Hubris is the Greek word for pride, but in the days of the Greeks the term meant much more. It was used to refer to over reaching pride, or pride so great that is was bad. Considering the fact that power and renown within this culture was based one's best self, ownership of material wealth, and glory/renown(the Greek words arete, time, and kleos), one might find this understanding strange at first. The core idea, however, was that one should not get too full of themselves. This honor was meant to only be allowed by the gods. To be this prideful was to try and put yourself at the status of the gods, and was therefore blasphemy.
We see a potential example of this within the first book of the Iliad when Chryses appeals to Agamemnon for his daughter's freedom. He, as a good father should, is concerned for the fate of his daughter as property of Agamemnon. (Note: In these days women did not have the same rights as they do today. While they were highly valued, they were often treated more like property than like people. While it is easy to see the flaws in this in retrospect, we cannot ignore this fact when referring to the Greeks because it was in their worldview.) Agamemnon, instead of being humble, says he won't return the man's daughter. He then proceeds to overstep his boundries by stating that he, "...won't give up the girl. Long before that, old age will overtake her in my house, in Argos, far from her fatherland, slaving back and forth at the loom, forced to share my bed!"(lines 33-36). This is overreaching pride because he no only tells the man no, but states her fate in deep detail, probably crushing the man's hope for his daughter.
Note: Two things.
1. I know it's been a while since I've posted. This blog was primarily created for my highschool classes as my history/humanities teacher required us to do. Now I am in college and have no longer needed this blog, so that is the reason I haven't been posting much over the last year or so.
2. I know I have posted on the Iliad and the Greeks before way back in 2016. I am now sitting in as a guest in the same teacher's class, and thought it would be fun to follow along with the blogs. I hope these later blogs give more detail than before and the comparison of where I am now as to where I was freshman year of highschool should be fun.
