Theme Of The Iliad - 1318 Words

Themes found in the Iliad The Iliad is one of the greatest and earliest works of Greek literature beautifully written by Homer. The poem was set at the last year of the Trojan War prior the fall of Troy, that was indeed ten years long. Moreover, the focus of this poem is a conflict that rose among Agamemnon, king of Mycenae and commander-in-chief of the allied Greeks, and Achilles, the greatest warrior, rather than the events and battles that occurred in the Trojan War between the Greeks and Trojans. Throughout the Iliad, the conflict rose due to numerous issues regarding pride, honor and power. This epic poem was written in a distinguished manner that made it easier for the readers to identify the important themes of the poem. For†¦show more content†¦Achilles went through a second stage of rage towards the end of the epic poem in Book eighteen when the death of his closest friend, Patroclus, happens. When Achilles says, â€Å"Then let me die now. I was no help to him when he was killed out there. He died far from home, and he needed me to protect him. But now, since I’m not going home...I stand alone in the whole Greek army when it comes to war; though some do speak better† (Norton 286) at this point in the poem, Achilles is now enraged at Hector for destroying his closest friendship. Also, at this second stage I believe Achilles is most likely mad at himself as well, because he feels guilty that he was not there for Patroclus when he needed to be, to protect him from Hector and all danger. In revenge, Achilles slayed and killed Hector and drags him around the walls of Troy, creating sorrow and terror in Priam. Throughout the Iliad one sees many strong ties of love and friendship among the characters. Parental love is one of them and it is an important force. The love of a mother like Thetis towards her son, Achilles, that in fact causes her to ask Zeus for the huge favor of glorifying Achilles because she knows that his life is coming to an end shortly. Thetis love forAchilles is so strong since Achilles’ birth, that she tried to make him immortal by dipping him in theShow MoreRelatedTheme Of Glory In The Iliad774 Words   |  4 Pages1 The idea of kleos otherwise known as glory in Greek, and honor is one of the most essential motifs of the Iliad. For many warriors depicted in the Iliad, honor was vital and personal. For many, Glory earned in battle was more important than one’s life. Glory or the lack of, was remembered long after one’s life. Possibly the greatest fundamental part of honor to the fighters of the Iliad was courage in battle as shown throughout multiple books. Throughout the course of this book we can see howRead More Honor as the Theme in Homer’s The Iliad Essay2033 Words   |  9 Pagesthe most universal and meaningful of themes. The theme of any literary work is what makes it great as it should be able to encompass the immense diversity of the world and as it would be able to transcend the boundaries of religion, age, race, gender, etc. Two examples of this great and classic literature are the epics of Homer which are quite well known around the world even if, ironically, t hey were never written and were first composed in Ancient Greek—The Iliad and Odyssey. Both epics are famousRead MoreThe Theme of Family in Books 6 and 24 in Homer’s Iliad.1017 Words   |  5 PagesTerm Paper 1 CORC 1110 Classical Cultures The theme of family in books 6 and 24 in Homer’s Iliad. Family is very important in Books 6 and 24, but it is also one of the main themes throughout the Iliad. Book 1 begins with the vengeance taken by a father who has lost his daughter. The leaders of the Greeks are brothers, and Achilles’s revenge against Hektor is caused by the loss of the brotherly love of Patroklos. And even amongst the gods, the allegiances to the Greeks or the Trojans isRead MoreTying Homers Iliad to Virgils Aeneid Through the Theme of Warfare1487 Words   |  6 PagesHomers Iliad to Virgils Aeneid. However, the way warfare is treated in the two epics is different. This can be attributed to many factors including the time between the composition of the pieces, the fact that pieces were written by different authors, and the fact that the pieces were written in different places. We can use these pieces to get a view of what the society that produced them thought about war and how the view of war changed as time went on in the ancient world. The Iliad is a poemRead More Iliad Essay1253 Words   |  6 PagesThe Iliad and The Odyssey are two epic poems with both similar and different styles to the structure of the poems, as well as each poem having the same gods incorporated into the stories intervening with the day to day lives of the mortals. Greek poetry before Homer was all composed orally; therefore it is assumed that Homer’s works are the first written works of art (Joachim Latacz, page 15). Scholars who have spent extensive time researching the origin of Homer’s work cannot verify a specificRead MoreIliad - Self image1193 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿The Iliad Essay Prompt 1. Complete one take home essay. Provide textual evidence, specific lines and incidents from The Iliad that proves your thesis. You may also draw from The Odyssey. Use in text parenthetical documentation according to MLA standards. The style guide that many colleges use is DianaHacker.com. We will use this style guide for both MLA format and grammar and mechanics. If you have any questions about MLA format, refer to DianaHacker.com. This paper needs to read asRead MoreAt the time of Homer, it was normal for gods to meddle in human affairs, and he shows this in The1300 Words   |  6 Pagesthe time of Homer, it was normal for gods to meddle in human affairs, and he shows this in The Iliad. A vast majority of the Greek gods play some role in how the Trojan wars turns out, which is what the poem is all about. Homer uses the gods to deviate from how normal wars are played out. The head god, Zeus, will be the focus as I go through what he did and how it affected the War as well as The Iliad. Zeus tried to stay out of the Trojan War for egotistic motives and was viewed as a father figureRead MoreHeroism Depicted Throughout The Epic Poem, The Iliad And The Knights Tale866 Words   |  4 Pagesis depicted within a literary work is in Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad. Although the ideals of heroism are apparent in the poem, it is important to understand how the same theme can be seen through other works of literatur e. The Knights Tale, which is one of the greatest stories that Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales has to offer. The Iliad and The Knights Tale are both stories that contain the ideals of heroism. In the epic poem, The Iliad, Homer was brilliant in showing the idea of traditional heroismRead MoreComparing Book 9 And Book 24 Of Homer s Iliad951 Words   |  4 Pagesbook 9 and book 24 of Homer’s Iliad, which touch upon similar issues, themes and characters, but often with a different intention and result. In particular, both books begin with a time of sorrow and feature examples of supplication and reconciliation, but in book 24 the mood gradually changes, while book 9 ends very much on the same note as it begun. Naturally, as the very first line of the Iliad states â€Å" Sing, goddess, the anger of the Peleus’ son Achilleus† (Iliad 1.1), the issue of Achilleus’sRead MoreThe Era Of Homer By Homer911 Words   |  4 PagesHomeric epic. He was the first author to write epics and his writing style held strongly as the first major literature of its type in western civilization. Homer is considered a groundbreaking author of his time period because of his reoccurring themes and characteristics, his creation of the epic poem, and his significance to literature. The Homeric epic was a groundbreaking literary style for its time. Because Homer lived so long ago, we are not sure if it truly was the first of its kind, but