Priam

Hector is outside the Gates of Troy waiting to fight Achilles. In Book XXII line 91-99 Priam is trying to convince Hector not to fight Achilles alone “Hector, my child, if ever I’ve smoothed you…Dogs will eat your body by the Greeks ships”. Hector himself has pride issues with facing Achilles he knows he will die. Even when Achilles arrived, Hector tries to make a pact with him in lines 277-285 Hector said “I’m not running anymore, Achilles…Only strip the armor and give the body back To the Greeks, Promise you’ll do the same”. Achilles doesn’t agree to same agreement so he continues fighting with…

allowed to share with his family strengthens him and gives him the push that he needs to return to the battle and fight with even more vigor than before, knowing that he has confronted his emotions. The Trojans, as well, show this trait of vulnerability. King Priam of Troy has just lost his son, Hector, to Achilles. As per the usual rites, the Achaens have taken Hector’s body to their camp and have proceeded to make a mockery of it. The acts they commit to defile the body are truly horrendeous,…

The story of Achilles as it is presented in The Iliad by Homer has many takeaway lessons, from those concerning love to those about forgiveness. However, when it comes to educating the young guardians from Plato’s The Republic, Achilles should not be studied, least of all as a role model. This is the case for several reasons, one being that Achilles’ actions alone do not align with the desired ideals of the guardians, another being that the few things that Achilles does have to offer are often…

The heart ache and loss felt by the characters is what connects them all spiritually, despite their different roles in society. When Achilles looses his close companion Patroclus, the once strong and immortal warrior suddenly becomes emotionally weakened and greatly defeated by death. Similarly Priam feels the same, when also losing his son Hector. In the result of Achilles being affected by his grief, his actions become fuelled by hatred and anger as he has lost complete control of his…

transformation of human nature that follows. Whilst journeying to collect Hector’s body and give ransom, Somax introduces Priam to the life of the common people. He learns what it means to be human and what it means to be a father. Imagery plays a very important role in the way Malouf tells this journey. The act of ransom, the traditional meanings of ransom and the view that the ransom is a ‘fee paid in advance for life’ (184)1 allow Priam…

However, the death of his closest friend, Patroklos, leads to Achilles’ complete deterioration of character. At that moment his character fully changed. The losses that Achilles encountered affected him severely and it was King Priam that was able to break Achilles’ descent after he desecrates Hektor’s body. It is clear that Achilles’ character has changed throughout the epic as a result of these losses because his earlier actions have him show respect for the dead and always abiding by proper…

killed by Hector. Achilles rage starts to build up and he goes to war with Hector and kills him, and afterwards shaming his physical body. Achilles continues to abuse Hector even after he dies. Although Hector has dies, his physical body is still undergoing punishments and suffering. Homer uses the word, “shaming” to show that what Achilles is doing to Hector is shameful and will be seen as a disgrace to the Trojans. Not only does Hector kill Patroclus, but he also takes the armor that belong to…

"What god drove them to fight with such fury?" The Iliad, written by Homer, a Greek poet, was a story that outlined the war between the Greeks and the Trojans. Books 1, 6, 22, and 24 takes us through a journey first about Agamemnon, Achilles and their victims. Then about Hector, Paris ' brother going away to battle and his wife mourning his death prematurely, then Hector dying in book 22. And lastly book 24 illustrates Hectors father, Priam, king of Troy, begging Achilles to accept his ransom…

the tale, the plot is driving by Homer’s tragic vision of a hero’s life. Homer creates his vision with consideration for human virtue and the intervention of divine powers. While intervention of divine powers play a major role in the plot, they contribute less to human virtue. Throughout the story of the Iliad, human virtue seems to take a back-seat to pride, honor, glory and sometimes the Gods. One occurrence of human virtue being center-stage was the humility of Priam, king of Troy. In the…

Achilles. Then finally, Priam supplicates Achilles and connects to him on a father-son level, which is a very critical idea in both books. I believe this paternal bond shows the humanity of the people. First, I will explain an example of Achilles brute nature when encountering one of the few supplicants in the Iliad, “As Tros clasped his [Achilles’s] knees in supplication, Achilles shoved his sword down into his liver” (Iliad 20.483-485). There’s not much to explain here. Achilles murders Tros…