CLAS E-116/W

The Heroic and the Anti-Heroic in Classical Greek Civilization

Prof. Gregory Nagy
Dr. Kevin McGrath
Fall 2009 Syllabus

What does it mean, to be human? This course takes a close look at the human
condition as viewed through the lens of classical Greek civilization. The basic
organizing principle is an objective study of two antithetical models of
humanity, the hero and the antihero.
Concepts of the hero dominate two of the core forms of classical Greek
literature, epic and tragedy. In this course, there are two epics to be read, which
are the Homeric Iliad and Odyssey, and seven tragedies, which are Aeschylus
Oresteia Trilogy, Sophocles two Oedipus dramas, and Euripides Hippolytus and
The Bacchic Women. These classical concepts are linked to two historical
realities in the ancient Greek world: (1) heroes were worshipped in cult, and (2)
the focal point of this worship was the veneration of the heros body at the site
of his or her tomb.
Concepts of the antihero, on the other hand, assert themselves in alternative
forms of Greek literature. In the readings of this course, such forms include two
dialogues of Plato, the Apology and the Phaedo (both centering on the last days
of Socrates), and selections from the New Testament, in particular, from the
Gospel according to Mark; also included are selections from the dialogue On
Heroes by an eminent thinker in the second sophistic movement, Philostratus
(early third century CE).
In these readings, antiheroic models emerge. One of these is the word of
Socratic dialogue, which figures as a radical alternative to the venerated body
of the cult hero. Another of these antiheroic models is the figure of Jesus as
presented in Mark 4:3541, focusing on heroic deeds, and 16:18, focusing on
the themes of the empty tomb and the resurrection. The empty tomb theme
of the New Testament, which is considered the oldest element in the
development of the Passion Narrative, will be analyzed as an alternative to
ancient Greek practices of venerating tombs of cult heroes and to ancient
Jewish and Muslim practices of venerating tombs of figures from sacred
narratives, such as the tomb of Abraham and Sarah in Hebron. The theme of
the empty tomb in the early Christian era will be compared with the rival
theme of the Holy Sepulcher in the later Christian era of the emperor
Constantine (fourth century CE), showing a reversion to the older heroic model
of the cultheros tomb. As for the theme of Jesus resurrection and subsequent
epiphanies in the New Testament, it will be compared with the rival pagan
theme of the double resurrection and subsequent epiphanies of the epic and
cult hero Protesilaos in the dialogue crafted by Philostratus. For the sake of

comparing the ancient sense of hero with reinterpretations in the postancient

era, other alternatives to the classical hero will be explored in a paper
assignment centering on two short stories from the German romantic author
E.T.A. Hoffmann: The Sandman and Don Juan.
By the time the course comes to an end, the student will have learned that
there are different definitions of the hero in different historical times and
places. In the end though, the one true hero of this course will be the logos or
word of logical reasoning, as activated by the Socratic dialogue. The logos of
dialogue will require careful thinking, realized in close reading and reflective
writing. The last word about this logos comes from Platos memories of words
spoken in dialogue by Socrates during the last days of his life, which will be
read towards the very end of the course. Such a last word, shaped by a deep
understanding of the concept of the hero in all its varieties throughout the
history of Greek civilization, will become the latest word for the student who
earnestly engages in dialogue, by way of writing as well as reading, with heroic
and antiheroic expressions of the human condition.
This course is driven by a sequence of dialogues that lead to such an
engagement, guiding the attentive reader through many of the major works of
the ancient Greek Classics. The recorded dialogues and supplementary
proseminar sessions stem from the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences course,
Culture & Belief 22. (In this course, all readings are translated into
contemporary English and supplemented by selections from the ancient visual
arts.)
Required Reading: Sourcebook.
Recommended Reading: For further background on and interpretation of the required reading, two
books by G. Nagy are available on the website, The Best of the Achaeans: Concepts of the
Hero in Archaic Greek Poetry; and, Pindar's Homer. These books supply background for
some, but hardly all, of the topics to be presented in the course.

SCHEDULE OF DIALOGUES AND READINGS

Beginning with the second week, you should complete the assigned reading BEFORE Thursday's
Section.
Week 1 Reading: Reading: Introduction 1: Facts about the Heroes course. Introduction 2:
Relevant facts about ancient Greek history." (Available on the website.) Dialogue 1
Week 2 Reading: Introduction 3: The Epic Hero. (On the website.) Introduction to the Homeric Iliad
and Odyssey" (Sourcebook.) Dialogue 2

Week 3 Reading: Iliad, Scrolls I-VIII; and, selections from Alcman and Sappho; also, Nagy, Lyric And
Greek Myth, and Did Sappho And Alcaeus Ever Meet? (On the website.) Dialogues 3 and 4

Week 4 Reading: Iliad, Scrolls IX-XVII; also, Nagy, Homer And Greek Myth. Dialogues 5 and 6
Week 5 Reading: Iliad, Scrolls XVIII-XXIV; Dialogues 7 and 8 [Draft of First Paper returned.]
Week 6 Reading: Begin reading Homeric Odyssey, Scrolls i-xii; Proclus, Summaries of the Epic Cycle
(Sourcebook); and, also review second half of Nagy, Homer And Greek Myth about the Odyssey.
(On the website.) Dialogues 9 and 10
Week 7 Reading: Odyssey, Scrolls xiii-xxiv. Dialogue 11
Week 8 Reading: Selections from Herodotus; Pausanias; and reread The Epic Hero. (On the
website). (Herodotus, Histories: 1.1-91; 9.114-122. Pausanias, Description of Greece: 9.39.5-9.39.14;
9.37.5.) Dialogue 12
Week 9 Reading: Selections from Hesiod and Theognis; Aeschylus, Oresteia: Agamemnon; and,
Nagy, Notes on Greek Tragedy. (Sourcebook.) (Hesiod, Theogony: lines 1-115; Works & Days, lines
1-286. Theognis: Theognis of Megara, not the Appendix to Theognis.) Dialogues 13 and 14
Week 10 Reading: Aeschylus, Oresteia: Libation-Bearers, Eumenides; Pindar, Pythian 8, and, Key
Passages Relevant to the Poetics of Pindar. (Sourcebook.) Dialogues 15 and 16 [Draft of Second
Paper returned.]

Week 11 Reading: Sophocles, Oidipus At Colonus; Oidipus Tyrannus Dialogue 17

Week 12 Reading: Euripides, Hippolytus; Bacchae. Dialogues 18 and 19
Week 13 Reading: Plato, Apology; Phaedo. Dialogues 20 and 21
Week 14 Reading: Selections from Philostratus, 1.1-16.6; 25.1-25.16; and 44.5--54.1. (On the
website); the Gospel According to Mark, 4:35-41 and 16:1-8. Dialogues 22 and 23