...In the second part of the Iliad, the poem becomes very interesting and exciting. Rage continues to be a key factor. We will see that Achilles becomes very uncontrollable and unstoppable. The themes of Grief and Revenge also make a huge impact in this part of the Iliad. In Book Eighteen, Achilles has a lot of rage towards Hector for killing Patroclus. Achilles has a lot of honor. He is determined to get revenge on Hector. His goal is to kill Hector and to show him that he made a bad choice for killing his best friend. Achilles is very upset with Hector and is emotions are becoming overwhelming. Achilles is determined to seek revenge on Hector, because of the death of Patroclus. This causes Achilles’ rage to become very uncontrollable. In this part of the book, we can notice that Achilles’ rage is very uncontrollable. It seems like no one can stop his rage. His mother Thetis notices that he is showing a lot of grief. She doesn’t understand why he is very upset. She tried explaining to him that Zeus has prayed...
Words: 699 - Pages: 3
...Emmett Oh Lyke 4:00 ESSAY 1 FATE IN THE ILIAD Fate is unavoidable, regardless of the effort one puts into changing or avoiding it. Fate in Homer’s ILIAD is depicted as a one way freeway with no exit ramps. No matter what the characters do, once they set foot on their path there is no going back. Dr. Harvey has brought forward the idea in lecture that any speech, simile, or any other small part in the epic can be a microcosm to a greater theme in the text. One of the greater themes that continued to appear throughout the text was fate’s inevitability superseded all other forces in the ILIAD. Fate is the most powerful force in the ILIAD because it shapes the events and decisions that occur throughout the epic. Fate shapes events and decisions by overpowering the will of gods and great warriors, as well as overwhelming characters to the point where they concede to their own fate. Fate`s power is also preserved by the very characters it acts upon. Throughout the Epic, the gods seem to be unable to change fate. For example, the gods are unable to save Hector and Achilles, despite loving them both, as fate has to run it`s course. The Homeric simile described below is a microcosm to these examples. In Book 11 of Homer’s epic, the Acheans are able to drive Trojan forces into a retreat caused by a strong charge put on by Agamemnon. During the Trojan retreat, Agamemnon knocks Isus and Antiphus off their fleeting chariot, killing them, and stripping them of their armor...
Words: 1457 - Pages: 6
...Homer’s, The Iliad, the Greek gods of ancient times play a crucial role in the lives of the people they serve. These immortals decide who lives and who dies; who to help and who to ignore; who will win the war and who will lose it. Unfortunately for the Greeks, the gods are portrayed as selfish beings that make their decisions based on their emotions. Their idea of love is warped to fit their needs and wants. Having one’s fate entrusted to such a being would cause those individuals to be fearful of displeasing or angering the gods. When making decisions, the Greeks must always consider if their decisions will please the gods, or even more importantly, if their decisions will anger the gods. Due to their impulsive behavioral patterns, selfish...
Words: 1853 - Pages: 8
...Agamemnon’s Prizefighter Although Homer’s epic poem, the Iliad, is set during the Greek siege on the city of Troy, the story’s main conflict transpires within the Greek beachhead camp between their supreme commander, Agamemnon, and their greatest warrior, Achilles. The first book details the falling-out between Agamemnon and Achilles after Agamemnon takes away Achilles’s war prize, Briseis, causing Achilles to remove himself from battle in spite of Agamemnon. This scene shows the origins of Achilles’s rage, which Achilles harnesses to either punish the Greeks or defeat the Trojans. James Redfield examines the underlying causes behind the conflict between Achilles and Agamemnon. Redfield draws on certain inherent characteristics within the two characters that create an inevitable feud between the two dominant figures. Since Homer aptly begins the story during the tenth year of the war, tensions within the Greek camp are at their highest. Achilles’s stature and prominence allows him to challenge Agamemnon’s power as king. And Agamemnon’s own rule and influence as commander are at stake when Achilles tests his authority. Achilles, himself, is at stake for Agamemnon, but Agamemnon’s self-importance ensures that he loses his best warrior for most of the narrative. Throughout the first book, the reader sees similar instances of Agamemnon trying to maintain control over different aspects of his authority while urging others to remain in the fight. However, his efforts to assert his...
