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The Role Of The Aristocracy In The Odyssey

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Humans within society will never be equal, no matter what the government is. Consequently, aristocracy has been an integral part of civilizations for centuries -always dominating the lower classes. This dominance was especially strong in the Greek society. After all, the term used to describe the nobility in ancient Greece was aristoi, literally meaning “best people”(Geddes 18). As a result of aristocratic norms in ancient world, aspects of aristocracy have even influenced aspects of Greek culture - including its literature. The Odyssey illustrates the inequality between the aristocracy and the common people by highlighting the inferiority of the common people and the special privilege and superiority of Greek heroes. At the onset, aristocracy viewed lesser folk as expendable and inferior. A. G. Geddes describes that “The heroes of the poems are taken to be the aristocrats of 'Homeric' society and the equivalent of an aristocratic class in the real world” (20). In the Odyssey, the king of Ithaca, Odysseus, is representative of the Greek aristocracy. After a briefing with Circe, Odysseus is warned of the dangers of Scylla and Charybdis, and must choose the lesser of two evils. He chooses Scylla, and knows that he will lose six men. However, as the ship approached the rocky cliffs, “...[he] sent them on towards Skylla, [he] told them nothing, as they could do nothing.” (Homer 217). In theory, Odysseus’ decision is a tactically sound one; however, he automatically assumes his

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