Andromache's Lamentations In The Iliad Analysis

It is evident through this passage that Homer is building up this grand battle between two of the greatest warriors of this time period. Achilles, already regarded as the greatest fighter, speaks of Hektor not in a degrading manner, rather in a respectful manner, taking into account his numerous heroic feats.

In the Iliad is a very interesting epic with features two main central characters that are similar in some ways but totally different in other ways. In this epic you will be introduced to Hector and Achilles. Two men from each side in the great Trojan-Greek war. They were both heroes to their people despite their clearly different contrast in their personalities. In this paper I will highlight the life of both of these two leaders of the Greek and Trojans in this epic the Iliad. Also a little will be shed of how Homer portrays the characters deeper then an average thought. I will attempt to show the complexity of his thought process in forming the climax of these two characters coming to battle.

The relationships between parents and their sons in the Iliad are not relationships we expect to see in today’s society. The Iliad portrays the relationships between fathers and sons as something more than just physical and emotional. It is based on pride and respect for one another. The expectations of their son are more so to pass on their fathers reputable name and to follow in their father’s footsteps of being noble warriors. These relationships are the driving forces in the Iliad, making each son in the Iliad identifiable first by their father’s name. An outcome of the father–son relationships is ancestral loyalty among the characters which play a prominent role in war. Therefore, not only does the Iliad share a major war story, but

The first book of the Iliad begins with the beginning of Achilles’ rage, the rage that will eventually cause his own people so much grief and is also the force for Homer’s version of the story of the Trojan War. Whereas the taking of Helen is the focus of the larger, traditional story, the feud between Agamemnon and the hero Achilles over a kidnapped girl defines the Iliad. Both feature a conflict over a woman, Helen and Chryses’ daughter, and a need for resolution as well as a breach of social contract: Paris steals the wife of Agamemnon, ruining the bonds of the guest relationship, while Agamemnon denies Chryse his right to ransom and invokes the wrath of the gods in the form of a plague. In both cases, however, it becomes clear that the conflict will not be resolved quickly, but will continue through the very heart of the story. By “singing of Achilles’ rage” from the first line, the narrator is clearly showing the audience that this Trojan war is not the war of Hector or Paris or Helen, but of the proud Achilles and his hero-sized enemy.

Anger has always been the down fall of humanity. For generation man fought in war for political claiming their rights. What right does any one man has gather troops in the name of love, hatred and thirst has send innocent people to their death. What make men mad that give their back to their people that they can careless for the consequent or outcome of their action. In the end of a war who wins and who losses. People that no one will ever know who they were but with courage fought for? In the Iliad, Homer’s descries the moment when the warriors filled themselves with bravery and yell the cry of war prior to going into battle, this is also the same cry that generation that follows become conflicted

Throughout The Iliad, an epic poem written by Homer, there were numerous warriors and other characters that could be looked upon as heroes; some of these heroes included Achilles, Ajax, Diomedes, Hector, and Glaucus. All of these individuals were heroes because of their remarkable mental and physical strength: they were courageous and were better fighters in war than other ordinary men. The trade of battle was a way of life to the Greeks back in Homer’s time. Children were raised to become great servicemen to their country, and warriors lived to fight for and defend their nation with pride and valor. The heroic code was a strict morality that dealt with matters relating to honor and integrity in battle.

‘I entreat you, by your life, by your knees, by your parents, do not let the dogs feed on me by the ships of the Achaians… give my body to be taken home again, so that the Trojans and the wives of the Trojans may give me in death my rite of burning’ (22.338-343). This heart wrenching plea represents nearly the final words uttered by Hektor upon his death at the hands of Achilles. Hektor, who recently boasted of his martial prowess, vowing just moments before to do ‘some big thing first, that men to come shall know of it’ (22.305), is reduced to begging before his killer for the basic privilege of an honorable burial. In this moment of his famous Iliad, Homer offers a cynical reflection on human life and the social constructs mortals establish, especially the idea of the ‘heroic code’ that was so prominent during the Golden Age of Greece. Demonstrably, he implies throughout the work that since all humans are destined to die and memories have limited effect after death, the entire concept of the ‘heroic code’- and to a certain extent, conviction in worldly systems instead of personal beliefs- are pointless given the natural chaos of the world and man’s ultimate fate.

