Shield of Achilles

For this activity, I selected two gods and a hero: Zeus, Hera, and Achilles. Zeus and Hera are principal actors in the Olympian thread of the plot, and inseparable in their entanglements, both with each other and with mortals. I felt that I would understand the Iliad itself better if I understood these supreme gods better. Achilles is, of course, the hero of the Iliad and is the axis of the entire storyline. I will present, in order, the biographies of these three characters. Then I will explain…

Beowulf - Achilles and Hector Today, most heroes is movies are successful. Why does everyone watch the heroic movies? Movies are made in order to satisfy people’s urge, deviate from everyday life. In the movies, characters have supernatural power and experience unusual incidents that people cannot have; it gratifies their desire. As same as today, in the ancient entertainment, epic poem, has heroes that gratify their desire. The oldest surviving long epic poem in Old English, Beowulf and the…

In his epic poem, The Iliad, Homer uses many similes that compare things from his war stories to things occurring in nature, like agriculture and oceans and great forest fires. He compares things like the shouting and eagerness of Greek troops to violently crashing waves (2.394-401) and throngs of troops to swarms of bees (2.87-94). By doing this, Homer uses detailed imagery and draws his readers/ listeners away from the brutality of the war and depicts scenes that are less transcendental and…

argue that the Odyssey is in agreement with Achilles’ criticism of the idolization of early death in the name of glory, who asserts to Odysseus that life is better than death under all circumstances. This is displayed as Odysseus realizes chasing glory will inevitably end in his demise, preventing him from returning to Ithaca and regaining control of his oikos. This will be proven through Odysseus’ encounter with Polyphemus, his conversation with Achilles in the underworld, and his transition of…

deadly attractiveness and cutting-edge weapons are all prerequisites for the modern day hero. The same requirements were exemplified even in 700 B.C., when Homer wrote his epic poem, The Iliad. And although the protagonist of the poem is undoubtedly Achilles, a Greek demigod, the character that truly embodies heroism is the Trojan prince, Hector. Hectors heroism is supported by the acclaimed writer and book critic, Bernard Knox, who defines heroism as willingness to give up one’s glory,…

English IV- 1 Hour 18 September 2016 Beowulf or Achilles? Beowulf and The Iliad are to great stories told by thousands of people, but many people debate on who is the greater hero. I think that Beowulf is the better modern day hero because he does not let his pride get the best of him. Beowulf is about a young man that fights many monsters that soon he becomes king, Beowulf is translated by Burton Raffel. The Iliad is about a man named Achilles who kills on a count of revenge, its translated…

The ancient Greeks were known for their strong warriors, who would courageously fight in the violent wars and loyally stand for their city-state. The work The Iliad written by Homer is a lengthy epic poem about the great Trojan War, which many Greek soldiers went to battle in. Throughout this story many brave soldiers dedicated their lives through honor and bravery for this tragic battle between Troy and the Achaeans, which was highly looked upon by many Greeks. The Iliad shows how the ancient…

Kilimanjaro rises approximately 4,877 metres (16,001 ft) from its southern base in the plains near the municipality of Moshi to its summit height of 5,895 metres (19,341 ft).[2] Kilimanjaro is the highest volcano outside South America.[7] Kilimanjaro is a large stratovolcano and is composed of three distinct volcanic cones: Kibo, the highest; Mawenzi at 5,149 metres (16,893 ft);[8] and Shira, the shortest at 4,005 metres (13,140 ft).[9] Mawenzi and Shira are extinct, while Kibo is dormant and…

of Athens and the goddess of wisdom, helps Achilles so that Greece can win the war. “Finally the goddess Pallas Athena, disguised as Hector’s brother Deiphobus, appears to Hector and persuades him to fight Achilles” (Fitzgerald). Athena helps Achilles by encouraging Hector to go after him. If she did not do this, Hector would be inside the gates of Troy and Achilles would have lost the opportunity to kill Hector. Athena also indirectly helps Achilles because with Hector out of the way Troy…

Age in either western Asia Minor or Greece. The ones that were used were most likely copied from around the sixth century B.C. Greek statues. In the Greek story of the Trojan War, Odysseus and Achilles dodged the war in very unusual ways. To get out of the war, Odysseus pretended to be insane while Achilles disguised himself as a woman. There is also no evidence that during this time period that Greece was ever under the command of one king, while the movie depicts Agamemnon, as king of…