Term Paper on "Homer Iliad"

Term Paper 5 pages (1408 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Homer and the Illiad

What is Shame and Guilt?

Shame and guilt are two feelings that are most of the time misinterpreted to be similar. Despite of the fact that shame and guilt are somehow related, these two feelings have differences in terms of how they affect an individual.

Guilt is a feeling that is caused by our conscience that is disturbed or bothered. It is a reaction caused by things or actions we do which we may regret. Usually, offenses make us feel guilt. This includes actions that can harm a person or actions that can cause negative things to others. As with the characters of Iliad like Paris and Helen, both felt guilt from the immorality that they committed.

Shame on the other hand may root from the causes of guilt. It is an emotion that may come along with guilt. However, unlike guilt, shame can have a greater effect to an individual as compared with guilt. Shame makes one feel embarrassed and humiliated which consequently lowers the morale of an individual in terms of social relationship with others. It is generally focused on the negative effect that shame effects to one's personality. Guilt, on the other hand is focused on the wrongfulness of the offenses that an individual committed. For example, when we feel guilty we always think of the actions that we committed, blame ourselves, and say things like "I should not have done that." Despite that we feel guilt, we can still socialize with others. In fact, guilt can be hidden from others. However, in shame, the offenses or actions that a person did can affect his personality and this can be apparent with the changes that a person demonstrates about mingling with others.

In general, shame focuses on emotions while guilt focuses on actions committed.

Shame and Guilt in Iliad of Homer

Shame and guilt are elements that the characters of Homer always keep away from. The tragedies caused by the different situations in Iliad have shown failure of values that the heroic characters of Homer give importance. Such values include strength, pride, glamour, pride, and nobility (Rexroth, Online). Consequently, shame and guilt result from such failure. As indicated in Classics Revisited, extracted from Kenneth Rexroth's,

Violence is not approved of in itself by the Greeks, but all the values that they most admire -- the nobility, pride and power, glamour and strength of barbaric chieftains -- flourish only in the context of violence and must be fed by it continuously. Failure of these values provokes shame, the opposite of the assumption of responsibility, and shame provokes disaster.

Homer's society is generally based on values that prevent shame and guilt. This is apparent in most of Homer's characters such as Paris, Helen, and Menelaus. Guilt surrounds both Paris and Helen. Paris felt guilty for taking Helen, Menelaus wife, while Helen felt the same for the immorality that she and Paris committed. On the part of Menelaus, shame surrounds him for his wife left with another man. Consequently, this shame results to a battle that puts the Trojans into danger. This battle was also one of the reasons that made Paris feel the guilt as the Trojans were obliged to go to it because of him and Helen.

The culture of the Homeric society depends on honor, hence shame is not welcome to them because public praise is important and blame should be avoided. Above all, they view honor as the most valuable wealth of a man. Homer demonstrated this culture in the value that he depicted in the character of Hector.

In today's society, one may say that the actions of Helen, leaving his husband Menelaus and going away with another man, is shameful. In her article The Conflicting Views of Helen, Katie Olester suggests the following.

According to others, she is a deceitful and shameful women, the sole cause of the deaths of thousands of brave Geek and Trojan men.

Whenever Helen is present in the story, she displays self-consciousness about the scandal of her behavior, in leaving her husband for a foreigner and causing the war at Troy. Shame is her distinction,

The concept of guilt similarly played an important role in Homer's characters for guilt… READ MORE

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