Expert: Maria - 5/6/2009

Question
Hello, I am looking for a quote from Classical Greek literature that compares heroes and villains or gives the Greek ideals of the two. The writer of the classic could be anyone that you chose, from Sophocles to Euripides to even Homer, as long as it relates the two classic ideals of Heroes and Villains in that time period. I have been searching for a while and have had no such luck finding said quote. If you could write the piece of literature and the author it would be greatly appreciated, along with any help given.
If you can't find any type of quote that I specified, just a quote with heroes or villains would be accepted.

Thanks a bunch,
Nate

Answer
Hello,

actually the only one quote  I can remember immediately  is  a passage from Homer’s Iliad, book 2, where Homer compares heroes and villains by  introducing the character of  Thersites (Θερσίτης, in ancient Greek letters), a soldier who served  in the ranks, a vulgar man “whose mind was full of great store of disorderly words, wherewith to utter revilings against the kings, idly, and in no orderly wise,  but whatsoever he deemed would raise a laugh among the Argives”, as we read just in Iliad,book 2, lines 210 ff., where  Homer also describes Thersites as follows:

“Evil-favoured was he beyond all men that came to Ilios: he was bandy-legged and lame in the one foot, and his two shoulders were rounded, stooping together over his chest, and above them his head was warped, and a scant stubble grew thereon. Hateful was he to Achilles above all, and to Odysseus, for it was they twain that he was wont to revile; but now again with shrill cries he uttered abuse against goodly Agamemnon. With him were the Achaeans exceeding wroth, and had indignation in their hearts.”
[Iliad, book 2, lines 216 – 223]

Such a petty, selfish and disloyal villain dares to call Agamemnon greedy and Achilles a coward and then incurs Odysseus wrath who strikes  him upside the head with the royal sceptre of Agamemnon.

So, in this Iliad’s passage it’s clear what is Homer's view of a villain as well as his view of a hero  who must  display bravery, martial skills, and even friendship, like Achilles, Agamemnon and  Odysseus or Hector, e.g.

Best regards,
Maria

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Here’s the Greek text of Iliad, book  2, lines 216 – 223:

Θερσίτης δ᾽ ἔτι μοῦνος ἀμετροεπὴς ἐκολῴα,
ὃς ἔπεα φρεσὶν ᾗσιν ἄκοσμά τε πολλά τε ᾔδη
μάψ, ἀτὰρ οὐ κατὰ κόσμον, ἐριζέμεναι βασιλεῦσιν,
215ἀλλ᾽ ὅ τι οἱ εἴσαιτο γελοίϊον Ἀργείοισιν
ἔμμεναι:αἴσχιστος δὲ ἀνὴρ ὑπὸ Ἴλιον ἦλθε:
φολκὸς ἔην, χωλὸς δ᾽ ἕτερον πόδα: τὼ δέ οἱ ὤμω
κυρτὼ ἐπὶ στῆθος συνοχωκότε: αὐτὰρ ὕπερθε
φοξὸς ἔην κεφαλήν, ψεδνὴ δ᾽ ἐπενήνοθε λάχνη.
ἔχθιστος δ᾽ Ἀχιλῆϊ μάλιστ᾽ ἦν ἠδ᾽ Ὀδυσῆϊ:
τὼ γὰρ νεικείεσκε: τότ᾽ αὖτ᾽ Ἀγαμέμνονι δίῳ
ὀξέα κεκλήγων λέγ᾽ ὀνείδεα: τῷ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ Ἀχαιοὶ
ἐκπάγλως κοτέοντο νεμέσσηθέν τ᾽ ἐνὶ θυμῷ.

See at:
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text.jsp?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0133%3...

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text.jsp?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0134:book=...