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Crime and Punishment the Greek Way

Hubris in Greek myth always has dire consequences. The myths punish all those who

do not show proper respect and reverence for the gods. Even lesser gods are expected to

respect and blindly to obey their superiors. The reasoning and consequences of not following

the traditional aspects of worship are shown in Prometheus Bound, the Iliad, and the myths

pertaining to the house of Atreus. In some instances, the characters rashly and openly disobey

their superiors, and in others there are conflicts between the gods, which spur the characters

into performing reckless actions. In all cases, the punishments seem to be much more severe

than the action should warrant. Often families or entire cities are punished for the actions of a

few. Still these myths possessed cultural importance in ancient Greek culture and everyday

life.

The Greek myths help explain to the people why their traditions exist and why their

traditions should be followed. When characters in the myths violate these ancient traditions,

they are punished. Their punishments are an example to the Greek people why they should

follow tradition. Otherwise they may end up being punished like the characters in myths. The

stories also show the people why they should respect authority. Many times the characters do

not respect their superiors and are then punished for their insolence. This cultural aspect

carries into regular life when the lesser classed people were expected to respect their kings

and rulers.

Zeus is the supreme lord of the gods on Mount Olympus. To violate his domain is the

greatest offense one can do to the gods. One of Zeus’ aspects is the protector of xenia, which

is the formal guest-host relation for welcoming a stranger into ones home. Xenia was an
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important aspect of Greek culture. When people wished to travel, the only way to do so was to

stay with distant friends and relatives. Hotels were not as pervasive in ancient times. In

Homer’s Iliad, it is mentioned that Paris violated xenia. He abducted Helen, the wife of

Menelaus, while staying in Menelaus’ home. This was an egregious offense which launched

all of Greece into a war with Troy. Ultimately Troy was completely sacked and destroyed for

Paris’ offense. One mans violation of xenia resulted in the destruction of an entire city. This

myth was meant to entertain, but also to explain the importance of upholding xenia. In this

way, the punishment against the Trojans, brought upon by the gods, is meant to explain why

everyone in Greek society must carry on the ancient tradition of xenia.

The gods and their worshipers were considered sacred by the Greeks. All of Greece

was meant to respect the priests and treat them with respect, regardless of which city state

they were apart. An example of this would be the Delphic Oracle. All of Greece respected the

priests at Delphi and valued the prophecies given there. Even kings, who reigned supreme

amongst their people, were forced to respect the priests and oracles of the time. At the

beginning of the Iliad, Agamemnon has just taken Chryse’s daughter as a captive. Chryse is a

priest of Apollo. Chryse’s comes to the Greek camp and bears a ransom, requesting that

Agamemnon return his daughter. Agamemnon replies, “The god’s staff and ribbons won’t

save you next time. The girl is mine, and she’ll be an old woman in Argos before I let her

go…” (Homer 1.2). After this scene, Chryse prays to Apollo for help. Apollo obliges and

rains down his arrows for nine days, killing many Greeks. Eventually the Greeks are forced to

yield, and Agamemnon gives up his prize, Chryse’s daughter. This anecdote shows how not

even a great tyrant such as Agamemnon was viewed as being above the gods and their

oracles.
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Greek culture and religious practices involved ritual sacrifices and ceremonies. The

priests were the ones who performed the rituals. Kings and lords would go to the priests for

advice about the future and for good omens. If the people did not treat the priests with respect,

then the priests were more liable to give bad omens. Honoring the priests was a way to honor

the gods and to gain their support.

In yet another example of Agamemnon angering the gods, he killed one of Artemis’

dear before the siege of Troy even began. Agamemnon is usually portrayed as the great tyrant.

With his power comes a lack of respect for the authority and well being of others. Ultimately,

he is shown to be powerless against the will of the gods. His actions greatly angered Artemis

and caused her to stop the wind from blowing. The inactive winds prevented the Greeks from

sailing across the Aegean Sea to Troy. Only by offering another life to Artemis could the

Greeks appease her and return the winds. Agamemnon was forced to sacrifice his daughter,

Iphigenia, on the altar to Artemis. This act appeased her and the Greeks were able to set sail.

Unfortunately this terrible act led Agamemnon’s wife, Clytemnestra, to murder him upon his

return from Troy.

The gods were strongly associated with the animals and the natural world. Artemis

was especially associated with wild game animals. Agamemnon’s haughtiness when he killed

one of her sacred animals, without her blessing, was considered a great offense to the ancient

Greeks. The Greek culture worshiped the natural world and to carelessly attack it was taboo.

The people were supposed to try and live in harmony with the natural world. Agamemnon’s

recklessness led to not only his own downfall, but his daughter’s as well.

The ancient Greeks felt there was a strong connection between a person and his or her

ancestors. The honors and the degradations accumulated by a person were transferred to their
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offspring. An encounter between Diomedes and Glaucus takes place in the Iliad. In the heat of

battle, these two square off against one another, but before they commence fighting, they tell

each other their own person background. At this they realize they have ties of friendship when

Diomedes’ grandfather entertained Glaucus’ grandfather. Diomedes professes, “But that

makes us friends and you my guest… So we can’t cross spears with each other” (6.118).

These lines take place in the heat of battle. The family ties are felt so strongly that even on

opposing sides of the battle field, they choose not to fight one another.

