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Examples Of Ptsd In The Iliad

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PTSD and a Reevaluation of Homer’s Achilles

In Homer’s Iliad, Achilles hears about the death of his dearest friend and says “Nothing matters to me now / But killing and blood and men in agony” (19.226). In the fit of reckless violence which follows, he slaughters so many young men that he clogs the River Scamander with their gore, slays helpless suppliants, and attempts to mutilate his chief enemy’s body after killing him. While it is impossible to deny Achilles’ compulsive and violent behavior in much of The Iliad, modern research on the effects of battle trauma on the human psyche invites us to reevaluate his behavior. In light of modern research conducted on war veterans suffering from PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), Achilles …show more content…

Achilles, once a figure of godlike power and bravery, now appears a very mortal figure suffering from the brutality of war. His fall from heroism to barbarism is no less tragic and no less horrid, but is much more understandable when viewed as a psychological phenomenon only recently identified by modern psychology. This understanding of Achilles also serves to bridge the cultural and temporal gaps between Homeric society and our own. The Iliad provides compelling evidence that PTSD is a cross-cultural and cross-temporal disorder which warriors have experienced since time immemorial. From Troy to Vietnam and beyond, soldiers have suffered trauma from combat which has in turn caused them to inflict violence on others, as well as on themselves. Achilles almost cuts his own throat in the opening lines of Book 18, and refuses to eat, drink or bathe for most of the rest of The Iliad. Thus, he effectively makes himself the living dead (in commiseration with Patroclus). Similarly, the number of Vietnam vets who have committed suicide exceeds the number who died during and after the war from wounds, and an estimated 1.5 million still suffer from

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