The Iliad by Homer. Search, Read, Study, Discuss.

Help finding specific examples..?

I need help finding specific examples of Violence, Epic simlies/heroic figures, and emotional roller coasters/emotional scenes in this book. Help will be GREATLY appriciated.

Posted By GiJerry at Fri 6 Nov 2009, 10:40 PM in The Iliad || 3 Replies

Tell me all you muses...the iliad of homer

UNSEEN SUMMARY OF THE ILIAD BY HOMER LIST OF CONTENTS 1. Author Information 2. List of Main Characters and Brief Attributes 3. About the Summary 4. The Summary 5. Strengths of The Iliad 6 Criticisms of The Iliad 7. Conclusion 1. Author Information Kudakwashe KANHUTU BA English Literature University of London Goldsmiths College 2009 - 2012 2. List of main characters and brief attributes Agamemnon – Leader of the Greeks. Achilles – Son of Penelaus, the Greeks’ best warrior. Hector – Trojan prince and their best fighter. Patroclus – Achilles’ trusted companion. Menelaus- Agamemnon’s brother whose wife Helen is the cause of the siege of Ilium. Helen – Wife of Menelaus who is seduced by one of the Trojan princes. Priam – King of Troy Paris – Helen’s lover and brother to Hector of Troy. Aeneas – A very skilled warrior fighting on the side of the Trojans. Odysseus – One of the brave and skilled warriors in the Greek ranks. Diomedes – Another very skilled warrior in the Greek ranks. Nestor – The Gerenian charioteer, an older fighter who brings wisdom to the Greek Expeditionary Force. Briseis – Achilles’ prize, taken by Agamemnon as compensation for Chryseis, prompting Achilles to walk away from the fighting. Chryseis – Daughter to Apollo’s priest taken as a slave by lord Agamemnon when the Greeks looted Apollo’s temple. Zeus – King of all Olympian gods. Thetis – A sea goddess, mother to Achilles. Athene – Olympian goddess on the Greek side Hera – Another of the Olympian goddesses, who favours the Trojans Apollo – The archer god, who favours the Trojans Hephaestus – The lame god, who is a very skilled blacksmiths, he makes the armour Achilles wears in the final battle against Hector. Hermes – The messenger god Aphrodite – love goddess Poseidon – Olympian god, the earth-shaker who favours the Trojans 3. About the Summary For my BA English, I endeavour to summarise any book I read within 10 days of my finishing the book. This will be an ‘unseen’ summary, meaning I will not refer to the text at all. I will just write what I have understood in the first reading and also any conclusions and notions I will have developed in that initial reading. This is very useful in that it helps me to commit to memory any text I will have read. But may be misleading to anyone else because there will definitely be errors with regards to names and attributes which I can only correct much later on when I revise the book. With this in mind, here is my first take of The Iliad by the master poet Homer. 4. The Summary TUESDAY 20 OCTOBER 2009-10-20 The Iliad is an epic martial poem by Homer set in the last year of the ten year siege of the Trojan city of Troy by the Greek Expeditionary Force led by Agamemnon. This siege came about when Prince Paris of Troy betrayed his Greek host Menelaus, and ran away with his wife Helen. Menelaus persuaded his brother lord Agamemnon to raise an expedition to punish the treachery of the Trojans and bring his wife back. The supposition here is that, betraying your host in this manner at that time was a cardinal sin, for it is inconceivable today that an army easily numbering over ten thousand, could be raised and fight over a woman for a decade. The main protagonists of the epic are Achilles who is the best fighter of the Greeks and Hector who is the Trojan camp’s most skilled fighter. Prince Hector is son to King Priam of Troy and older brother to Paris whom he scolds for seducing Helen, and thus invoking Greek anger, but nevertheless he defends him and Helen. The two main camps fighting against each other are the Greeks and the Trojans but both draw support from allies as evinced by Achilles’ withdrawal from combat with his Myrmidon tribe. There are numerous references to the allies, notably the one where Agamemnon in rallying his troops tells them that; ‘if a truce were to be arranged, and of those defending Troy, only Trojans were to be asked to serve the Greeks with wine, one Trojan to a group of four Greeks, many of us Greeks would have to go without a drink, because that is how much we outnumber the Trojans’. The epic concentrates on the ninth year and opens with an argument over prizes between Lord Agamemnon and godlike Achilles. It opens with Lord Agamemnon refusing to hand back Chryseis, the daughter of