Literary Analysis of the Iliad by Homer - Research Paper Example

? Literary Analysis of the Iliad The Iliad is a ic epic of poems written by Homer. Homer’s history is unclear since he isconsidered as a mysterious writer in history. The story takes place in Troy where there was a long battle of the Trojans which was between the Greeks and the Trojans. Homer’s work is said to be among the first written works of art in Greek. This poem contains various characters that are looked upon as heroes because of their braveness, mental and physical strength and martial skills they applied throughout the war. Some of the characters are Ajax, Achilles, Hector, Patroclus, and Agamemnon only to mention but a few. The characters are seen fighting courageously and remarkably in the war so as to be heroes. The protagonist in the story is Achilles. The Iliad is a story of love and hate and focuses mainly on Achilles’ struggles and anger for revenge. The war led to the loss of many lives and bloody battles. During the first lines of the poem, Achilles argues with Agamemnon over a female slave who was rewarded to Achilles as a price for his recognition in war. Achilles decided to fight him out of rage but was stopped by the gods. He later retreated from the war but the Trojans and the Greeks continued with the battle. Achilles absence from the battle caused the Achaeans great losses as they were pushed back by the Trojans. Achilles decided to trick the Trojans by sending his best friend Patroclus dressed in his armor to replace him and fight on his behalf. At first it worked but later, Patroclus was knocked by Apollo and was later butchered to death by Hector who was the Trojans’ leader and son of King Priam. Patroclus was Achilles best friend and he decides to go back to the battle so as to avenge his death. This can be seen in his words “Now I shall go, to overtake that killer of a dear life” (Tandy 98). Achilles reconciled with Agamemnon and rejoined the battle field after his friend was killed for revenge. Because of his rage and hatred for Hector for killing his best friend, he killed every Trojan that came his way (Ellen 167). He pursues Hector and kills him in their fight. Achilles is seen abusing Hectors body but later returns it to Priam his father for burial. Hector receives a hero’s burial. In the end, Achilles dies from being shot by an arrow in his heel by Paris. After his death, the Greeks entered Trojan through a hollow wooden house and destroyed the citadel at troy. During Homer’s time, trade of battle was the main way of life for the Greeks. All the children were brought up to in becoming great heroes of their country. The heroic code was used to honor the heroes who fought remarkably in the war. The protagonist of the Iliad is Achilles also described as “swift footed”. He is the main character and was the greatest warrior of all. Achilles possessed superhuman strength and had a very strong relationship with the gods and took that advantage. Achilles had his pride and whenever one played with it, he was filled with anger and fought with anger and with all his strength. He thirsted for honor and wanted his name to be remembered in the heroic code for the future days to come. His qualities are revealed through his actions as one progress throughout story. Achilles anger is seen all over the book. At the opening line “Sing of the anger of Peleus’ son Achilles”. Achilles anger caused his friends their lives most importantly his beloved friend Patroclus. His rage is invoked by pride and honor and the same pride is what causes a conflict between him and Agamemnon where he strides to kill him. He was stopped by the gods but still threatened to kill him one day. His desire was glory and honor and he never cared of when death will strike. This is seen through his statement, “I will accept my own death, at whatever time Zeus wishes to bring it about, and the other immortals” (Donna 132) During the war, Achilles was motivated by his thirst for honor and getting revenge for his friend. With all these, he fights bravely so as to be remembered in the Greek history. He could not control his pride and rage and he acted out of wrath. Achilles was the greatest and the bravest hero of the Greek. This is expressed by Homer with these words “And shivers shook hold of Hector when he saw him, he could no longer stand his ground but left the gates behind and fled frightened ” (Homer 64). Definitely, Achilles was a great fighter who was feared by many including Hector. In the poems, Homer puts a lot of focus on the characters of the warriors both of the Argives and the Trojans. The poems explain how they are supposed to fight