Death In The Odyssey

The emphasis of horses throughout the passage is indicative of its importance as representative of status, wealth and military power with few men riding around and most on foot. Contrastly the death of Patroklos horse foreshadows his own victory whereas Sarpedon own horses and chariot stay upright but he inevitably dies. Dust which has always been representative of death in Greek culture is associated both with Pedasos death and Sarpedon in the bloody dust. The spirit leaving Pedasos an associated imagery of leaving the body is similar to wind (last breath of life), the idea of a persons spirit leaving a the body is reiterated in the concrete action of Patroklos pulling out the spear from Sarpedon's body. Furthermore when mixed with earth, wind becomes dust. The …show more content…

The typical Homeric simile, symbolism of a tree falling coincides with the death of a warrior. Hence, comes to correspond to the death of someone deeply rooted in their culture, beliefs and not easily felled. The tree represents a young warrior's death throughout the Iliad or their unmoving behavior, Sarpedon is no exception. Additionally he is likened to a bull amongst the shambling cattle, he is “a fighter among men”. Sarpedon is not a victim, but a raging bull and mirrors the attitudes of what a heroic death was to Greeks in the battlefield rather than one of cowardice. This is stipulated again in the dialogue of Sarpedon's final speech there is no trace of fear rather an exhortation of morale to fight on after his death. This death represents Greek attitudes of immortality, both personally and within an epic the 'everlasting' honor and glory one shall receive in battle and after death. Their attitudes to burial are referenced in the dialogue as he notes he will be a thing of shame if the Archains take his armor and he is not given the chance of a proper