Words: 998 - Pages: 4
...famous of heroes were born. The battle, depicted by Homer in his epic poem the Iliad, gave birth to one of the mightiest of all heroes in history-Achilles. Achilles, renowned for his skills in combat and his blood lust for war, was a hero among the Greeks for his actions. Many considered him a demi-god, for his physique and skills in combat were similar to the of the war god Ares. He was a warlord, an expert in the profession of murder, who’s skills were considered unmatched by any mortal on earth. Achilles himself is the definition of interesting. Although heroes like Hector were mentioned, Homer depicted Achilles as the most ideal hero in the Iliad. Homer puts more emphasis on Achilles than any other character in the text. In fact, it was his name that was mentioned in the very beginning of the text. Homer starts his epic poem with, “Rage: Sing Goddess, Achilles’ rage, Black and murderous, that cost the Greeks incalculable pain, pitched countless souls of heroes into Hades’ dark, and left their bodies to rot as feasts for dogs and birds, as Zeus’ will was done. Begin with the clash between Agamemnon-the Greek warlord-and the godlike Achilles.” (CR, 39) Right away Homer depicted him as a godlike man of war. Also, the text jumps right in to the actions of Achilles, thus centering the text through his actions. In fact, the very first word of the text, rage, is referring to the rage emitted by Achilles. The beginning text doesn’t depict the antagonist, Hector at all. However, that...
Words: 1326 - Pages: 6
...Rodriguez 1 Priscilla Rodriguez English 4 Mrs. Pla 7 December 2011 Achilles People posses both negative and positive personality characteristics in themselves as an personality. Achilles in the Iliad in an example to this statement. In the Iliad Achilles is a great warrior, also fights in the Trojan War. The big leader Agamemnon that hates Achilles takes all the credit when he wins the battles. There's a Prince names Hector that Achilles later wants revenge on for killing his best friend Patroclus. The anger rages, the people fight, day of the Trojan War arrives thats when the tragedy and the life of Achilles is taken. Achilles demonstrates negative and positive behavior. Achilles is loyal, brave, and obeys the gods, but he is also revengful, quick to feel anger, and has no remorse for who he has killed. Achilles has a cold heart at times but also is a great warrior. He fights anyone that gets in his way. Fearless for the decisions he makes, also fearless against the gods. As Achilles saids, "As my life came frome you though. it's brief, honor at least, from Zeus who stormed in heaven I call me due" (Book I ). This means Achilles is a valorous warrior among the greeks. Also earned hands of Briseis for himself. He rages his anger and goes by himself to kill Hector. He goes on his own will instead o ftaking the whole troop with him. Achilles is capable of feeling sympathy. His caring side of knowing that is his father will sooner feel the same way...
Words: 1232 - Pages: 5
...In the book the Iliad I believe the archetypal hero is Achilles i believe he is the hero for three reasons; he has a unusual birth ,his call to adventure, and finial victory. The first reason is because of his unusual birth in the book it does not say a lot about his birth only that his mother,Thesis,was a god and his father, Peleus. The unusual circumstances surrounding his birth are not mentioned a whole lot but what is mentioned is that when he was a child his mother dipped him in the river of styx and held him by his Achilles heel thus it weakness. The second reason is because of his call to adventure. When Achilles was called to fight in the was Agamemnon called upon him to fight, not because he liked Achilles, which he did not, but because he was an amazing fighter. THroughout the Epic Agamemnon is always complaining about Achilles and Achilles is always threatening to kill or hut Agamemnon.Rage is the very first word of the whole poem, setting the theme that will control the actions of the entire poem, the rage of Achilles. We are in the ninth year of the war of the war—another word being fought in Troy, a city in what is now Turkey. Achilles is a young man his enemy commanding general is Agamemnon, but Achilles is the greatest warrior the Greeks have. The third reason is because of the finial victory. In the book in the end. This battle takes place because of the anger inside of Achilles after his cousin is killed. THis anger helps him defeat hector but...
Words: 302 - Pages: 2
...Readers of The Iliad may believe that the immortal gods of Mount Olympus respond to grief the same way as humans do. It is true that the gods in The Iliad express grief over the death of their children similarly to humans. The gods argue, forgive, and reason much like the mortals in the story. Their behavior is analogous to human behavior and subsequently facilitates the reader’s understanding. However, Zeus and Achilles do not respond to grief in the exact same way. Although they portray corresponding expressions, Zeus and Achilles have dissimilar reactions to grief. If readers misunderstand the capabilities of gods and humans then they will be unable to recognize the difference between gods and humans reacting to grief over the death of...