the archer god Apollo’s priest who he had taken as a prize after sacking the god’s temple. The priest then prays for the Greek Expeditionary Force to be struck down by Apollo. When the Greek army starts dying off, struck down by a plague, deliberations among the leaders yields that to avert the god’s anger, Agamemnon has to hand back Chryseis and make offerings to Apollo. Agamemnon agrees but then takes Achilles’ prize, Bryseis, as compensation. This argument fuels Achilles’ anger and in turn he gets a promise from far thundering Zeus, through his goddess mother Thetis, that the Greeks should be routed by the Trojans so that they realise their folly in angering the one man who could win the war for them. The story’s centre of gravity is the Greek’s best warrior, Achilles’ rage against his leader Agamemnon which sees him withdraw from the fighting with his trusted side kick, Patroclus. Achilles nurses his anger by his hollow ships, while day after day the Greeks are massacred by the Trojans on the plains that lay between Troy and the sea where the well built ships were anchored. A further and most critical point in this epic is that the gods are involved in the war inordinately. They are seen to favour different sides in the war to the extent that the Trojan War really is a proxy war for the gods. Every aspect of the war is influenced by the gods; this includes removing warriors from the battlefield, covering with mist or averting missile strikes on favourite warriors, inducing cowardice in opponents and even getting involved in the fighting itself. Zeus, the king of all gods oversees this transgression on human affairs by the immortals. For it is to him that the gods bring requests for victory of their favourite mortals and he acquiesces. For example, when Apollo wrecks havoc on the Greek warriors for raiding his temple and enslaving the priestess Chryseis, the result is that there is an argument over prizes which causes Achilles to walk away from the fighting. Thetis, the sea goddess, then wrings a promise out of Zeus that the Greeks should be routed by the Trojans to appease her son Achilles. The fighting is very intense and a lot of warriors die gruesome deaths which the master Homer depicts colourfully in his incomparable fashion. The key moment in the warriors’ deaths is when Patroclus dies at the hands of Prince Hector of Troy, this is in turn makes Achilles rejoin the fight in anger and turns the rout into a tide of victory for the Greeks. This victory comes at a very high price for it fulfils the prophecy Thetis gave to her son that should he kill Prince Hector, it was also his destiny to die in Troy. Achilles kills Hector and mutilates his body but this does not diminish his anger. The Iliad ends without spelling the fates of all those warriors who are still alive at the end of the siege, their fates become known only when you read either Homer’s the Odyssey or Virgil’s Aeneid… 5. Strengths of the Iliad The Iliad’s strength according to my Penguin Classics edition is its rich humanity. Through similes Homer manages to bring the world of conflict closer to most people who otherwise would not fathom the full implications. Examples are those of people compared to lions, birds of prey in action, a wild boar’s strength (‘which is not to be despised) and even poppies heavy with dew. The other spectacular and commendable characteristic of Homer is that of assigning epithets to all his characters; ‘rosy fingered’ dawn, ‘well built’ ships, ‘resourceful’ Odysseus, ‘heroic’ Menelaus, ‘godlike’ Achilles etc … 6. Weaknesses of the Iliad Homer is said to use ‘ring composition’ which perhaps was a brilliant invention for the oral poet as it allowed him to stay on course but sounds like dreary repetition when viewed in print. There are so many warriors’ deaths that end with ‘his armour clattered about him’ you will be excused for thinking you had unwittingly gone back a couple of pages. I also find the conversation in heated combat very unrealistic considering combat consists of crisp and curt commands. Particularly when Odysseus and Diomedes observe Aeneas’ horses which are supposedly bred from Zeus’ stock. The two Greek warriors engage a lengthy discussion of their desire to capture the horses as ‘it would win them heroic glory’. The conversation traverses how the horses were bred, how the breeder who was Aeneas’ father kept four for himself and gave two to Aeneas to use in battle. In reality Odysseus and Diomedes should not have had enough time in combat to talk at that length. 7. Conclusion The Iliad is a brilliant book to read and has all the education a leader of men can ever need.

