A Study On The Concept Of Death In Iliad And Odyssey

Death is an unavoidable problem of human society.It's a serious subject and has a long history.In Homeric Epics,there are a large number of narrations of death,which fully reveal the concept of death in Homeric age.Homeric Epics are composed of the Iliad and the Odyssey.They depict the Greek society from the 10th century BC to the early 7th century BC.The Iliad depicts the magnificent scenes of the Trojan War,which is full of heroes' death and glory.The Odyssey tells the story of Odysseus returning home,in which there are many narrations of death.The rich materials in Homeric Epics are the basis of interpreting the concept of death.The imagination of afterlife is concrete.After death,the psyche will leave body and becomes an illusory existence with no consciousness.Once the body is buried,the psyche will go to the underworld.In the underworld,each psyche has the same treatment.There many gods in the underworld,such as Hades,Persephone,etc.They are gods in charge of the order of the underworld.For men,the fate of death is already determined and cannot be avoided,but men can still make their own efforts.The behavior shows the value and dignity of men.Three burials in Homeric Epics are described in detail and draw attention.They are about Patroclus,Hector and Achilles.By analyzing the three burials,we can summarize the process of a burial.The process usually involves three steps.Firstly,people will keep the corpse in a temporary shelter for some time.Then the corpse will be transferred to the burial site.Finally,people bury the corpse after a series of rites.In funeral rites,the living try to make the dead comfortable.The living care and respect the dead.They also cherish the memory of the glory and honor of the dead.In Mycenaean,people lack the respect for the dead.On the contrary,people pay more attention to the dead in Homeric Epics.They focus on the individuality and subjectivity of the dead.They love life and hate death.The concept of death in Homeric Epics helps the Greeks build the values of death and life,and promote the formation of hero cults.What's more,it is the source of the humanism in ancient Greek culture and the whole western civilization.This article combines the methods of history and philosophy.On the basis of Homeric Epics,the article combs the narrations of death,explains the connotation of the concept of death,and analyzes its effects.