Virtue in the Republic and the Odyssey In Plato's Republic, ideas of virtue are expressed regarding the soul. Socrates says that the four main virtues – wisdom, courage, moderation and justice – are found in different parts of the ideal city. Wisdom, courage and moderation are easily defined, but justice is a little more complicated. Wisdom is found in the city's guardians, and they must have wisdom to have the best judgment on how to protect the city. Courage is found in the auxiliaries, who are essentially the infantry soldiers. They need courage because they are the ones who guard the city and protect it: they are the ones who are involved in the fighting. Moderation is found among civilians and the lower classes, because these people are expected to live within their means. Moderation could also imply that there is a balance of wealth in the city, no one is in poverty and no one is filthy rich. This idea of ​​balance leads to the last virtue, which is the most difficult one for Socrates to define. Justice is to be found throughout the city when there is balance among the other virtues. “A city seemed to be just when each of the three classes of natures present in it thought of its own affairs, and, again, moderately courageous and wise because of certain other affections and habits of these same classes.” Socrates goes on to make man's virtuosity analogous to that of a city. "Then it is thus, my friend, that we will affirm that the celibate, with these same forms in the soul, thanks to the same affections as those of the city, rightly claims the same names." to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Odysseus, the main character of Homer's Odyssey, is the quintessential figure of a hero in ancient Greek literature. Like all heroes, Odysseus has many virtues, but Homer's idea of ​​virtue is very different from the scheme of virtue in Plato's Republic. The only Platonic virtue embodied by Odysseus is courage. He is a fearless man who is not shaken by any challenge thrown at him. As for the other virtues, Odysseus may be intelligent, but he is not wise, he has no idea what moderation is and without a balance of the first three virtues he cannot be just. In the Odyssey, Odysseus demonstrates his incredibly unfazed courage. On Cyclops Island, he is not afraid of the Cyclops and stabs him right in the eyes, further insulting the Cyclops as he sailed away shouting his name. Sure it took some cunning to save him and his men from the Cyclops' cave, but it was his poor judgment and reckless decision-making that got his men there in the first place. Announcing his identity as Odysseus was another unwise decision, as there was no benefit to doing so other than to satisfy his ego. At Circe's house, Odysseus showed no fear and threatened to kill Circe. Once Circe conquered him, however, Odysseus showed no restraint and remained for years eating only food and wine. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay. Odysseus, however, has the important traits of loyalty and faith, which are characteristics perhaps overlooked by Plato. His loyalty to his wife and some others kept his desire to return home alive for so many years, and he gave up many opportunities to start a new life with other women (even if it sometimes took him a while to leave these women). His faith in the gods gave him great help, and it paid off because he would never have returned home without their help. It seems that Plato, as a philosopher, has a much more objective approach.