Analysis Of The Poem Achilles - 1977 Words

Gods and animals exist on a different plane from mere mortals, as supported by Shay, â€Å"Whether the berserker is beneath humanity as an animal, above it as a god, or both, he his cut off from all human community,† (Shay, 6). While death can be a very physical thing, it can also be symbolic of the loss of humanity. In the last chapters of the poem, Achilles’ rage becomes all-consuming and takes him over. Rage dictates all of his actions, and whether it is his god-like or animal-like characteristics being attributed to his rage, Homer and the soldiers no longer speak about him as a mortal. Achilles may go on breathing after the death of Patroclus, but he is not truly alive again until he can quell his rage, because his rage comes at the price of his humanity. Who Achilles is before Patroclus is killed very different from who he is after Patroclus’ death. This is key in understanding Achilles’ loss of humanity. â€Å"The modern concept of tragic drama takes for granted the existence of a single character, whose action and suffering are the focal point of the play,† (Knox, 1). While it is arguable who the true hero of The Iliad is, it is unlikely for someone to doubt that Achilles is a hero regardless, and one that drives the plot of the poem. Achilles’ suffering begins the play and ends it. His feud with Agamemnon may seem petty or drawn out, but it is important to set a precedent for Achilles’ nature. â€Å"I have no mind to linger here disgraced, / brimming your cup and piling up yourShow MoreRelatedAchilles: God or Beast?1170 Words   |  5 PagesTuesday October 2nd, 2012 Achilles is the main character, and, without doubt, the most complex character in Homer’s famous poem, The Iliad. Son of the goddess nymph Thetis and the king of the Myrmidons, Peleus, Achilles is a semi-god, known throughout and beyond Greece for his strength and fighting abilities. Stories on the epic hero Achilles are numerous, like the legend of Prometheus’, the fore thinker, prophecy regarding the birth of Thetis’ son, or the legend of Achilles bathing in the Styx RiverRead MoreThe Battle Between Egoism and Altruism in the Iliad903 Words   |  4 Pagesthought I was acting altruistically, analysis proved that I was not doing a good deed expecting nothing in return. The same can be seen in The Iliad, particularly in the characters Achilles and Hector. The struggle between altruism and egoism in both characters is notable throughout the epic poem and shows that neither character is inherently good or inherently selfish. The epic poem opens in Book One with a quarrel between Agamemnon and Achilles. Achilles is forced to give up his prize, BriseisRead MoreAchilles : Achilles And Duryodhana Essay1294 Words   |  6 PagesWorld Literature 26 October 2016 Achilles and Duryodhana Analysis A quick comparison between the characters Achilles in the Iliad and Duryodhana in the Mahabharata suggests that they are extremely similar. Both characters are hard-headed, full of pride, and their eventual demises both occur because of a certain weakness in their invulnerability related to their mothers’ oversight. At closer glance, one notices that while they share many traits, the role Achilles plays is much different from Duryodhana’sRead MoreCritical Analysis Of The Iliad1714 Words   |  7 PagesHomer’s Iliad is an epic tale that spans centuries. The story covers intense battles in which the Greeks take on the Trojans. Homer does a fantastic job of bringing the poem to life and uses the gods to show the scale of the tale. While the poem is well written and grabs the reader’s attention, upon further analysis one can conclude that there is a serious problem concerning the tension between personal desire and rational ethical thinking. Throughout the bo ok this conflict appears time and timeRead MoreEssay about Analysis of Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s Epic Poem Ulysses1191 Words   |  5 PagesLord Tennyson’s epic poem Ulysses is composed as a dramatic monologue, consisting of four stanzas each of which frankly discuss the speakers current situation and yearning for adventure. The use of iambic pentameter provides a sense of fluidity to the speaker’s voice. The speaker reveals himself to be the protagonist of the poem with the opening line â€Å"It little profits that an idle king† (1). The use of the word â€Å"idle† offers the first clue as to one of the main themes of the poem. Tennyson much likeRead MoreHomeric Poem Style Draft Analysis1510 Words   |  7 PagesHomeric poem style Draft Analysis Trying to write a regular poem is hard, even when the poem is the traditional and cheesy ones that professors make students do at preschool, but writing a poem like Homer did on his masterpiece Iliad is even harder. The three main things that is analyzed by Homers book is that to do his extended simile on his poem he first establishes what event is occurring and he will be talking about on his next lines, when the regular poem doesn’t need to establish that onRead MoreAnalysis Of Homer s Iliad 1382 Words   |  6 PagesRyan Doerhoff History of Greece Dr. Kirkland September 5, 2014 Document Analysis The primary documents that will be focused on in this analysis come from Homer’s Iliad. Homer is venerated today as the greatest of Greek epic poets, as his works had a colossal impact on the history of literature. Through his epics, Homer brings us first hand into the culture of the Greek world in the eighth century B.C. It is important to note that at this time very few had the privilege of an education, and lackedRead MoreThe Epic Of Heroism, By Dante Alighieri And Antigone By Sophocles1238 Words   |  5 Pagesmasculine beings? When did such a broad term become so clichà © and vague? Through analyzing a range of Greek epic poems and plays, I have realized that not all heroes are god-like or mighty: heroes can have fears, complicated adversities that only a true hero would ever overcome. With heroism, one should be morally in-tact, filled with courage and the will to do what is right. While each epic poem features its’ own heroic figure, they each possess diffe rent traits and attributes that truly form the qualityRead MoreTrojan War and Troy819 Words   |  4 PagesHIS 111- Antiquity to 1500 Film Analysis- Troy Troy is an adaption of the poem written by Homer, also known as the Iliad. The screenplay was written by David Benioff and stars Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom, Brian Cox, Diane Kruger, and Rose Byrne. It is a brilliant story of love and war produced in 2004. My reason for choosing this film is because of the controversy over what is myth and what is fact regarding the fall of Troy. I find the movie so majestic yet the timeframe of the IliadRead MoreThe Epic Of The Iliad1562 Words   |  7 PagesHomer is the author of the Iliad and is known as the greatest Greek epic poet. He has had an enormous influence on the history of literature. The poem, Iliad, has been translated into different languages, one of which will be used in this paper, translated by Robert Fagles. The poem itself is about one simple word: rage. This anger that infuriates everyone is transformed into a war that will not stop until one side, either Greeks or Trojans, wins. With the majority of the Gods takin g sides, the reader