Words: 1163 - Pages: 5
...Book 1 That night, Agamemnon puts Chryseis on a ship back to her father and sends heralds to have Briseis escorted from Achilles’ tent. Achilles prays to his mother, the sea-nymph Thetis, to ask Zeus, king of the gods, to punish the Achaeans. He relates to her the tale of his quarrel with Agamemnon, and she promises to take the matter up with Zeus—who owes her a favor—as soon as he returns from a thirteen-day period of feasting with the Aethiopians. Thetis makes her appeal to Zeus, as promised. Zeus is reluctant to help the Trojans, for his wife, Hera, favors the Greeks, but he finally agrees. Hera becomes livid when she discovers that Zeus is helping the Trojans, but her son Hephaestus persuades her not to plunge the gods into conflict over the mortals. Analysis But while the poem focuses most centrally on the rage of a mortal, it also concerns itself greatly with the motivations and actions of the gods. Even before Homer describes the quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon, he explains that Apollo was responsible for the conflict. In general, the gods in the poem participate in mortal affairs in two ways. First, they act as external forces upon the course of events, as when Apollo sends the plague upon the Achaean army. Second, they represent internal forces acting on individuals, as when Athena, the goddess of wisdom, prevents Achilles from abandoning all reason and persuades him to cut Agamemnon with words and insults rather than his sword. But while the gods serve a serious...
Words: 2851 - Pages: 12
...Iliad Essay Topic #1 Fate and actions of the gods all too much affect the characters of the Iliad. Surprisingly enough too there is an actual level of control the stories heroes have concerning their fates. These fates allude to being random happenings in the story. Instead it all begins with a choice that sets fate on its way to certainty. Even though the gods intervene in every way it seems throughout the story, they are only there to guide fate along its path making sure nothing happens too soon or too late. Homer’s Iliad illustrates the gods to having ultimate control in the end over any mortals existence, but not until the final requirements of that particular fate have been fulfilled. To begin with is perhaps the biggest character of the Iliad, being Achilles. This characters fate is to basically win the Trojan War for the Achaeans and make immortal glory for his name dying honorably in battle. Before any of this came about Achilles though, he was built up to acquire this everlasting glory. By fate determining him to be this great warrior, Achilles mother Thetis, takes action to avoid her sons predetermined death. Thetis dips her son Achilles in the river of Styx holding him by the heels. (Achilleid 1.1340). This decision affects Achilles by setting the stage for him to become the greatest of Greek warriors by making him invulnerable. Even though Thetis is just trying to protect her son from the inevitable doom, instead she subconsciously prepares him herself. Despite...
Words: 1116 - Pages: 5
...ILLIAD WHY I CHOSE THIS TOPIC? Throughout history, women have held many different roles in society.Men have traditionally been viewed as superior since the beginning of time.Homer's Iliad is an excellent example of the suppressive role of women at this time.Women were treated merely as property and were used for producing material within the household. Paralyzed by their unfortunate circumstances, they were taken and given as if they were material belongings. In Homer's Iliad, we conceive how women are introduced as suppliants to the masculine heroines.They are depicted as being inferior to men both physically and intellectually.Throughout the Iliad, women play a modest but important role that embodies their relative significance and the impact they have on the affairs that take place. INTRODUCTION Different types of women are represented in the epic poem The Iliad: strong-willed andshrewd women, damsel-in-distress types, wicked and vengeful women, or even women who cause the downfall of the protagonist male hero. Moreover, there are also women depicted as possessions (war prizes) or women who have little or no control over her destiny. The epic poem, generally regarded as “a male-dominated world” focuses centrally on the rage between men but it also happen that most of the time this rage is affected, initiated, and inspired by a woman. HELEN OF TROY The most celebrated woman figure in the poem is probably Helen of Troy. Helen attracted men from afar and also close...
