CLAA06H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Eurycleia, Odysseus, Aegisthus
Document Summary
Poems say different things about gaining most kleos, becoming the greatest hero. Iliad: everybody suffers and dies; being the greatest hero means suffering greatly, causing extreme suffering and ultimately dying according to the heroic code. If achilles does not live and die in an extraordinary way, he does not have kleos. Odyssey: people suffer greatly; being the greatest hero means suffering greatly and causing profound suffering but ultimately returning home successfully. Idomeneus; wife took lover, who killed her and idomeneus left. Agamemnon: wife (clytemnestra) took lover (aegisthus); they murdered agamemnon on return. Agamemnon does not get kleos since he does not die during war (like achilles) or has nostos/homecoming (like odysseus) Moral universe of odyssey vs grey/grim world of iliad. Aegisthus is punished (orestes murdered him for revenge of his father) Odysseus is saved since he has be pious and sacrificed to zeus; he is a good man.
