In the tragic tale of Oedipus the King, Creon resonates through out the story as the voice of reason and comes out of this disastrous event as a wiser man. Creon is the brother of Queen Jocasta and a loyalist to the city of Thebes. Sophocles shows ancient Greek’s sense of nationalism and patriotism through this character. In proving his loyalties to the state he says, “I hate anarchy and never would deal with any man who likes it.” Creon is completely dedicated to Thebes and his king. He is a rational and logical man.
281-286). It was not the loss of personal property or spoils of war that infuriated Achilles, it was the face he lost when Agamemnon snatched away his prize for the sake of reminding all that were present that he, though not a great warrior like Achilles, was still the greater man. His ire raised, the childish Achilles cries to his immortal mother Thetis to do the unthinkable, “go and sit beside [Zues]… persuade him to help the Trojan cause, to pin the Achaeans back against their ships, trap them round the bay and mow them down” (1. 485-488). This is how the mighty Achilles hopes to demonstrate his greatness; have his comrades mown down so that Agamemnon could see his folly for disgracing
Likewise, Antony’s motivation is his loyalty to Caesar; he does not stop until he avenges Caesar’s death. Unfortunately, Cassius is self-absorbed; his world simply revolves around himself. Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar presents different vies of honor primarily through three main characters; Brutus is the most honorable due to his patriotism, Antony follows behind considering his loyalty, and Cassius is least honorable by cause of his self-centeredness. Brutus is the most honorable man, for he continues to act upon his beliefs and his motivations are pure; he wants to make Rome a better place. Brutus never gives in to ideas others force upon him.
Before Act3 Scene 2 Mark Anthony seems like a bit of a coward and Caesar’s puppet, he lacks confidence as he seems to always agree with Caesar and gives the impression that he doesn’t take life seriously, loves partying and envoy’s the company of women. Not something a brave roman would do in those days. This could have been an act for it most certainly saved his life as Cassius would have had him killed with Caesar but for Brutus who underestimated him and refers to him “he can do….head is off”, (Act,2,sc1,.182:183) where Brutus believes Anthony to be useless without Caesar. Anthony proves to be very clever in the moments after Caesars death and very sneakily convinces the conspirators
Yet while Caesar may not be unduly power-hungry, he does possess his share of flaws. He is unable to separate his public life from his private life, and, seduced by the populace’s increasing idealization and idolization of his image, he ignores ill omens and threats against his life, believing himself as eternal as the North Star. Antony - A friend of Caesar. Antony claims allegiance to Brutus and the conspirators after Caesar’s death in order to save his own life. Later, however, when speaking a funeral oration over Caesar’s body, he spectacularly persuades the audience to withdraw its support of Brutus and instead condemn him as a traitor.
This lack of self-centeredness is observed through the actions of Hector throughout the entire epic and his compassion for others is prominent in his notion of Greek justice. When Hector firsts steps into the plot of the Iliad, we witness his passion to fight and protect his city. In fact, Hector calls out his brother for not fighting. If Paris had not taken Helen as his prize, then this war may have never occurred. In book three, after Paris’ responds to Hector’s criticisms, Paris offers to prove himself in a fight with Menelaus in order to settle the war.
Although he is worn out from the war in Troy, Aeneas’ strong hope remains intact, even after Juno plots a treacherous storm that leads to the death of many of his men. Virgil does not wait long to challenge Aeneas’ devotion to his cause. After he proves his worth on the field of battle, and his
He believes the city is suffering because the murderer of king Laius has not been discovered and punished. He says, “I swear by Apollo that I will bring this to light again” (50-51). In his pride, he is sure he can solve the problems of Thebes. Oedipus’ arrogance continues to grow in the middle of the play. Teiresias says, “All of you here know nothing, and I will not bring our troubles to the light of day” (98-99).
Homer effectively shows readers through praise how admirable Achilles is, making him the justified character. Achilles essentially thought that Agamemnon was a coward according to his quote: “With a dog’s eyes and a rabbit’s heart! You’ve never had the guts to buckle on armor in battle…Confiscating prizes from the Greeks who talks back, and bleeding your people dry” (Homer xvii). Achilles believes that Agamemnon
The second line from the quotation shows that Hector’s loyalty has no limit. Hector will die for his city before he lets his enemy win. This is something that Achilles wouldn’t do because he values himself more than the Greeks war with Troy, which you saw in book one of the Iliad. It also shows how much he values his honor over almost anything. The quote is from Hector to his wife before he goes into battle with Achilles.