4 ms·
So which antagonist embodies the negatives of all these traits?
by ChrisSD 9y ago
So which antagonist embodies the negatives of all these traits?
- dvt 9y agoUm, by definition, all of them? I feel like I'm being trolled here.
- tlb 9y agoI agree with ChrisSD. None of the antagonists acted out of evil. Their motivations ranged from unrequited love to annoyance over having their livestock eaten by shipwrecked men. They put obstacles in Odysseus's way, but not anywhere near the worst things they could have done. Odysseus was able to propitiate some with suitable offerings, once he understood the offence he had given. There's certainly no Darth Vader in it.
- eropple 9y agoNor, for that matter, was the Iliad. The Trojans had differing goals, but they were not "evil" by even the Greeks' own metrics. (And, following up, Virgil's Aeneid continues this trend.)
- dvt 9y agoIt's pretty obvious Poseidon was unjustly messing with Odysseus. It's pretty obvious Odysseus was justified in acting in self-defense against Polyphemus. It's pretty obvious Circe was taking advantage of Odysseus' lack of prudence. If you seriously think the ancient Greek world was devoid of morality, you need to read Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics.
- ChrisSD 9y agoI don't think anyone is claiming that "the ancient Greek world was devoid of morality". Only that it lacked an embodiment of evil as an antagonist.
- humanrebar 9y agoIf the point is that Hades isn't the basically-Satan from the Disney cartoon, fair enough. But some characters are atrocious. Like Minos. And Diomedes of Thrace.
- Sangermaine 9y agoNo, you’re imposing modern ideals on the ancient Greeks. Respect for, and obedience to, the gods was a cardinal virtue for them, such that many Ancient Greek tales seem cruel or arbitrary to us because they were about virtues we don’t venerate as much. Odysseus was punished for his lack of proper respect for the divine. You don’t have the slightest inkling of what you’re talking about.
- rubidium 9y agoThe Trojans. They stole Menelaus's wife. They weren't the opposite, but were certainly (to any Greek hearing the tale) the bad guys. Certainly the Greeks wanted to paint them as strong warriors, just as any sports team when they win will say how good of fight the opponent put up. Illiad is very much good vs evil. That's not the totality of the story, but it's there.