Posted By Kuda4rl at Wed 28 Oct 2009, 2:16 PM in The Iliad || 2 Replies

Need Help with Iliad!

hey all. i have to find instances of the following things in the iliad. I have read the book, but it has been a while. I am in a bind and any help would be much appreciated. i need to cite the line in the text where the event occurs. If you could even help with the harder ones, i can do the easy ones. Thank you guys i just have so much on my plate right now. Here is the list. 1. Eating & drinking 2. Lovemaking (between man and woman) 3. Lovemaking (between god and goddess) 4. Giving birth 5. Marital discord 6. Marital harmony 7. Spinning or weaving 8. Sending a written message 9. Threshing (not winnowing) grain 10. Sailing 11. Fishing 12. Trading armor 13. Building 14. Playing a musical instrument 15. Forging (metal) 16. Robot maidens 17. Defiling a corpse. 18. Human sacrifice 19. Boxing 20. Chariot racing let me know if you email anything

Posted By jarjar90 at Tue 27 Oct 2009, 6:18 PM in The Iliad || 2 Replies

I need some help....

HI everybody!!:smash: I have a to do a paper for a world lit class and I am confuses about the topic she assigned. It says: . What are men’s relationships to their gods in the Iliad/Odyssey or Oidipos/Antigone; for instance, Odysseos is cursed to wander by a god but also sometimes assisted and saved by another. Oidipos’ entire life is oppressed by an oracle. Antigone feels her conscience, what she calls the laws of the gods, is a higher authority than Kreon, the king. Believe it or not she is an accredited Literature teacher. I know there are a lot of smart people on this forum that could really shed some light on the subject. Thanks in advance, Mark

Posted By hituw2x4 at Wed 21 Oct 2009, 10:00 PM in The Iliad || 5 Replies

Trojan vs. Greek Sympathies

I just finished the Iliad, and I was wondering if more people sympathized with the Greeks or the Trojans when they read this. Sure, the poem was written by a Greek (or I guess an Ionian, but I presume he considers himself the descendant of the Achaians described in the poem), but the Greeks have almost no scenes of tenderness or compassion. Troy is described as a former idyllic paradise forever ruined by the Greek siege. Priam is a wise, compassionate ruler, always kind even to Helen, whereas Agamemnon is an overly arrogant tyrant who only reluctantly gives up the daughter of the priest of Apollo, nearly ruining the Greeks' chances at something they've put almost a decade of sweat and blood into. Hector, although not the fighter than Achilles is, seems like a truly noble man. He believes in the good of Troy, at what his people are fighting to save, and even though he can be overconfident and egotistical like Achilles, he seems to care more about his homeland (Achilles actually prays so that his people--granted, the Greeks didn't seem like the particularly organized and unified state that they would become in the coming centuries, so I guess it's a stretch to say that they have a national identity--will be defeated in battle by the Trojans to prove Achilles's point that they need him) than his rival does. I can't see Hector wishing defeat on his people. To me what makes the Iliad so tragic is not Achilles and Patroklos (because I didn't feel that their friendship was particularly well-established before the latter's defeat at Hector's hands), but the fate of the Trojans. A war fought over Paris's womanizing is so below Priam and Hector's sensibilities, yet they feel compelled to defend their homeland against invasion, even as they condemn their vain son/brother. It is their human connections that makes the story so tragic, their humane characteristics. Priam and Hector's kind treatment of Helen even as the other Trojans reject her; especially the mourning of Andromache and her heartbreaking lines about her son growing up without a father. God, that was rough stuff. To me this was the real tragedy of the Iliad, and I found it interesting how Homer devoted so much attention to the positive qualities of the Trojans, because the Greeks usually come off as bickering and overly macho (although perhaps these qualities were more important back then than the close family connections of the Trojans?). It seems unlikely, although I'm not really sure.

Posted By Vladimir777 at Wed 7 Oct 2009, 10:12 PM in The Iliad || 31 Replies

Readin Guide for Homer's The Illiad

Hello there, I am planning on reading The Illiad next and I am, somehow, feeling nervous for some reasons. Probably it would be so hard to read that I might throw it away and that is, I fear. Well, is there any points I need to consider before reading or is there a website that provide a reading guide, not a study guide? I will be appreciative if someone guides me... Regards, Amylian...

Posted By Amylian at Wed 1 Jul 2009, 2:28 AM in The Iliad || 9 Replies

Ye Gods and Graces!

Homer's gods are meddlesome, irksome, petulant, childish, un-heroic, cheap, cheesy, irritating, manipulative jerks. I can't believe that Greeks actually believed in gods that behave worse than humans do. And yet Homer has them as the real heroes of the story. Who are Hector and Achilles? Are they actually heroic? One of them is Mars' poster child, the other is the idiot son of a goddess. They do not stand on their own. The only one with any sense is Odysseus, even if he's Minerva's favorite. Furthermore, Paris is a wart.

