What Is Conflict In The Iliad

Homer’s The Iliad: Book XX features a battle between the Trojans and Achaians, shortly after Patroklus’ death (Lattimore Book XVI), where the gods must intervene in order to restrain Achilleus’ destructive nature that becomes amplified due to the grief and wrath as a result of the loss of his cousin/lover. The divine foresaw an early

In book three of Iliad, “illustrious king” (9.126) and his Achaean armies fight the Trojans to stop wife stealing but despites that he still dishonors and takes Achilles prize, Breseis. Agamemnon in the Iliad can be seen as the mortal Aphrodite. In book three of Iliad, Helen disobeyed Aphrodite and she responds with rage and so does “lord of men” (9.112) in book one. Agamemnon feels that Achilles disobeyed him, so he answers with wrath just to show “how much greater [he] [is] than [him]…. for hoping to rival [him] strength for strength” (1.219-221). His statement makes Achilles furious with rage. “Why, why in the world if not for Helen with her loose and lustrous hair? Are they the only men alive who love their wives, those sons of Atreus? Never!” (9.411-414). Achilles expresses his feeling on how contradicting the whole Trojan war is and that is he going to involve himself, it will be for Bresies only. Bresies is who he loves not

The Iliad during the Trojan war is a very interesting story that could cause debate upon fellow readers. It brings up a lot of questions and thoughts about the gods and greeks of this time period, such as what is more important to them, justice or mercy? Also, it highlights the view that they have on war and whether it is tragic or glorious to them. During the Iliad, justice and mercy both play very important roles throughout the multiple books and are seen by different characters during the war. Also, it shows what the gods are like and how they view themselves and humans.

(A Discussion on Scenes of Violence in the Iliad and Their Effect on the Text as a Whole)

It goes without question to state that various times in Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad, violence occurs. Violence is typically thought of as it relates to physical violence, war, a way to resolve a conflict, yet is open to various other interpretations. In addition, it is arguable that multiple types of violence occur within that classical piece of literature. The most obvious type being physical violence, but including, yet is not limited to, psychological, emotional, sexual, and linguistic violence. Emotional violence is one that pairs easily within the other types, yet is equally as important. These types of brutality all contribute to the major theme of fate versus free will. This epic poem allows for readers to question whether people are truly free or if everything that happens is due to fate. If there is such a thing as determinism, then it would be safe to say nothing that happens in someone’s life is a free choice. In Homer’s, The Iliad, multiple scenes of violence support the central theme of fate versus free will.

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

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.

In the Illiad the Trojan War was fought around 1200-1100 BC. The Illiad was writing by the blind poet Homer around 750 BC. Helen of Sparta was married to king Menelaus of Sparta. The Mycenaeans had recently formed a peace treaty with Troy. However this was all to change when Paris a prince of Troy kidnapped Helen and took her with him back to Troy. Paris had done this because he

In the first book of the Iliad (lines 10-15) Agamemnon angered Apollo;therefore, making “The son of Zeus by Leto” answers the prayers of a priest ,who is a follower of himself, and plagued his troops with illness and death. People who disobeyed the ruling of the gods or didn't follow their customs would be punished in a series of events that anyone would regret. But it wasn’t the people who only disobeyed gods, but the gods quarreled amongst themselves. Every once in a while gods would cross the line and infringe one another, this lead to a separation and hatred of each other that could be easily defined in the Trojan War with the gods picking sides. Which then later gave each side advantages in certain aspects such as strategy and the art of war. Even though this may scare people on opposing sides, their fates/lives were more important to them than anything

Even though the Iliad starts off with Helen living in the Trojan city, she originally came from Achaea where Paris of Troy stole her for her beauty from the king of Mycenaean Sparta, Menelaus which then started a huge war because her former suiters of the different cities had sworn an oath to protect Helen. Also, in the third book of the Iliad Hector, the main leader of Troy, proclaims to both armies “He urges all the Trojans, all the Argives too, to lay their fine armor down on the fertile earth while Paris himself and the warrior Menelaus take the field between you and fight it out for Helen and all her wealth in single combated” (131) Then later on Menelaus adds, “But I intent that we will part in peace, at least, Trojans and Achaeans.” (131) Here it shows that both sides agreed that once the dispute over who keeps Helen get resolved both armies can end the war showing how the entire war developed around

Experts recognize that when we keep an open mind, conflict can be used as a tool. Stories have been woven around conflict since the beginning of human history. Sophocles’s Antigone focuses on a conflict that seems very different from the conflicts we face today, but it still boils down the same values fueling each character’s drive to prove their point. In modern times,

In The Iliad, a conflict arises between the Trojans and the Achaeans. While the conflict is between the two armies, the gods play a significant role in shaping its outcome. The leadership the gods show in this conflict is based on deception and fear and never inspiration.

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

Conflict is rooted in the desire for power, and control over resources. Yet it is the willingness of people to be divided and see others as inherently different that allows for war and conflict. People exploit these divisions, and this often leads to armed conflict. If we eliminated the mindset of difference and division, and promoted one of unity, then the minority of people in this world who seek to conquer resources would not have the ability to do so. The factors that enable them to manipulate and use others would simply not be present. This does not

The Iliad is one of the greatest and earliest works of Greek literature beautifully written by Homer. The poem was set at the last year of the Trojan War prior the fall of Troy, that was indeed ten years long. Moreover, the focus of this poem is a conflict that rose among Agamemnon, king of Mycenae and commander-in-chief of the allied Greeks, and Achilles, the greatest warrior, rather than the events and battles that occurred in the Trojan War between the Greeks and Trojans. Throughout the Iliad, the conflict rose due to numerous issues regarding pride, honor and power. This epic poem was written in a distinguished manner that made it easier for the readers to identify the important themes of the poem. For