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The Shield of Achilles: The story and it’s meaning in The ‘Iliad’ The Shield of Achilles shows life in two different perspectives; it shows normal life in peace, as it symbolizes everything past the battleground; as well as it implies that war creates only one unique aspect of life. This shield has a very low impact on the story as a whole, but it also provides a viewpoint on the entire Trojan War. This protective piece of armor reminds us that humans may serve not only as fighters, but also as regular living beings that have to survive. Humans fight, work, and play. Even though Homer describes in detail the lifespan of the warrior and the importance of war during most of this epic, his portrayal of regular life as it is shown on the shield …show more content…
This story takes place during the Trojan War. A bloody, long time span between 1194-1184 BCE. Achilles, the son of Thetis and Peleus, was a fierce Greek warrior. Thetis, who plays a huge part in this discussion on the Shield of Achilles, was a sea-nymph—or the goddess of the sea. His father, Peleus plays a vital role, as Achilles uses his spear and rides his immortal horses. (Need citation) Achilles had gods for his parents, nonetheless, he was ruthless and unstoppable. The Shield of Achilles really doesn’t play a huge role until later on in the story. Before the subject of the shield is discussed, we must investigate the reason why it was brought into existence. Patroclus, Achilles best friend, was killed by Hector. After a brief fight between many Trojans over his dead body, the armor is taken of his …show more content…
One is filled with happiness, the other filled with war. Both filled with Turmoil; two armies battle each other in one city, with bloodshed along the river banks were many dead lay. In both cities, death is not oblivious; nonetheless, they both have love in them. In the Greek city, Achilles and a fellow comrade fight over the consequence for the murder of a warrior and take their case to Zeus for the punishment. In the Trojan city, families stay and watch as the men go off to battle the Greeks. This is meant to symbolize the Trojans going to war with the
Virgil’s prose was written between 29 and 19 BC, meanwhile Homer’s story was around 8th century BC. Therefore, having been written around 700 years later, The Aeneid’s description of Aeneas’s shield is almost too similar to Achilles’s shield in the Iliad. Therefore, Homer’s description of Achilles’s shield was a more effective symbol. Because it was the original symbol, Achilles’s shield obviously inspired Virgil in his story, The Aeneid. Furthermore, Homer’s shield description was foreshadowing what was to come to Troy and Achilles in the continuance of the Trojan War. While it was not stated in the Iliad, Achilles would be killed by Paris near the closing of the war. Therefore, the shield was foreshadowing the death and despair that would come to Achilles. Meanwhile, Aeneas’s shield simply told him of the great fortune ahead. The shield of Achilles was more effective because the reader did not know that shield was foretelling his fate. Therefore, it was more successful by its warning and
While Achilles is a great and powerful warrior, he still risks his life when he engages in battle with the Trojans, courageously leading his men and fighting in such a way that renders admiration from both parties of the war. Odysseus, on the other hand, also exhibits courage in battle, but, additionally, exhibits courage during the many perilous trials that he and his men endure on their journey home. While Achilles does have great capacity for courage and bravery, his own agenda often prevents him from using these virtues for the benefit of his comrades. A necessary characteristic of a true hero is the ability to put personal grievances aside for the greater good. When Agamemnon demands Achilles’ prize of battle, the maiden Briseis, Achilles’ pride is so injured that he refuses to take part in battle. This exhibition of selfishness and single-minded pettiness on the part of Achilles attests to this character’s tendency for menis, an unbound rage and wrath. This menis both makes Achilles an invaluable soldier and prevents him from being as admirable of a hero as Odysseus. The latter hero endures countless personal losses, yet keeps the well-being of his men first and foremost in his
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.
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.
However, the shields symbolise two different things. The shield of Achilles depicts the everyday life of common people. One of the footnotes in the Iliad states that dancing was considered the opposite of war to the Greeks. Achilles’ shield gives a scope beyond the life of just nobility or wartime stories, displaying festivals, farm life, and nature. Meanwhile, the shield of Aeneas tells specific stories of the past and future of Rome. Aeneas’ shield has images of great characters and events, such as Romulus and his brother, the first games at the Roman arena, and the future battle between Augustus and Mark
Thetis, Achilles' mother went to Hephaestus and requested that he build a new shield for her son after his armor what striped by Hector from Patroclus' dead body and taken as spoils. The shield was built in layers each depicting several scenes. The scenes selected and depicted on the shield are a wedding, legal conflict, the besieging of a city, a herd of cattle, a grape vineyard and youth dancing.
