Concept Of Revenge In The Iliad

The concept of revenge is commonly portrayed in everyday life. Many find the need to inflict pain in different forms, whether it be physical or emotional, on another for wrong doings experienced at their hands.

Homer’s “Iliad,” Euripides’ “Trojan Women,” and Pitre’s Fives and Twenty-fives all include some form of revenge. The most prominent concept of revenge occurs in the Iliad and stems from the wrath of Achilles. In the “Iliad”, The Achaeans seek revenge against the Trojans for taking Helen, the wife of Menelaus, the Greek king. Apollo and Chryses, a priest of Apollo, seek revenge because Agamemnon refused to return Chrysies, the daughter of Chryses, who was taken as a war prize. Achilles seeks revenge against Agamemnon for insulting him

He taunts Hector and gloats that Patroclus will get a burial while Hector will be left to the dogs and birds, as well as Achilles own devices.

In “Trojan Women” Athena joins Poseidon’s lamentations over the fall of Troy by expressing her anger at the Achaeans after Ajax the Lesser rapes the priestess Cassandra in Athena 's temple. To exact revenge, Athena convinces Poseidon to help her destroy the Greek ships as they go home. Cassandra herself also speaks of revenge when she expresses that she will, "slay him [Agamemnon] and lay waste his home to avenge my father 's and my brethren’s death (Euripides)." While Cassandra, the holy virgin and seer, is planning her revenge against

Agamemnon, King Menelaus plans to kill his wife, Helen, for her treachery. She ran off with Paris, an act that he deems worthy of execution. He rants that:

Now my purpose is not to put her to death in Troy, but to carry her to Hellas in my seaborne ship, and then surrender her to death, a recompense to all whose friends were slain in Ilium.

Most revenge in the novel is acted out in fits of violence or shows of hatred. After Dodge came back from visiting his family and Donovan came back from the hospital with Zahn, the two got into a verbal argument. Each were exacting the revenge they wanted to get out of their systems on each other. Donovan wanted revenge for what happened to Zahn and Gomez’s reaction to it while Dodge wanted revenge for his country falling apart and Hani being killed by the Americans. Doc relates the incident that even after being pulled apart, “they were still screaming at each other. Still calling each other every kind of bad name, until the helicopter came over top of us again, drowning out their voices (Pitre 350).” Another form of revenge in Fives and Twenty-fives is the denial of forgiveness. After Hani is killed and Mundhir is injured by American soldiers, Dodge goes back to visit his family home. There he searches for Mundhir in order to apologize for all that has happened since the day they were separated at the beach resort. When they meet, Dodge seems to want to ask for forgiveness, to explain himself, but all Mundhir is able to do is tell him to “leave and never come back. Now. Or I’ll kill you on this rooftop so soft that Nasim won’t hear it (Pitre 336).” By denying Dodge forgiveness, Mundhir is able to exact a small form of revenge by making Dodge feel guilty for all the decisions he