Loss Of Humanity In The Iliad

In Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad, both the Achaean and Trojan abide to a strict hero culture that demands they attain eternal glory in combat. However, in this pursuit for everlasting glory, the Achaean and Trojan warriors display radically different mannerisms on the battlefield. Where the Trojans preserve their sense of civilly and morals in the brutality of war, the Achaeans are stripped of their humanity as the Trojan War progresses. Using Homer’s similes, this paper will examine the Achaean’s loss of humanity by their animalistic inclinations, indifference to pleas of mercy, and destructive presence on the battlefield — all ideas that conflict with the civilized mannerisms exuded by the Trojans. Throughout the Iliad, Homer compares the Achaeans’ desire for bloodshed as an animalistic urge. In Book 5, Diomedes’ “mauls [Trojans] thick-and-fast, pilling corpse on corpse” (Homer 5.157) like a lion. This comparison …show more content…
The Achaeans no longer see the Trojans as people, but as in exchange to “take [Trojans] alive” (10.442), instead mercilessly slaughtering anyone preventing them from achieving eternal glory. Agamemnon claims there should be “no markers for their graves”This demonstrates the Achaean’s loss of humanity because they have forgotten the value of family in the midst of war. This distinction could be a direct result of the Trojan’s ability to retreat to the comfort and safety of Troy after a battle. Unlike the Achaeans who have been living on a beach for nearly ten years. The beach is a self-inflicted alienation from their fatherland that transforms leaves the Achaeans into ruthless cold-hearted men desensitized to the act of killing. The concept of family and familial values have been lost to the ten years away from their respective homes and families, and to the endless and insensitive savagery of the Trojan