Posted By andave_ya at Mon 12 Jan 2009, 12:39 PM in The Iliad || 12 Replies

Immortal Gods in the Iliad

And let Apollo drive Prince Hector back to battle, breathe power back in his lungs, make him forget the pains that rack his heart. Let him whip the Achaeans in headlong panic rout and roll them back once more, Tumbling back on the oar-swept ships of Peleus’ son Achilles. And he, he will launch his comrade Patroclus into action and glorious Hector will cut him down with a spear in front of Troy, once Patroclus has slaughtered whole battalions of strong young fighting men and among them all, my shining son Sarpedon. But then – enraged for Patroclus – brilliant Achilles will bring Prince Hector down. And then, from that day on, I’ll turn the tide of war: back the fighting goes, no stopping it, ever, all the way till Achaean armies seize the beetling heights of Troy through Athena’s grand design. But till that hour I will never cease my anger. Nor will I permit a single immortal god to save the Argive forces, not till Achilles’ prayer has been fulfilled. So I vowed at first. I bowed my head in assent that day the goddess Thetis clutched my knees, begging me to exalt Achilles scourge of cities. Fate, it seems, is predetermined by a force that far surpasses the control of mortals and immortals alike. Throughout the epic poem, The Iliad, Homer repeatedly shows us that fate , not gods, is the determinant of life’s outcome. Fate is the true sovereign in The Iliad, and the gods, as human in certain aspects as humans themselves, are the mere executors of fate. The immortals that inhabit Mount Olympus are chosen as upholders of the laws of fate, but there are plenty of occasions where the gods defy the same laws they espouse. Absolute power can corrupt absolutely; with the tremendous amount of power bestowed in them, gods are often faced with the temptation to break the rules- a temptation which a number of gods end up indulging in. In some cases, the gods let their emotions affect the divine judgment. Factions are created among the gods, as each of them have different reasons and motives for supporting and defying fate for their preferred nation. As powerful as the gods are, they are still limited by the inevitable truth of fate. Fate provides a general guideline by which the gods are supposed to use their powers to set things in motion. It is evident that even almighty Zeus is not a master of fate but the enforcer. He uses his golden scales of fate to determine what the fated outcome for this battle is and the Achaean side plummets. Acting upon what fate had determined should be the outcome, Zeus cast a shower of lightning over the Achaeans and the Trojans chased them all the way back to their ships. (8.81-90) Hector and Achilles met on the battlefield and Zeus again measured their fate, Hector’s side fell and he was slain by Achilles. (22.248-254) Zeus is responsible for upholding the laws of fate and to ensure that they are uncompromised and are executed according to what it had already predetermined. Paris attempted to resolve the conflict between the nations by challenging Menelaus to a duel, the winner would take away Helen and be awarded reparations, however when Paris failed miserably, Aphrodite rescued him and brought him back to his bed. Since Paris was missing in action, Agamemnon declared victory over the Trojans. The conflicts would have all been resolved once Menelaus was awarded reparations and his wife was returned, however this would jeopardize the fated downfall of Troy. Zeus responded to this by sending Athena to provoke Pandaros to attack Menelaus, to set setting the war back on the right track and moving along.(4.80-84) Zeus responded by sending Athena to encourage Pandaros to attack Menelaus, setting the war back on the right track. (4.80-84) Achilles, blinded by his rage, killed many Trojan soldiers and disposed of their bodies in the river Scamander. The river god counterattacked by nearly drowning the hero. He was not fated to die in this way, so when Achilles called out to the gods for help, Hephaestus came and burned the river god into submission. (21.308-336/405-409) Achilles headed back towards Troy once he found out he had been tricked by Apollo. Hector had originally planned to reason and come to a compromise with Achilles, but he later realized that this was not an option and fled in fear. (22.111-164) Achilles had already chased Hector around Troy three times when Athena decided to intervene. Athena told Achilles of her plan to fool Hector. She took the form of Deiphobus to con Hector into staying to battle Achilles, who would soon kill him. (22.257.267) As much as the gods want to help their favorite heroes and nations, sometimes they are helpless to defy fate. Apollo, who dearly loved Hector, withdrew from helping him because he knew that it had been fated for Hector to go down to the house of Hades.(22.248-254) Zeus, a devoted enforcer of the law, and he strictly punishes those who try to flout fate. He had previously punished Hera by having her strung in midair, slinging two massive anvils down from her feet. (15.23-31) He had also reprimanded Sleep for tampering with the fate of Hercules by hurling him deep into the sea. (14.290-318) These punishments had set a very strong precedent for those who sought to supersede fate and, even though Hera and Athena could not resist helping the Achaeans when they were at a disadvantage, they restrained themselves as they knew that punishment by Zeus would be eminent if they ignored the power of fate. (8.476-496) Throughout the entire poem there are many instances in which gods are presented with a choice between following the laws which they enforce or breaking them to fulfill some personal agenda or motive. Zeus, despite the immense amount of power he possesses, is also the god with the most integrity as he restrains himself from tampering with end result of fate. This is clearly shown in the tale of his son Sarpedon, who was about to meet his imminent death at the hands of Patroclus. Zeus considered changing the course of fate by rescuing his beloved son, but decided not to after being reminded by Hera that he is the upholder of fate (16.426-461) Conversely, many gods do not recognize the significance of fate to the same extent that Zeus does. Apollo was responsible for plaguing many of the Achaeans and overlooking fate as he knew that this would prove that he was powerful and would bring him more worshipers offering more sacrifices. (1.565-566) The human nature of gods in The Iliad is evident from their susceptibility to act out their emotions. Aphrodite, the coward goddess, rescued Paris when he failed miserably in his battle against Menelaus- a battle which was supposed to resolve the war. (3.428-441)/ (3.135-136) The two parties agreed that the winner would get possession of Helen and war reparations.