courageously and are not supposed to show fear in the eyes of the enemy. According to Laura, a hero is someone who is brave, has martial skills and is friendly (211). The Iliad portrays Hector as a perfect hero. He was one of the Trojans warriors who displayed his amazing martial skills in the war. Hector loved his family furthermore, he was a great warrior. Hector was very much dedicated to his children and wife and this made him not only a hero in the war but also a hero to his family. This can be seen when he removed his helmet to let his son come see him, he was fighting in the war but yet still, had time for his family. Homer shows friendship in the Iliad though Achilles and Patroclus’ friendship. Achilles and Patroclus were great friends and when Patroclus was killed, Achilles decided to fight with all his strength in order to revenge his friend’s death. In fact, he became the great warrior he was because he had to get revenge for his friend. Moreover, friendship is also seen through Agamemnon and Menelceous and between Hector and Paris through their demonstrations of loyalty towards each other. Hector and Paris fought bravely throughout the war for the love of each other. The Iliad portrays destiny and fate as supreme. It presents the question of what and who is responsible for men’s death but does not provide a clear answer for the question. The Iliad’s view point of human life and how it ends is very interesting. Whether or not a man’s life or destiny is controlled by their own actions or by any other outside forces, it is left for the reader to find the answers. In The Iliad, the characters destinies are bound by the laws of fate. The paradox in the poem is the expression of the meaningless deaths and destructions in the context of unfolding the “will of Zeus”, who are the gods. Therefore, as much as the gods control’s men’s fate in the poems, at times their own actions can also affect their destiny. The Zeus will is infallible as all the deaths and events in The Iliad takes place as destined and so no one could stop them even with their actions (Scott 74). According to Donna (16), in the Iliad, war is depicted as bloody, horrible and fruitless. When one reads the poems, there are no clear winners of the war but only death of the fighters due to anger, hatred, pride and arrogance of men. An example is when Achilles causes the death of his friend by not fighting and advising him to join the fighters. In conclusion, the Iliad is an epic of death. It is a tale of agony, love, hatred, conflicts and deaths of the warriors who fought in the Greeks and Trojan War. The Trojan War led to a great loss of lives and much agony and sorrow. In the Iliad, Homer shows the reader that war can bring out the best the worst in people. The warriors’ loyalty, bravery, martial skills, rage, love, friendship are exposed. It clearly indicates that, glory and honor can only be earned through warfare and not only that but emerging outstanding and becoming a hero at the end of the war. It covers the life of Achilles and his wrath which made him fight with all his strength to revenge for his fiends death. Moreover, he was supported by the gods and that made him the hero he became. Achilles is the protagonist and most of the story revolves around him. It tells us on his actions during the war and how he was able to emerge as a hero by killing Hector and getting revenge for his best friend. The lliad presents the Greek culture and their respect for ancestry. It traces everything to do with the Greek culture and beliefs and how they are polytheists and their respect for the gods. Achilles struggles with the gods but in the end they favor him and he becomes Greeks greatest hero. Through his thirst for glory and honor and revenge or his friend Patroclus, Achilles was able to kill Hector and attain his goals. Works Cited Donna, Wilson F. Ransom, Revenge, and Heroic Identity in the Iliad. Cambridge, UK: Health Press, 2002. GMC library. Web. 30 April. 2013. Scott, Richardson D. The Homeric Narrator. Nashville, Tenn.: Health Press, 1990. GMC library. Web. 30 April. 2013. Laura, Slatkin M. The Power of Thetis: Allusion and Interpretation in the Iliad. Berkeley: Health Press, 1995. GMC Library. Web. 30 April. 2013. Tandy, David W. Warriors into Traders: The power of the Market in Early Greece In: Classics and Contemporary Thought. Berkeley, California: Health Press, 1997. GMC library. Web. 30 April. 2013. Ellen, Snodgrass M. Greek Classics: Notes. Lincoln, Neb: Health Press, 1988. GMC library. Web. 30 April. 2013. Homer. The Iliad, Richmond Lattimore, translator. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1951. Print. Read More