Empathy In The Aeneid's The Fall Of Troy

The Greek forces won the Trojan War. The story of the war is a cornerstone of Greek legend, and pervaded Greek literature and culture. Though the evidence for the Trojan War as historical fact is scarce, it was a formative event in Greek cultural memory, producing some of the classical world’s most famous heroes and narratives. The War was won, Helen was retrieved from Paris, whose violation of ξενία was redressed, the heroes attained the κλέος that many of them fought for – and yet the positive outcomes of the Trojan War are difficult to grasp. For the victims of the Trojan War, the tragedy is obvious; the War ended in genocide and total cultural destruction. But such a war, burnt into legend, should have left the victors far better off; and yet, the Greek heroes only suffer because of it. They die tragic, dishonourable deaths; their households are left in ruin; their families are torn apart. From both modern and classical perspectives, the Trojan War is a tragedy, a “harrowing destruction of life” (Euripides, Andromache, 291). The victory is pyrrhic, the loss of life is horrific, the reparations non-existent.

From a geopolitical perspective, the events of the Trojan War of the Bronze age are symbolically akin to those of the Vietnam War (1955-1975). Both conflicts forged endearingly poignant tragedies into the public psyche, the Vietnam War was the first war televised in color, thus it exposed the grim realities of war. Conversely, the slaying of the Royal maiden Iphigenia in preparation for the Trojan War was “terrible to all” (Hamilton 259). Just as Martin Luther King Jr. attested that “if America’s soul [became] truly poisoned the Autopsy [would] read Vietnam (King 2) and Kwame Ture deemed the Vietnam war “illegal and immoral”, the Oracle knew the corroded intentions of the Trojan War.Subsequently, the devastation of the war was anticipated, “Greek Ships sailed over a Quiet sea, but the evil price they had paid was bound to someday bring murder upon them.In both instances, War symbolized

In death’s atrocity, Achilles and the Athenians turn towards their self-interests in hopes to regain control and dignity. Achilles withdraws from the army in hopes they will recognize his worth, thus restoring honor to him. The Greeks “were stricken with unendurable grief” yet his “proud spirit” kept him from letting go of his anger. (Il. 9.4, 259). His inability to understand his mortality and resulting lack of philotēs “pitched countless souls of heroes into Hades’ dark” (Il. 1.3-4). Falling into fits of self-pity, Achilles is unable to recognize others’ sufferings, even of his own people. He complains to his mother that Agamemnon “has taken away [his] prize and dishonored” him and playing a lyre by the shore, away from the war displaying death’s reality (Il. 1.370). In his isolating mēnis, Achilles hardens into an apathetic death-like figure. Similarly, the Athenians begin to lack pity as their city turned towards “unprecedented lawlessness,… acts of self-indulgence,” and immorality during the plague (HPW 2.53). The Athenians even abandon their own people in fear of falling ill as well. Their civilization reveals it shallow-nature as they result to only considering present desires as honorable. In the face

Both the Odyssey and the Aeneid describe the journeys of the two Greek heroes –Odysseus and Aeneas, as they struggle towards their goal through the crises and deadly situations caused by the wrath of the gods upon them. In the Odyssey, we see that Poseidon (god of the sea/earth shaker) has a grudge against Odysseus while Athena, god of wisdom, aids him throughout his journey. Similarly in the Aeneid, we see that goddess Juno dislikes Aeneas as he is destined to destroy the city of Carthage loved by Juno during his mission to find a new land- Rome, whereas Aeneas’ mother Venus aids him.

In the Iliad, at the start of the Trojan War, Ajax, son of Oileus, is recognized as the best of the Greeks with a spear and the fastest runner, second only to Achilles himself. He also possesses skills in interpreting divine phenomenon. After observing the “light-feet” of charging soldiers and a falcon pursuing its prey, he concluded that the gods are with them and convinced greater Ajax to proceed offensively (Homer p. 245). These attributes give him an unwavering sense of confidence in matters on and off the battlefield. It is this same confidence that creates discontent for him among some of his contemporaries and the gods.

Crying, the emotion brought upon when life seems to be at its worst. Sadness, failure, anxiety, devastation, all mechanisms that can make wet tears roll down your face. Especially with men, crying is seen as an absolute weakness. Not being able to hide your emotion can be seen as an more than embarrassing feature. In the Odyssey by Homer it seems that only men are the ones that sob and wail. Most commonly, Odysseus and Telemachus cry when they see that life is at its very worst. Odysseus cries more often though, and being the father and “manly” figure in his family it’s an interesting trait that Homer decided to give him. Although crying, the ultimate negative emotion can usually only lead to negative breakdowns; Odysseus’ wails empower him to defeat all imminent adversaries.

In the midst of the Trojan war, King Agamemnon is distraught after his loss of Chryseis. As a form of compensation, Agamemnon demands that Achilles forfeit his war prize: Briseis, princess of Lyrnessus. Unhappy with this course of action, Achilles withdraws from the war. Generals, trusted advisors, soldiers, and healers under King Agamemnon’s rule deliver deliberate speeches and debate as to if and why Agamemnon should keep or return Briseis to Achilles for his return. Speaker 1, who spoke in favor of Agamemnon keeping Briseis, incorporates all three rhetorical appeals and adopts a commanding tone of voice in order to persuade the soldiers to continue battling despite the loss of Achilles. In contrast, Speaker 14, who was opposed to Agamemnon keeping Briseis, explores pathos and demonstrates the effectiveness of repetition while directly addressing Agamemnon.

The point of The Iliad is personal honor. Honor was prevalent throughout the poem. The honor of every person in Homeric culture was important. Homer demonstrated some lack of honor in some of the main characters. Therefore, Homer wants to infuse pride, emotions, and values into the main characters who are viewed as heroes that the society looks up to. With these three solutions it would help out the honor culture.

