Remarkable Minds: The Influence of Great Texts

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 Iliad may be seen as an account of circumstances that really change the life of one man, Achilles, one of the greatest Achaeans warriors. The loyal war hero is the main character in the Iliad. It is his storyline that creates the essence of the epic war written by Homer. When the poem is first read it seems as though the main theme is about the dominance, gruesomeness, horror, and plain destruction of Troy, however this is not the main focus. We see Achilles transform from youth to adulthood and go through fundamental personality and character changes from a ferocious warrior in the beginning to a more reserved and hospitable man by the end of the poem.

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.

The Iliad is an ancient Greek epic about the Achaeans’ ten year restriction and ultimate annihilation of the city Troy. This epic is believed to be written by Homer and is one of the oldest works of Western literature.

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.

omer’s epic poem The Iliad, reports the tenth year of the savage Trojan War with Achilles, the leader of the invading army as the protagonist. Another adventurous story, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, tells of Arthurian knight, Gawain, who sets out on a journey to fight to the death, with an anonymous poet. The stories’ leading characters resemble each other in their fighting, but ultimately contradict each other because of their different beliefs. These brave men similarly fight and become military heroes for their own countries. The armor of the soldier and knight bear many symbolic features.

The Iliad is a poem of war. The entire narrative takes place at or near a battlefield with men who had been fighting a seemingly never ending war for over nine years, and portrays many many battles great and small. At the

Two epic poems: one telling a grandiose tale of battle and the other describing a hellish journey home for one of the soldiers. This is what is in store for readers when they enter the rich world of Homer’s legendary poems: The Iliad and The Odyssey. These poems, highly regarded by almost all who have read it, are considered some of the most influential pieces of literature ever written, and for good reason. The Iliad and The Odyssey have been some of my personal favorite reads, just behind Animal Farm and 1984, due to its captivating style of prose, which made even the smallest of events interesting in some way. There were no dull moments, and I could confidently say that the entire experience was one that left me completely satisfied. These poems have forever changed the world of literature, and it is not hard to see why.

The Iliad is a book full of poems that talk about the history of Trojans and Greeks. Within the Iliad, there is a strong urge to show a world in which was are tremendous and the gods have direct hand in human events and these deities influence fate. The two leading gods, Achillies and Aeneas, the reader can see the ways in which these two cultural problems entwine and try to create an image of the ancient world which is at once barbarously real in terms of the depiction of not just the glory, but also the horrors of war which are filled with supernatural and mystical figures called the gods.

Iliad has been reworked and translated to many other languages. It is considered as an extra ordinary poem that carries a key place in the literature canon. Iliad was written by homer as a canonical work, because of its length, narrative plotting, and literary features: rhyme and rhythm, and dramatic effects on the audience. Homer wrote the Iliad as a poem of about 15,000 lines. The poem speaks about Greek history; Greece wasn’t a single political entity in ancient times, but it consisted of city states, which fought wars with each other. The poem, Iliad, helped the ancient city states of Greece to unite and become one country with a common culture. The Iliad is one of the most canonical products of ancient Greek civilization; it has the theme of authority and literary canon. The characters of the Iliad, who are the great heroes, Greeks, Trojan leaders, and gods immortalized in myth (as described) are stronger, braver and more beautiful than those of the present day because they were important figures in their society. Iliad talks about the Trojan War, which took place in 1184 BCE, and lasted for 10 years. Therefore, the

The Iliad, a series of epic poems originated from Homer and rewritten by Robert Lattimore, chronicles three main characters: Achilles, Hector, and Agamemnon. All three of these courageous men share common traits which variate with their roles in the war effort. Of the three, two are clearly heroes whilst one can almost be considered a villain. Therefore, as seen through quotes from the Iliad the real hero becomes quickly identified.

The Iliad is an epic tale of war and hero’s within the Greek way of life. A

In the battle between Hector and Achilles, there was more on the line than winning the war. Until the end of the poem, it can be argued that both Achilles and Hector fit the role of an epic hero, but there can only be one. The battle represented who would ultimately be determined the epic hero. In Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad, Achilles is crafted into an epic hero throughout the poem by the illustration of the qualities of an epic hero: a great warrior, help from the supernatural, an epic flaw, and an epic journey.

While the film and poem have the same overall plots, revolving around the takeover of Troy by the Greeks, the feud between Achilles and king Agamemnon, and such events that ultimately triggered the actions of the Trojan prince Paris stealing Helen of Sparta. While at the same time, revolving around the same general plotline, in that of Homer’s Iliad, many significant differences separate these two works of art from one another. This indifferent between several key aspects is most noticeable in regards to the overall progression of years

Literature is an imitation of societal values and is thus a reflection of the human experience of a time period. Written works emphasize the elements of culture, by means of characters, particular events, setting and theme, specific to the time period in which it was composed. Furthermore, literature mirrors the troubles or hardships of society and projects the core values that define said society. Thus, as culture has changed over time, literature has remained a critical facet in representing time periods of the past. Essentially, the culture of a time period is manifested through writing in the projection of society’s values, symbolism of the center of community and literature itself.