Chaos and Order in Greek Literature, Essay Example

Hesiod’s Works and Days and Homer’s The Odyssey

The notion of chaos and order has permeated the works of ancient Greek literature in relation to Greek mythology and cosmogonies in addition to philosophical epistemologies is an important area of research   “It is from works that men are many-sheeped and rich, and the man who works is much closer to the deathless ones” (Hesiod 83).  In his Works and Days, eighth century Greek poet Hesiod sheds light on the life of the lower class peasantry by describing in great detail matters that pertain to agriculture.  He creates a worldview based upon two notions: that strife and labor comprise the universal fate for all humans, and that those who work hard without chafing against the power structure will survive and succeed in this difficult world. Works and Days is filled with moral precepts, myths, and fables, making it a didactic poem intended to guide the Boetian farmer to survive. Although Hesiod addresses this poem to his brother Perses as a reaction to their dispute over the distribution of his father’s land, the values he espouses speak to everyone, revealing his own assumptions and frustrations about his society.  Through the intersectionality of his theology, cosmology and anthropology, Hesiod uses Greek myths to show that the universal fate of man is to suffer through work, equalizing all members of the human race as subject to the power of the gods.  He presents his worldview based on his response to the chaotic, immoral world around him, prompting him to organize this culture under religious and moral principles of hard work and virtuous living marked by obedience to the gods as necessary to survive and succeed in it.

Hesiod makes a case for the role of myth in the life of the Boetian farmer through his theology and cosmology by providing a common cultural foundation of beliefs for all individuals in Greek society.  Through myth, he places the gods at the top of the power structure of society, attributing them ultimate power over all other beings. Hesiod shows great reverence for the Gods, especially Zeus, thus implicating the need to respect them. At the outset of the poem, Hesiod addresses his brother Perses and warns him of the power of Zeus.  He asserts, “For easily [Zeus] makes a man strong, but easily he presses hard the strong; easily he diminishes the illustrious and increases the unknown; easily he straightens the crooked man and withers the arrogant, does Zeus the High Thunderer, who inhabits the loftiest homes” (Hesiod 51).  Hesiod depicts Zeus as an all powerful force in this world; he uses the superlative form “loftiest” to describe his home, suggesting that he is the most powerful being in this world who deserves the best home; he should be respected and feared. Throughout the poem, Hesiod alludes to the notion that Zeus sees everything and subsequently “assigns dike,” or punishment, if he sees one engaging in “evil violence or cruel works” (Hesiod 77).   The gods are the ultimate judge of correct conduct, so Hesiod emphasizes over and over again that they have power over all others, including the basilees. Thus, Hesiod asserts that Gods are related to human activity and that all individuals should conduct themselves out of respect for the gods, as they have the power to reward or punish him or her.  Individuals do have an obligation to honor a power greater then themselves regardless of social differences such as class and gender.  Hesiod uses mythology to delineate a shared, collective experience amongst all people by showing the universal subjugation of man to the gods, giving meaning to the Boetian farmer by instilling a sense of worth.

Further, through myth, Hesiod constructs his cosmology by describing the Greeks’ view of the origin of man and man’s evolution in relation to the gods to appeal to the experience of the Boetian farmer and to empower him.  He uses myths to describe the fall of man into his current state where he must toil and labor in order to subsist. The first section of Works and Days details a brief history of the relations of humans with gods, including a narrative of the degeneration of five races of people culminating in the present-day Iron Race.  The first race of man represented a time of perfect happiness when people did not have to work to survive because everyone they were good and obeyed the gods (Hesiod 67). However, Hesiod laments that society has degraded into the Iron race, a race of evil men who have become violent and immoral; as a result, they are burdened with working all day and all night by the gods (Hesiod 73).  Hesiod uses the myth of the races to suggest that men have degenerated over a long period of time, each race becoming inferior to the previous one.  This indicates the necessity for man to do more work and labor each time as the gods become more displeased him and punishes him as a result.  Hesiod emphasizes that humans have morally degenerated by disrespecting the gods, which serves as another reason for their punishment.  He recounts the myth of Prometheus, who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mortals.  As punishment, the gods not only revoked the power of making fire but also “sustenance” from the people, thrusting evil upon all those in society by making them labor to survive. Had Prometheus escaped the notice of Zeus, Hesiod asserts that “you would easily accomplish even in one single day so as to have enough even for a full year, even if you were an idler. Quickly would you put away the steering oar up in the smoke, and the works of the oxen, and the work enduring asses would disappear” (Hesiod 59). By recounting this myth, Hesiod glorifies the simple life of the Boetian farmer in current society and emphasizes his importance as reflected through the work he does. It would have been tragic had Zeus not caught the deceit of Prometheus because humans would never have to work for success. The race of man became evil as a result of his disobedience to the cosmic order, making the lot of all men, not just the Boetian farmer, to be a laborer. Through myth, the Boetian farmer could manipulate certain ideas at will; the gods intended for all men to work hard and suffer as a sign of their obedience to the gods as well as their desire to maintain order.