(2.104-114) Chryses, a priest of Apollo who begged Agamemnon for the right to give a large ransom for his daughter to be returned to him, prayed to Apollo, who was furious when he was denied that right. Apollo punished the Achaeans severely by inflicting their army with a plague. (1.50-60) Calchus had correctly identified that this was the work of Apollo, and it is not until they appeased the god that they became plague-free. Thetis plays a significant role in this aspect of the poem. After the initial argument Achilles had with Agamemnon, he felt like he wasn’t being treated with the respect he deserved for the many battles he had won for the Achaeans and that his honor and status were being challenged by Agamemnon. Achilles told his mother about their argument and the indignation he felt for this injustice. He told his mother that she can assist him by reminding Zeus that he was indebted to her for saving his life, and persuade him to help Achilles. Zeus and the other gods were feasting with the Ethiopians, and will be back in twelve days. Upon their arrival to Mount Olympus, she would try to win him over. Zeus himself had been guilty of letting his emotions get the best of him. He felt a sense of indebtedness to Thetis who had previously saved him, and thus reluctantly accepted her request to aid her son. (1.619-635) He did just as he promised and punished the Achaeans, causing them to suffer many casualties and setbacks so that they would beg Achilles to come back , restoring his honor and sense of significance. Achilles eventually did return to battle and killed Hector, and afterwards tied Hector’s feet to the back of his chariot and defiled his body. Apollo pleaded to the other gods that Hector was not destined to be forever defiled by Achilles and deserved a proper burial. He proposed that they steal the body of the Trojan prince and return it to King Priam. (24.37-65) Zeus would not allow the situation to be resolved this way.(24.88-90) Instead he decided that he would send Thetis to tell Achilles that he had to give the body back.(24.137-146) He then sent Iris to tell Priam to get a large ransom ready and to go alone to Achilles’ camp. Here he could exchange the ransom for his son’s body and Hermes would be his escort. (24.171-191) As a result of much civil unrest, the gods had created factions among them. The Achaeans had the blessing of gods Athena, Hera, Poseidon, and Hephaestus; the Trojans were supported by Apollo, Ares, and Aphrodite. Gods who were of the Trojan faction rescued Aeneas and gave strength to Hector. Those who belonged in the Greek faction gave Diomedes strength. Diomedes, wounded by Pandaros, prayed to Athena and she answered the prayer by bestowing him with super strength to use to defeat many Trojans. (5.133-147) Diomedes, having been enhanced by Athena, had an aristeia and fought so well that the Trojans recognized him as one of the best of the Achaeans. Among the Trojans that battled Diomedes was Aeneas, who was Aphrodite’s son. Aphrodite could not help but want to protect her beloved son, only to get wounded by Diomedes and consequently allow Apollo to take over the task of safeguarding Aeneas. (5.347-395) Diomedes even tried to attack Apollo, violating the agreement he had with Athena. (5.495-508) Ares then proceeded to fight alongside Hector to slaughter many Achaeans. Athena, with permission from Zeus, came down to fight alongside Diomedes, and the clash of the titans resulted in Ares getting wounded. It was during this battle that god’s involvement in the battlefield peaked. Patroclus had exceeded the expectations of the gods and defeated every opponent he came in contact with. Glaucus prayed to Apollo to heal his wounds and help the Trojans in battle, and Apollo answered his prayer and healed him. (16.605-622) Apollo then wounded Patroclus, weakening him, allowing a Trojan soldier to wound him before Hector gave him the finishing blow. Hera was so determined to help the Achaeans that she was willing to sacrifice her own head for them. She did whatever it took to divert Zeus’ attention from the battle. She tricked Aphrodite into lending her precious girdle to her, and bribed Sleep to send Zeus into a deep slumber; as a result, Poseidon was given a window of opportunity to lead the Achaeans into victory. Achilles, in his blind rage, mowed down rows of Trojans, and sent them retreating back to the walls of Troy. Apollo ensured their successful retreat by distracting Achilles until the Trojans were all within the safety of their walled city. It is evident that the gods of The Iliad play an important role, but only as enforcers of the laws of fate, and not as controllers of it. However, since they are unchallenged in power, they occasionally forget their status in relation to fate and act upon their own personal interests. All the gods involved in the factions are motivated by different agendas to support the their favored nation thus dividing them and causing civil unrest. This kind of interpretations of gods creates a foil for the perfection associated with supposedly god-like behavior. Any suggestions for this essay would be very much appreciated. If you know any other examples or citations that would strengthen this essay please help as well. Also let me know if the essay fulfills all the necessary criteria provided below and if not please help me correct this. Thank you very much. Iliad Assignment Objective: - to show an awareness of Homer’s compositional style Task: Select a passage 1 sentence – 2 paragraphs. Write a 2000 word essay about the passage. Criteria: Must include: - Relevance of the passage to the Book and the Poem overall - What gives this passage particular interest - Features which suggest oral composition - Whether the formulae are used meaningfully - Where else are the formulae occur in the poem - Other thematic resonances - Why Homer chooses to include these details Special Instructions: - Indicate the passage selected and the translation you will be referring to in the beginning of your paper. - Provide a bibliography - Make precise references to page and line numbers whenever possible - Learn from any writing mistakes made in the first assignment - Paperclip this essay to the previous Odyssey assignment Due Date: - To be handed in by November 10th at 12PM. No late assignments will be accepted.

