Kristin Lee
February 26, 2014
“It was a great man who fled, but far better he who pursued him rapidly, since here was no festival beast, no ox-hide
160 they strove for, for these are prizes that are given to men for their running.
No, they ran for the life of Hektor, breaker of horses.
As when about the turnposts racing single-foot horses run at full speed, when a great prize is laid up for their winning, a tripod or a woman, in games for a man’s funeral,
165 so these two swept whirling about the city of Priam in the speed of their feet, while all the gods were looking upon them.”
(Iliad 22.158-166).
The Costs of Competition
Towards the end of The Iliad, once Hektor becomes the only Trojan left standing outside the gates of Troy after the Trojans were forced to retreat, Achilles begins the fight that would lead to Hektor’s demise. The strongest fighter of the Trojans, Hektor, finally went up against the strongest fighter of the Greeks, Achilles. Homer’s lengthened simile in Book 22, lines 158-166, thoroughly exemplifies the competing nature that was so prevalent between the Trojans and the Greeks. Homer uses this epic simile to depict the need to win at all costs, regardless of the outcome in some circumstances. For some, the outcome is of little importance, while for others, it is a matter of life or death.
Achilles’ developing anger from the loss of Patroklos would only be heightened at the sight of the lone Trojan, who could not bear to retreat with the rest of the army after his mistake in commanding them to stay outside the city walls. Once the battle began, Hektor’s efforts in trying to work things out with Achilles were in vain, for Achilles’ rage would not be ceased by simple words. Hektor ran around the ...
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...Hektor, for it is his fate to die. That being said, Hektor was truly all alone in in contest he could not win.
In this epic simile, Homer attempts to put into perspective the theme of competition that he portrayed throughout the entirety of The Iliad. Through the use of this simile comparing Hektor and Achilles’ chase to a funeral game with prizes to be awarded, Homer creates an ironic situation for Achilles, because he has no real reward waiting for him. By emphasizing that Achilles had no prize to be won, Homer shows the tendencies of fighting for its own sake. Homer attempts to reveal an aspect that he believes is a part of human nature through his illustration of Achilles in this scene, which is the inherent desire for competition and victory. Achilles, blinded by his rage, saw Hektor as only a means of winning, which would end up being his only prize to gain.
Phoenix’s paradigm narrative fails to persuade Achilles to rejoin the war because the specifics of that narrative fail to align with Achilles’ specific concerns. In particular, Phoenix neglects the pernicious effects of Agamemnon’s actions on Achilles’ notions of honor and pride. The old man discounts Achilles’ ability to act solely on the account of his dangerously inflated pride, which proves to be detrimental not only to the Greeks but also those whom Achilles cares about, most notably Patroclus. Additionally, Phoenix’s anecdote draws incorrectly upon the role and relationship of Achilles’ parental figures, lessening the efficacy of the speech as a whole. Phoenix’s terminal mistake was confusing the desires of Achilles with that of Meleager, assuming that the warrior values his fellow Greeks over himself (Homer’s Iliad 9.607-611).
The aforementioned excerpt starts off with its longest line at the beginning and progressively gets shorter. By shaping this part of the Iliad into an inverted pyramid, Homer emphasizes the ever-decreasing distance between Achilleus and Hektor. The simile’s structure also seems to stress the characters’ humanity and its quick devolution to more basic, animalistic behaviors. In addition, Homer’s use of an extended sentence, instead of brief statements, brings to surface the prolonged nature of both battle and the hunt. By emphasizing the drawn-out nature of the chase, Homer adds some meaning and depth to Achilleus’ actions. The confrontation between Achilleus and Hektor isn’t a random skirmish on the battlefield where two warriors randomly face off––it is purposeful and driven by
Similes are, in the broadest sense of the word, a way for writers to express a certain idea by comparing and connecting two elements in order to give the reader a better understanding of the situation. One can argue that no author uses this literary device better and with such artistry than the Greek poet Homer. The epic similes found in Homer’s Odyssey are so complex, that they introduce a level of sophistication to his poetry that still has us studying his work centuries later. More specifically, there are two pairs of similes that, when examined, have a close relationship with one another. These pairs can be found on pages 240 and 246, and on pages 122 and 360. Both of these pairs of similes can be bridged together by the messages they
The subject of Homer’s epic poem, the Iliad, is very clearly stated--it is “the rage of Peleus’ son Achilles.” The reader remains continually aware of the extent of Achilles’ rage, yet is never told the reason why Achilles remains angry and unreconciled. There is no definitive answer to this question. Achilles is not a static character. He is constantly changing; thus the question of why he remains angry solicits different answers at various stages throughout the poem. To find an answer, the reader must carefully examine Achilles’ ever-changing dilemma involving the concepts of mortality and honor. At its simplest, Achilles’ dilemma is that if he goes to war, he will die. But he will die with glory.