The Iliad centers around the use of moira to control the lives of the characters while Genesis relies on God to set things in motion for his plans. Andromache, from the Iliad, and Rebekah, from Genesis, are each used by the larger force at work to express the major themes of each work. Andromache and Rebekah are each used by either God or moira to produce offspring that are predestined for important events that have been predetermined by either God or moira. Each woman also attempts to bend their husband to their will, in different ways, to get their husband to act in the way that they see as most desirable. However, Rebekah is much more successful in her attempt on Isaac than Andromache is in making Hector do what she wants him to do. Both Andromache and Rebekah attempt to control their husbands, but Andromache has no real power to influence her husband’s decisions due to moira. Andromache is given very little power to change the direction of her narrative due to the fated fall of Troy. Andromache and Rebekah are given very different abilities to control their narratives due to what is predestined by moira, in Andromache’s case, and what God commands, in Rebekah’s case.

The Iliad, by Homer, is an epic poem set in the era of the Trojan War, accounting the battle logs during the time of conflict between Agamemnon and Achilles, the text’s tragic protagonist. The heroic outlook on life, in Iliadic terms, is exemplified through the construction of one’s honor through hard work. Being an aspect of the heroic outlook of life, this value is demonstrated through his contribution and dedication to the Trojan War, his experience with neglect from the deities, Achilles’ overall disdain towards Agamemnon, and, lastly, his longingness towards Briseis, his dear lover.

The term “foil” is a “character who contrasts with the protagonist in ways that bring out certain of his or her moral, emotional or intellectual qualities,” as defined by Sharon Hamilton (143). Achilles is the main hero of the “The Iliad”, a warrior who is angry and excluded. The contrasting and secondary hero is Hector. He is also a warrior and upcoming King of Troy who fights courageously for Troy. In his epic poem, “The Iliad,” Homer uses Hector as a foil to Achilles to emphasis their different qualities by comparing their emotions and actions.

Regardless of the time frame, Virgil’s Aeneid and Homer’s epic the Iliad share both a copious amount of similarities and differences. For example, many common themes such as heroism, fate, and destiny are apparent in both works. Within the Aeneid and the Iliad, it is seen that the wars going on during that time were glorious that is why the role of gods were significant in leading both Aeneas and Achilles and influencing fate. In both texts, it is clear from the beginning that the role of the gods is to make Aeneas and Achilles fulfill their journey The Iliad focuses on the end of the Trojan War and the damaging power, while the Aeneid is focused during the aftermath of the war and underlies the foundation for the new civilization. This paper will address and argue the comparison of the role of gods and how each of the authors representation of the gods have influence on the lives of mortals.

Virgil’s The Aeneid is a Latin epic poem that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. The poem details the journey of Aeneas and his men after they are forced to flee burning Troy and as they wander the seas in search of land suitable to found a new Troy. Throughout the many books, the Trojans suffer through the Trojan War, the loss of their home, fierce storms, horrible monsters, and the wrath of the gods. A major theme of The Aeneid is human suffering as the characters in the poem experience the full front of despair and pain.

Homer’s Iliad is undoubtedly focused on its male characters: Achilles, primarily, but also Hector and Agamemnon. Nevertheless, it seems that the most crucial characters in the epic are female. Homer uses the characters of Thetis, Andromache, and Helen as a basis for comparison to the male characters. Homer wants his audience to see and understand the folly of his male characters in choosing war over peace, aggression over kindness, and honor over family. While the behavior of these characters clearly speaks for itself, the contrasting attitudes and behaviors of the female characters proffer an alternative; in comparison, the reader can hardly fail to concur with Homer’s message that war, aggression,

“…Apollo knocked the helmet off his head and under his horse’s hooves it tumbled… / Disaster seized him—his fine legs buckling—he stood there, senseless… / Hector… came rushing into him right across the lines and rammed his spearshaft home, stabbing deep in the bowels…” (Homer, 438-439) Patroclus’ death is devastating to the Achaean armies’ morale and, more central to the story, it further disrupts Achilles’ already unbalanced sophrosyne. The torment that Achilles endures here epitomizes the human condition.

Hector’s wife Andromache begs him not to “make [his] boy an orphan and [his] wife a/widow,” (Homer, Iliad 6.432-3) and he agonises at the thought of his wife being enslaved after his death (Homer, Iliad 6.454-5). Despite Hector’s family having no active part in the war, the story highlights that it will still have a significantly tragic effect on their lives. Instead of focusing on the glory of a death in battle, Homer chooses to expose the grief that will be left over in the aftermath of the War. This same attitude is echoed in Euripides’ Women of Troy, when Andromache speaks of her tragic fate following the Trojan War, and the chorus sings “you suffer as we suffer… how deep in grief we stand” (Euripides, Women of Troy 35). Here, the chorus reflects the families united in their grief at the deaths of the Trojan War, and to an extent, the families’ of all Greek soldiers who die in