Posted By kayj at Sat 8 Nov 2008, 10:51 PM in The Iliad || 0 Replies

HELP PROOFREAD: Immortal Gods in the Iliad

And let Apollo drive Prince Hector back to battle, breathe power back in his lungs, make him forget the pains that rack his heart. Let him whip the Achaeans in headlong panic rout and roll them back once more, Tumbling back on the oar-swept ships of Peleus’ son Achilles. And he, he will launch his comrade Patroclus into action and glorious Hector will cut him down with a spear in front of Troy, once Patroclus has slaughtered whole battalions of strong young fighting men and among them all, my shining son Sarpedon. But then – enraged for Patroclus – brilliant Achilles will bring Prince Hector down. And then, from that day on, I’ll turn the tide of war: back the fighting goes, no stopping it, ever, all the way till Achaean armies seize the beetling heights of Troy through Athena’s grand design. But till that hour I will never cease my anger. Nor will I permit a single immortal god to save the Argive forces, not till Achilles’ prayer has been fulfilled. So I vowed at first. I bowed my head in assent that day the goddess Thetis clutched my knees, begging me to exalt Achilles scourge of cities. Fate, it seems, is predetermined by a force that far surpasses the control of mortals and immortals alike. Throughout the epic poem, The Iliad, Homer repeatedly shows us that fate , not gods, is the determinant of life’s outcome. Fate is the true sovereign in The Iliad, and the gods, as human in certain aspects as humans themselves, are the mere executors of fate. The immortals that inhabit Mount Olympus are chosen as upholders of the laws of fate, but there are plenty of occasions where the gods defy the same laws they espouse. Absolute power can corrupt absolutely; with the tremendous amount of power bestowed in them, gods are often faced with the temptation to break the rules- a temptation which a number of gods end up indulging in. In some cases, the gods let their emotions affect the divine judgment. Factions are created among the gods, as each of them have different reasons and motives for supporting and defying fate for their preferred nation. As powerful as the gods are, they are still limited by the inevitable truth of fate. Fate provides a general guideline by which the gods are supposed to use their powers to set things in motion. It is evident that even almighty Zeus is not a master of fate but the enforcer. He uses his golden scales of fate to determine what the fated outcome for this battle is and the Achaean side plummets. Acting upon what fate had determined should be the outcome, Zeus cast a shower of lightning over the Achaeans and the Trojans chased them all the way back to their ships. (8.81-90) Hector and Achilles met on the battlefield and Zeus again measured their fate, Hector’s side fell and he was slain by Achilles. (22.248-254) Zeus is responsible for upholding the laws of fate and to ensure that they are uncompromised and are executed according to what it had already predetermined. Paris attempted to resolve the conflict between the nations by challenging Menelaus to a duel, the winner would take away Helen and be awarded reparations, however when Paris failed miserably, Aphrodite rescued him and brought him back to his bed. Since Paris was missing in action, Agamemnon declared victory over the Trojans. The conflicts would have all been resolved once Menelaus was awarded reparations and his wife was returned, however this would jeopardize the fated downfall of Troy. Zeus responded to this by sending Athena to provoke Pandaros to attack Menelaus, to set setting the war back on the right track and moving along.(4.80-84) Zeus responded by sending Athena to encourage Pandaros to attack Menelaus, setting the war back on the right track. (4.80-84) Achilles, blinded by his rage, killed many Trojan soldiers and disposed of their bodies in the river Scamander. The river god counterattacked by nearly drowning the hero. He was not fated to die in this way, so when Achilles called out to the gods for help, Hephaestus came and burned the river god into submission. (21.308-336/405-409) Achilles headed back towards Troy once he found out he had been tricked by Apollo. Hector had originally planned to reason and come to a compromise with Achilles, but he later realized that this was not an option and fled in fear. (22.111-164) Achilles had already chased Hector around Troy three times when Athena decided to intervene. Athena told Achilles of her plan to fool Hector. She took the form of Deiphobus to con Hector into staying to battle Achilles, who would soon kill him. (22.257.267) As much as the gods want to help their favorite heroes and nations, sometimes they are helpless to defy fate. Apollo, who dearly loved Hector, withdrew from helping him because he knew that it had been fated for Hector to go down to the house of Hades.(22.248-254) Zeus, a devoted enforcer of the law, and he strictly punishes those who try to flout fate. He had previously punished Hera by having her strung in midair, slinging two massive anvils down from her feet. (15.23-31) He had also reprimanded Sleep for tampering with the fate of Hercules by hurling him deep into the sea. (14.290-318) These punishments had set a very strong precedent for those who sought to supersede fate and, even though Hera and Athena could not resist helping the Achaeans when they were at a disadvantage, they restrained themselves as they knew that punishment by Zeus would be eminent if they ignored the power of fate. (8.476-496) Throughout the entire poem there are many instances in which gods are presented with a choice between following the laws which they enforce or breaking them to fulfill some personal agenda or motive. Zeus, despite the immense amount of power he possesses, is also the god with the most integrity as he restrains himself from tampering with end result of fate. This is clearly shown in the tale of his son Sarpedon, who was about to meet his imminent death at the hands of Patroclus. Zeus considered changing the course of fate by rescuing his beloved son, but decided not to after being reminded by Hera that he is the upholder of fate (16.426-461) Conversely, many gods do not recognize the significance of fate to the same extent that Zeus does. Apollo was responsible for plaguing many of the Achaeans and overlooking fate as he knew that this would prove that he was powerful and would bring him more worshipers offering more sacrifices. (1.565-566) The human nature of gods in The Iliad is evident from their susceptibility to act out their emotions. Aphrodite, the coward goddess, rescued Paris when he failed miserably in his battle against Menelaus- a battle which was supposed to resolve the war. (3.428-441)/ (3.135-136) The two parties agreed that the winner would get possession of Helen and war reparations.