Essays On The Iliad

Essay On The Iliad
The Iliad is an Ancient Greek epic poem written in dactylic hexameter that is commonly attributed
to a Greek man named Homer. An epic poem by definition is "An epic poem is a long, narrative
poem that is usually about heroic deeds and events that are significant to the culture of the poet.
Many ancient writers used epic poetry to tell tales of intense adventures and heroic feats" ("Epic
Poetry: Definition, Heroes & Stories" E). This is the equivalent to the way one would describe the
Iliad. The poem is comprised of twenty four books that tell the story of the ninth year of the Trojan
war. The war was waged against Troy in 12th century B.C.E by the Achaeans, also known as the
Greeks.This was because Paris, son of Priam and prince of Troy,...show more content...
First to be expanded upon, are the Divine Interventions from book 1–4 of the Iliad. Previously stated,
Achilles is the son of a Goddess. This provides him with incredible pull in the world of the Gods.
The first example isn't directly attributed to Achilles but it definitely helped to provoke his rage in
some way or another. Towards the beginning of the novel Apollo invokes a plague upon the Achaean
army. This was to force Agamemnon to release his prize, the beautiful woman Chryseis. This is what
prompts Agamemnon to take Achilles prize, the equally beautiful woman Briseis. Without this event
of divine intervention the rage of Achilles would have never been seen to its fullest potential like it
was in the
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Essay on The Iliad
Acquisitiveness of the Trojan War In almost all instances of war the cause has been related to
greed, or the gaining of land and possessions. Greed is presented in the very first book of Homer's
"The Iliad." It isn't displayed by the cowards, but the "heroes" of the war such as Agamemnon,
Achilles, and Pandarus. The entire cause of the Trojan Waris the result of the greedy and cowardly
behavior of Paris. There are many factors that had sparked the war, including the interference of the
gods; however, the main factor to be blamed for the war is greed. On the way to Troy, the Achaeans
fought many smaller battles, raiding towns and taking whatever prizes they please. This act in itself
seems greedy enough, but in the first three pages...show more content...
Paris is offered Helen by Aphrodite, and so he takes Helen as his wife from Menelaus. Paris may
not have known that taking Helen would have resulted in the Trojan War; however, he still
accepted Helen as a bribe, making him an extremely greedy person. After seeing all the bloodshed
and lives at the hands of Paris, he should've realized that he needed to return Helen. Anyone with
the lowest sense of morality would realize that the right thing to do is to return Helen. Paris was
lucky enough to be saved by Aphrodite after he was nearly killed by Menelaus. In the last few lines
of Book 3 it is clear how the people feel about Paris and what Paris needs to do:
Not a single Trojan could point out Paris to the battle–hungry Menelaus. Not that they would hide
him out of friendship, even if someone saw him all of them hated him like death, black death. But
marshal Agamemnon called out to the armies, 'Hear me now, you Trojans, Dardans, Trojan allies!
Clearly victory goes to Menelaus dear to Ares. You must surrender Helen and all her treasure with
her. (Il.3.529–537)
Menelaus obviously won the fight, so he deserves Helen. Paris would've been dead if it weren't for
Aphrodite, yet he still doesn't give Helen back to Menelaus. Rather, the war continues and
thousands of people continue to die at the greediness of Paris. In the first three pages of the book we
are immediately introduced to the

Faith In The Iliad
Faith in the Iliad What is faith? Everyone seems to have a different spin on one little word.
According to Merriam–Webster, faith is the strong belief or trust in someone or something ("Faith."
Merriam–Webster.com. Merriam–Webster, n.d. Web. 5 July. 2015.). According to the bible; faith is
"with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one" (The Holy Bible, Today's
New International Version. Grand Rapids: Zondervan House, 2005. Print.)Faith is something you
believe in, for example: Someone has faith that they will have a good week. In the Iliad faith is in
each other and even in the gods or the gods in the gods. Everyone has a different twist on one word
that is so imperative to everything. Faith is in the Ilild several

