The Iliad, A Homeric Epic That Depicted The Age Of Heroes

The Iliad written by Homer in the days of Ancient Greece has become one of the most epic poems of all time. It is a poem that has been debated for centuries. Within the tale of Achilles and the wrath of war lies a magnificent object that is shortly mentioned in Book 18. The brief section in Book XVIII, lines 505-660, described the shield that Achilles would carry into battle. However, it also tells us something about the nature of Achilles and his heroic image full of rage and anger. In order to understand the significance of the Shield of Achilles, one must closely look within the different layers of the shield itself. Each layer of the shield symbolizes apart of the story at large. Even though its fragment within the poem is

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

In The Iliad, Homer explores how external forces restrict mortals’ agencies. Even one of the most powerful characters, King Agamemnon, does not fully control his agency; he filters his actions due to the overbearing force of war, the fates gods create for humans, and the responsibilities that arise from his kingship.

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.

For many years, Greek culture based their social status on prominence and rank in their colony. This prepotency over the culture is shown in the epic poem, The Iliad of Homer. Great vitality is exhibited by the characters in the poem. The need for glory, honor, and eternal remembrance is mentioned numerous times from beginning to end in this composition. Glory and honor comes with great responsibility and wisdom. Homer presents this idea in various ways. This fortitude is passed throughout The Iliad showing the foundation of dignified heroes and self-glorification.

As a leader, Agamemnon has a reputation which lets him feel superior to the soldiers and people around him. He shows his superiority when the priest begs him for his daughter and brings ransom which Agamemnon refuses. “And all ranks of Achaeans cried out their assent:” Respect the priest, accept the shining ransom!”But it brought no joy to the heart of Agamemnon” (1.25-27). Though the Achaean military pleads Agamemnon to accept the priest's offer, Agamemnon is concerned about himself more than the pleas of his army and justifies that returning Chryseis to her father wouldn’t please himself. He tells the priest then, “...I won't give up the girl. Long before that, old age will overtake her in my house, in Argos, far from her fatherland, slaving back and forth at the loom, forced to share my bed”(1.33-36). Agamemnon’s response to the father’s plea for his daughter to be returned caused further consequences for himself and his army. Agamemnon lets the priest know that he will make Chryseis whom he refers to as “girl” suffer in his home and feel unsafe as she is “far from her fatherland”. Without her father, Chryseis won’t be protected which

Before his death the Trojan leader Hector exclaims, “Well let me die⎼but not without struggle, not without glory, no, in some great clash of arms that even men to come will hear of down the years,” (22.359-362). This proclamation reveals an important theme in Homer’s Iliad. Throughout the epic poem, the concept of honor and shame constantly reappears, from being the cause of the plot to personification as Greek and Trojan heroes to the dichotomy of honor and shame within the gods. Homer uses honor and shame as a major theme of the Iliad to show how important these attributes are to the human condition.

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.

When reading the Iliad by Homer and With the old Breed by E. B. Sledge, the two stories that revolve around warfare are surprisingly different. Not because of the time period but because of how warfare is viewed in each of these works. In the Iliad, warfare is not only conducted differently but it is viewed as a very heroic and noble thing. Throughout the Iliad, Homer avoids all of the gruesome or evil topics of warfare and simple shows the noble aspects, so much so that he ensures that most of the important characters get a heartfelt and heroic monologue before they die. On the other hand With the old Breed by E. B. Sledge shows warfare to the exact opposite of what Homer has portrayed, a mentally taxing experience that most of the time breaks the soldiers to the point where they would never be the same. According to Shay, “The Iliad is a work of poetry, not sociological or historical scholarship”(Shay, 121). Seeing as how the Iliad focuses more on only positive aspects of war, Shay is correct in his statement. These two works are vastly different from one another through their descriptions of the various aspects of warfare.

In analyzing Book 9 of Homer’s the Iliad, the reader is aware that pride is a driving force in the book. In fact, the war between the Greeks and the Trojans is heavily affected by this pride. In spite of Agamemnon, Achilles, the greatest fighter of the Greek army, withdraws his troops from Agamemnon’s army. In losing Achellieus, the Greek army loses its only match against Hektor, the greatest Trojan fighter. This is an example of how a small argument has a rippling effect throughout the book.

It is characteristic of human nature to seek glory and fame. It is written in human genes to do nearly everything possible to be glorified and renowned. From Homer’s time to current American pop culture, people have sought after glory to confirm their worth as human beings. The Iliad was written in 750 BC and the glory that Achilles pursued can be compared to the fame and success that people wish for and try to attain today. However, is glory actually the aspiration of leaving the world better than it was found or essentially pride masquerading itself as the objective to be successful and remembered as one who lived a life of accomplishment?

The definition of hero is being noble and valiant on and off the battlefield. The heroes on both the Trojan and he Achaean sides being most notably Agamemnon, Odysseus, and Achilles on the Achaean side, while on the Trojan side the heroes were Hector and Aeneas. All these heroes share common traits and what is expected from them being a hero. In the Iliad being a hero was a elevation in social class, but also came with expected value on the battlefield and being honorable off the battlefield. The role of hero in the Iliad is often defined by the gallant efforts of Achilles and Odysseus, however the role of hero is played by more than Achilles and Odysseus, but even Hera and the heroic efforts of other as well.

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

The concepts of honor and glory are critical to understanding the motivation of the heroes in Homer’s Iliad1 . Glory was gained by great, heroic actions and deeds and was conferred upon an individual by others who witnessed and acclaimed the glorious actions. Major battles provided an opportunity for many to find glory at once. Honor was similar to glory, but while the public had to view actions and deem them glorious, each individual maintained their own sense of personal honor which did not always coincide with honor as defined or perceived by the masses. Honor was gained through heroism in battle, but also through compelling speechmaking, loyalty and other noble qualities that a person might demonstrate. Having honor and glory allowed a Greek to gain influence in

In the famous epics, The Iliad and The Odyssey, written by Homer; the main character, Odysseus, is the King of Ithaca and is called to serve and lead the Greeks in the Trojan War. Odysseus receives help from Athena and is told that he must serve in the Trojan War for he is destined to bring them victory, in which he does. After winning the war Odysseus is cursed to never go home, thankfully he makes amends with the gods and returns home in ten years. Correlating to Greek literature a famous tragedy, is the play “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles, where the main character, Oedipus, is destined to lay with his mother and murder his father. Oedipus runs away from his fate and ends up turning full circle, completing the prophecy which he was blind to as the truth unraveled right in front of him. Since Oedipus was chosen to lead Thebes and find the murderer of his dad, King Laius, when he finds out that he is the murderer he gouges out his eyes and is banished from Thebes. In both stories the main characters are put into a position of power, both being king, and the way they lead changes over time from the challenges they face. A leader should be humble, respectful and be able to claim responsibility for their actions which both Oedipus and Odysseus do not do in the beginning but towards the end they emerge as better and stronger leaders. Looking over Oedipus and Odysseus, both do not show the ideal qualities of a leader and instead were hubristic and selfish until the end when