(2.104-114) Chryses, a priest of Apollo who begged Agamemnon for the right to give a large ransom for his daughter to be returned to him, prayed to Apollo, who was furious when he was denied that right. Apollo punished the Achaeans severely by inflicting their army with a plague. (1.50-60) Calchus had correctly identified that this was the work of Apollo, and it is not until they appeased the god that they became plague-free. Thetis plays a significant role in this aspect of the poem. After the initial argument Achilles had with Agamemnon, he felt like he wasn’t being treated with the respect he deserved for the many battles he had won for the Achaeans and that his honor and status were being challenged by Agamemnon. Achilles told his mother about their argument and the indignation he felt for this injustice. He told his mother that she can assist him by reminding Zeus that he was indebted to her for saving his life, and persuade him to help Achilles. Zeus and the other gods were feasting with the Ethiopians, and will be back in twelve days. Upon their arrival to Mount Olympus, she would try to win him over. Zeus himself had been guilty of letting his emotions get the best of him. He felt a sense of indebtedness to Thetis who had previously saved him, and thus reluctantly accepted her request to aid her son. (1.619-635) He did just as he promised and punished the Achaeans, causing them to suffer many casualties and setbacks so that they would beg Achilles to come back , restoring his honor and sense of significance. Achilles eventually did return to battle and killed Hector, and afterwards tied Hector’s feet to the back of his chariot and defiled his body. Apollo pleaded to the other gods that Hector was not destined to be forever defiled by Achilles and deserved a proper burial. He proposed that they steal the body of the Trojan prince and return it to King Priam. (24.37-65) Zeus would not allow the situation to be resolved this way.(24.88-90) Instead he decided that he would send Thetis to tell Achilles that he had to give the body back.(24.137-146) He then sent Iris to tell Priam to get a large ransom ready and to go alone to Achilles’ camp. Here he could exchange the ransom for his son’s body and Hermes would be his escort. (24.171-191) As a result of much civil unrest, the gods had created factions among them. The Achaeans had the blessing of gods Athena, Hera, Poseidon, and Hephaestus; the Trojans were supported by Apollo, Ares, and Aphrodite. Gods who were of the Trojan faction rescued Aeneas and gave strength to Hector. Those who belonged in the Greek faction gave Diomedes strength. Diomedes, wounded by Pandaros, prayed to Athena and she answered the prayer by bestowing him with super strength to use to defeat many Trojans. (5.133-147) Diomedes, having been enhanced by Athena, had an aristeia and fought so well that the Trojans recognized him as one of the best of the Achaeans. Among the Trojans that battled Diomedes was Aeneas, who was Aphrodite’s son. Aphrodite could not help but want to protect her beloved son, only to get wounded by Diomedes and consequently allow Apollo to take over the task of safeguarding Aeneas. (5.347-395) Diomedes even tried to attack Apollo, violating the agreement he had with Athena. (5.495-508) Ares then proceeded to fight alongside Hector to slaughter many Achaeans. Athena, with permission from Zeus, came down to fight alongside Diomedes, and the clash of the titans resulted in Ares getting wounded. It was during this battle that god’s involvement in the battlefield peaked. Patroclus had exceeded the expectations of the gods and defeated every opponent he came in contact with. Glaucus prayed to Apollo to heal his wounds and help the Trojans in battle, and Apollo answered his prayer and healed him. (16.605-622) Apollo then wounded Patroclus, weakening him, allowing a Trojan soldier to wound him before Hector gave him the finishing blow. Hera was so determined to help the Achaeans that she was willing to sacrifice her own head for them. She did whatever it took to divert Zeus’ attention from the battle. She tricked Aphrodite into lending her precious girdle to her, and bribed Sleep to send Zeus into a deep slumber; as a result, Poseidon was given a window of opportunity to lead the Achaeans into victory. Achilles, in his blind rage, mowed down rows of Trojans, and sent them retreating back to the walls of Troy. Apollo ensured their successful retreat by distracting Achilles until the Trojans were all within the safety of their walled city. It is evident that the gods of The Iliad play an important role, but only as enforcers of the laws of fate, and not as controllers of it. However, since they are unchallenged in power, they occasionally forget their status in relation to fate and act upon their own personal interests. All the gods involved in the factions are motivated by different agendas to support the their favored nation thus dividing them and causing civil unrest. This kind of interpretations of gods creates a foil for the perfection associated with supposedly god-like behavior. Any suggestions for this essay would be very much appreciated. If you know any other examples or citations that would strengthen this essay please help as well. Also let me know if the essay fulfills all the necessary criteria provided below and if not please help me correct this. Thank you very much. Iliad Assignment Objective: - to show an awareness of Homer’s compositional style Task: Select a passage 1 sentence – 2 paragraphs. Write a 2000 word essay about the passage. Criteria: Must include: - Relevance of the passage to the Book and the Poem overall - What gives this passage particular interest - Features which suggest oral composition - Whether the formulae are used meaningfully - Where else are the formulae occur in the poem - Other thematic resonances - Why Homer chooses to include these details Special Instructions: - Indicate the passage selected and the translation you will be referring to in the beginning of your paper. - Provide a bibliography - Make precise references to page and line numbers whenever possible - Learn from any writing mistakes made in the first assignment - Paperclip this essay to the previous Odyssey assignment Due Date: - To be handed in by November 10th at 12PM. No late assignments will be accepted.

