Immortality through Glory One of the most common tools writers use to put certain ideas into the spotlight is repetition. In Homer’s Greek epic, The Iliad, he applies the employment of repetition to the old horseman Nestor’s speeches. The context and tone of Nestor’s reiterated speeches serve as a window into Homer’s underlying message that in the context of war, glory is the key for men to gain some form of immortality. In order to demonstrate Homer’s message, Nestor’s speeches dial through two methods in which Nestor advises the Achaean men throughout the book. The first consists of speeches delivered in a nostalgic, prideful flavor as he speaks of his heroic past, using himself as an example. During Nestor’s first campaign “fighting Epeans over a cattle-raid”, he “charged their lines like a black tornado…[capturing] fifty chariots there, and each time two men bit the dust, crushed beneath [his] spear” …show more content…
In Book 3, Hector spurs Paris by taunting and insulting him, calling him a “curse to [his] father, [his] city, and all of [his] people” for his lack of courage and perseverance (3.58). This prompts Paris to present the idea of a duel against Menelaus, in which they will “fight it out for Helen and all her wealth” (3.86). Other times, this fighting spirit is regained through leaders’ compliments and encouragement. Before the war begins again after the duel between Menelaus and Paris, Agamemnon was “quick to salute [Idomeneus] and sing his praises” (4.292). He urges Idomeneus to “be that fighter you claimed to be in all the years gone by,” which spurs Idomeneus to “cut down Phaestus” (5.48). Overall these different methods of advising lead the soldiers to fight in a way such that glory can be obtained, leading them to be another step closer to leaving their name in
No talk of turning the tide” until their enemies are defeated. During his reprimand of Thersites, Odysseus admits that he does no know how long the war will last nor how it will end. To many readers, this war appearers trivial and insesent, but none of that matters to a Homeric hero. What matters to these men is honor and glory, both of which can be attained by following the martial
However, in the end Agamemnon took Achilles’ girl, Briseis, which really hurt Achilles in the end. These warriors took a lot of pride in the things or people that they
The Odyssey would be less memorable without Homer’s masterful use of figurative language. This poem can only stand the test of time when the figurative language is used to help readers relate to the text no matter what time period they come from. Figurative language in the text has made the story as a whole more interesting and has made countless readers engaged by this tale of, in Homer’s own words, “that man skilled in all ways of contending.” (p. 813,
Agamemnon’s taking of Briseis enrages Achilles and spurs him to remove himself from the war, leading to a massive death toll in the Achaean forces. In stealing Briseis from Achilles, he is not only robbing of him of a material prize, but also a symbol of honor, his geras, in Greek culture. In retaliation, Achilles removes himself from the war and prays to his mother, Thetis, that she will ask Zeus to damage the Achaean forces. Achilles’ only goal is that “even mighty Atrides can see how mad he was to disgrace Achilles” (1.488-490). Despite having no true grievance against the Achaean army as a whole, Achilles’ rage blinds him from the potential harm that may befall his troops.
The Crazy Iliad In life a very good skill to have is to be able to persuade people because it can help out someone in the future of their life situations. This skill is also important when going into war, and persuading people to fight or agree on something someone believes is true. In the Iliad, Homer’s characters’ use persuasion against each other multiple times in the story. The characters in the Iliad mostly use ethos, pathos, and logos when persuading each other to understand what they believe is true.
Hubris is one of the many themes that were brought up in the Iliad. Its definition is extreme pride and arrogance shown by a person that will bring downfall to that person or to others. The first time this theme is brought up is when Helen leaves with Paris. Agamemnon uses Helen as an excuse to rile up all the Greek kings. Agamemnon knew that if they beat Troy, then he would control a major passage of trade which would make him the undisputed ruler of all of Greece.
In Homer’s ancient work The Iliad, there are many forces of leadership at work, both strong models and poor examples. The two focal leaders in The Iliad are Agamemnon and Achilles. Both these characters exemplify leadership, but in drastically different ways. Agamemnon is immediately recognized as an authority because of his political standing; he is the leader in all technical meanings of the word. However, on Achilles part, it is his character and actions that earn him the recognition of a leader.
In the epic poem, the Iliad written by Homer, several characters taking part in the warfare between the Achaeans and the Trojans are portrayed as embodying the heroic code of courage, physical strength, leadership, arete of value of honour, and the acceptance of fate. The heroic code is illustrated by the actions of the Trojan prince, Hector and the Achaeans strongest warrior, Achilles. Both of these characters display the Greek’s image of a hero, and can also let the reader discern what the society admires, looks up to and aspires to in its heroes. There are also characters who fail to be heroic, such as the Trojan “vivid and beautiful” prince, Paris. These characters in the Iliad illustrate the qualities that Ancient Greek society values.
Honor is one of the major themes in The Iliad. However the concept of honor in The Iliad is not the same as our current understanding of honor. Honor plays a key role in how the characters in the Iliad act, why they make certain decisions, and why the events in the Iliad occur the way they do. Nowadays, we refer to honor as an idea or concept which is closely related to fame, respect, reputation etc.
In Iliad, the first revenge action was made by Menelaus, the king of Sparta. He enraged and decided to take a revenge from the Trojans, because of loss of his wife, Helen. When he went to war, plenty of his companions joined him, such as Achilles, the leader of the Myrmidons, Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, Ajax the Greater, the king of Salamis, etc. After that, in book 16, Achilles lends Patroclus his armor, sends him off with a stern admonition to not to pursue the Trojans. However, Patroclus ignoring Achilles’ command, pursues and reaches the gates of Troy and is killed by Hector.
Nicole Tschida ENG 210 Paper 1 2-26-18 The Iliad and The Consequences of War The plot of the Iliad takes place in the middle of the war between the Greeks and the Trojans that lasted for ten years. This conflict according to Homer and ancient Greek mythology occurred because the Trojan prince Paris abducted Helen, the wife of Menelaus, brother to king Agamemnon. In this paper, I will be examining the consequences of war, as outlined by Homer.
For example, “glorious Hector hastened forth from the gates, and with him went his brother Alexander; and in their hearts were both eager for war and battle”. Alexander and Hector have a devotion to fighting and will put in their all when doing so. Evidence of this lies in the quote from book seven: “and Hector with his sharp spear smote Eioneus on the neck beneath the well-wrought helmet of bronze, and loosed his limbs”. Homer seems to depict these warriors as war-hungry men. They kill as many of their enemies as they can.
In grief Achilles wants to fight Hector for what he did. Hector has two choices, either to fight Achilles or hide behind the walls of Troy. Hector exclainms doubtedly “What shall I do? If I retreat behind these walls, … And now that I have ruined them all by my rashness, I am ashamed to face the men and women of Troy, or some base fellows may say-Hector thought too much of his own strength, and ruined us all!”
They fight over the two girls. Later Achilles threatens to quit the war since he has nothing against the Trojans. He says that he only fights because Agemenom tells him too. King Agamemnon answered: Indeed, sir all that you say is fair and right. But this man wishes to be above all to rule everyone, to be King over everyone to order everyone-
Homer, in his poem, incorporates scenes in which the characters contemplate how meaningful war and violence really is; a thought which, tragically, many individuals in today’s world contemplate every day. Despite having been written nearly two millenniums ago, the Iliad’s themes still ring true today and further illustrate how human nature has not changed. Throughout the poem, Homer portrays how military victory and honor, or kleos, was valued in Greek and Trojan society,