The Iron Age: Hesiod’s View of the Elderly

Just like iron rusting when exposed to oxygen and moisture, Hesiod believes the human condition tarnishes when one crosses the threshold from maturity to old age. In his poem “The Five Ages,” Hesiod describes five age groups: children, youth, adolescence, adulthood and old age. The “Golden race,” or childhood, is described as care free and “dear to the gods” (Hesiod 25). The second race, “Silver,” a stage in between childhood and adolescence; it is short-lived because of “their lack of wits.” The “Bronze” age is even less valuable; Hesiod regards it as monstrous due to their precedence on fighting and war (26).

Though four of the five age groups are described in terms of metal, the fourth group, adulthood, are the “Heroes.” This is the ideal age; they are noble, just, and divine. Hesiod goes as far as to say that this is the age that he wishes he didn’t live past because, “I had nothing to do with this fifth generation,/Wish I had died before or been born after,/Because this is the “Iron Age” (28). This age is painful and vexing. Even more, Hesiod believes it unravels the family unit and turns children against their parents (29).

According to Thomas Falkner, Hesiod only has a tiny stanza that speaks highly of old age (Falkner 58). This is in stark contrast to Homer’s Iliad, which was written around the same time and shows reverence for experience only gained through aging (there is a 200 year range that both of the poets fall in). Ultimately, this proves that the pre-Classical period did not have a unified view of the elderly.

Though this complicates my original thought for a thesis, it’s solidified my approach to my paper. There are both positive and negative views of the elderly throughout both eras, but the slight nuances between the pre-Classical and Classical ages reveal a shift in perception. For example, Homer focuses on wisdom in old age; Aristophanes focuses on cunning and wit. Hesiod focuses on societal and physical deterioration; Aristotle focuses on internal, moral deterioration (as well as physical, which is a theme shared in both eras).

Falkner, Thomas M. The Poetics of Old Age in Greek Epic, Lyric, and Tragedy. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1995.

Hesiod. Works and Days – Theogony. Trans. Stanley Lombardo. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing, 1993.