Words: 939 - Pages: 4
...Warrior In one of Homer’s epic poems, The Iliad, the main character and hero Achilles, suffers greatly. For example, when Patroclus, Achilles best friend dies(appositive phrase), Achilles falls to the ground and while laying there he “loos[es] a terrible, wrenching cry” in agony (18.39). This shows that Achilles cares for Patroclus more than any character in the poem. When almost anyone else dies Achilles does not even give them a second glance. This also shows that even though Achilles is nearly physically invincible, he can still suffer greatly on an emotional level, which he obviously does. In addition to this, Achilles displays the quintessence of another heroic trait, overcoming one’s weaknesses, which is Achilles’s fiery rage. For example, in the beginning of the book, Achilles is always insulting others calling them “staggering drunk[s]” or saying that they have a “dog’s eyes” but, at the end of the novel he overcomes that and reasons with Priam in a calm and orderly manner saying that he should “sleep outside” because if “one saw [him] here” then “[he would] have a real delay in ransoming the body” (1.263), (24.764). This shows that Achilles matured on an emotional state and progressed as a character over time. This also shows that not only has he overcome his rage, he is able to be kind to the enemy. With fascinating tales about fighting and death as well as having such a dynamic main character, who would not want to read about Achilles (infinitive phrase), Ancient Greek’s...
Words: 272 - Pages: 2
..." Rage--Goddess, sing the range of Peleus' son Achilles, murderous, doomed, that cost the Achaeans countless losses, hurling down to the house of death so many sturdy souls, great fighters' souls, but made their bodies carrion, feast for the dogs and birds, and the will of Zeus was moving toward its end..." (Iliad, 77) Fate plays an extensive role in the character's lives of Homer's epic, The Iliad. Homer not only shares the destiny of his characters with his audience, but He shares it with the characters themselves through the prophecies made by the Greek gods. There are many possible reasons why Homer reveals the final moments in the first pages of his book. Homer's original audience would have already been familiarized with the story and so to have the characters balanced with the audience, Homer reveals the characters fates' to them. This act of balancing the knowledge of fate is what gives the characters their tragedy and their appeal as they push forward heroically to their pre-destined doom. Knowing what the future holds will certainly affect one's present actions. It is only logical that the knowledge of one's fate will bring upon that individual a different perspective on life. Achilles made a pact with the gods that he would have a short and fulfilling life rather than a long and meaningless one. To Achilles, achievement and greatness was more important than the time he spent in this world. He went to troy knowing that it was going to be his death...
Words: 616 - Pages: 3
...Week 3 Iliad paper The Iliad’s use of similarities between characters and animals is found throughout the books. My focus will be on book twenty two “The Death of Hector.” No more words-he dashed toward the city, heart racing for some great exploit, rushing on like a champion stallion drawing a chariot full tilt, sweeping across the plain in easy, tearing strides-so Achilles hurtled on, driving legs and knees. (Page 542 line 26) Here we see Achilles on his way to Troy in order to take on his arch nemesis Hector. His strides that he is taking are very similar to the gliding of a thorough bread horse. His power is shown in the way in which he races without tiring. Hector is seen awaiting Achilles with his fate already determined. The next passage from the book in my eyes is a very powerful message in that it positions Achilles and Hector into categories. There are no binding oaths between men and lions-wolves and lambs can enjoy no meeting of the minds. (Page 550 line 309) Here with this statement, Achilles is affirming that Hector is a mere mortal while Achilles should be considered a god because of his abilities. In the same passage he is considering his abilities to that of the wolf and Hector being the prey that is the lamb. He is showing that these two particular species will never co-exist without fighting to the death. And on that resolve he drew the whetted sword that hung at his side, tempered, massive, and gathering all his force he swooped like...
Words: 436 - Pages: 2
...controlled by the actions of mere mortals? Do the gods determine the successes and failures? Is the outcome solely a matter of fate? Some may believe that mortals have free will, but after a quick skim of the Iliad, this belief is clearly shown to be false. Humans are not given control over their destinies; however, if this is true, then what are these destinies controlled by? Fate seems to be the only answer, yet, can fate alone stop a god from changing outcomes for their personal gain? In the Iliad, gods and humans are shown to have a varying degree of control on the outcome of human life and death. The true controller of the outcome of success vs. failure, and life vs. death, will be analyzed with...
Words: 959 - Pages: 4
