Justice In The Iliad

The beliefs of every civilization is rooted in the people’s ideology. And because of the profound influences of current events, societal structure, and philosophical thinkers, a city’s principles continuously adapt to new ideas. Ancient Greece is no different. Homer’s The Iliad is an ancient Greek epic poem that recounts the Trojan War. It mentions and alludes to many Greek legends while implying common beliefs among citizens of Greece from the early 8th century B.C. Comparatively, Euripedes’ playwright The Women of Troy is a tragedy centered around the horrors of the Trojan War and the subsequent slaughter and subjugation of the Trojan women. Within the text are indicators of Greek convictions from the late 5th century B.C. As revealed through
The archaic form of reciprocal justice was dependent on fair measure and, at its best, punished the aggressor, restored or preserved honor, and maintained social balance. This more primitive idea of justice is demonstrated in Book VI when Menelaus is faced with the task of either killing Adrestos or accepting the enemy’s bribe. However, Menelaus’s respected and ruthless brother, Agamemnon “bent the heart of his brother… [and] urged justice” in the form of killing the warrior. Menelaus, accordingly, forces himself to comply by rejecting the bribe, in fear that he will lose his honor. Adrestos is consequently killed without a trial, exemplifying the crude practice of justice. Justice from the 8th century, however, was not always heartless. When Achilleus slew Eëtion, Achilleus “did not strip his armour, for his heart respected the dead man, but burned the body in all its elaborate war-gear…” Although the death was brutal, Eëtion’s dignity was preserved when Achilleus kept the armour on the corpse, corresponding with the description of reciprocal justice. Similarly, Cassandra’s torches in The Women of Troy symbolizes this ancient form of justice. The prophetess Cassandra tells the audience of her the fate of Agamemnon when she says, “I shall kill him and destroy his house in vengeance for my brothers’ and my father’s death.” Although this
was heavily influenced by mythological deities at the cost of more rational perspectives to life. Throughout Book VI, the gods had the ability to instigate success and failure. When Diomedes first encounters Glaukos, his first priority is to determine whether Glaukos is “one of the immortals [who] come down from the bright sky.” He is vehement about not making an ill-fated decision and fighting the gods. Later, Hektor’s primary mission as he returns to Troy is to prompt worship and sacrifice to Athena in hopes of receiving benefits on the battlefield. The high level of respect had for the gods manifests itself when Hektor refused to pray at the temple because of the “blood and muck all spattered upon him.” Furthermore, the concept of invocation as an effort to procure a preferred fate is observed when the women pray to Athena. Greek civilizations in the 8th century B.C. maintained a profound reliance on the power of the gods and goddesses. Their deities’ ability to determine an individual’s or group’s fate played a crucial role during wartime and brought on a culture that turned to the gods and goddesses for answers as well as benefits. To rationalize life, early ancient Greek societies depended on their deities. Although the deities retained a prominent position in Greece, life in the 5th century began to be rationalized through logic than mythos. The strong presence of the gods and goddesses