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Comparing the Greek Hero to the Renaissance Polymath: How Their Similar Ideals Prove the Steadfastness of Human Nature

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Comparing the Greek Hero to the Renaissance Polymath: How Their Similar Ideals Prove the Steadfastness of Human Nature Comparing the Greek Hero to the Renaissance Polymath: How their Similar Ideals Prove the Steadfastness of Human Nature CMRS 110 December 2, 2016 Submitted to Zachary Yuzwa By Cassidy Sim Introduction Past scholars have done plenty of research looking into the qualities of an ancient Greek hero, and what traits were valued by the average person in classical Greek society; many others still have spent years studying the renowned polymath, or “perfect man” of the Renaissance. Both the ancient Greek hero and Renaissance polymath can be considered significant developments in the field of societal conception of ideal personal qualities. This study will take traits typically assigned to a Greek hero in past scholarly studies, and compare them to those of the ideal Renaissance man, to see what the two have in common, and therein, what humans value in general, regardless of the time frame. Through an analysis of ancient texts, including Homer’s Iliad and Virgil’s Aenied, as well as a consideration of various scholarly studies, it has become evident that ancient Greek heroes and the ideal man of the Renaissance are similar in their striving for “perfection” and appreciation of the arts, but contrast starkly when it comes to the underlying philosophies behind their character. This comparison shows how the societal conception of the “ideal person” changes its philosophical foundation over time with culture, but more importantly, the consistencies between the qualities that different societies value, even when separated by thousands of years, proves the steadfastness of human nature. Overview and Analysis of Concepts For this project, I have created an extremely brief sonnet cycle of 3 Shakespearean sonnets praising Achilles from a Renaissance speaker’s point of view. The purpose of the sonnet cycle is to demonstrate the similarities between the traits valued in the ancient Greek heroes, and those valued in the polymath of the Renaissance. The main difference between these “ideal” models for the time periods is the religious/philosophical foundation on which they stand; this difference is emphasized in the sonnets through the Renaissance speaker’s use of Christian motifs in place of Greek mythological references. The Renaissance speaker creates a sense that Achilles was a warrior of God, created in perfection, sent to cleanse the earth of heathens, and ultimately send Aeneas to found the Roman Empire, where Jesus would be born. Some parts of the original Greek story may have been altered in the sonnets to fit the speaker’s purpose, as was often the case in the Renaissance, where writers and poets used Greek mythology as inspiration for their work. From researching personal traits and skills valued in both ancient Greece and the Renaissance, it has become evident that both cultures hold the arts in high esteem (Boring, 1979; Grant, 1982; New World Encyclopedia, 2015) and both saw an increased appreciation for human form and realism, in particular (Grant, 1982). Terrence Boring finds that literate education as well as musical training were held in high regard. Cultural values like these suggest that idealistic Greek heroes, particularly in the later part of the Hellenistic period, would have placed value on scholarly achievement or musical and poetic ability, yet may not have possessed those literacies themselves. However, it is true that Hellenistic heroes put more sacred value on these objects than they did monetary or economic value (Gernet, 1981), while Renaissance artists often created their works as a means of income. Another striking similarity between the two cultures is their underlying striving for perfection. While the Greeks aimed for “perfectus,” a state of divinity/heroism achieved after sacrificing oneself to bring prosperity to one’s people, polymaths of the Renaissance strove to achieve mastery in all subjects to perfect oneself (New World Encyclopedia, 2015); both, however, often show themes relating to divine communion (Gernet, 1981; Budin, 2004; New World Encyclopedia, 2015). While religious differences divide the two, the Renaissance polymath and Greek hero show strikingly similar qualities and themes overall, regardless of the thousands of years between them. From this, it is demonstrated definitively that human ideals, and therein human nature, is a static concept. While underlying philosophies and deities change, the approach to heroism/perfection remains the same. This allows for a deeper understanding of humanity, and literature as a whole, because readers can be assured that the foundation of the emotion and memory put into ancient text is no less relevant now than when it was written. The following sonnets have been composed with reference to excerpts from Shakespeare’s