A blog for Willamette University's class CLAS 171 "Love and War, Gods and Heroes: Greek and Roman Epic Poetry." Used for discussions of the epics of Homer, Hesiod, Vergil, and Lucan.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
First Impressions of the Iliad
Now that you've read the first two books, what are your impressions so far? For instance, were there things that struck you, surprised you, awed you, puzzled you, bothered you, or actually annoyed you?
(response due 1/19/12 before class):
My initial reaction to the Iliad, not having read any classical epics before, was surprise at its modern tone. While a good portion of this impression could stem from the translator’s discretion, they would still have to be faithful to the original text. The descriptions of action and emotion were as vivid as in any modern novel and the dialogue didn’t seem as structured or unnatural as I would have expected.
Since my familiarity with the story is limited to the movie Troy, I was surprised by how active the Gods were in the events of the tale. I had expected that there would be more references to them and that they would play a larger role, but their presence, familiarity, and humanity were still striking. When I think of a god I think of a being beyond the troubles and conflicts of humans, but the gods of The Iliad are not only involved but seem nearly as fallible and flawed as any of the mortal characters.
Before I began reading this epic or taking this class, I had no previous knowledge of the Iliad at all. So my initial reaction to the Iliad was how complex and detailed each part was, and how one individual part of the book had just a huge impact on how the story unfolds. The descriptions of violence and emotion were surprising because of how old this epic is. I was not expecting such complex and concise descriptions of what seemed like simple parts of the books. What I didn't enjoy so much about the Iliad was the last 5 or 6 pages of book number 2. For some reason, I was having an tough time following what was occurring when the armies were gathering. It seemed like there was an underlying tension within this part of the book but I couldn't quite figure it out. Finally, what I thought was interesting about these first two books was how involved the gods are in the story. I wouldn't have expected the gods to come to earth from Olympus and take action in the war.
After reading the first two section of The Iliad, my first reaction was amazement at the amount of the text that was actually description, and not plot or dialogue. I had no previous knowledge of The Iliad save the movie Troy and the week of middle school I was introduced to a few passages in my English class. I really enjoyed the sections of the story were the gods were the main characters and I could see the relationships and attitudes that were shared among them. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I felt overwhelmed with the amount of names and relationships presented to me beween both humans and gods. Although I did not enjoy the feeling of having to learn all the names and relationships myself, I felt a sense of awe thinking about how men were able to memorize and say from memory a few thousand lines of this text when they were asked to at a social gathering.
I also had little to no knowledge about the Iliad before reading or this class. I was also expecting that it would be difficult to read smoothly, like Shakespeare. However, I was pleased to find how easily it flowed. I really started to get caught up in the story. It didn't really start the way it did considering that it shows Achilles begging the gods for the Trojans to basically destroy the army he fights for. I never expected that to happen knowing what a great hero Achilles was renowned for being. I too was surprised with how much the god interacted with the people and how nothing seems to be done without one of the gods having his/her hand in it.
Before this assignment I had very little, if any knowledge about the Iliad as well. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed the first two chapters since the story line was new to me and extremely intriguing. I loved how prominent the gods were in the story line and their ability to actually interact with individual characters, giving them advice that would heavily sway their opinion. Just like other bloggers, I didn't expect the gods to have such significant roles in the plot, but the quarrel between Zeus and Hera was entertaining and the tension created between Agamemnon and Achilles was beautifully portrayed.
Although I am not one to complain too much about complicated reading, I could not help feeling a little bit of terror at the prospect of reading so many ancient epics. Especially when I, like so many others, had never read one before. When I first began reading the Iliad I was slightly out of touch with Homer, however, that's how it goes with every new book. I just wasn't processing the information he was presenting. Then, out of desperation I began reading out loud. Soon enough I found myself connecting with Homer and his characters. I felt like a bard. Fortunately, no one was in the room to hear my little performance. Whereas Katie found the description to be heavy, I, on the other hand, was astonished by both the amount and richness of the dialogue. It is remarkable how much I learned about the characters, the war, and the Gods just through various arguments and discussions. My favorite part of the first two books was the argument between Achilles and Agamemnon. Because I read it out loud I really felt connected with the characters and their feelings. Alright, enough praise. One thing that really did annoy me was Homer's redundant listing of the armies present. Because of my limited knowledge that entire section was meaningless. I only recognized a few names and cannot remember the rest.
I'm glad to see that six of you have already signed up and posted. I've also enjoyed reading what your impressions are so far. You've mentioned a couple of the things that we'll look at in more detail tomorrow.
As seems to be the case, I had very little knowledge of the Iliad prior to this reading. What I did know was gleaned from the movie Troy, which most likely isn't the most accurate representation. I found that the most interesting scene took place on Mt. Olympus. Here Zeus and Hera bickered about Zeus' plans for the Trojan War. As she accused him of playing favorites and being untrustworthy, I noticed how differently the Greeks viewed their deities than modern American culture does today. Nowadays, it seems necessary to see a god as a perfect, infallible being which is above human emotion. For the Greeks, however, the gods embraced human emotion. It was very intriguing to see the gods display human emotions such as anger, mistrust, and jealousy. This gave an interesting insight into Greek culture.
The scene where the multitudes of armies joining the battle of Troy are listed, however, seems lost to the modern reader. If this scene had been read to an ancient Greek audience, it likely would have been the cause of great nationalism due to the reference of so many Greek cities and towns. The modern reader is simply lost among a sea of cities which no longer exist and names which no longer have a great meaning. Unfortunately, this section of the Iliad was unpleasant to read.