“When Hector killed Patroclus, Achilles was filled with grief and rage and returned to the battle, routed the Trojans, and killed Hector, viciously dragging his body back to the Greek camp” (“Achilles” 1), Achilles was so sad and mad at the same time, but, he had a reason for it all. Hector had killed his lover, whom he let borrow his armor and aid the retreating Greeks after, “In the last year of the siege, when Agamemnon stole the captive princess Briseis from him, Achilles angrily withdrew and took his troops from the war” (“ Achilles” 1). Later, Paris killed Achilles by inflicting a wound on his heel. The heel had been the part of Achilles that his mother, Thetis, attempted making him immortal, which was successful by that heel that she was holding remained mortal, and resulted in Achilles’s death.
One difference is Achilles’ sword is intricately designed by Hephaestus and is described as “great and massive” (558) with “a silver shield -strap run from edge to edge and five layers of metal” (561-562). Emblazoned on the shield are images of the universe, the sun, the moon, and the constellations, and also the images of two cities containing conflicting scenes. One city that is depicted shows a place that is at peace filled with weddings and festivals, but the second city is quite different. Its image is that of a city at war with “a divided army” (593) and scenes of battle.
showing the heavens and earth and sea, two noble cities, a king's estate, fallow. fields, a thriving vineyard, a herd of longhorn cattle, and a dancing circle. Once Hephaestus completes the shield he makes a breastplate and helmet for Achilles. The armor he forges is indestructible and worthy of a god. Through Homer's description of the shield and how it is forged, the reader can begin to. understand the importance and value of this device in a literary context.
Achilles is introduced into The Iliad getting into a debacle with the leader of the Greek army, Agamemnon, during the last year of the Trojan War. Achilles starts a quarrel with Agamemnon because he has demanded possession of Achilles’ woman, Briseis, in consolation for having to give up his woman, Chryseis, so that the gods will end their plague upon the Greek soldiers. Achilles does all he can to get his loved one back, but he knows that nothing will waver Agamemnon’s decision. This is when Achil...
Achilles stand firm against Priam but Priam reminds Achilles of the love that he has for his own dead father. Achilles is moved to tears by the memories of home and of his parents. He accepts Priam 's ransom for Hector 's body, and the two men, each having his own sorrow, cry together. After the reconciliation, Achilles has a dinner prepared for Priam and they eat together as equals. Achilles even supervises the preparations of Hector 's body and grants the Trojans twelve days to conduct Hector 's funeral rites, during which the Greeks will not attack. Priam thanks Achilles and leaves with Hector’s body before the sun rises. Once again Achilles’ rage is ended by reconciliation and Achilles is show to be not just a violent warrior, but is also a noble
He flees to his mother, who, despite her opposition, requests Zeus to make the Achaeans suffer during war, to show them they needed Achilles. What follows is a very evenly-divided battle which lasts a while, concluding with Hector’s death and proper burial. In between, each side receives much help and blessing from different various gods, create plans to advance
When they got to the city walls, Hector tried to reason with his pursuer, but Achilles was not interested. He stabbed Hector in the throat, killing him” (www.history.com). Achilles knows the power of his weapon, but he abused the power to kill Hector even though it saved his life. Weapons like spears and guns are used for defense in combat or any life threatening situation. Firearms continue to evolve from the spear.
In Homer’s epic, the Iliad, the legendary, has no two characters that are so similar yet so different as Greek warrior, Achilles, and the Prince of Troy, Hector. Achilles is the strongest fighter in the Greek side, and Hector is the strongest Trojan. They are both put into the mold of a hero that their respective societies have put them into; however; it is evident that they are both extremely complex characters with different roles within their society and with their families, and with the gods.
Because Patroclus stepped up and took over Achilles position, dying for Achilles revealed the true hero in Patroclus. He begged “for his own death and brutal doom” (16.55). Patroclus was so determined to take upon Achilles responsibility he lost sight of his own life. His bravery caught up with his confidence; every war contains losses and sacrifices. Homer clearly has a redundant pattern of characters seeking glory no matter the cost. Some are successful and some are not. The fear of “suffering such humiliation”, kept Achilles and Patroclus in constant fight for splendor and rightoueness. He yearns to have the glory of his good friend and hopes that he can achieve this honor by wearing Achilles armor of “gleaming bronze… well-made greaves… breastplate round his chest, blazoned with stars”, Patroclus “slung the sword, / the fine bronze blade with its silver-studded hilt… and over his powerful head he set the well-forged helmet” (16.156,157,158,159,160,164). Homer descriptively details the armor of Achilles to show the importance of this scene. Despite Achilles warnings of what risks the armor could bear, he selfishly thinks of himself and allows Patroclus to wear the protective furnishing and go out into battle. Achilles only worries about “when one man attempts to plunder a man of his equal, / to commander a prize, exulting so in his power. / that’s the pain that wounds [him], suffering such humiliation” (16.61-63). He would send out his own best friend to sacrifice