|
|
Article: The Ups and Downs of Honor.(historical look at honor and heroism)
- Article from:
- American Scholar
- Article date:
- January 1, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 Phi Beta Kappa Society. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
The oldest poem in our Western tradition opens with a quarrel about honor. The Greeks, who have spent several years besieging Troy, take time off to sack a neighboring city. From the plunder, a girl, the daughter of the priest of Apollo, has been allocated to the Greek commander, Agamemnon, king of kings. When the girl's father comes to plead for her return, Agamemnon refuses the rich ransom he offers. So Apollo sends a plague upon the Greeks, and Agamemnon is forced to hand her over. To save face, he confiscates another captive maiden who has been bestowed upon Achilles, the greatest fighter among the Greeks. Achilles has a big ego and a quick temper, but he cannot ...
Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:
|
|
Article: Spanish literary sleuth sees a royal hand behind the mystery of ...
AP Worldstream;
November 29, 2002 ;
700+ words
... ... poems in Western literature, celebrating El Cid, one of the most admired warriors of medieval ... expressing grass-roots admiration for El Cid, the knight Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, who ... communicating. In real life, for instance, while El Cid fought tenaciously for Alfonso VII's ...
|
|