To Achilles this prize Brises represents something more than just a prize; she is a symbol of status, of acceptance. His way of obtaining honor which he (Achilles) has to figh...
Throughout the Iliad the warriors' dream of peace is projected over and over again in elaborate similes developed against a background of violence and death. Homer is able to balance the celebration of war's tragic, heroic values with scenes of battle and those creative values of civilized life that war destroys. The shield of Achilles symbolically represents the two poles of human condition, war and peace, with their corresponding aspects of human nature, the destructive and creative, which are implicit in every situation and statement of the poem and are put before us in something approaching abstract form; its emblem is an image of human life as a whole.
Homer's two central heroes, Odysseus and Achilles, are in many ways differing manifestations of the same themes. While Achilles' character is almost utterly consistent in his rage, pride, and near divinity, Odysseus' character is difficult to pin down to a single moral; though perhaps more human than Achilles, he remains more difficult to understand. Nevertheless, both heroes are defined not by their appearances, nor by the impressions they leave upon the minds of those around them, nor even so much by the words they speak, but almost entirely by their actions. Action is what drives the plot of both the Iliad and the Odyssey, and action is what holds the characters together. In this respect, the theme of humanity is revealed in both Odysseus and Achilles: man is a combination of his will, his actions, and his relationship to the divine. This blend allows Homer to divulge all that is human in his characters, and all that is a vehicle for the idyllic aspects of ancient Greek society. Accordingly, the apparent inconsistencies in the characterization of Odysseus can be accounted for by his spiritual distance from the god-like Achilles; Achilles is more coherent because he is the son of a god. This is not to say that Achilles is not at times petty or unimaginative, but that his standards of action are merely more continuous through time. Nevertheless, both of Homer's heroes embody important and admirable facets of ancient Greek culture, though they fracture in the ways they are represented.
The Ancient Greeks admired their heroes and tried to learn from both their achievements and their mistakes. They believed that most great leaders and warriors followed a predictable behavior cycle, which often ended tragically. In Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad, Achilles is a great warrior who traces the stages of the behavior cycle twice, from arete to hubris to ate and then to nemesis. Achilles is a highly skilled warrior and a great leader who becomes a narcissist and an arrogant person, which leads to selfish and childish behavior resulting in the death of his best friend. Following Patroclus’ death, Achilles repeats the behavior cycle by regaining his courage and motivation, and goes back to battle against Hector. The pride he feels in killing Hector and his overpowering hatred for him, leads Achilles to another bad decision: disrespecting the body of his enemy. This foolish choice leads directly to Achilles death. Although The Iliad is mainly known as a story about the Trojan War, it is understood as a story about Achilles and his struggle to be a hero.