In doing so, Hesiod uses these precepts from myths to organize society within the religious principles of the existing power structures that operate around moral principles. These myths provide a moral framework for the organization of society by implicating the necessity to obey one’s superiors, especially the gods.  In describing the myth of the silver race of man, Hesiod recalls that Zeus destroys them because they refused to honor the gods through offering sacrifices (Hesiod 69).  The gods have the power to unleash their wrath upon any human and cause great suffering if they disobey the cosmic order. Hesiod warns that disorderly conduct that disrupts the cosmic order would incur the offender great strife and ultimately could lead to the destruction of an entire people by the gods. This sentiment is seen when Hesiod constantly warns his brother that the gods control the fates of all men, so [Perses] should be careful to make sound judgments because the gods will punish him in the end if he does not (Hesiod 55). From such an admonitory observation about the cosmic order, it appears that Hesiod views Perses’ evil deed towards him as a disruption of the order of the cosmos firmly in place.  Perses’ unjust act of stealing Hesiod’s land is translated as disobedience to the gods, as it was not “god given” but rather snatched away (Hesiod 85). Thus, Hesiod connects and equates the moral order of society with the order of the cosmos; when individuals act immorally and unjustly, they disrupt the order of the cosmos through their disobedience.  Therefore, Hesiod does not encourage the Boetian farmer to embark on a revolution that challenges existing power structures within society; rather, he believes that the farmer should prove himself through the virtue of hard work.

To counteract the disorderly behavior of those like Perses, Hesiod provides a counter solution for encouraging justice by organizing society around the principle of a strong work ethic.  Hesiod establishes a strong work ethic as an organizing principle throughout his poem to encourage the Boetian farmer that his existence is not futile, and that he can succeed and surpass others.  Hesiod declares, “work is no reproach: idleness is reproach. If you work the idler will quickly envy you as you become wealthy.  Success and renown depend upon wealth” (Hesiod 85). Later on, Hesiod demands that the farmer not put off work for later; rather, he must work hard all of the time to reap benefits in the end (Hesiod 93).   He subsequently outlines in great detail for the farmer to cultivate a successful crop: what tools the farmer needs, what plants to crops during what month, and when to harvest the crops; he describes the specific tasks needed and specific times which the farmer should carry the task out.  At one point, Hesiod says , “So whatever your situation may be, to work is the advisable course, if by turning your witless spirit to work, away from others’ possessions, you give care to your livelihood” (Hesiod 85).  Working hard cultivates moral benefits for people: it keeps them from snatching other people’s possessions and having to beg others for food.  Hesiod says this to empower the Boetian farmer by glorifying this simple life and holding him on a moral pedestal.  By discussing agriculture in such meticulous detail, Hesiod suggests the importance it has in this society.  He also sought to generate optimism in the Boetian farmer by implicating that all of his hard work and toiling will pay off in the end.  Therefore, it is evident that Hesiod uses the notion of hard work to empower the Boetian farmer, who only knows a life of strife and labor, because the gods are will recognize him and reward him the end.

Hesiod not only acknowledges the need to show a good work ethic to please the gods, but also the importance for all people to act in a virtuous manner that does not offend them.  Towards the end of the poem, Hesiod instructs the Boetian farmer how to comport himself properly so as not to offend the gods in his everyday activities.  For example, he tells the farmer not to urinate while facing the sun, as this would offend the sun god Apollo (Hesiod 127).  Hesiod constructs his anthropology in a moral context to elicit his view that all individuals are able to exhibit moral behavior through their own free will.  Although he emphasizes the power of the Gods as a guide for human behavior, Hesiod also demonstrates the belief that all humans have the ability to think and act with at least partial freedom; there are choices for individuals that make them accountable for their own actions.  Therefore, hard work and moral goodness must be cultivated and rewarded while evil must be discouraged.  By ordering society as thus, Hesiod provides hopes for the Boetian farmer to find security in an insecure world through the success he may achieve as a result of his own personal choices.  Working is the fate of all man, so by working hard and respecting the gods the Boetian farmer could carve out a place for himself in this cruel world.  Through hard work and virtuous living, he may escape his current lot marked by misery as he would be rewarded by the gods in the end.