Iliad Research Paper
Good afternoon fellow archaeologists. Over the course of five years, I have been researching,
investigating and excavating the archaeological site at Hissarlik, which is believed to be the
location of ancient Troy. Troy was the location of the most well–known literature in Ancient Greek
history, Homer's Iliad. The Iliad recounts the final fifty three days of the ten year conflict between
the Greeks and Trojans, otherwise known as the Trojan War. Recently, debates have fired up on
whether Homer's Iliad accurately depicts factual evidence on a combat that occurred, or if it was just
a fictional narrative composed for entertainment purposes. Archaeologists have taken this debate into
account when excavating at the site of Troy and have attempted

War In The Iliad Essay
An underlying theme within Homer's Iliad is the tragedy of war. Despite war at this time being
glorified and a way to gain fame, in the Iliad, in paragraph 520–525 on page 311, the sadness of the
aftermath of war is very apparent. An unknowing Andromache has a hot bath drawn for her
husband, which she is expecting to return. Instead, she is made aware of his death and is torn
apart. "Black night swept over her eyes. She reeled backward, gasping, and her veil and glittering
headbands flew off, and the diadem golden Aphrodite gave her on that day when tall–helmed Hector
led her from her father's house in marriage, and now her womenfolk were around her, Hector's
sisters and brother's wives, holding her as she raved madly for death, until she

The Iliad Essay
Divine Intervention is a "direct and obvious intervention by a god or goddess in the affairs of
humans". In various myths such as the Iliad, the Epic of Gilgamesh, and Herakles, divine
intervention was called upon in order to restrain a hero's destructive or too powerful forces. Although
the divine intervention was used to impair different heroes, the purpose to constrain was the same in
all the narratives.
Homer's The Iliad: Book XX features a battle between the Trojans and Achaians, shortly after
Patroklus' death (Lattimore Book XVI), where the gods must intervene in order to restrain
Achilleus' destructive nature that becomes amplified due to the grief and wrath as a result of the
loss of his cousin/lover. The divine foresaw an early...show more content...
It plays a main role in the beginning with the creation of Enkidu, the middle with Ishtar, and the end
with the destruction of Enkidu. The gods first intervene when Gilgamesh's subjects call for help to
them for the sake of the young women oppressed by the "lord's right". The Great Mother Goddess
creates Enkidu to stand up against Gilgmesh to stop his destructive nature that has terrorized his city
(Dalley 39–50). Gilgamesh domesticates Enkidu and they create a friendship which turns Gilgamesh
less destructive towards his citizens, thus limiting his destructive power and also focusing the
remaining towards monsters; but together they make some wrong choices and their destructive
natures are portrayed during the Cedar Forest incident and the killing of the bull of heaven (Dalley
83,102). For retribution of killing the bull that Ishtar had sent due to her rejection, Enkidu is
destroyed by the gods; warning Gilgamesh that he isn't exempt from this fate if he continues being
uncontrollable and tyrannical (Dalley 120–125).
Euripides' tragedy, Herakles, consistently portrays divine intervention as if it's a direct challenge
between a divine figure, Hera, and a hero, Herakles. Hera's hatred for Herakles stems from his
parentage, Alcmene and Zues (Hera's husband), making Herakles an offspring created by his
unfaithfulness towards her (Sleigh 12). Hera also dislikes the fact that he has godly

