The Greek Values and Iliad
In the ancient Greek, Plato identified the three most important virtues in Greek history that are well evidenced in the Iliad. The three virtues are discussed below.
Wisdom
Wisdom also referred to as Prudence, is the ability to conclude and make sensible judgments and decisions. One can choose between the wrong and right correctly. In the ancient Greek, Rulers were regarded as people with wisdom and were expected to advise and act prudently in society. Plato highly regarded wisdom as the virtue of reason.
Courage
Courage, also known as fortitude, refers to the ability to overcome cowardice and fear. A person with courage can face challenges without any doubt of victor. In the ancient days in Greece, courage was the main military virtue and most important during the war. Plato and Aristotle were courageous rulers and hence their great success in the battles.
Moderation
Moderation, also known as temperance is the quality of exercising self-control in all situations. Plato appreciated the moderation of controlling the appetite instead of being misled by the earthly desires.
Annotated Bibliography
Prior, William J. Virtue and knowledge: An Introduction to ancient Greek ethics. Routledge, 2016.
In this article, the author, Professor William, introduces us to the way of life from the early centuries in Greece. He explains how the early Greek leaders, such as Plato and Aristotle, applied wisdom to rule. He explains how Lliad is an unfortunate kind of war and is down to the lack of the most important virtues in Greek history among leaders
Weil, Simone. The Iliad, or, the Poem of Force. Politics, 2013.
The author of the Poem is Dr. Weil Simone. He applies all the literary styles in this poem to narrate of all the inhuman events in the Iliad. He criticizes the lack of virtues among the Greek leaders and their inability to solve the disputes with more discipline. He summarizes all nine years of events in the poem to deliver a very strong message.
Frobish, Todd S. “An Origin of a Theory: A Comparison of Ethos in the Homeric Iliad with that Found in Aristotle’s Rhetoric.” Rhetoric Review 22.1 (2014): 16-30.
This article argues on the similarities between the Ethos in the Iliad and the similar ones in the rhetoric of Aristotle. Frobish explains a number of the differences and similarities in the Ethos and points out that Aristotle was a great leader with wisdom and moderation. He digs deep to the origin of the theory on the Greek leadership to enable him to gather enough data on the possible cause and solutions to the Lliad.
Fortenbaugh, William W. “Aristotle’s distinction between moral virtue and practical wisdom.” Aristotle’s Practical Side. BRILL, 2016. 189-198.
In this article, Fortenbaugh discusses Aristotle’s views on the different important virtues in Greece. He understands that Aristotle was a courageous and wise leader during his reign, and his views could help in ending Lliad. William explains that Aristotle clearly understood the thin line of difference from having moral virtues and practical wisdom in leadership. He further states that practical wisdom and moral virtues such as moderation could greatly help in solving Iliad.
Curzer, Howard J. “A Great Philosopher’s Not So Great Account of Great Virtue: Aristotle’s Treatment of Greatness of Soul’.” Canadian Journal of Philosophy 20.4 (2017): 417-537.
Curzer, the author of this Canadian journal, gives an account of the various Greek philosophers. He majorly focusses on the moral virtues that leaders and philosophers such as Aristotle lacked in their time. He concludes that Aristotle had a bad treatment of the greatness of soul. Howard explains in this article that the right treatment of the people and any situation by the leaders of the time is crucial to solving the problems faced.
Randiwela, R. M. D. “The depiction of gods in Greek and Tamil epics: A comparative study on Homer‟ s „The Iliad‟ and Kampar‟ s „Kambarāmāyanam..” International Conference on the Humanities (ICH 2018/2019), Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018.
In this article, Professor Randiwela from the University of Kelaniya describes the early authorities and the depiction of gods in the Greek Epics such as Lliad. Randiwela analyses the poem by Homer and concurs that Lliad is an epic that can be controlled and dealt with by wise, courageous, and moderate leaders. He further gives the similarities and differences on the Iliad and Kampar as he suggests the possible solutions to both.
Kamtekar, Rachana. “Ancient virtue ethics in Greece: An overview with an emphasis on practical wisdom.” The Cambridge companion to virtue ethics (2013): 29-48.
Dr Kamtekar from Cambridge analyses the Ancient virtues and ethics in ancient Greece. He emphasizes that practical wisdom is the most important virtue that needs to be possessed by all the leaders. This wisdom is for effective solutions to all the problems among their people. He appreciates the ancient leaders and philosophers and challenges the current and future leaders to embrace the virtue of practical wisdom in dealing with epics such as Iliad.