In book 24 of the Iliad, the epic is brought to an end. Not an end of brutality, but and ending of compassion. It begins with Zeus sending Iris to talk to Thetis and to Priam. Thetis was to tell Achilles to accept Priam's request, returning the body of Hector so the Trojans could give Hector a proper burial. He receives the message to go and talk to Achilles, and he does so. Zeus sends Hermes with Priam for protection. Iris tells Priam of the plan when she says, "We will send/ As your guide and escort Hermes himself'/ Who will lead you all the way to Achilles' hut" (24.194-197). Zeus has promised Priam things will work because the gods disagree so strongly with what Achilles' had done to Hector's corpse. On the journey Hermes is disguised as a Myrmidon, and he promises that Priam will arrive safely. Hermes reveals his true identity just as Priam is about to enter Achilles' dwelling, but leaves Priam to meet with Achilles alone. Achilles was not expecting to see the king himself, and stared in disbelief. The aged king takes the suppliant position, down on a knee, before Achilles, asking him to remember his own father. Homer explains it, "He stood/ Close to Achilles, and touching his knees/ He kissed the dread and murderous hands/ That had killed so many of his sons" (24.507-510). This humbling act moved Achilles. Looking on Priam, Achilles is able to make the great leap of sympathy. He sees his own father in the elderly king, and he suddenly understands the anguish that he has caused for the old man and others like him. He realized that there was a mourning father for every man that he has killed. The revelation drives him into weeping, Achilles' first real show of emotion, for what he has done and what he has lost. Both men wept, and "The sound filled the room" (24.551). Finally, Achilles has moved from rage to compassion. No longer is he cut off from humanity. No longer will he sit back and watch many Greek soldiers and friends die or brutally destroy a corpse.
Modern culture is dominated by writing as we live in a world that is saturated with words, emblems, and logos. It is safe to say that western culture as a whole has developed into a largely literate tradition. When examining ancient Greek works, however, it is important to recognize that they are ...
Modern culture is dominated by writing as we live in a world that is saturated with words, emblems, and logos. It is safe to say that western culture as a whole has developed into a largely literate tradition. When examining ancient Greek works, however, it is important to recognize that they are ...
The hero Aeneas was already known to Greco-Roman legend and myth, having been a character in the Iliad, composed in the 8th century BC. ... The author of "The Iliad" is Homer. ... Setting time is Bronze Age (around the twelfth or thirteenth century B.C.); The Iliad begins nine years after the start of the Trojan War. ... Foreshadowing is prominent in The Iliad, as the poet constantly refers to events that have yet to occur and to fated outcomes. ... The Aeneid and Iliad stand at adjacent corners of the world's literature. ...
The character in The Iliad who most exemplifies the Bronze Age hero is Achilleus. ... Many characters in The Iliad work hard to gain these characteristics, but not all gain this by fighting in war. ... "Your son is given back to you, aged sir, as you asked it". (24:599) This is the high point that Achilleus will reach. ... This was his last action in The Iliad and the most honorable moment that he will have ever had. Reading Homer's Iliad, it is learned that gaining honor and glory and trying to avoid shame by careless actions may be a way to receive the opposite. ...
Homer's Iliad is laden with messages and ideals that people of ancient Greece once valued and to some extent we still value today. ... The main themes of the Iliad are heroes" code of conduct, honor and rage, hospitality/community, greed and power, the definition of a hero, and social systems between Greeks and Trojans. ... The Iliad begins with Achilles" selfish and childish acts of rage. ... Books 23 and 24 of the Iliad show how Achilles becomes human again by participating in the social system of the Greeks. ...
The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Iliad are both ancient works of literature centered around one major character that simultaneously plays the role of hero and anti-hero. ... Similarly, in the Iliad we witness different range of emotions that exists between man and god, including but not limited to love, hate, power of choice and respect. ... The topic of fate in the Iliad takes a similar theme that portrays man's fate and destiny as being in his hands. ... The first of which involved Hera's offer to Paris in which she asks him to pick between Aphrodite and Athena (Iliad Book 24). ... Co...
Homer's The Iliad, Aristophanes Lysistrata, and Aeschylus The Seven Against Thebes, all dealt with issues concerning manhood in the Greek and Roman days, war also came but it was only because of the attitudes of these men. ... The Iliad speaks about a few characters that were so overwhelmed with rage that nothing else mattered to them. ... (Pg 24) The men were so caught up in the war and fighting each other that they started treating the women like sex objects. ... In The Iliad, Achilles slayed Hector because Hector killed his best friend Patroclus. ...
From there, he wrote 120 plays in 62 years. 24 of his plays won first place in the Dionysia, and the rest placed second. ... In any case, he wrote the two most famous pieces of Greek literature, the Iliad and the Odyssey, making him one of the most prestigious writers ever. ...
