HUM 2 Chapter 1: Hum_2_-_Culture_of_Ancient_Greece_and_Rome_-_T_3
Jeff Koo
Hum 2
Culture of Ancient Greece and Rome
Fall 2019
4 Units
Role of emotion in Books 1 & 2:
● Is it positive, negative, or neutral?
● Which emotions are valued or important?
● Who emotes?
● Emotions explain motives; people exude emotions when honour is challenged; call to
action (anger)
● Negative when emotion ends up clouding judgement/honour
● A sense of righteousness
● Emotion can be a necessary driving force; gods themselves are very emotional and lead
us to believe that emotion is a justified response. Contingent on status
● Ares is the god of war and Athena is the goddess of war
○ Both are shown exhibiting anger and fury; related to righteousness and control
● Vengeful anger is god-like
● Achilles tears are ones of anger; possibly sign of strength
● Homer calls it tears of grief for his loss of honour
● Negative aspects:
○ The god Apollo rains down bad fortune on the Greeks because he is mad at them
○ Negative emotions have negative consequences
○ Achilles has negative emotions/Paris has negative actions with his lust
● There are exceptions to how you can define negative emotions
○ Various emotions can lead to either positive or negative consequences
■ Must look at how they were viewed in the actual book
● Emotion is often contingent on what action or inaction is a result of said emotion
○ There are not necessarily positive or negative emotions but rather what we view
as positive/negative based on what happens due to that emotion
● Action: Achilles, Athena, Agememnon (takes briseus)
● Inaction: Hector (book 5), Odysseus (p.23)
○
Paris/ Alexandrus:
Stole Helen (someone elses wife)
● He broke XENIA (dishonourable act)
● Caused the war, dishonoured a family pact
● Priams sons called arrogant and unreliable (Hector too) (p.44 line 105)
● Helen loses her virtue (gets called the cause and the blame)
● Battle: acts with false courage/arrogance until he see Menelaus and he cowers
○ Wearing a leopard skin and his heavily armed with a bow, arrows, bronze, a
helmet with long horse hair
○ Described as handsome as a god in peak physical condition (he’s HOT)
● Handsomeness does not necessarily = RESPECT
Document Summary
Role of emotion in books 1 & 2: Emotions explain motives; people exude emotions when honour is challenged; call to action (anger) Negative when emotion ends up clouding judgement/honour. Emotion can be a necessary driving force; gods themselves are very emotional and lead us to believe that emotion is a justified response. Ares is the god of war and athena is the goddess of war. Both are shown exhibiting anger and fury; related to righteousness and control. Achilles tears are ones of anger; possibly sign of strength. Homer calls it tears of grief for his loss of honour. The god apollo rains down bad fortune on the greeks because he is mad at them. Achilles has negative emotions/paris has negative actions with his lust. Various emotions can lead to either positive or negative consequences. There are exceptions to how you can define negative emotions. Must look at how they were viewed in the actual book.
