Greek Period
Throughout the ancient Greek period there seemed to be an emergent theme of tension between the self-interest and the common good of the community. This tension was evident is all aspects of society including the literary works such as Homer’s Iliad, the portrait of Pericles presented by Plutarch in The Rise and Fall of Athens: Nine Greek Lives, and the architecture such as the relief sculpture on the pediment and frieze of the Parthenon. ... Through the use of Achilles, a Greek, Homer was able to illustrate this tension between the self-interest and the common good of the Greek community. ... In the opening scenes of the novel, the reader discovers that Agamemnon presented Achilles, a mighty Greek warrior and prominent figurehead in the community, with Briseis as a prize for his exceptional valor. ... ” (Homer 1997) Achilles’ response to Thetis shows how the common good of the community is at the top of his priorities and he is willing to give his own life to win glory for the Greek community. ... In addition to the Iliad, the tension between self-interest and the common good of the community can be seen in Plutarch’s The Rise and Fall of Athens: Nine Greek Lives but more specifically in the life of Pericles. ... In The Rise and Fall of Athens: Nine Greek Lives, Plutarch pointed out that many of Pericles’ political decisions were in his own self-interest yet at times he made decisions based on the common good of his own community.