getting his way all the time and the lovely gifts Aphrodite gave him; the very gifts that have brought the two nations to war. When Paris fights with Menelaus, “Aphrodite snatched Paris away,/easy work for a god, wrapped him in swirls of mist/ and set him down in his
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214-219).
Briseis is the one thing Agamemnon can take away from Achilles. Agamemnon has plenty of other slave girls for his pleasure and he can’t give up just one of them. His hubris blinds him of the harm he will cause to his people by sending Achilles into his temper tantrum. Unlike Paris, there is a small chance Agamemnon can rid himself of hubris, but it can only come through the loss of his brother, Menelaus. The immaturity of Achilles is the reason for his pride. He was sent into battle around the age of fifteen and has been the best Argive warrior for several years. He has been looked up to like a god. He is fed up with storming cities and risking his life for Agamemnon for nothing. Since Achilles is so immature, taking Briseis away is like taking a toy away from a little kid. They’ll start pouting until they get their way, even if it means the death of thousands. In this case Achilles knows his mother can sway Zeus against the Argives, so he can bask in glory. His hubris blinds him so much he’s not willing to share any glory with his best friend:
“…Fill his heart with courage—so even Hector
214-219).
Briseis is the one thing Agamemnon can take away from Achilles. Agamemnon has plenty of other slave girls for his pleasure and he can’t give up just one of them. His hubris blinds him of the harm he will cause to his people by sending Achilles into his temper tantrum. Unlike Paris, there is a small chance Agamemnon can rid himself of hubris, but it can only come through the loss of his brother, Menelaus. The immaturity of Achilles is the reason for his pride. He was sent into battle around the age of fifteen and has been the best Argive warrior for several years. He has been looked up to like a god. He is fed up with storming cities and risking his life for Agamemnon for nothing. Since Achilles is so immature, taking Briseis away is like taking a toy away from a little kid. They’ll start pouting until they get their way, even if it means the death of thousands. In this case Achilles knows his mother can sway Zeus against the Argives, so he can bask in glory. His hubris blinds him so much he’s not willing to share any glory with his best friend:
“…Fill his heart with courage—so even Hector