Essay on The Iliad
The Iliad
The work of Homer was very important to the Greek Civilization; it gave the Greek a structure of
personality to follow. It is assure that The Iliad's roots reach far back before Homer's time. Homer
focused several characteristics of how their ancestors behaved and such behavior was to be passed
on to the new generations. In The Iliad, Homer emphasized the role of the gods in the daily events,
and how every happening was based of the desires of the gods. Homer also focused on the warrior
characteristics, not just of the Argives, but also of the Trojans and how they were ought to be
brave, courageous and show fearlessness in the face of the enemy. Homer lived during the Greek
Iron Age, but The Iliad took place during the...show more content...
Insinuating that they would have never fought if a god had not gotten involved. As the question is
answered, "Apollo the son of Zeus and Leto. Incensed at the king he swept a fatal plague through the
army–men were dying and all because Agamemnon spurned Apollo's priest" (Book 1, line 10–12).
Here the argument is that because of one king, Agamemnon (king of Mycenae, Achaeans) fault
towards Apollo's priest caused two civilizations to war against each other. That is in the very
beginning of the poem, suggesting of more divine intervention expected through the text. Most of
the people in the story seem to believe that the gods predetermined most of their actions. "But the
will of Zeus will always overpower the will of men,"(Book 16, line 805). This is a small constant
reference that Homer made throughout the text pertaining to the ability the gods having control over
mortal lives, actions, and consequences.
The gods were believed to toy with human life, as it was for their pleasure– to see destruction or the
complete opposite. In Book 4, Zeus angrily says to Hera "Whenever I am bent on tearing down some
city filled with men you love–to please myself– never attempt to thwart my fury..."(Book 4, line
47–49). It is clear here that Zeus, supreme god and king of Olympus, states that for enjoyment he is
willing to destroy cities and killed people. There is nothing anyone could do in such situation,
because Zeus

Essay on The Iliad
The Iliad
Central to any study of the humanities is the human condition – our nature, which has historically
shown that it is equally capable of both good and evil deeds – and the problem that arises from it;
specifically, why do humans suffer? Many philosophies and religions have their own account for this
aspect of humanity, and we find that what the accounts have in common is each explains the human
condition in terms that are similar to how that institution of thought explains the true nature of reality.
Homer's The Iliad is an extravagant account of the Trojan War which describes many behavioral
similarities between the gods and people. The name of Book 14: "Hera Outflanks Zeus" epitomizes
the...show more content...
"...Apollo knocked the helmet off his head and under his horse's hooves it tumbled... / Disaster
seized him–his fine legs buckling–he stood there, senseless... / Hector... came rushing into him right
across the lines and rammed his spearshaft home, stabbing deep in the bowels..." (Homer, 438–439)
Patroclus' death is devastating to the Achaean armies' morale and, more central to the story, it further
disrupts Achilles' already unbalanced sophrosyne. The torment that Achilles endures here epitomizes
the human condition.
After reading Homer's text, we realize that while it contains fine poetic history it is in fact about
the human condition and how it affects people, Achilles primarily. The reality for people in the
world of The Iliad is that they live under many gods, and that they can not please all of them;
indeed, the gods are at odds with each other and to support one means to upset another. While the
ideal condition for the Greeks is to possess sophrosyne, in reality there are too many uncontrollable
external pressures to do so. Just as the gods who influence men are not harmonious, therefore, we
find this quality also in the explanation of the human condition for Greek cultures.
In the case of Christianity, we first consider how the human condition appears in The Book of Job,
an exemplary text in this instance which tells the story of Job, a pious, righteous man who is
relentlessly tormented by God. In several rounds of discussion

The Iliad Essay
The Iliad
The Iliad tells the story of the Trojan War, which lasted 10 years. The Grecians eventually won the
war, but the outcome could have very easily shifted due to a quarrel between King Agamemnon
and Achilles. Pride and anger is what the two men were fighting about. This story is a very good
example of how those two simple emotions can lead to tragedy.
Agamemnon was King of Argos. He was also the chief king among the Grecians. He was angry
because his brother, King Menelaus of Sparta, had his wife, Helen, stolen by Paris of Troy. He called
all the Kings of Greece and Isles of Greece to come together and make war upon the Trojans and
bring Helen back. Among the many was Achilles.
Achilles was the son of Thetis, a sea nymph. He...show more content...
King Agamemnon angrily stated that he did not want to give up his prize, for then he would be the
only Grecians without one. Yet, because he would rather his people live, he would return the girl if
she was replaced with another.
Achilles told him that all the prizes had been awarded. But if Agamemnon was to return the girl,
the gods would be in their favor and they would win the war. When they won they would replace
Chrysies three or four times. Agamemnon would not hear of this. His pride would not allow for
himself to have less then the next man. He said that he would send the girl back, but she would
have to be replaced or he would come after Achilles' or Ajax's or Ulysses'.
This angered Achilles, and thus began the quarrel that almost cost the Grecians the war. "You are
steeped in insolence and lust of gain," said Achilles. He also called him a "wine bibber" and "with
the face of a dog and heart of a hind." He spat out that he never receives such a large share or as
good a prize of that of Agamemnon, even though he is the one doing most of the fighting. "We
have followed you, Sir Insolence, for your pleasure not ours," he stated, "and now you threaten to
take my prize which I have been awarded!" Then he went on to say that he should return home for
he would not stay here to be dishonored by an insolent fool.
Agamemnon was furious that Achilles would speak to

