Book 3 Characters of the Iliad

       The characters of Hector, Paris, Menelaus, King Priam, and Helen are portrayed in many different ways in book three of the Iliad. Paris is portrayed as a coward, but very proud of himself. He is portrayed as having many wrongs to the people, and he is laughed at by his brother Hector. Hector is portrayed as very heroic, and rather fearless. Though he is very brave, he still likes to insult his brother. Menelaus is the man that Paris has to fight. He is a great warrior, and seems to have common sense, in that he doesn't want to shed any more blood, so he takes up the offer of the dual. King Priam is the father of Helen, and he is a very loving man. He sits with his daughter, and asks her if she knows one of the fighters. Finally, Helen herself is portrayed as being radiant and long robed. She seems to be also a loving character who is also portrayed as the daughter of Zeus.

Diomedes

       Diomedes shows very much hubris in book 5 of the Iliad. Hubris means overreaching pride which is exactly what Diomedes had in this book. He was given divine strength by Athena, but he used it poorly. He killed anyone in his path, and even attacked gods. This was a great act of pride, since he was specifically warned to only use his power on Aphrodite. However, he goes on a slaughtering rampage, and pays no attention to the guidance.

Philosophical Idealism

       Philosophical idealism is the idea that concepts and numbers are more real than physical things in the world around us. Some of the arguments for philosophical idealism are that humans have an immortal soul, which is more real than our physical body, and is the cause of our physical bodies. Also, the fact that physical things like trees, rocks, and hippos come into existence, and out of existence, but ideas and numbers last forever. Concepts cannot be destroyed.  Some arguments against this idea are that concepts are not tangible, so we cannot experience them. Physical things however, are tangible and we can sense them which makes the more real to us. Also, though these physical things may die, their matter is never destroyed, so they also exist forever, just in different form that we can still sense which makes them more real to us.

Minoan vs. Mycenaean Civilizations

       The Minoan and the Mycenaean Civilizations had many similarities and many differences.  The Minoan Civilization was based in Crete, but it did not have walls oddly enough. This could either be a sign that it was a peaceful nation, or they were just the most powerful navy force, so they were not threatened by other nations. The Mycenaean Civilization was based in mainland Greece, and contrary to the Minoans, they had walls that were like none other. They were so big that nations to come thought that they were built by giants; hence their name "cyclopean walls." The Mycenaean civilization seems to be a more war- like nation in general. than the Minoan civilization. These two civilizations are similar however, in that they are both Greek civilizations, and they both were taken over by different rising Greek civilizations.

The Iliad Book 1

      The Iliad Book 1 is the story of the rage of a demi-god named Achilles. It starts because Agamemnon takes the daughter of a priest of Apollo. The priest comes bringing a ransom to get his daughter back, but Agamemnon disregards it because it would hurt his "arete" which means honor. Letting go of his prize would hurt his honor because one of the things that the Ancient Greeks valued was possessions. The word they used for this was "Time" which was how much "stuff" you owned. Giving up this "Time" would hurt Agamemnon's "Arete". The priest then prays to Apollo, and Apollo, in a rage, comes down from the heavens ready to destroy, and fires a plague on the people of Agamemnon. There is then a debate between Agamemnon, Achilles, and other powerful figures as to what should happen. This turns into a very heated argument where Achilles and Agamemnon try to destroy each others image by insulting them. This is an attack on each other's "Kleos" which is a word meaning your story (how people will remember you when you are dead). They are trying to destroy each other's "Kleos" which will make people remember them as bad which is a very serious thing for the Ancient Greeks. There are many conflicting views, and Achilles ends up leaving Agamemnon because he does not want to give up his prize. Agamemnon, in return takes Achilles wife. Odysseus then brings the girl, and many sacrifices to make amends with Apollo, which he accepts. Zeus then is driven to war with Hera.

Myth vs. History

        The relationship between myth and history is that a myth is something that did not happen, but many times is something that we find fascinating, and about which we make stories. History, on the other hand, is something that actually happened, and in most cases, is something that is documented in various sources. Our understanding of myth and history has changed over the years because in many stories we thought were myths, we can find elements of history that actually happened. In the Epic of Gilgamesh for example, we were not sure if Gilgamesh was real until we found the King's List which stated Gilgamesh as one of the kings. This means that, while he probably did not fight a forest monster, and sink himself to the bottom of the ocean, he was a real figure in history.