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The Heroic Code

Aristos: being the best, in any situation
Arete: merit,respect of one's peers; booty (treasure, the spoils of
war) is its symbol

Aristeia: exploits which gain for the warrior the prestige of having
comrades who
consider him meritorious (arete)
Kleos:the desire for glory, fame; kill or be killed in battle; become
the subject of songs
Under the heroic code, it's not what you think of yourself but what
others think of you.
The heroic code does not admit choice; it is inflexible.
Does Achilles choose or is he guided by his society's code?
Does Achilles do what he does because of what "people might
think"?(Martin)

Sin versus Shame Cultures
Shame cultures -- attribute human imperfection to external causes,
such as failing to make proper sacrifices or offending a god.
The Greek word, ate: the situation to which the notion of ate is a
response arose not merely from the impulsiveness of Homeric man, but
from the tension between individual impulse and the pressure of social
conformity characteristic of a shame culture. In such a society,
anything which exposes a man to the contempt or ridicule of his
fellows, causing him to "lose face," is felt as unbearable. This
perhaps explains the idea of divine intervention.
Guilt cultures -- man considers himself to be responsible for his own
behavior. The Hebrews had a guilt culture.
Does Achilles feel guilt (sin) or shame for Patroclus's death?

Works Cited

Martin, Thomas. Ancient Greece: From Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times.
New Haven: Yale UP,1996.

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