The Iliad

The Iliad

Trojan war: Trojans vs Greeks. Troy loses. Story of a war where the end is known. Helen was married to helenious. Wife of melanoses. Invited Paris into his house one day and Paris stole his wife and stole riches. Asked his brother Agamemnon to gather an army and start a war.

Most copied book in the west

Page 17: loathe to go, shortness indicates that her feelings do not matter but why does she not want to go back? Because she doesn’t’ like Achilles? Or

Book 3:

Line 80 ish? If you take away humanity from men, then it is easier to kill them. If you do not view them as an individual person then defeating them becomes easier. It is a way to keep your own sanity. On the Greek side there is no family, so there is no reminder of a moral center. So dehumanizing them is a necessity.

Helen- stolen away from her husband and launched a war that lasted 10 years. Thousands of people died because of it. It would make you feel bad as if it were all her fault. Hector looks into this. So melaneious steps up to defeated hector and paris backs down. Paris knows he should have died, he shouldn’t have caused the battle, and he knows that everything that Hector is saying is true “ line 70 about not being unjust” “133” a view of war that is not glorious or full of fame. It is despised by everyone that fights. Which makes you think about why they do it. Both side don’t want to fight they rather not be there but they both fight. They fight for a man on the Trojan side that they do not respect. Why fight in a war that you would rather be over or a war that brings no glory? There is no pleasure in this war. So why do they feel compelled to keep on fighting? It would be a good opportunity to go home. They may be doing it out of habit. Because they are accustomed to it because that is what they do. It’s the Gods that want them to be fighting not the men. The gods have other motives. Gods spark tension because they pull strings when it comes down to the war.

512- its funny how long people stay in a relationship that they are not happy in

pg 150 “oh Zeus..” parents want their children to be better than them. They want their child to succeed. Hector is praying and wants it just as any parent wants that for their child. Even though he knows it will not happen

Iliad was so read (second most common work, next to bible) throughout history people have read the work and projected it in a variety of ways. As examples and apply to their lives.

Hera power of perception and manipulation that’s what separates humans from her.  

516- comfort found in having someone he knows to fight next to

524-last line-“how I wish I had never been born” 523- 508- can I bear my life after the death of suffering your death?” grief is a common topic. How do we understand these kinds of grief? A grief for a mother losing her son? A wife losing her husband?  the women in this work after dealing with hectors death feel as if their lives are connected with him and that their lives have died along with him.

Theme of pity- see prium come back for his son’s body. He journeys from troy. Go to troy from messenger iris. Leave troy go to Greek camp and you will reviece the body of your soon. Afraid, but why, because he is the king of troy going into the enemy camp. Wife doesn’t want to go and demands a sign from the gods. On 572 he is given one. “I want to see a sign lets pray to the gods to send me a sign” the sign was an eagle coming from the right. 577- he walks into the room after hes been led there by Hermes on line 571 we see king prium took in his arms Achilles knees and kissed the hands of wrath that killed his son. He puts himself and troy in danger and goes to his son and kisses his hands.  Line 605- Achilles be reverent take pity. Gesture was carefully orchestrated. What is the most shocking thing I can do? Kiss the hands of the one that killed my son. Wants to be extreme in order to receive the body of his son back.

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