Why is nostos (homecoming) an important theme within the Homeric poems (Odyssey & Illiad)?

Question

Has anyone also any thoughts also on why honour is an important theme within Homer's poems?

Answer 1

Both the Iliad and the Odyssey speak of heroes who left home and spent many years away from family and many others they loved while they were engaged in battles, wanderings and manifold dangers where their survival was in the balance.
So, of course homecoming would be a BIG event for them.
Think of how much it means to soldiers today, many of whom spend only a tenth of the time, or less, away from home.

For more on this, click the first link below

Honor (or the British "honour") is of prime importance to Homeric heroes:
"Throughout The Iliad, the heroic characters make decisions based on a definite set of principles, which are referred to as the code of honor. The heroic code that Homer presents to the reader is an underlying cause for many of the events that take place, but many of the characters have different perceptions of how highly the code should be regarded. Hektor, the greatest of the Trojan warriors, begins the poem as the model of a Homeric hero. His dedication and strict belief in the code of honor is illustrated many times throughout the course of The Iliad. An example of this is presented in book three of the poem, where Hektor reprimands Paris for refusing to fight. He says to Paris, Surely now the flowing-haired Achains laugh at us, thinking you are our bravest champion, only because your looks are handsome, but there is no strength in your heart, or courage (3:43). Hektor believes that it is against the heroic code for a person to abstain from fighting when his fellow men are in the battlefield. Hektor faces a moral dilemma when dealing with Paris. By being Paris' brother, Hektor is supposed to protect and honor his decisions, but he believes that Paris is wrong in his actions, and feels it necessary to make that known to him. Another place where we see Hektor's strict belief in the code of honor is in the events that take place during his return home in the sixth book. Hector returns to Troy in order to have the queen and the other women make a sacrifice to Athena, hoping that she will help the Trojans in the war. After arranging that act he visits Paris, with the intention of convincing him to fight. Visibly upset, Hektor scolds Paris, telling him that The people are dying around the city and around the steep wall as they fight hard; it is for you that this war with its clamour has flared up about our city. You yourself would fight with another whom you saw anywhere hanging back from the hateful encounter, (6:327). Paris agrees that he has been dishonoring himself, and tells Hektor he will return with him to fight. Hektor then goes to find Andromache, who is standing by the walls outlining the battlefield with Astanax, their son. When Andromache pleads with Hektor to stay home and cease fighting, Hektor refuses, telling her that he would feel deep shame in front of the Trojans if he were to withdraw himself from the war. Hektor then tells Andromache that the thought of her being dragged off by the Achains troubles him, but he is relieved by the knowledge that she will be looked at as the wife of Hektor, who was ever the bravest fighter of the Trojans, breakers of horses, in the days when they fought about Ilion, (6:460). This causes Andromache to shed tears. On the one hand, she understands Hektor's beliefs and deep sense of morality, but on the other feels it is just as honorable to stay home and care for one's family. This is a second place in which Hektor feels torn between two conflicting responsibilities. A character's social status was mainly based upon his performance in the battlefield. Achilleus is a tragic figure who believes strongly in social order, but questions the idea of fighting for glory. When Aias and Odysseus are sent by Agamemnon to plead with Achilleus' to fight for the Greeks, Achilleus denies them, saying There was no gratitude given for fighting incessantly forever against your enemies. Fate is the same for the man who holds back, the same if he fights hard (9:316). This statement shows that Achilleus is an individual, and does not conform to the ideas of the others. Achilleus is portrayed as a fatalist, believing that there is no point in fighting, because the end is the same for everyone. In book nine, when Agamemnon admits he is wrong and offers gifts, Achilleus still refuses to join his army in battle. He does not see Agamemnon's gifts as a reconciliation attempt, but rather as an insult. Achilles believes that Agamemnon's offerings are selfish and boastful, and he denies them to in order to show Agamemnon that his loyalty cannot be bought. Later in the poem, Achilleus revenges Patroklos' death by killing Hektor. It is customary and proper to return a dead body to its home so it can be given a proper burial, and it is against the code of honor to perform acts of excessive cruelty. Achilleus is so distraught by his friends' death that he contradicts both of these conditions. First, he refuses to return Hektor's body to the Trojans, and then proceeds to drag it behind his carriage by the ankles. Achilleus' deliberate mutilation of Hektor's body shows the reader that he does not hold the code of honor in high regard. Nestor is the character in the poem who best convinces the others to diligently follow the code of honor. There are many instances in which the social order of The Iliad is disrupted, and Nestor comes forth to help restore the order. Although they are thought by the reader to be somewhat pointless, Nestor's stories always have a deeper meaning behind them. In book seven Hektor challenges the Achaians, asking which of them is willing to fight against him. When none volunteer, Nestor tells them the story of his victory against Ereuthalion, emphasizing that at the time he fought he was the youngest among the warriors. He says to the troops, If I were young now, as then, and the strength still steady within me; Hektor of the glancing helm would soon find his battle. But you, now, who are the bravest of all the Achaians, are not minded with a good will to go against Hektor, (7:157). This speech compels nine of the Achaian's to volunteer, showing Nestor's power to influence the warriors to stick to the heroic code. Later in the same book, Nestor again stresses the importance of the code of honor when he suggests that the Greeks retreat from fighting and bury their dead, because it was believed that the funeral shows the social status of a warrior. Nestor also wants the warriors to subside from fighting in order to build a wall to protect them. He convinces them by saying, We must dig a deep ditch circling it, so as to keep off their people and horses, that we may not be crushed under the attack of these proud Trojans, (7:341). Nestor realizes that the Trojans have the upper hand, and does not want the Greeks to lose without a putting up a respectable fight. He feels that for the Greeks to turn around and leave would be a great dishonor, and does everything in his power to keep them in the battle. Nestor's advice, finally, challenges the Achaians to live up to the honorable precedent set by the book's fallen heroes. The characters in The Iliad base many of their actions on the code of honor. The warriors believe that the most dishonorable thing someone can do is refrain from fighting with his fellow soldiers, whereas Achilleus disagrees. Although a code of honor is present in the Iliad, many of the characters interpret and maintain it in different ways.

