Piety was an important concept in ancient Greek civilization, as it shaped the culture and actions of Greek citizens. What exactly piety means has varied over time, and the definition differs throughout Greek literature. Characters such as Odysseus of the Odyssey and Orestes of the Oresteia reflect a more traditional view of piety, while Socrates in Plato's Five Dialogues views piety differently as he questions and challenges previous notions of what is pious/impious. Because of his actions it appears that Socrates rejects traditional notions of piety, although he is still a pious man who has a different view of piety than earlier Greek figures such as Odysseus and Orestes. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Based on the writings of Homer and Aeschylus, traditional Greek piety is defined as following the will of the gods without question and honoring the gods for good fortune. Odysseus displays this faith in piety as he and his crew repeatedly make sacrifices and pray to the gods for a safe journey home. Most of the problems Odysseus experiences are due to his displeasure with the gods; Odysseus' journey is prolonged when he angers Poseidon by blinding the Cyclops and Apollo punishes the crew for eating his sacred cattle. Odysseus tells Eurycleia in reference to the suitors to "rejoice in [her] heart, but cry not aloud. It is impious to exult over the slain. These men destroyed by divine destiny and by their own recklessness" (Homer 349). He believes that because the suitors behaved impiously by disrespecting the laws of the gods, their deaths were justified by the will of the gods ("divine destiny"). In Homer's vision of piety, one must always honor the will of the gods, otherwise one will face their wrath. Orestes also reflects a more traditional view of piety. When Apollo tells him to kill his mother, Orestes willingly obeys. Although matricide is typically considered an unholy act, because it is the will of a god it is so justified. Even when Orestes wonders whether killing his mother would be morally right, he is convinced to do so because "Apollo wants it" and it is better to "make all mankind your enemy, not the gods" (Aeschylus 217). This shows that Aeschylus' view of piety is to always follow the will of the gods, because disobeying them would be considered impious and would lead to misfortune. Orestes is at Apollo's mercy, and it is the knowledge that the god is on his side that gives him the confidence to commit a violent act that would normally be frowned upon. Socrates, however, does not accept these views of piety. Instead, he seeks a more “universal” definition of piety and rejects the definitions he has been given as imperfect. For example, "when what is dear to the gods is said to be pious, what is not is impious," Socrates disputes this notion, as he notes that "the gods regard different things as just, beautiful, ugly, good, and bad , for they would not disagree with each other unless they differed on these matters" (Plato 7). Orestes addresses this problem in his worship of the gods; following Apollo's will he puts himself in conflict with the Furies and has to go to court to defend his actions. Socrates believes that because the gods have conflicting ideals, it is impossible to determine what is truly pious; therefore he does not agree with more traditional opinions. He is also dissatisfied with Homer's ideal that piety is the act of prayer and sacrifice between people and the gods, as he believes that the gods do not actually benefit from this exchange and there is a flaw in the logic. He also openly disagrees withHomer's idea. opinions held by citizens such as Homer and Aeschylus of traditional societies. When he talks about the poets and writers of tragedy he says "...because of their poetry, they thought themselves very wise men in other respects, which they were not" (Plato 27). Rejecting the idea that writers and poets were wise, Socrates infers that their lack of adequate wisdom means that they cannot have the correct definition of piety. Because of his belief that he is perhaps wiser than all men, he chooses to follow his own definition of godliness until someone else can provide him with a satisfactory one. Some might say that Socrates' dissatisfaction with previous views of piety would make him impious; however, even though his beliefs may differ from the Greek tradition, he is still pious in his own way. Because of his reluctance to conform to traditional views of piety, Socrates is accused of corrupting the youth of Athens by “teaching them not to believe in the gods in which the city believes, but in other new spiritual things” (Plato 30). The jury considers his actions unholy; however, although Socrates has different religious views than theirs, this does not necessarily make him impious. During the trial he says: “I myself believe that there are gods…not, however, the gods in which the city believes…but others…” (Plato 31). It is clear that the real issue between Socrates and the jury is not that he is acting against the gods, but rather that he shares a different way of religious thinking. Instead, Socrates lives according to his own belief about what is pious. For example, he believes “…that it is evil and shameful to do evil, to disobey one's superior, be he god or man” (Plato 33); therefore it is pious to obey the gods because they are superior, and it is right. Socrates uses his own interpretations of the gods to shape his spiritual beliefs. He describes that his mission as a philosopher is to convince people to examine their own lives, not to settle for popular stories of the past, and to think about and investigate ethical questions such as what it takes to be a good person and what true happiness is. Socrates believes he is carrying out the will of the gods by questioning the other citizens around him, although others reject his way of thinking. Although his belief in obedience to the gods is similar to traditional notions of Greek piety, it still differs because Socrates inserts his own wisdom into his actions while others choose to only follow what the gods want them to do. By encouraging others to think for themselves instead of blindly following the gods, citizens see him as a destroyer of the norm of society. It is these religious differences, along with the previous scrutiny of Socrates, that cause him to be accused of being impious, when in reality he is still a pious person, even if not conforming to how others view piety. Socrates uses this statement. of pious motivation for him doing philosophical work, but claiming that human reasoning in his own person is the final arbiter of what he deems right and wrong. This way of operating differs from the actions of Odysseus or Orestes, in which the gods had the final say on what was right or wrong. One could argue that this belief would make him less pious than previous characters, but the fact that Socrates still tries to obey the gods and serve them shows that he is just as spiritual. It is also difficult to determine how he can be defined as "less pious", because due to the lack of a universal definition of piety it is more difficult to describe whether or not it is Odysseus or Orestes or Socrates who follows the true meaning of piety. Therefore, it can be established that Socrates is just as pious a man as the Greek figures before him, despite their conflicting beliefs. Although pity is a subjective concept, looking.