The Iliad has survived for thousands of years not simply because it is an entertaining story, but because it transcends cultures and expresses universal themes of human existence. Themes are the guiding ideas of a work of art: the central message or fundamental essence about the human condition, which is symbolically portrayed in a given text. Select one theme from the Iliad and write an argumentative and interpretive essay, which examines specifically how that particular theme is relevant to contemporary society without succumbing to moralistic diatribes or gross anachronisms.
Fame and Immortality
For thousands of years The Iliad written by Homer has impacted every culture and every generation it has been known to. The Iliad is an intense, detailed story of the Trojan War containing many basic, relatable themes that can be clearly interpreted by any group of people. Still today, the themes in The Iliad hold true. Homer’s audiences are constantly reminded of the inevitable mortality of the warriors described in the story. Despite this knowledge, the warriors continue to strive towards, and give everything up for, the idea of immortality; fully knowing that it would solely be just their reputation and kleos that lived on through the generations. Readers in our generation can see this today when people strive to become famous. Often times people are willing to trade in and forget everything in their old life for a life in the spot light.
Warfare is the only way the audience sees it possible to gain honor, glorification and kleos in The Iliad. If a male chooses against fighting and war he is often times humiliated, shunned, considered worthless or sometimes killed. If someone with great talent walks away from a dream because they do not want the fame and they baggage that it carries they will be looked at as stupid and foolish. In The Iliad, Paris showed this in a duel for a woman named Helen. Paris initiated the fight with Helen’s husband, Menelaus and then nervously “[backed away] into his friendly ranks, cringed from death/ as one who trips on a snake in a hilltop hollow/ recoils, suddenly, trembling grips his knees/ and pallor takes his cheeks and back he shrinks. / So he dissolved again in the proud Trojan lines/ . . . at one glance/ Hector raked his brother with insults, stinging taunts:/ "Paris, appalling Paris! Our prince of beauty mad/ for women, you lure them all to ruin! / Would to god you'd never been born, died unwed. / That's all I'd ask. Better that way by far” (Book III, Homer). After hearing that, Paris decided to take on Menelaus. Again he was humiliated when the goddess Aphrodite had to spare him from
Homer’s epic poem, the Iliad, it was believed that the gods had an active involvement in the human world. Most, if not all the gods took part in the outcome of the Trojan War, which is the undermining story within Homer’s Iliad. Zeus took the form of the leader of the Greek gods, which was very unrealistic due to his lack of involvement in the Trojan War. Throughout the war Zeus stayed very moderate by not showing favoritism towards either side. Zeus stays moderate throughout the war so he can observe…
Lauren Feltner Professor Emmerson CLAS-C205 13 February 2015 HW 2: Retelling the Trojan War The story of the Trojan War is one that has been admired for more than 3,000 years, which is originated to Homer’s The Iliad. The story is one that has been retold and recreated several times, due to its appeal. The story has many themes that can be used to define human nature today such as understanding, conflict, love, and despair to name a few. The way the story is told, by hundreds of cultures, can be…
contribute to the investigation of the past? All three strands of enquiry; history, archaeology and science are components that are essential in gaining a broader knowledge of the past. In the investigation of Troy, historical evidence such as Homers Iliad and the Hittite Texts, along with archaeological evidence of Calvert, Schliemann, Blagen and Korfmann’s excavations, combined with the use of developing science technology such as chemical analysis, high tech sonar devices and molecular archaeology…
the Hero of the Trojan War The story of Achilles and the Trojan for has been told since the first cities in ancient Greece. This epic tale of war, bravery, and death was originally a wives-tale told around Greece, but around the eighth century B.C. a poet named Homer put the story to paper. The Iliad tells the tale of Greece and it’s greatest warrior, Achilles, sacking the city of Troy, and waging war on King Priam. Achilles fights to mark his name in history in this epic war that continues over…
FunminiyiOluyinka 10/20/2014 Humanities 201 Dr. Adam Mekler Gods, Goddesses and Man-kind In his text the Iliad, Homer writes about the extensive war between Greek and Troy. This war was called the Trojan War. Through Greek's mython the background of the war, Greek readers believe it derived from the extraction of Helen-Menelaus's wife- by Paris-prince of Troy- during the marriage of Thetis and Peleus. In the marriage of Thetis and Peleus, three goddesses- Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite- debated…
the mortals’. In the case of Robert Fagles’1990 translation of Homer’s The Iliad, this statement could not be any more accurate. An ancient Greek epic poem, passed through generations by word of mouth, The Iliad is one of the most famous Greek works of literature in history, depicting the story of the battle of Troy and social customs and traditions respected amongst people of the time. A main theme observed in The Iliad is the mortality of man and his creations. The epic’s clear juxtaposition of…
I94 Activity 2.1 1.The story of the Trojan war was very significant to the Greeks. They thought it to be true, because it made them look victorious and saw it as a moment in time when all Greeks joined and banned together with a common goal, even though they were still unified in many ways . The Greeks enjoyed the performances of the strolling minstrels who sang the story immensely, particularly because the Greeks were portrayed as winning. 2.In the Iliad, the gods are portrayed as pretty deceptive…
Horrors of War: The Iliad and the Iraq War There are have been many different wars within human history. All have included bloodshed, opposing sides and many years of fighting. War has become a common theme in many pieces of literature because of its global meaning. The Iliad is an epic written by Homer over 3,000 years ago about the final year of the Trojan war. The Iliad has an anti-war theme throughout the epic by displaying some the horrors of war. This can be related to the Iraq War veterans…
! ! ! ! ! ! ! The Iliad vs. The Bible: The Champions vs. the Slaves Prompt #16 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Ben Meade 10-6-2014 Classical Political Theory Deep within the complex structure of the human heart, beneath the material and the superficial, resides a longing for truth—a desire for purpose and explanation of life’s elusive mysteries. Unlike any other species on Earth, humankind does not settle for mindlessly fulfilling its most basic needs to survive. In the same way…
Achilles wanted, himself, who would lead to troops to defeat the Trojans and win the glory. He lent the armor to Patroclus because thinking first, Patroclus was his friend, when the Trojans see his armor they would be scared and afraid to fight forward and this would decrease the death probability of Patroclus. Second, Achilles had his little own selfishness that when Patroclus wear his armor, it will protect him from getting hurt, but at the same time, people on the battle would bear in mind of…