Sinon lies to the Trojans when they find him on the beach and are questioning him. “O King I shall hide nothing of the truth,/ whatever comes out of me”(107-108). He did not tell the truth, considering the events that happened later in the story. Now Sinon is beginning to tell the Greeks why they can trust him. “For a fortune made of Sinon/ a miserable man, but not a man/ of faithlessness and falsehood”(110-112). Twice we find Sinon lying to the Trojans, he stated that he was not a man of falsehood, when he really was. Sinon continues with his story to the Trojans. “Ulysses menaced me with fresh complaints”(137). Yet again we find Sinon lying, he was following Ulysses orders to try to

Nestor, noble charioteer, captures best the essence of Achilles when he says, “Achilles, brave as he is, he has no care, / no pity for our Achaeans” (Homer 11.787-788). Most readers of the Iliad, consider Achilles the greatest warrior of The Trojan War, however, he lacks an important characteristic; care for others. Achilles’ best friend Patroclus, has described him as a great warrior, but a terrible person (11.774). In Homer's Iliad, Hector the great warrior of the Trojans, exhibits a selfless leadership approach, which contrasts to Achilles’ selfish actions as a leader. In order to be a great warrior, one’s loyalty must belong to something outside of themselves, and it’s through Achilles’ self-centered actions, that he loses the title of the greatest warrior to Hector. As the two capital warriors of the different sides of the Trojan war, Hector and Achilles provide an interesting contrast between two powerful leaders. Known for being loyal, selfless, and dedicated to his army, Hector contrasts to Achilles, who is self-serving in every aspect of his life. Despite his defeat at the hands of Achilles, Hector proves to be the greatest warrior of the Trojan War. The first characteristic Hector possesses, making him the superior warrior, is his ability to set his pride aside when he knows it will benefit his army. In contrast, Achilles allows his pride to control him and detriment his army. Another vital characteristic Hector’s possesses, making him a better leader, and

The Trojan War is described as one of histories most legendary battles. This battle is told to have lasted ten years, resulting in the eventual collapse of Troy, under the siege of Greek forces. Modern knowledge of the Trojan War has survived mainly through the account given in Homer’s Illiad, and while having proved to be a rich source of inspiration for other writers, artists, and even filmmakers in recent history, much speculation still exists surrounding his account. I will analyze modern interpretations of the Trojan War and examine both speculation and support for Homer’s account. Concluding with sufficient evidence that has been collected surrounding this epic battle, proving Homer’s account of a massive battle between these two powerful city states to not be just a tale of myth and legend, but actual history.

Romans’ plagiarizing Greek culture is considered by an increasing number of people, particularly Greeks since both of cultures are so similar to each other. Some people considered that Roman litterateur, especially Virgil, who is the writer of The Aeneid, absorbed Greek culture and diverged from precious compositions by specific way. As far as I am concerned, Virgil diverged from precious depiction of war and heroism by differing plot of his works from Greek writers’ and creating opposite characters’ personalities, such as arrogant and self-sacrificed, ambitious and courageous. To begin with, one way that Virgil used to diverge from previous work was that he created different plot. The plot of The Aeneid consisted of more elements than that of The Ilias, since The Aeneid contains not only description of The Trojan War but also relationship and love

The protagonist of the Aeneid and known hero to many, Aeneas, was a man of many virtues. His courage and obedience towards the Roman gods are clearly shown all throughout the book, as well as his passion for justice. When he leaves his lover, Dido, at the bidding of the gods, he shows obedience even when it went against his own will. The time Aeneas travels into the underworld to find his deceased father, it shows great bravery. It is even seen by the example of the crew of Aeneas that he was an incredible person, judging by how loyal they were to him. But, even with all these wonderful attributes, Aeneas wasn’t the entirely heroic person we believe him to be.

Homer used pride as the tragic flaw that Achilles learned to overcome, whereas Virgil used a sense of duty as Aeneas’s tragic flaw. Homer portrayed Achilles as arrogant because he allowed his men to fight a battle he knew they could not win without him. Achilles asked his mother for Zeus to favor the Trojans so that he could regain the honor that he felt Agamemnon stripped away. Aeneas’s tragic flaw unlike Achilles was his sense of duty, which in turn he encountered pitfalls during his escape from Troy. Achilles battled for personal glory and his own honor as a warrior whereas Aeneas spent his time attempting to fulfill his mission, which forced him to invade and conquer, a duty given to him by the gods. “Virgil unites and conjoins all the virtues in the formation of his hero: He gives him religion towards the gods, piety towards his country, tenderness and friendship towards his relations, and equity and justice towards all” (Rapin). On the contrary, Homer magnified the tragic flaw in Achilles, which cost him his sanity because he became obsessive with revenge. Although Aeneas’s flaw appears minor in comparison to Achilles, it led him to be an instrument of gods, which in turn destroyed innocent lives. Mercury appeared to Aeneas to remind him of his mission and told him, “Oblivious of your own world, your own kingdom…He [Zeus] and no other sent me to you…Think of the

Homer’s epic The Iliad, is a great tale of war and glory. It takes place during the last year of the ten year Greek-Trojan war. The Greeks have been fighting with the Trojans for quite some time, and just when peace seemed like a possibility, the youngest prince of Troy, Paris, acts out selfishly and steals the beautiful wife of Menelaus, Helen. This instigates the fighting again. Throughout The Iliad, Homer tells of two heroes, both similar, but also very different in their character; the great and powerful Greek, Achilles, and the strong, loving father, Prince Hector of Troy. In Homer’s The Iliad, Hector and Achilles differ as heroes in regards to pride, duty, and family love, the latter being self-centered and prideful, while the