Posted By kayj at Sat 8 Nov 2008, 9:21 PM in The Iliad || 0 Replies

A Profound Look Into The Iliad

I would like some feedback on the thesis I wrote for the following passage. Cattle and fat sheep can all be had for the raiding, tripods all for the trading, and tawny-headed stallions. But a man's life breath cannot come back again— no raiders in force, no trading brings it back, once it slips through a man’s clenched teeth. Mother tells me, the immortal goddess Thetis with her glistening feet, that two fates bear me on to the day of death. If I hold out here and I lay siege to Troy, my journey home is gone, but my glory never dies. If I voyage back to the fatherland I love, my pride, my glory dies… It is a widely accepted idea that we hold little if any power in the shaping of our destinies; our destinies are predetermined by divine forces such as the will of a god or goddess. In Homer's The Iliad, most mortals are given but a single route in their fated path, some mortals, such as Achilles, are given directions to a road that diverges and is allowed to choose his own path. Homer provides us with information of how the poem is to end, and gives many hints along the way because the importance of the outcome comes second to the reaction of the characters that also share knowledge of what is to come. Knowledge of how you will meet your doom could be quite devastating but despite this fact, many characters in the epic do not wait for time to come, but see it as an opportunity to achieve immortality in history and fight courageously in the battlefield for something they believe in. Although, ultimately, Achilles decides to rejoin the frontlines of the battle and slaughter many Trojan soldiers without mercy, he often contemplates which decision is the right one for him; to live a long life of little meaning by returning home to Phthia, or to continue fighting for his country alongside his comrades who depend on him and be remembered eternally as a man of glory. Courage is not the absence of fear, but the presence of fear yet the will to go on. After the death of Patroclus, death is no longer a concern to Achilles, he has accepted his fate and is willing to die an untimely death so that he can honor his fallen comrade and win glory for himself. Another parallel to Achilles character and his decision to act despite knowing it would cause his own death, is Hector, who knows that if he steps onto the battlefield he will eventually die in battle and Troy, leaderless, will fall. They will be forever remembered as heroes who acted courageously in the face of death, thus making this war, much more than just an imperial conquest. It is evident that the Trojan War is but a location for the heroes to prove themselves in the making of history since Homer deliberately begins the poem nine years into the war and days before the conclusion of it.

Posted By kayj at Tue 4 Nov 2008, 4:22 AM in The Iliad || 8 Replies

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