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Emotions in the Iliad,
Emotions today
The 'Iliad'; by Homer is a book that deals with many emotional issues. I am going to talk about a few emotional parts of the Iliad and compare them to the emotional life of today. I have chosen a section of the book and will talk about the emotions that come up there. The section that I have chosen to talk about is in book 18 when Achilles is very angry and very sad about Patroclus death. After that he wants revenge by killing hector.
First off, Achilles talks about how sad he is about the death of Patroclus. Achilles groaned and answered, 'Mother, Olympian Zeus has indeed vouchsafed me the fulfillment of my prayer, but what pleasure is it to me, seeing that my dear comrade Patroclus has fallen—he whom I valued more than all others, and loved as dearly as my own life?
Here, Achilles talks about how much he loved Patroclus almost more than he loved himself. By what he is saying there, you can see that he is very sad, but that he will not just sit there, that something needs to be done.
I think that in modern time, emotions haven't really changed. They are something that everyone has and I don't really think that they change from time to time. I still think that people still care about each other very much. Love is still very felt today. It I felt in the same way it always was. I think that when one that was close to you dies, you will have some sort of devastation. I think that one could be as devastated as Achilles was when Patroclus died, but I would think
that it would be very rare. I would say that love is just as common today as it was back in that time.
After that part, Achilles shows vengeance when he talks about how he wants to kill Hector. 'I will not live nor go about mankind unless Hector fall by my spear, and thus pay me for having slain Patroclus, son of Mencetius.';
There he is talking about how mad he is that Hector killed Patroclus. He is so mad that he wants to kill Hector for it. You see that it is a crazy plan because even his own mother says that he will die if he ends up succeeding with his plan.
'Thetis wept and answered, Then my son, is your end near at hand—for your own death awaits you full soon after that of Hector.
...us and his son fight side by side against the suitors. It is clear at this point that the old Telemachus is gone and all that is there is a new brave, bold and thoughtful Telemachus.
"Sheltered under his curving, beaked ships he found him, foreboding, deep down, all that had come to pass" (18.3-4). In this sentence, Achilles is trying to avoid learning about his friend's death. He has isolated himself in hopes that it is not true. He knows that it is so but feels that if he can keep from hearing the truth that it will not be. In the first stage of denial and isolation one tends to deny the loss has taken place, and may withdraw from their usual behavior. Following denial and isolation Achilles experienced great depression.
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.
When Patroclus asked Achilles for his armor, Achilles finally sided with Patroclus after a great deal of pondering because he wanted revenge over Agamemnon. In the armor of Achilles, Patroclus was killed by Hector. When he learned of the death of Patroclus, he would kill Hector knowing that it would lead to his own death. Achilles went back into war knowing he would go against his mother’s wishes. When the news of Hector’s death reached King Priam, he asked for the body of his Son of Achilles. The body was returned out of understanding the pain of losing a son. But in the end, that was the plan that finally destroyed the City of
At first Achilles had a set of clearly defined goals, he was to fight side by side with the Achaeans, sack Troy, and, by doing these things, gain honor and wealth. As the war progressed a series of events took place that forced Achilles to step out of the fight. While he was inactive and had time to contemplate, he came to the realization that he had been fighting for nine years for the sake of a man whose woman has been stolen; now that his woman had been stolen no one fights for his sake. He also realizes that there are other, less risky ways of obtaining wealth and honor, including sending Patroklus out in his armor. Another thing he ponders on, but doesn't seem to take seriously, is whether or not honor is really worth the struggle.
"Andromache, dear one, why so desperate? Why so much grief for me? No man will hurl me down to Death, against my fate. And fate? No one alive has ever escaped it, neither brave man nor coward, I tell you it 's born with us the day that we are born. So please go home and tend to your own tasks, the distaff and the loom, and keep the women working hard as well. As for the fighting, men will see to that, all who were born in Troy but I most of all" (Homer 6. 579-589). These particular lines demonstrate Hectors ' loyalty to his family and how far he is willing to go for his family. He is willing to die for his family but before he does, he starts to ensure that his family remains safe. Family seems to a driving factor in Hectors ' life, which could be viewed as a negative thing. For him to drop everything in the world for his family, even risk his life for them could stab him in the back if he let it. For example, if his wife was in grave peril and he had to choose between the lives of his people during a war or her life, he would choose her life but a smart leader would choose the lives of his
Among the many father and son relationships in the Iliad, the first relationship to analyze is between Priam and Hector. Priam is a dignified warrior who fathered fifty sons. Hector, being one of fifty, is a warrior who is earning the respect to be as righteous as his father. As with most father and son relationships portrayed, Priam barely had any physical interaction with Hector. Therefore, when Hector died it was very touching to hear Priam make such a compelling and fervent request to Achilles to have Hector’s body returned to him.
