POLITENESS IN CLASSICAL LITERATURE: EXPRESSIONS OF COURTESY IN HISTORICAL TEXTS

Аннотация

This article explores how politeness is conveyed across classical literary traditions, analyzing linguistic, cultural, and social expressions of courtesy from ancient Greece and Rome to medieval Europe, the Islamic Golden Age, the Far East, and the Renaissance. Drawing on epics, philosophical texts, romances, and dramas, it highlights the ways in which politeness was not merely etiquette but a reflection of social values, hierarchy, and moral ideals. Through the study of literary texts, we gain insight into how the norms of polite speech and respectful behavior evolved and were transmitted through generations.