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?

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