Nicomachean Ethics · Character

Homer

The epic poet whose lines Aristotle keeps within reach, summoned whenever an argument about friendship or virtue needs a witness older than philosophy.

supporting

First appearance: book i

As a supporting figure in Nicomachean Ethics, Homer is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Cited for the ancient constitutions where kings announce their choices to the people, illustrating the concept of choice.

In the storyChapter III: Deliberation and ChoiceOpen this moment free

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Homer supplies the phrase 'two together' to show why friends make us more efficient in thought and action, and his authority quietly underwrites Aristotle's claim that friendship, not justice, is the bond holding states together. He never speaks in his own voice here; he arrives as quotation, a cultural memory that philosophy must reckon with. His presence reminds readers that these ethical questions were being lived and sung long before they were systematized.

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The fuller portrait of Homer sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Homer in book i

Character Web

8 connections

A slice of how Homer sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Professional
Social

Character groups

Homeric exemplars of virtue
Philosophers, poets, and historical figures

+3 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

In this passage, the emotional and psychological peak occurs as Aristotle directly confronts and dismantles th…

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Relationships

Hector
professional · positive
Homer is the poet who narrates Hector's story, making Hector a character within Homer's… How this plays out →
Diomede
professional · positive
Polyclitus
social · positive
Aphrodite
professional · positive
Priam
professional · positive
Hector
professional · positive
Homer is the poet who narrates Hector's story, making Hector a character within Homer's… How this plays out →

Hector
Homer is the poet who narrates Hector's story, making Hector a character within Homer's epic.
Diomede
Homer is the poet who includes Diomede as a character in the Iliad.
Polyclitus
Both are classical Greek artists—Homer a poet, Polyclitus a sculptor—often compared in discussions of artistic excellence.
Aphrodite
Homer includes Aphrodite as a goddess character in the Iliad.
Priam
Homer portrays Priam as a character in the Iliad, the king of Troy.
Hector
Homer is the poet who narrates Hector's story, making Hector a character within Homer's epic.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Homer in book i

In the story

Homer appears across 16 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Chapter III: Deliberation and Choice
Cited for the ancient constitutions where kings announce their choices to the people, illustrating the concept of choice.
The Several Moral Virtues and Vices
Cited for examples of political courage in his characters Diomede and Hector.
Chapter VIII: The Varieties of Courage
Quoted for examples of political courage in characters like Diomede and Hector.
XI
Cited as an authority on natural desire for sexual intercourse in the young and vigorous.
Chapter IX: On Suffering Injustice and Doing Injustice
Cited for the story of Glaucus and Diomede to illustrate voluntary giving without injustice.
Book VI: Intellectual Virtues and the Unity of Prudence and Moral Virtue
Quoted from the Margites to illustrate the concept of general wisdom.
The Intellectual Virtues
Quoted from the Margites to illustrate general wisdom versus specific skill.
VII
Quoted from the Margites to illustrate the concept of general wisdom.
Characters Other Than Virtue and Vice
Quoted regarding Hector's godlike excellence as opposite of brutality.
Chapter I: Incontinence, Continence, and the Brutal Character
Cited as the source of the line about Hector being surpassingly good, used to illustrate godlike excellence.
Chapter VI: Incontinence in Anger vs. Appetite
Quoted regarding Aphrodite's embroidered girdle.
Book VIII: Friendship or Love
Quoted regarding the idea that friends working together are more efficient ('two together').
I
Quoted regarding the efficiency of friends working together.
Friendship and Political Constitutions
Cited for addressing Zeus as father, illustrating kingly rule as paternal.
Chapter XI
Quoted for calling Agamemnon 'shepherd of peoples,' illustrating the king's friendship for his subjects.
Endnotes
Cited in a note referencing Homer's Iliad.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Homer unlock in the free preview.

See Homer in book i

See Homer in Chapter III: Deliberation and Choice