The Epic Of Homer 's The Iliad

In almost all instances of war the cause has been related to greed, or the gaining of land and possessions. Greed is presented in the very first book of Homer’s “The Iliad.” It isn’t displayed by the cowards, but the “heroes” of the war such as Agamemnon, Achilles, and Pandarus. The entire cause of the Trojan War is the result of the greedy and cowardly behavior of Paris. There are many factors that had sparked the war, including the interference of the gods; however, the main factor to be blamed for the war is greed.

“As is the generation of leaves, so is that of humanity. The wind scatters the leaves on the ground, but the live timber burgeons with leaves again in the season of spring returning. So one generation of men will grow while another dies” (6.146-50)

The Iliad, Odyssey, and Epic of Gilgamesh all demonstrate the transformational process of their respective epic heroes through their strengths and weaknesses. Epic heroes such as Achilles, Odysseus, and Gilgamesh all possessed superior qualities that separated them from other individuals. Although their incredible abilities may support the societal perception of strong leadership, their weaknesses caused these characters to hold vices that went against the cultural expectations of what a strong leader should be. Furthermore, they all shared similar experiences in terms of undergoing a difficult situation and changing their approach in an effort for redemption. This paper will be examining the virtues of these epic heroes and the

Greek mythology played a large role in Greek artistic styles and functions. In the case of this study, the mythological god Apollo is the subject of the artistic works of the votive known as the “Mantiklos Apollo” and the statue of “Apollo” that was found in Pireaus. These figures show a natural progression in style and technique. They are important because they represent the sacred beliefs and superstitions of their respective cultures and time periods.

As the last scene of movie Troy fades, we see the words “inspired by Homer’s “The Iliad””. There is no doubt that the Iliad is one of the greatest poems of all time and, therefore, it has inspired multiple works of art over almost three thousand years of its existence. One of these works is the film Troy, which attempts to make an adaptation that reflects the Greek culture and appeals to the modern audience at the same time. In this essay Troy will be compared with the Iliad through examination of time spans, intended audiences, portrayals of Helen, Achilles and Hector, main themes of both sources and conveyed messages.

The Iliad: Book VI is about the continued war for Troy but Homer focuses a lot of the book on Hector, Prince of Troy. The Achaeans were overwhelming the Trojans so they were forced back into their city. The Trojans were weakened so the Achaeans took full advantage and slaughtered as many as they could. However, the Trojans anticipated this weakness and Hector asked his mother to pray to Athena for the army. Meanwhile Paris, Hector’s brother, had withdrawn from battle because of the grief he caused. But his soon to be wife Helen and Hector convince him to return to battle. Just before they head into battle Hector pays a visit to his wife and child to say goodbye for maybe the last time. His wife is convinced that he is near his death and mourns. Hector then meets Paris on the way to the city gate and they prepare to fight.

The Iliad: Book I, is about the conflict between Achilles and Agamemnon in the beginning of the Trojan War. It shows how vigorous Achilles’ rage was and that he is no one to mess with. The book states “Peleus’ son Achilles, murderous, doomed”. This shows his fury in just a few words. Achilles was a Greek hero who was the son of a Goddess named Thetis. He was an incredible solder; brave, violent and godlike. However, Agamemnon was the commander of the Achaean Army. He was greedy, aggressive and selfish. He was described as “the most grasping man alive”. He absolutely hated Achilles. I feel that he was jealous of how respected Achilles was among the ranks in the army because of his superior skills in the field of battle. Agamemnon claimed Chryseis as his prize, after sacking a Trojan town. Chryseis was a daughter of a Priest of Apollo, Chryses. He offered an enormous ransom to get his daughter back. At first Agamemnon didn’t want it but the people round him persuaded him that it would be best to let her go so they could be released from the plague that Apollo put on them. Agamemnon then poised to Achilles that he is going to steal Achilles prize, Briseis. This is when Achilles’ rage shows at its best. He nearly draws his sword to kill Agamemnon but he is stopped by the goddess, Athena.

Oral stories often establish comprehensive guidelines of how to live honorably. Specifically, they exemplify the actions of heroes who value pietas: an unwavering loyalty to one’s boss, state, and family. Characters adhering to it reap physical and spiritual benefits; those that do not are punished accordingly. This relationship is clearly evident in the ancient Sumerian epic poem, The Epic of Gilgamesh, Homer’s ancient Greek epic poem, The Iliad, and Virgil’s ancient Roman epic poem, The Aeneid. This paper will argue that these texts show that honor is attainable only through pietas. It will conclude that complete commitment to pietas ultimately promotes personal growth through the renouncement of earthly desires.

Over the thousands of years that the epic story the Iliad has survived, there has no doubt been some form of alteration to Homer’s original. Last May, Wolfgang Petersen directed a movie based on the Iliad. This movie, Troy, has proven to be a very loose adaptation of Homer’s original, as are almost all stories that are made into movies, unfortunately. With its timeless storyline, amazing scenery, gorgeous actors/actresses and most of all, its reported two hundred million dollar budget, it is easy to see why Troy was hyped up to be a box office hit. However, the film critics were harsh on this movie, as they had every right to be, and it ended up being a total flop. Compared to Homer’s Iliad, Troy is rather

An individual 's characteristics are the key to their conduct and this is very true in Homer 's the Odyssey, which takes place in 700 BC in the Mediterranean, near Greece. The epic story is about a Greek hero, named Odysseus, who has left his home country to fight in the Trojan War twenty years earlier. The focus of the epic and his mission now is to make his way back home to Ithaca. On his way, he shows some great qualities along with strengths that influence the course of his journey. Despite Odysseus getting bad a name from some readers, I do not believe that was he was a bad man or some woman-hating monster who used women to get what he wanted in life instead his mission was to get back home to his wife Penelope and son Telemachus, however he had relationships with women along the way and was forced into some very difficult situations.

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

A hero has many definitions from a Mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability, an illustrious warrior, and many other definitions. “To be heroic is to be courageous enough to die for something; to be inspirational is to be crazy enough to live a little.” ― Criss Jami, Venus in Arms. Growing up I’ve read books that were bigger than me, like mythological books because it had adventures and heroic people that would risk their lives for another. The Iliad, The Odyssey and The Harry Potter series were always my favorite and no matter how many times I read them, I find new things I missed and record the heroic deeds someone has done in their story. What makes a hero and how does one remain loyal to those he trusts around him?

Central to any study of the humanities is the human condition – our nature, which has historically shown that it is equally capable of both good and evil deeds – and the problem that arises from it; specifically, why do humans suffer? Many philosophies and religions have their own account for this aspect of humanity, and we find that what the accounts have in common is each explains the human condition in terms that are similar to how that institution of thought explains the true nature of reality.

In the epics The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Iliad, heroes Achilles and Gilgamesh have important relationships with characters that directly and indirectly give readers a look at the character we might not normally see. For the mighty demi-god Achilles, this is the warrior Patroclus, whom he has a great respect for. For the tyrannical King Gilgamesh, this was Enkidu, the hairy man sent by the gods. The relationships that these characters have with their companions open these characters up for readers, and can show the characters in a whole new light. We see tenderness and emotional vulnerability that is uncharacteristic to these characters. Despite there being many things that can be compared in the relationships between these hero’s, there is also a lot that separates them. Unlike Gilgamesh with Enkidu, Achilles does not need Patroclus to understand himself as a person, and does not change his characteristics a great deal before his death. Whereas the tyrannical, brutal King Gilgamesh ends up being someone looked at as a very wise, kind, heroic king, after Enkidu comes into his life and Gilgamesh’s true self is revealed.

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