III.1. Crying in the Heroic Space of the Iliad Then we should be right in doing away with the lamentations of men of note and in attributing them to women and not to the most worthy of them either, and to inferior men, in that… Read more
III.2. Tears in a Different World: The Odyssey The “world of Odysseus” presents us with the disorder in Ithaca, a kingdom without a king, ruled in the interim by a woman, and the strange universe of the journey where “from the Lotus-eaters to Calypso, passing by way… Read more
III.3. The Tears of Women Women do not have it in their nature to compete with the virtue and the greatness of men. On this point, Greek epic does not contradict a universally recognized tradition. Contrary to men, who, through their courage and great deeds, pass from… Read more
III.4. The Language of Tears His cheeks were soon wet with tears, as his feelings suddenly broke loose; he would have wept himself away in the distance, that no trace of his existence might remain. Amid his deep-drawn sighs he seemed to recover; the soft,… Read more
III.5. The Weeping Body of Achilles Achilles embodies all of the main heroic qualities that are accorded singly to other heroes. [1] He is beauty, strength, and excellence all at the same time. If, in a certain way, the Iliad exalts human… Read more
Conclusion As we arrive at the end of this examination, it appears that heroism is, in essence, an ambiguous concept. At first glance, it seems that masculinity is at the core of heroism, and, further, that the limits of heroism coincide with those of masculinity. Without a… Read more
Bibliography Adkins, A. W. H. 1960. Merit and Responsibility. A Study in Greek Values. Oxford. ———. 1963. “‘Friendship’ and ‘Self-Sufficiency’ in Homer and Aristotle.” Classical Quarterly n.s. 13:30–45. ———. 1969. “Threatening, Abusing, and Feeling Angry in the Homeric… Read more
List of Figures All figures drawn by Glynnis Fawkes unless otherwise noted. Figure 1. Detail from ‘Sea Peoples’ reliefs, Medinet Habu, reign of Ramses III (ca. 1184–1152). Drawn from Nelson et al. 1930, pl. 36–37. Figure 2. ‘Harp treaty’, unprovenanced Mesopotamian cylinder seal, ca. fourteenth… Read more
Conventions and Abbreviations To keep the main text as accessible as possible, I have presented all Greek in transliteration (retaining accentuation as several key points depend on this); more specialized philological issues are dealt with in the footnotes, where I have not always translated Greek and Latin. Read more