Sonnet Cycle (Callaghan, 2007) to establish style, and they are intended to demonstrate, in as much realism as possible, the similarities between classical Greek and Renaissance values, while emphasizing the emotion relevant to both Achilles and the Renaissance poet regardless of the [Christian] religious underpin. The Sonnets Sonnet 1 Perfection is the babe borne unto Styx For baptism in her ever-flowing stream. Any man to gaze upon him transfixed By his fair figure’s celestial gleam. Master of the lyre, of war, and of wit, Divine by nature, he communes with God: The mighty warrior of ancient writ In whose everlasting wise steps men trod. Yet those most learned and skilled with thy tool, None can compare their sculpture to God’s hand, Thy best render seems but sketched by a fool When thy model, as Achilles, commands. No man since has achieved such perfection: More suited are we to mere reflection. The first of the sonnets mostly tells of Achilles’ perfection, in his appearance (4), mastery of several subjects (5, 8), and eventual godlike status (6). For the Renaissance polymath, academic and physical perfection was striven for; the ideal man would have a mastery of all subjects, including athletics, thereby achieving human perfection (New World Encyclopedia, 2015). Similarly, the ancient Greeks strove to achieve “perfectus,” which meant to commune with the gods; those who reached perfectus were heroes by definition: they became godlike after having brought wealth/fertility to their people, whether by sacrifice or some other feat (Budin, 2004; Gernet, 1981), like Achilles, through his masterful warfare and eventual death resulting from his killing Hector (which ultimately decided the fate of the war). Achilles was learned in the art of music, and in many representations, is shown as Chiron’s pupil, learning to play the lyre (5). Being an educated individual in the time of the Greeks, Achilles must then also have been considered “wise” (8); it was common for things like literacy, or musical ability in earlier times, to be held in high esteem (Boring, 1979). His “fair figure’s celestial gleam” (4) is meant to parallel descriptions of Christ, or other holy figures in the Bible, who are often represented with a divine halo. The last sestet of the sonnet stresses the unrivaled perfection of Achilles, and ends off in admittance that while Renaissance men may catch a glimpse at true perfection, it is not something humans are capable of, as God is the sole artist when it comes to such a thing. Sonnet 2 Fair-painted brilliance of Gods’ own hand: Achilles, blessed art thou and thine wrath, Thy endless vengeance brings plague to the damned: Sent to follow righteous His spoken path. Till thy blade runs red with royal blood, Retrieve thine angel taken in envy, Redeem thine brother lost, left slain in mud: Light pure the flame to rend this land clean. Yet to thine own fate, thou must pay no heed, The Father has bid it, so shall thee die. In death, the birth of a king dost thou breed, So forth shalt thou charge, and let thy spear fly. Play sweet the lyre, sing sacrifice, o lord, Send to judgement this idolatrous horde. Sonnet 2 focusses on Achilles’ part in the Trojan War. In the context of this sonnet, Achilles is acting as a divine vessel for God’s wrath, sent to “cleanse this land,” by essentially slaughtering the Trojans. For this reason, many allusions to Christianity and God are made. As a “plague” (3), Achilles resembles the biblical plagues of Egypt (Exodus 7-11, Bible). Line 5 refers to Hector’s death having sealed the fate of Achilles, and is followed by allusions to Helen (6) and the death of Patroclus (7), all of which are allusions to those found in Homer’s Iliad (Fagles, 1990). In line 11, the poet has alluded to the birth of a king, resultant from Achilles death. This can be interpreted as the rise of Aeneas founding Rome after the Trojan War, as told in Virgil’s Aeneid (Fagles, 2006), or when analyzed in conjunction with the third sonnet of the cycle, it could be considered a more direct reference to the eventual birth of Christ in the Roman Empire (Mathew 1:18, Bible). Thematically, there are several references to art in this sonnet, namely in line 1, “Fair-painted,” and in the first line of the rhyming couplet, “Play sweet the lyre, sing…” The inclusion of artistic imagery is used here to emphasize the shared adoration of art found in ancient Greece as well as during the Renaissance (Boring, 1979; Grant, 1982; New World Encyclopedia, 2015). Sonnet 3 Mislead in name and altar thee may be, Thyself blinded from thy true shepherd’s face: From worship of idols thou will not see, Till the one ruling god thou doth embrace. Thine veins run blooming with spirit of Saul: An essence that yet hath no name, no holy rite, And steers thine to yield to its inborn call, Breathed into thine flame by His divine might. Still, Ananias’ hand, thou too, shall save, Surrendered to Him, thou yield his son, And rest now soundly in the peace He gave, To soon fulfill what thy Lord bids be done.
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