Antiquity and Middle Ages Flashcards
1
Q
What is the Shield of Achilles?
A
- shield on which 2 cities are portrayed (city of peace and city of war)
- in the peaceful city there’s a trial
- participants: plaintiff, defendant, elders, judge, public
- justice (trial) done in the public square, ensuring transparency and communal validation
- trials resolve disputes avoiding war
- trials signify transition from society of revenge to civil society
2
Q
Main concepts of law in Homer.
A
- homeric society follows unwritten laws
- responsability for vilation of the laws is collective
- sanctions enforced by injured party are legal duty to divine will
- justice is rooted in shared values
- WILL - laws originate from the divine will
- THEMIS - sacred and social rules, that are revealed by God are followed by the society
- SANCTION - divine retributions
3
Q
What is the transition from Homer to Hesiod?
A
- Homerian epic was only oral, Hesiod’s is written
- Homer told stories centered on the heroe and his actions
- Hesiod focuses even on more absract concepts without centering the point on a concrete person
- Hesiod law and justice is secularised (Zeus only oversees justice, but doesn’t primarily impose it)
- Hesiod’s justice is centered around humans and their individual actions
4
Q
Fable of the hawk and the nightingale.
A
- fable by Hesiod to guve a warning to rulers
- it is considered ti be the first fable of Western culture
- nightingale acknowledges his weaknest towards the hawk, however he keeps signing - metaphor for demanding justice even in the weaker position
- message - arrogance harms even the strongest; kings are responsibke for the (un)happiness of their people; good king has to respect justice; the one who does evel to others does also evil to themselves
5
Q
Hesiods rules for society.
A
- justice relies on ‘right speech’ (honest, unbiasted, free from corruption judgements)
- respect for others (honesty and reciprocity are central)
- hard work (labour is moral duty)
- trust is at the basis of a society (enabling cooperation, stable order)
6
Q
What is the context of Oresteia?
A
- Oresteia is a tragedy (with 3 parts) written by Aeschylus
- it was wirtten during a period of instability and uncertainty (Persian wars)
- it reflects the social shift from oligarchy to democracy
- Aeschyles tries to reconcile old order with the new democratic one (family based vengeange is replaced with democratic trial)
7
Q
Key themes in Oresteia.
A
- transition from revenge to justice (revenging crime used to be a family responsability, there was an endless cycle of revenge; Athena breaks the cycle by creating legal system with impartial judges, responsibility of punishment is transferred to the state)
- dividine vs. human authority (Gods dominate human affairs, bu the set-up of a trial signals gradual empowernment of humans)
- intergenetational conflicts (conflicts between generations; also between generations of gods (furies vs. Apollo and Athena); male and female dynamics - female character results reconciling)
8
Q
Principles of justice in Oresteia.
A
- dike (justice) which changes its meaning during the play (in the first two parts dike means revenge, however in the third part it changes its meaning to judicial justice
- trial is a discoursive process involving the confrontation of opposing opinions; persuasion plays a crucial role
- positive role of rhetorics - fosters oeace and reconciliation rather than manipulation
9
Q
Conflicts in Antigone
A
- Nomos vs. Nomina (nomos - positive law, embodies state authority); (nomina - unwritten law, upholds timeless customs and moral obligations)
- Individual vs. State (Creon argues that state law is necessary for order and that general welfare should exceed personal interests; Antigone holds by family duty and moral obligations, defying positive law)
- Gender dynamics (conflict in patrialchel society, where women are not taken seriously; Antigone challenging patrialchal order challneges it)
- Generation conflict (younger generation arguing for compasion and moral obligations; older generation imposing strict rule)
10
Q
Key interactions in Antigone
A
- Antigone and Ismene
- Antigone and Creon
- Creon and Elders
- Creon and Haemon
- Creon and Tiresias
11
Q
Antigone’s interactions
A
Antigone and Ismene
* Ismene is her sister and tried to persuade Antigone not to break the royal decree
* Ismene conforms with social norms and pressure and is scared of the consequences
* Antigone is resolute in her decison, but does not try to convince Ismene of her truth, simply states her opinion
Antigone and Creon
* Creon confronts Antigone with violating his royal decree
* Antigone takes all the responsability
* Antigone cities and bases her action on divine justice and moral obligations towards family
* Creon bases his authority on his position as a ruler and his norms
* Creon sees Antigone’s defiance as a threath to state stability and his masculinity
12
Q
Creon’s interactions
A
- Creon with Elders
- Creon defends his position, argumenting for his adtions
- he decides based on reason and good government and not on moral principles
- Creon and Haemon
- Haemon appeals for Antigone’s life urging Creon for compassion over rigid authority
- Creon sees in Heamon’s argumentation insubordination and challenge to his authrity as a father an ruler
* Creon and Tiresias - Tiresias is a wise men and accuses Creon of overstepping his boundaries
- Creon revokes his sgecree based on couese of events and not because he changed his mind
13
Q
Dialogue in Antigone
A
- in Antigone dialogues represent the failure of dialogue
- there is no actual dialogue, because neither Creon nor Antigone are willing to change their mind - instead of talking to each other, they talk just to themselves
- for there to be a dialogue parties need to be open to change their opinions
- Antigone highlights the challenges of resolving a deep disagreement between parties
14
Q
What is persuation in Plato?
A
- criticised Sophist (believed that truth does not exist and used persuation from manipulation)
- criticised dualistic ontology (rejects absolute opposites; non-being is a way of being, not its opposite; opposite coexist and complement each other)
- truth and opinion are interconnected (truth is dynamic and emerges from dialectics, every opinon has always a part of true)
- persuation is achieved through reasoned argument
15
Q
What is justice for Plato?
A
- everyday justice (secondary) = fairness and equal distribution
- primary justice = perfection of soul, complete virtue
- justice in a state - ideal state consists of
1. rulers (educated to know the truth)
2. soldiers (exhibit strenght and bravery)
3. producers (fulifilling societal needs) - virtues necessary for just society - wisdom, courage, moderation
- city-soul analogy (societies harmony reflects balanced soul of an individual; justice occurs when rational part regulates the spirited and rational parts of the soul)
