Homer and Aristotle

Raja Halwani's essay, "Homer and Aristotle", examines Homer's character to see if he could be considered virtuous according to Aristotle's beliefs. Homer does not appear very commendable when evaluated morally, especially when the focus is on his character and not his actions. However, there are redeeming qualities about Homer, which make it impossible for the audience to really hate him. This quality enables the audience to feel for Homer, and when we are disgusted with his thoughts and decisions at times, another one of his heartwarming actions compels us to love him again. Although I agree with Halwani that Homer's love of life in the face of hardships is a very admirable trait, I disagree with some of Aristotle's criteria to be virtuous, and therefore, give Homer a lot more credit than does Halwani.
Halwani states that according to Aristotle, there are four types of character- the virtuous, the continent, the incontinent, and the vicious character.
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