Whitchurch, Joseph; (2022) Feeling Justice: Revenge, Punishment, and Anger in Ancient Greece. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

Text 'Feeling Justice - Revenge, Punishment, and Anger in Ancient Greece' by Joe Whitchurch.pdf - Accepted Version Access restricted to UCL open access staff until 1 April 2027. Download (3MB)

Abstract

This thesis deals with the theme of retaliation, how people perceive and react to offence in the context of their ancient Greek communities. The approach bookends the Greek world by focusing first on the society depicted by Homer and second on that of classical Athens as revealed by the law-court speeches. Comparisons of these worlds have tended to emphasise change in two respects: the emergence of institutions in Athens to administrate disputes that had once been subject to private resolution; and the adoption of the practice of dispassionate punishment in the place of revenge. This thesis challenges both points. Institutions play an important role in Homeric dispute settlement with the community’s ruler judging who is and is not permitted to take revenge. The community also has the potential to perceive and seek to avenge offences against itself in acts of public punishment. The institutions of classical Athens were considerably more sophisticated but the punishments they could implement were the same in principle as those of the Homeric world. When the Athenian state permitted private individuals to claim redress or punished offences against itself, the act was always supposed to be a product of anger at perceived slights against the personal honour of the punisher. The punishments of the Athenian state were as much acts of revenge as anything in Homer. Finally, this contributes to a wider question of how the emerging state and the emotional individual interact. It is often taken for granted that states place increasing restrictions on the emotional expression of those they govern. This thesis demonstrates that this tradition overlooks the importance of emotion for the effective functioning of institutions. Anger in particular remains central to the legitimate functioning of the classical Athenian state.

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