Achilles agreed that Patrokolos should wear his armor into battle, this decision along with the fact Achilles was no longer fighting, ultimately caused Patrokolos’ death. When Patrokolos died at the hands of Hektor, two things happened. First, being distraught over his friend’s death, Achilles feels responsible/ Guilt ensues but is channeled to more anger. Hektor, the slayer of Patrokolos now becomes the target of Achilles rage. Achilles is ready to fight, but more accurately ready for revenge. Achilles said, “I will not live nor go about among mankind unless Hektor fall by my spear, and thus pay me for having slain Patrokolos son of Menoetius,” (The Iliad, Chapter 18, Lines 89-91). When Achilles decided to fight, the fate of Hektor was already decided. Also, because he decided to fight, many more Trojans died. His fury with all of Troy was unleashed. Achilles killed and killed. The carnage was
"The Iliad is a poem that celebrates the heroic values war imposes on its votaries (27)." Homer himself describes war as "bringing glory to man." War is a huge part of both the Achaeans and the Trojans' lives. Characters gain glory through their performances and bravery in battle. Furthermore, Homer persuades the reader that war is the glorious way to settle a dispute. For example, Hector and other Trojans scorn Paris for backing down from Menelaus. On the other hand, Achilles acquires glory by deferring the option of a long, peaceful life in order to fight and become an epic hero. The characters in The Iliad value honor and glory to such a degree that they are willing to give up life itself in order to possess it.
Homer progressively subjects his characters to a choice between loved ones, and war quest with heroic personalities is invariably choosing the latter. The gravity of decisions made in the text emphasizes more on knowing about fate ahead of time. Characters prize ancient Greek martial values such as honor, nobility, bravery, and glory with the will to sacrifice chances of long life for the loved ones. In portraying an ideal epic world, the text recognizes about the creation of mortals and the glory of man that does not live in constructions.
The first requirement of Aristotle's tragic hero is that they are more admirable than the average character. Achilles meets this requirement because of his ability on the battlefield. In The Iliad, the background to the story is the war between the Greeks and the Trojans. This background is not only the basis for the story overall, but is also the basis for Achilles' own story. This begins when Achilles refuses to join the battle because he is insulted by Agamemnon. This decision results in the action that drives the remainder of the story. Later in the story when Achilles becomes angered and goes to the other extreme, launching into battle and killing ferociously. The significance of this is that it places battle as central to both Achilles' story and to what is important in the setting of the story. Importantly, the aspect that makes Achilles greater than most is his ability o...
Homer's Iliad is commonly understood as an epic about the Trojan War, but its meaning goes deeper than that. The Iliad is not only a story of the evolution of Achilleus' persona, but at times it is an anti-war epic as well. The final book proposes many questions to the reader. Why not end with the killing of Hektor? Most stories of war conclude with the triumphant victory of good over evil, but in the Iliad, the final thoughts are inclined to the mourning of the defeated Hektor, which accentuates the fact that good has not triumphed over evil, but simply Achilleus triumphed over Hektor. Ending with the mourning of Hektor also brings to center stage for the first time the human side of war and the harsh aftermath of it. We see that war not only brings great glory, but also much suffering and anguish. Homer puts his anti-war views on display.
This imagery reminds the reader that despite Achilles’ excellence, he is still mortal thus will succumb to a mortal fate. This is, in part, due to his rage. Earlier in the text, Homer uses fire as a simile to describe Achilles’ rage. This passage also includes verbs which conjure images of fire - like surging, flaming up, and blazing. These verbs remind the reader that although Achilles’ fate is to perish in battle, his rage is partly responsible for his downfall. This passage demonstrates the role of fate in Achilles’ life. While he comes from divine descent, Achilles himself is a mortal, and Zeus’ destiny for him is stronger than his own personal strength. Homer uses celestial imagery in Book 22 as the vehicle in his simile to emphasize Achilles’ divine lineage, but also his fate’s immovability. This Homeric simile contrasts Achilles with other characters in the poem and highlights both his strength and his
The Iliad may be seen as an account of the circumstances that irrevocably alter the life of one man: Achilles, one of the greatest warriors. Throughout the course of the poem Achilles goes through many ordeals that change his character immensely. Starting with his quarrel with Agamemnon and withdrawal from battle, to the death of Patroklos, and with the slaying of Hektor. Achilles emotions and actions decide the fate of many warriors on both sides. Achilles struggles with anger, honor, pride, loyalty and love make the poem more that just a gruesome war story.