The definition of a hero has constantly been redefined throughout history. If think of heroes today, fictional or real, we think of people like Superman or Martin Luther King Jr. or a family member on a tour in Iraq. These figures all put other people over themselves, sacrificing much to achieve their goals. But comparing Achilleus to Martin Luther King Jr. very clearly shows the ways in which heroism was different in Homer’s time from what it is now.
Where Achilleus fought violently only for himself, and later for Patroklos, Dr. King fought non-violently for an entire people. The differences in the definition of heroism are somewhat less distinct when one compares the Achilleus of the Iliad to the Odysseus of the Odyssey to the Socrates of Plato’s Apology.
All three of these heroes have certain characteristics that are inherent in Greek thinking of heroes. All three characters possess a certain skill or quality in which they are pre-eminent. They all profess some form of piety, and they are all willing to die for what they believe in. The most crucial difference between Socrates and the aforementioned Greek heroes is that Socrates’ goals benefit an entire people and benefit others, while also being non-violent. With Socrates we come a step closer to the modern conception of a hero such as Martin Luther King Jr. Achilleus, Odysseus, and Socrates are all the best in the world at what they do. Achilleus is the most adept fighter of his time.
Throughout the Trojan War, his presence can singlehandedly turn the tide of battle, and no enemy can survive an encounter with him without the intervention of the Gods. While Odysseus is also a fearsome warrior, he is renowned more for his cunning than all else. Athena acknowledges that Odysseus is “far the best of all mortal men for counsel and stories” (Odyssey.XIII.297-298).
Just as Achilleus has no peers in armed combat, no mortal man can outwit Odysseus. Although Socrates lived centuries after these heroes allegedly did, he is just as distinguished in his wisdom as Achilleus was in his fighting and Odysseus was in his cunning. The Oracle of Delphi pronounces that there was no man wiser than Socrates. As Socrates interviews the supposed wisest men of the land, he discovers that in fact he is wiser than all of them, if only because “I neither know nor think that I know” (Apology Pg. 5). According to Socrates, there are none that can equal him in appreciation of his own ignorance. This pre-eminence is necessary for a hero.
Another attribute requisite to being hero is piety. Both Odysseus and Achilleus believe in and constantly encounter the pantheon of Greek Gods. It is Odysseus’ piety that allows him to achieve his homecoming and the crew’s impiety that dooms them. Odysseus obeys the Gods’ commands when he does not eat Helios’ cattle despite his hunger. When his crew disobeys the Gods, they are destroyed. Odysseus is most heroic when he is following the precepts of the Gods.
Though Achilleus angers the Gods when he drags Hektor’s body around Patroklos’ tomb, he too displays piety when Thetis tells him Zeus’ will and he acquiesces that Priam “can bring the ransom and take off the body, if the Olympian so urgently bids it” (Iliad.XXIV.139-140). Like these Greek heroes, Socrates asserts that he to is pious, albeit in a different way. It is obvious in the Apology that piety is crucial for any good man, let alone a hero. After all, among other things, Socrates is being tried for being a “complete atheist” (Apology Pg. 9).
Socrates asserts, however, that he does indeed believe in the divine. Not only does he believe, but also his whole life is devoted to the “service to the God” (Apology Pg. 12). It seems from this assertion that Socrates has even surpassed Achilleus and Odysseus in piety, giving him another attribute with which he may be considered a hero in the Greek sense. The final characteristic that defines Greek heroes is their willingness to die for their values.
Achilleus slays Hektor knowing full well that the act will seal his fate. He is fighting for honor and revenge, both of which are supposed to have meaning after he is dead. Similarly, when Kalypso offers Odysseus immortality if he lives his endless days on Ogygia with her, he rejects the proposal, determined to return to Ithaka. Odysseus has resigned himself to the inevitable death that comes with a mortal life in order to acquire his homecoming and live a meaningful life.
Like the two heroes, Socrates will not compromise his values in order to escape death. He directly relates his sentiments to those of Achilleus. He refuses to rescind any of the statements he has made, and he will not bring his sons into the courthouse in order tocurry sympathy. As Emily Austin puts it, Socrates believes that “risking death is a better choice than committing a minor injustice” (“Fear and Death in Plato”).
He says that a man “ought not calculate the chance of living or dying; he ought only to consider whether in doing anything he is doing right or wrong acting the part of a good man or of a bad” (Apology Pg. 11). This quote illuminates the largest difference between Socrates and the aforementioned Greek heroes. Socrates’ goals help those around him. He is not fighting for honor or revenge as Achilleus does, nor is he striving to return to his home like Odysseus does. Both these heroes only aid their close family and allies.
Socrates’ goal is to understand the nature of virtue and goodness, and in the process of discovering these he helps Athenians “care about the greatest improvement of the soul” (Apology Pg. 12). This instruction and acceptance of everyone “whether he be rich or poor” (Apology Pg. 15) is what separates contemporary heroes like Superman, Martin Luther King Jr., and American soldiers, from Achilleus and Odysseus. Socrates appears to be a hero closer to the modern sense of the term.