Code Of Honor In The Iliad
Throughout The Iliad, the heroic characters make decisions based on a definite set of principles,
which are referred to as the "code of honor." The heroic code that Homer presents to the reader is
an underlying cause for many of the events that take place, but many of the characters have
different perceptions of how highly the code should be regarded. Hektor, the greatest of the Trojan
warriors, begins the poem as the model of a Homeric hero. His dedication and strict belief in the
code of honor is illustrated many times throughout the course of The Iliad. An example of this is
presented in book three of the poem, where Hektor reprimands Paris for refusing to fight. He says to
Paris, "Surely now the flowing–haired Achains laugh...show more content...
You yourself would fight with another whom you saw anywhere hanging back from the hateful
encounter," (6:327). Paris agrees that he has been dishonoring himself, and tells Hektor he will
return with him to fight. Hektor then goes to find Andromache, who is standing by the walls
outlining the battlefield with Astanax, their son.
When Andromache pleads with Hektor to stay home and cease fighting,
Hektor refuses, telling her that he would feel deep shame in front of the Trojans if he were to
withdraw himself from the war. Hektor then tells Andromache that the thought of her being dragged
off by the
Achains troubles him, but he is relieved by the knowledge that she will be looked at as "the wife of
Hektor, who was ever the bravest fighter of the Trojans, breakers of horses, in the days when they
fought about
Ilion," (6:460). This causes Andromache to shed tears. On the one hand, she understands Hektor's
beliefs and deep sense of morality, but on the other feels it is just as honorable to stay home and
care for one's family. This is a second place in which Hektor feels torn between two conflicting
responsibilities. A character's social status was mainly based upon his performance in the battlefield.
Achilleus is a tragic figure who believes strongly in social order, but questions the idea of fighting
for glory. When Aias and Odysseus are sent by Agamemnon to plead with Achilleus' to fight for the
Greeks, Achilleus denies them, saying "There

Iliad Reflection
The past few weeks of Texts and Critics has been devoted to studying books that focus on main
characters facing tough decisions. For example, The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by
Ursula LeGuin, focuses on the inhabitants of Omelas making the decision of whether they want to
continue on the path they are on, accepting the town they live in relies on torturing a child to
function, or to fight for the child or just leave. So, in other words, these residents are deciding to
stay comfortable and safe or to push their comfort zone and create change for themselves or others.
Based on these decisions presented to the class by these stories, the class was tasked with writing
their own story in which characters must make tough choices.
The idea of this project was kind of off–putting to me originally because I am not very competent at
creative writing. However, it had to be done. The process started with finding a topic to write
about. I found Homer's use of the gods in The Iliad very interesting and knew I wanted to use some
kind of deity within my story. Additionally, Ithought it would be very interesting to use my story as
a metaphor for a dilemma that is heavily present in today's society in order to possibly allow for an
easier writing process. The dilemma I chose to use was whether or not it was ethically proper for
medical intervention in preventing death. As one could probably tell from the ending of the story, I
believe that humans using medicine to intervene with the

Essays On The Iliad

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