Ajax

Interpretive Paper 1 “Thou shall not kill” is a fundamental belief in today’s society, yet during times of war, breaking this commandment is not considered a sin. Instead it is a necessary action to properly serve and protect the country. However, when modern-day soldiers return from battle they generally do not discuss the details of the war to the public. Conversely, in the Iliad, as more people know about a hero’s war story, the more glory he attains. The Iliad’s depiction of war is complex.…

“You often meet your fate on a road you take to avoid it” (French Proverb). Fate is an inevitable occurrence, we all have one. We all make decisions that eventually affect they way future things pan out. It is no different in a literary sense, in The Iliad you have a Trojan soldier named Hector who did not want to fight in the Trojan war. Hector decides to fight, but only for honor. “I have learned to be one of the best, to fight in Troy 's first ranks, defending my father 's honor and my own”…

Today, most heroes are known as police officers, soldiers, firefighters, doctors, superheros and more. But, back in ancient times a hero would have been someone who had superhuman abilities or descended from the immortal gods. Most heroes were either demi-gods or ordinary human beings. Modern day heroes and Greek heros are different as modern day heroes do things not for themselves, but for others in need of help. They have a social and political role, while Greek heroes were supposed to inspire…

decorative amphoras and kraters. Ajax and Achilles Playing a Game and Skyphos with the Return of Hephaestus to Olympus both tell stories that the ancient Greeks followed for centuries. Although these two pieces of art tell different stories, they have a lot in common. They not only have similar functions, such as storing or transporting wine or water, but also similar style. Black figure and red figure technique differ in many ways, but share some similarities. Ajax and Achilles Playing a Game…

The Nobel Peace prize, according to Alfred Nobel’s will, awards people who "shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses." In The Iliad by Homer there are many characters who are not deserving of anything and all they do is fight for glory and think about themselves. Hector is the leader of the Trojans and is their strongest warrior and he chooses to fight for his…

Futility of War Chinese General and philosopher, Sun Tzu once alleged, “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting” (Tzu). The aforementioned quote is an ability that humans have yet to perfect, despite eras of social development. Humankind has fought against themselves for thousands of years and little has come of all the bloodshed and carnage. It can be derived that war has done more harm than good, and thus is an unnecessary figment of human nature. Such theme is evident…

Title Our world contains many books and stories that explain the viewpoints of how our world came to be and who has ruled it since the beginning of time. Two of the most well known are the beliefs of the Hebrews and the Greeks. There has been much controversy over these topics throughout the years, but each is to be interpreted by the reader. According to Epics for Students, The Iliad suggested to be a work about the Trojan War that is fought between the Myrmidons and the Trojans. When Homer…

In Homer’s The Iliad not only is Achilles the main character, he is also the perfect depiction of what a self-sufficient man looks like. Sometimes we get the idea that we are able to accomplish and conquer anything without help. To add on, the point of human interaction is to create human empowerment. Human empowerment is the ability to come together as a unified whole. Thus when you are unified together as a group you can conquer, solve and learn from one another. Human interaction is also…

The Iliad; “the first great book about the suffering and loss of war”, stated by Rachel Bespaloff in On the Iliad. “Its subject is war; its characters are men in battle and women whose fate depends on the outcome.” One may ask why does Homer writes about this and why it is so gruesome like. It’s to catch the human eye, with in-depth descriptions and brutality which is nearly a copy of what everyday life on this planet is today. There’s always murder, battles, and war occurring for food,…

The Iliad is a Greek story of courage and heroism in the most certain dangers of war. Men on both sides fight for honor for their countries and their families. However, even the greatest heroes are still human, and still have flaws that make them human. What makes us human isn’t necessary the physical strength that we may or may not possess, but rather the strength that lies within us. Emotions are both seen as good, or may also seen as detriment to our successes. In Book XXII, Hector stands…