Iliad

Luc Ferry’s The Wisdom of Myths, and Homer’s The Iliad are two extraordinary works of literature when it comes to tales of Greek mythology. The first gives a unique account of the birth of the universe following Hesiod's Theogony, starting at chaos and ending with order in the cosmos; while the later incorporates many detailed and unique characters and motifs that all help contribute into shaping the poem into something much more elegant than just a recollection of a war. The two works also…

The Iliad is a poem that begins nine years into a war where there are gods and goddess that support different sides. The god’s interference affects the outcome of the Trojan War. It begins with the character, Achilles who withdraws from the war and goes to the Zeus to pray for assistance, which begins his rage and towards the end, we see someone who is able to overcome himself for another. In the beginning of the poem, Achilles’ battle prize is taken from him, and in a childish manner, he…

Achilles is a valuable Greek hero in Greek mythology. In the book The Iliad of Homer, Achilles is a selfish warrior. Many characteristics of selfishness are shown throughout the book. During arguments and persuasions, Achilles had shown several of the characteristics. Others are shown through how he had acted towards many other heroes and leaders. One way Achilles' selfishness was discovered was by having him not show a weakness. In other words, he did not want to show failure towards his…

Throughout the Iliad, women are viewed as prizes, whereas men are seen as warriors. Two mortal women, who portray the idea of females being possessions are Chryseis and Briseis. When the Achaeans seize Chryse, an ally of Troy, both Agamemnon and Achilles, takes the women as their war prizes. In addition, Helen also viewed as a prize, when she is the most beautiful mortal woman during the Decision of Paris. A mortal man, Hector, is depicted as a fierce Trojan warrior. As he goes through war, he…

“Most of the duels in the Iliad are described quite economically, but Homer seems to linger over the actual moment of death, vividly recounting the actual and painful wound, the fall of the body, the departure of the soul. Compare a number of these scenes, and focus on Homer’s use of similes here. What is their purpose and what do they achieve?” The detail of the death of many characters in The Iliad is accompanied by similes to compare the moment of death and the actions taken to…

Given the time Iliad was composed and later written, people were still polytheists and anything unexplainable was deemed a divine intervention or an act of the gods on Mount Olympus. Many of the interventions of Jove, Apollo and the rest of the gods, can be explained by using human behavior, good vs evil, sense of right and wrong, and other human traits. The story is focused around the Achilles’ behavior and how his actions or lack thereof determine the activities conducted by his comrades the…

Joseph Campbell, a famous writer, famously once said “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself ”. Campbell’s quote perfectly describes the ideal hero through their bravery and sacrifice. In The Iliad, an Epic by Homer, it describes an ancient Greek war between the Achaean army and the Trojan army ten years before the fall of Troy. A brave Trojan commander, Hector, is known for being a well-respected among his men and feared by his enemies. He leads his men…

the effects of the war upon each of the characters in the book. Homeric similes help readers to see that death in the war is due to fate and nature, which makes the theme of war and mortality evident in all books of Homers Illiad. In book 6 of The Iliad, a Homeric simile arises that compares the many deaths of the soldiers to leaves on trees and changing seasons. Glaucus, a man on the Trojan side, upon running into Achean member Diomedes compares the…

ever-present theme inThe Iliad. The asking of favors is an salient way with which people in Greek mythology accomplished tasks. Without them Achilles would never have been needed in the fight, nor would have had a reason not to fight. Favors from the gods are what gave one side a decisive edge when they were winning the war. The practice of asking for favors was a widespread tactic used with great avail. Three instrumental occasions in which a favor is asked in The Iliad are between, Chryses and…

In Book 9 of The Iliad, Odysseus and Ajax go to Achilles in order to try to spur him into battle. However, Achilles wants nothing of it. Instead he becomes rather morbid and says to his once brothers’ in arms: “One and the same lot for the man who hangs back and the man who battles hard. The same honor waits for the coward and the brave. They both go down to Death,...” (9:385-587) It is debated whether Achilles was actually contemplating on a rather melancholy truth of life, or if he was just…