Violence in all its forms
(A discussion of three different types of violence in the Iliad Book 1)
“All violence consists in some people forcing others, under threat of suffering or death, to do what they do not want to do,” –Leo Tolstoy. This quote discusses violence and fighting and how people force others to fight the battles we ourselves don’t want to fight. In the Iliad Book 1, translated by Robert Fagles, there are several accounts of fighting and violence. Here, the Trojans and Achaeans are at war, Agamemnon and Achilles are fighting over whether or not to return the two captured women back to their families in exchange for an end to the plague that is killing so many of their men. With so much fighting taking place between the Gods and humans, where does any of it stop? An analysis of Iliad Book 1 shows three different types of violence: physical, spiritual, and linguistic. To start …show more content…
Throughout this book it is evident that the gods play an enormous part in the life of humans. They not only visit the world in which they live, but they also tend to meddle in their lives as well, which sometimes ends in violence. An example of this is stated on page 91, lines 486-490, “…persuade him, somehow, to help the Trojan cause, to pin the Achaeans back against their ships, trap them round the bay and mow them down. So all can reap the benefits on their king- so even mighty Atrides can see how mad he was to disgrace Achilles, the best of the Achaeans!” This quote can be translated to show how Achilles is praying to his mother in hopes that she will ask Zeus to help the Achaeans. Achilles prays for violence. He prays that his troops will win the battle, even though he isn’t fighting. From his prayer he involves the gods in hopes that they will act violently and hurt the opposing troops and bring victory to the
(A discussion of three different types of violence in the Iliad Book 1)
“All violence consists in some people forcing others, under threat of suffering or death, to do what they do not want to do,” –Leo Tolstoy. This quote discusses violence and fighting and how people force others to fight the battles we ourselves don’t want to fight. In the Iliad Book 1, translated by Robert Fagles, there are several accounts of fighting and violence. Here, the Trojans and Achaeans are at war, Agamemnon and Achilles are fighting over whether or not to return the two captured women back to their families in exchange for an end to the plague that is killing so many of their men. With so much fighting taking place between the Gods and humans, where does any of it stop? An analysis of Iliad Book 1 shows three different types of violence: physical, spiritual, and linguistic. To start …show more content…
Throughout this book it is evident that the gods play an enormous part in the life of humans. They not only visit the world in which they live, but they also tend to meddle in their lives as well, which sometimes ends in violence. An example of this is stated on page 91, lines 486-490, “…persuade him, somehow, to help the Trojan cause, to pin the Achaeans back against their ships, trap them round the bay and mow them down. So all can reap the benefits on their king- so even mighty Atrides can see how mad he was to disgrace Achilles, the best of the Achaeans!” This quote can be translated to show how Achilles is praying to his mother in hopes that she will ask Zeus to help the Achaeans. Achilles prays for violence. He prays that his troops will win the battle, even though he isn’t fighting. From his prayer he involves the gods in hopes that they will act violently and hurt the opposing troops and bring victory to the