Iris In The Iliad

From this passage in the Iliad, Homer actively surveys the relevance of fate by using dialogue, imagery, and shifts of focus in the order of events. In context, Menelaus had just confirmed the duel between himself and Paris. Leading Iris the messenger goddess to spread the news to unsuspecting Helen in the form of Helen’s sister-in-law “the wife of Antenor’s / son, whom strong Heliakon wed, son of Antenor” (3.122, 123). Although Homer is describing a female, the repetition of the phrase “son of Antenor” (3.123) and the slight variation “Antenor’s son” (3.122) add a linguistic emphasis on the the males and thus centers females to male relevance from the onset.
Now when Iris descends upon Helen to deliver her message, Helen is weaving a “great …show more content…
After Iris delivers her message, Helen remembers past relationships with her parents and Menelaus. However, we don’t hear more of her longings, because she immediately starts to get dressed to leave. The relay from her reminiscing about her past to her decision to leave, suggests that there is a chance of restoring her past relationships if Menelaus wins the duel. Therefore, the focus on the tear and the garments may represent joy and an a readiness to embrace Menelaus if he wins the battle. On the other hand, the chronology following Helen’s moment of nostalgia, can be interpreted as evidence for Helen being forced to see the outcome of the duel. For example, the subtlety in describing Helen as “wrapping” (3.141) herself as she dresses, implies something unnatural about her exit. Our modern connotations of “wrapping” (3.141) remind us of wrapped Christmas presents delivered by Santa so we might view Helen is being “delivered” to the battle rather than going there by choice. In that vein, “shimmering garments” (3.141) and “light tear” (3.142) represent festivity and sorrow, two conflicting dynamics that distort the emotion felt through the pages of the