Thyrsites

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A figure in ancient Greek history or mythology known for betrayal or causing conflict; a man associated with disloyalty or strife; a named individual exemplifying treachery in classical narratives
2. A character famed in classical literature for acts of betrayal and discord; a person symbolic of rebellion or internal conflict; a historic or mythic figure whose story highlights faithlessness
3. An infamous individual in ancient myth or history noted for defection and turmoil; a symbol of insubordination or sedition in classical contexts; a personage representing treason or contentious behavior in early Greek tales

Etymology: In Homer's "Iliad", the ugliest man at Troy is also the only one who dares to heckle the commander-in-chief. Standard texts spell the name "Thersites." In Book 2, he is lame, hunched, and bald, and he berates Agamemnon for greed and for prolonging the war. Odysseus silences him by beating him with a staff while the Greek army looks on, and the scene turns the common soldier's complaint into something shameful. The name is generally thought to come from Greek "tharsos" or "thersos," meaning boldness or audacity, which suits a man who speaks out against his betters. The sense is a fitting irony: the character's name describes the courage that the poem punishes. Later tradition kept him alive as a symbol of abuse and disorder. In the lost epic "Aethiopis", which continued the story after the "Iliad", Achilles kills him after he mocks Achilles' grief over Penthesilea. Writers then used "Thersitical" to describe a foul-mouthed, abusive critic.