And let me strap on my shoulders that armor of yours. That the zealous Trojans take me for you and quickly Withdraw from the fight." Because Achilles refused to help the Achaeans battle the Trojans, a discontented Patroclus took the matter into his own hands by requesting activation into battle disguised as Achilles in the hope of sending the Trojans. into a full retreat from the sight of him. It is apparent that Patroclus was willing to fight, although the odds were greatly against him.
After the loss of Enkidu, Gilgamesh goes into a state of mourning as evidenced by the removal of his clothing and the act of putting on a loincloth. The symbolism of the removal of clothing and putting on a loincloth is that Gilgamesh is becoming one with nature thus completing the emotional side Enkudu filled. Afterwards, he roams the plains to live a simple life in honor of Enkidu. In the Iliad, Achilles mourning of Patroclus turns into rage after seeing the body of his dead comrade: “When Achilles learns of the death of Patroclus, he bursts into tears, tearing his hair and throwing himself on the ground. His sorrowful lament is heard by his mother, Thetis, and she comes to comfort him.” (Homer 179). The showing of tears shows the intensity of the mourning that Achilles had. Also the changing of emotions quickly shows he is quick to change feelings. This quick emotional change shows that he is very spontaneous. This quote shows the length that Achilles would go for Patroclus as he had great love for his comrade in
While Achilles watches hundreds of other Greeks fall in battle, he strictly prohibits Patroclus from fighting. As his resolve against fighting grows stronger, he sees his fellow Greeks struggling, but refuses to aid as he stubbornly elevates his demand for respect over human lives. When he sends Patroclus to his impending doom he passionately proclaims “Oh would to god - father Zeus, Athena, and lord Apollo - not one of all of these Trojans could flee his death, no Argive either, but we could stride from the slaughter so we could bring Troy’s hallowed crowns of towers toppling down around us - you and I alone!” (Iliad 16.116-119). Achilles cares not for the war and doesn’t feel compelled to fight for Greece, but would fight for his own glory, and even share it with Patroclus. This in itself shows a different side of Achilles, perhaps hinting that Patroclus serves as a person who is capable of humbling him to some extent. Patroclus appears to serve a role as a sort of outlet for Achilles, someone he can confide in. Their close relationship only makes Patroclus’s death more important in Achilles’s recognition of his own
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
Act 2 Scene 1 Page 297 Line 69-70: "Whiles I threat, he lives: / Words to the
...h Agamemnon and wishes that ‘strife could die from the lives of gods and men’… Not to avenge Patroclus by killing Hector would be a renunciation of all that he stands for and has lived by”. Even though “sorrow fell on Achilles like a cloud” (216), he went back out to the battlefield and killed Hector. It took a great deal of bravery for Achilles to face the man who killed his best friend but Achilles, being the hero that he was, got back into battle and killed him because he couldn’t let Patroclus’ death go unavenged.
...r’s Iliad to defend his ideas about the eradication of literature, the Iliad contains countless powerful and cathartic passages which essentially invalidate Plato’s theories on poetry. After a study of the Iliad, the reader has trained his emotions. He has felt pity for the characters and fears that if he acts in the same manner and lets the same emotions which proved to be the bane of the characters’ existence in the work overwhelm him, then the same fate awaits him. Thus, by reading the Iliad, or any other good work of literature for that matter, we train our rational nature to overpower our sentimental nature. In this sense, literature is the highest form of study one can undertake, since we are constantly flooded by a sea of emotions. The most effective way to ensure we act rationally in response to these emotions is to read as much literature as possible.
The death of Patroklos touched Achilles in many ways that changed and shaped his character. Many emotions were a result of his death such as love, loss, anger, and sadness. Patroklos was a dear friend to Achilles and when a mix of divine intervention and Hektor cut Patroklos down grief and the desire to avenge his dear friends death consumed Achilles. This switched his anger from King Agamemnon to Hektor, the man who slew his dear friend. This anger drew Achilles to avenge the death of his friend, to kill Hektor.