Beyond Hesiod’s seminal work, Homer’s Odysseus also explores how myths were used to construct order amidst chaos. The Trojan War created chaos in the world of Odysseus, which required the social, political, and moral order to be restored in Odysseus’ arduous journey back home. Indeed, Odysseus as the protagonist of The Odyssey must endure peril and tragedy for years throughout his arduous journey back to Ithaca. His journey can be interpreted as a trope for a nation that has endured death and destruction and chaos and its aftermath. Odysseus faces a litany of obstacles and challenges, such as the sea monsters Scylla and Charybdis who force Odysseus to decide which straight they should choose in order to avoid sure death by flanking the straight on which they sail (Homer 278).  Time and again, divine intervention–or instances in which the Greek Gods interfere with the plot line in various eays– appears in the work in order to bring order to a world of chaos, which manifests in the garrulous and impulsive actions of the protagonist.  In one scene, the god of the sea, Poseidon,  intervenes after the protagonist and his men visit the land of the Cyclops and they stumble upon Polyphemus, who happens to be the son of Poseidon, and are trapped in his cave where they will be eaten. A cunning man of “twists and turns,” Odysseus devises a plan in which he and his men escape after gouging out the eye of Polyphemus. Filled with hubris for his daring escape, Odysseus reveals his true identity. Doing so resulted in the blinded Cyclops to ask his father to take revenge on the hubris Odysseus, (Homer 46). Poseidon acquiesces and creates a tempetuous storm when Odysseus leaves Ogygia after the nymph Calypso releases him from captivity, which almost kills the protagonist (Homer 155). Such hubris–a manifestation of the social and moral chaos created by the Trojan War–called for the need of the goddess Athena to intervene on his behalf in order to restore  order.

The divine interventions of Athena on Odysseus’ behalf throughout the epic make Odysseus appear to be a strong protagonist, yet, despite his moral degradation that he is invincible because the Greels won the war, such an intimation is ironic. The divine intervention of Athena is necessary in order for order to be restored, not because a hubris, unbeatable hero was so great that he deserved her protection. The first time Athena  interferes with the plot narrative in The Odyssey is during the council meeting in which the Greeks Gods convened about the nefarious activities taking place during Odysseus journey home. She coaxes the Gods to force the nymph Calypso to liberate Odysseus because he strayed from his morals and had an affair with the beautiful nymph (Homer 31). Athena also casts spirits into Telemachus, the son of Odysseus’ son, and instructed him to put  on a disguise as one of his father’s old friends in order to drive out the suitors who pursue Odysseus’ wife (). If the suitors refused to leave, Athena told the disguised Telemachus to ascertain any information he could about the whereabouts of Odysseus (Homer 248). Such instances reveal that divine intervention transpired in order for the social and moral chaos that manifested in the actions of Odysseus and suitors back home slowly get brought back to order.

Hesiod uses Greek mythology to give worth to the life of the Boetian farmer by unifying the collective experiences of Greek society.  He reaffirms the shared experiences not only amongst those who have lived the agricultural lifestyle but all others in Greek society through their common fate at the hands of the gods.  Mortal rejection of the divine dike is reflected in the myths of the five races of man, which showcase the degeneration of man as a result of their injustice.  Hesiod appeals to the Boetian farmer by arguing that regardless of whom one is—one’s gender or class—if one works hard and leads a virtuous life then God will acknowledge this and reward them with food to eat and a good life.  He does so by ordering society around religious and moral principles, encouraging a strong work ethic as a sign of obedience to the gods.  Therefore, Hesiod asserts to the Boetian farmer that he is an architect of his own destiny within this cruel world; that the need for humans to go back to the measure of god prevails, and the farmer is capable of striving for it.  This notion is significant because it promotes the idea that the gods view all people as equal and will reward those in the end who deserve it through their conduct.  People are morally impartial from birth, and whether one follows a path of good or evil depends on external influences and strength of his or her will.  Through this idea, he empowers to oppressed and gives a voice to the voiceless.  Hesiod espouses principles and values that form the ideals of western society, where one is rewarded based on merit as they accumulate wealth not because they are born into a life of wealth but because they worked for it.  Even the most oppressed individuals can make something of themselves and contribute to society, offering redemption in the future for those who suffer in the present.

Works Cited

Hesiod. Works and Days. United States: University of California Press, 1996. Print.

Homer. The Iliad. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1951. Print.