Andromache

In the Ancient Greek culture, honor was the most crucial virtue in their society. While honor might mean different things in different cultures; to the Ancient Greeks honor was an important part of their lives and culture. However, to the Ancient Greeks it was more than just honor that formed their identity. Arête as the Ancient Greeks called it consisted of honor, masculine virtue, physical strength, courage, success in battle and everlasting fame. Arête was the foundation of the family and the…

When reading Euripides Trojan Women, the story focus on what occurs after the Trojan War when the city has been destroyed by the Greek Army. The story is from the perspective of the Trojan women Hecuba, her daughter Kasandra, Hector wife Andromache and Helen of Sparta. After the fall of Troy the Greek generals capture these women and they our given as trophies to the generals of the Army. During this time Hecuba queen of Troy is distort when she finds out her daughter Kasandra as priestess to…

The Iliad is a story of anger and war, honor and death, glory and fate, but most importantly, The Iliad is a story of Friendship. Believed to have first been composed by a poet called Homer sometime around 800 BCE, the actual narrative of the epic poem takes place 400 years earlier during the Greek Bronze Age. Over the course of The Iliad, many values of people in Homeric culture were reveled, including honor, glory, pride, and heroism. However, at some point in The Iliad, all of these are put…

You now no man dispatches me into thee under gloom against my fate; no mortal, either can escape his fate, coward of brave man, once he comes to be (J 205-210) In this speech Hector, is trying to comfort his wife Andromache, because of his upcoming fate of death. This is when he truly accepts the possibility of death. Furthermore, his acceptance of fate brings courage and strength to his heart, and gives a feeling to fullfill his duty as a Trojan prince and as a warrior…

A common assumption is that the Iliad is merely a tale that celebrates the conquests of great warriors who create legacies for themselves and their families. In reality, beneath the idea of a legacy is a negative side. The epic poem is written so that the famous are the ones who experience the greatest misery because they are trapped by public opinion. In the Iliad, Homer subverts the ancient Greek trope that legacies are crucial to a fulfilling life. One of the most complex characters in the…

The fight for women’s rights has been an ongoing struggle, with the majority of the progress being made only within the last few decades. Sexism has been so deeply engrained into society, that it is difficult to get rid of the notion that women are inferior to men. The divide between men and women can even be seen in literature that dates back to thousands of years. Written around 750 B.C., Homer’s Iliad is a prime example of a work that portrays mortal women as possession and many female gods…

Abdul Rahman Zindani Dr. Rigoni Paper #1 The Value of the Gods to Achilles Throughout most of The Iliad, Achilles spends his time avoiding the battle against the Trojans rather than supporting his fellow Achaeans on the battlefield. Achilles’s personal values seem to greatly influence his reasons as to why he shouldn’t go out to fight. In Book 9, Achilles’s speech refers to many different values that could justify his reasons for holding back (225). Of these values, Achilles is most vocal…

Homer’s Iliad is a portrayal of a momentous battle fought by magnificent warriors. This battle has raged for nine years, this story taking place in its tenth. The fighters are fearless warriors, each with some legend of their own. Many are renowned on both sides of the war: Achilles, the “swift running” warrior of the Greeks, or Achaeans, and Hector the “last defence” of the Trojans. the Iliad focuses on the trials and tribulations of these, and other, warriors. Though they are certainly…

will spare Hector from Achilles, and she rebukes him, saying it had long been Hectors fate to die at the hand of Achilles. This passage demonstrates that the Gods enjoy toying with men. Hector himself knows he cannot control his fate, saying to Andromache, his wife, “… No one can hurry me down to Hades before my time, but if a man’s hour is come, be he brave, or be he coward, there is no escape for him when he has once been born.” These events all seem to imply that although men have some…

Helen is a symbol. She represents honor. She represents glory. She represents valor. By owning her, one owns all those things. She is only an object to both sides of the way. Their fighting will only cease when they are forced to cease from fighting, otherwise they will continue until they unarguably possess Helen and any other women they demand belongs to them. The possession of a woman valued as highly as Helen is necessary to assume that one possesses valor and other masculine virtues.…