For more on honor, click on the second link.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

I always liked the Illiad because it pits two important themes against each other: family vs. glory. Hector epitomizes the family man. He is a great warrior but he wants to be with his family yet he realizes the only way he can be with them is if the enemy is defeated. ONly then will his family be safe and he can keep them safe. Yet, Hector knows that he cannot defeat Achilles. He knows he is doomed.

Achilles on the other hand, is ignorant and only fights for glory, so that future generation will remember his name. He too, knows that he will die young but the star that burns brightest, burns shortest.

The irony is that Achilles is killed by the man who wrecks families, Paris, rather than the true family man, Hector.
Anyhow, I hope you enjoy the Illiad and the Odyssey because they are both fantastic.

have a nice day.

Answer 3

You could try asking your teacher. But the reason they asked is probably to test you on how much you were paying attention in class. And if you truly don't know, then ask them what you need to do to find out. Most likely you just need to read the book.

That being said, I'm sure the internet has loads of information on this very subject, but Yahoo answers is not a place where people do research for you. Go to Google, Yahoo.com, or Wikipedia.org, and search for it yourself.

Hopefully you'll learn something in the process.

Good luck!

Answer 4

I think my favorite album (Lucy Gray, by EOTC) reflects my personality well. My thoughts constantly dwell on life and death; of how I'm going to be remembered once I'm gone; of the thoughts of other people, and what type of people they'll grow up to be -- just as the album does. And just the way that the lyrics talks about those subjects, about how they leave room for thought and imagination, basically mirrors the way that I think about those things.

Answer 5

There is a very good description of that issue in the Penguin edition of Medea and other plays by Eurypides.