The idea of the child taking on the sins of the parents is represented in the

punishments against Tantalus and his heirs. Tantalus held a banquet for the gods, in which he

attempted to feed them his own son, Pelops. Tantalus was punished with an eternity of never

being able to quench his thirst or hunger. Several generations of his children were also fated

to commit parricide, fratricide, incest, cannibalism, and numerous other taboo acts. Tantalus’

daughter, Niobe, had her children all killed by Apollo and Artemis after she boasted her

superiority to their mother, Leto. Pelop’s sons were Atreus and Thyestes. Atreus feeds

Thyestes his own sons in a feast. Later Atreus is killed by Thyestes’ other son, Aegisthus,

whom he fathered with his own daughter, Pelopia. Aegisthus also later killed Atreus’ son,

Agamemnon. This turbulent family commits numerous acts that go against the gods and

nature. The initial transgressions of Tantalus cursed his lineage for several generations to

come. Each successive generation also committed their fair share of cruelty, be it incest or

cannibalism. Family was very important in Greek life. When people did not respect their

familiar bonds, they were spurring ancient traditions. In the myths, characters were punished

severely for acting against their own blood. The father’s in ancient times passed everything

they owned onto their sons. So raising obedient sons was necessary to the patriarch of a
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household for maintaining his lineage and succession. It was also important for society that

the sons not kill one another, or their own parents, in order to secure their inheritance.

So far each analyzed myth has portrayed a character or a group of characters

disobeying or challenging the gods. In turn, each of these characters is punished with a cruel

and terrible fate. Not only are the offenders penalized, but in some instances, their children

are as well. When these characters are represented in Greek myths, they are shown to be

deserving of their punishments. The greed and hubris of the characters clearly warrant the ill

fates they receive. There are some myths in ancient Greek culture where the characters are

punished for seemingly unjust reasons. These myths must exist in order for a civilization that

holds so much power with the gods to explain why there is evil and turmoil in the world.

These myths answer why seemingly bad things can happen to the righteous and just.

Aeschylus’ play, Prometheus Bound, is a clear example of two such myths where the gods

punish others for their own selfish or vindictive reasons, rather than for fair and rational

reasons. This play shows how the hubris and jealousy of the gods can result in bad things

happening to the undeserving.

The story of Io is one of Zeus’ sexual conquests. The myth is told within Prometheus

Bound from the perspective of Io, a girl transformed into a cow. She tells of nightmares she

experienced about Zeus’ lust for her. An oracle at Delphi predicts that if Io’s father does not

force her out of his home, Zeus will destroy Io’s father and all of his people. Io states, “[Io’s

father] shut his doors to me-against his will as against mine. Zeus had him bridled”

(Aeschylus 125). After she is forced out of her home and into the open, Zeus attempts to have

his way with her. When Hera finds out, Zeus transforms Io into the form of a cow to conceal
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his indiscretion. Hera sees through Zeus’ ruse and sends a gadfly to torment Io by constantly

stinging her.

In the above story, Io is shown to be a faithful and pure woman. She clearly is the

victim in the encounter. This story emphasizes how calamity in the heavens can have dire

consequences in the mortal world. Since the ancient Greeks believed so heavily in the

pervasive power of the gods, all events both good and bad were attributed to them. This

philosophy poses a conundrum when something terrible happens to decent people. Through

the myth of Io and others similar to it, one could claim the misfortune of others happens

because the gods are racked with strife.

The protagonist of Prometheus Bound is obviously Prometheus himself. In the play,

he is a titan, chained to the peak of the Caucus Mountains. His supposed crime, which he

continues throughout the entire play, is far greater than any of those above. Prometheus is the

protector of man and he directly goes against the will of Zeus and brings fire to mankind. This

act saved mankind from certain extinction. Prometheus explains:

[Zeus’s] wish was [mortals] should perish and he would then beget another race. And
there were none to cross his will save I. I dared it, I saved men. Therefore I am bowed
down in torment, grievous to suffer, pitiful to see. (105)

Constantly, the other characters in the play wish for Prometheus to yield to Zeus. They want

him to accept Zeus as his lord and master. Although Prometheus is chained and unable to

move, he holds on to his free will and believes he is the blameless party in this case. This is a

battle of arrogance between Prometheus and Zeus. Zeus is represented via proxy by the

various characters who speak with Prometheus. Neither Prometheus nor Zeus is willing to

budge from their position. Prometheus claims the moral high ground and Zeus claims his own

supreme right. Aeschylus’ treatment of this myth most clearly sides with Prometheus. The
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final line of the play stated by Prometheus, “… behold me. I am wronged. (143)”, summarizes

that the chaotic forces of the immortals can wrongfully torment anyone.

Greek mythology explains how the ancient people viewed the world around them.

Science was in its infancy, and this made the world a seemingly hostile place where death and

destruction could occur at any moment. Earthquakes, diseases, famines, and many other

terrible disasters could not be explained without divine intervention. The myths of the ancient

Greeks explained that these events occurred to punish mortals when they did not act

according to tradition, when they did not adequately appease the gods or acted against nature.

Internal strife amongst the gods could also lead to terrible punishments against mortals

unexpectedly. The myths helped the ancient Greeks cope with their surroundings and helped

them explain all of life’s mysteries.


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Works Cited

Aeschylus. “The Prometheus Bound.” Three Greek Plays. Tras. Edith Hamilton.
New York: W.W. Norton & Co, 1965.

Homer. “Illiad.” Tras. Stanley Lombardo.


Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Co., Inc., 1997.

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