I've grown up with and loved the epics of the Iliad and the Odyssey from elementary school but have only ever read a graphic novel and relatively juvenile translation of both stories. Despite it's translation, and an inevitable loss of original tone because of it, I assume the tone and bias is very similar to the original translation. Though we haven't heard a passage from the Trojans yet, the tone seems to be by and large negative towards the greeks particularly towards Agamemnon, which he seems to absolutely deserve. I agree with JD Murray that the section describing the might of the greeks army was dense and seemed unnecessary but added to the epic sprawl of the story. I would add another example of unnecessary dialogue when Agamemnon repeats his dream word for word for around half a page. What I was most impressed with was the gods' relationships with one another and the complexity of each. I have enough knowledge of other greek myths to notice a couple times when Homer references another myth not necessarily relevant to the Iliad such as when Hephaestus was thrown off Mt Olympus for being deformed or not what a god should look like. I was very happy with the style of writing and found myself enjoying the assigned reading.
My first impression of The Iliad was that it was written in a much modern translation than the version of The Odyssey that I read in high school. However, before starting this class my knowledge of The Iliad was very limited. Mostly, I know about the Odyssey and although The Odyssey is the sequel to the Iliad, it touches very little on it. I found it interesting that, as in The Odyssey, the gods and goddesses have a huge role in the story. It is funny how the gods choose sides over things like Agamemnon refusing to sacrifice to Apollo. Although, I suppose if I was Apollo I would be pretty angry too. As a side note, Agamemnon just came off as really unpleasant. Homer portrays him as a thoroughly unpleasant person, and personally I can totally see why Achilles is mad at him all the time. I would be too.
Thanks for your post! You must have enjoyed then (as did I) the colorful insults Achilles flings at Agamemnon. When I read this the first time, I simply loved them and was amazed that Achilles dared to speak to his supreme commander like that.
BTW, please make sure to sign in before you reply. Your screen name shows as Unknown, and that makes it harder for me to see who is able to post without problems and who may still need some help with the technology. Clicking on your profile, though, I was able to see that you are cdebok.
In high school I took both a mythology class and AP Literature where we read the Odyssey. In mythology, we learned primarily about Greek mythology, which I have always found incredibly interesting. Moreover, with that I have already been able to recognize several references made in the Iliad to myths I have already learned about which is exciting. All in all, I am already fairly familiar with the way Homer writes. I think the syntax and imagery used is incredibly beautiful. I feel like I can see everything that is happening as I read it. I was surprised by how much the gods are involved with the Trojan war. I was also surprised, but found it refreshing, that the gods are depicted much like humans in that they too possess faults. I also find it interesting how many of the problems and feelings that the characters have been facing are similar to what we today face, even thousands of years after this was written.
Now knowing how it was originally told and how much time it took to tell, this time reading it I could definately see why each 'book' seemed to end so abruptly, kind of like an old school TV series. I always have been surprised by the amount of description regarding each Greek King and the convorsations between them as well.
This is the second time that I have read the Iliad, one in high school before. I enjoyed reading the first and second book though I found it hard to read at points. I am interested to keep reading and refresh my memory of the different books of the Iliad. Personally, I like how it shows that problems of past are still happening today (love, possession, ect). It makes it a very good story to read multiple times.
My first impressions were mostly all positive. I haven't read it in years so i didn't remember much, but thing really begun to come back to me. I did find the text a bit challenging, which slowed down. But that is just something I'll have to get used to. Overall I'm really enjoying the Iliad this far.
So like many others, The Iliad is my first experience with classical epics. I was excited for this class because I have almost no background on the subject of Homer and his epic poems and very little on Greek mythology, so in that regard my mind is an empty slate ready to be filled. My expectations for The Iliad were that it would be a tough read, (some parts more than others) and that the references and allusions would be difficult to follow. I also thought it might be boring. I was wrong. I found this book extremely engaging.Something about Homer's epic verse and the way the words flowed together made it interesting to read. I found myself rereading certain passages, (like the argument between Achilles and Agamemnon), and even reciting them aloud because it just sounded so raw. Something that also went against my initial expectations was the behaviors of the Greek characters. I assumed that Achilles, being the amazing warrior that he was, would put honor and duty to the army and greater good before selfish indulges. I know Agamemnon was being completely unreasonable, but still. I guess I figured their values would be different than what they appear to be.
This being my first true experience with Epic Poetry, other than the very brief unit we conducted on the Odyssey in high school over 4 years ago, I was deeply impressed at how much detail the first two book brought to the story. The description of of the Greek Kings and the depiction of their actions toward on another amazed me.
Well this will be the second time reading the Iliad for me. I read it in high school however it will be interesting to see what details i pick up from the text the second time trough.
However my first impression of the Iliad is that I like the relationship between the gods and the mortals and how the gods play significant roles in the mortals lives.
Though this is my second time reading the Illiad, my first impression this time around is poignantly different from my first impression five years ago. I am fascinated by the way in which the mortals communicate with the gods and also the wayin which the gods communicate with one another. We know the gods are immortal, but they clearly express emotions and experience drama that is reminiscent of the way mortals live and interact with one another. The speed with which Apollo hears the prayers of his priests is incredible. The two worlds of mortals and immortals are deeply intertwined and co-dependent. I am excited to see how this relationship develops.
I was pleasantly surprised about how accessible the text is- this is a much better translation than the one I read in highschool. I enjoyed seeing the invocation of the Muses and picking out the Homeric epithets. The plot moved quickly, except for the part where Homer lists all the warriors, ships and their leaders. I can see how that would have been interesting to his contemporary audience though. All in all, I'm liking it.
While I have never read the entire Iliad before, I have heard of some sections of the story from other works of literature. What surprised me most about the first two books was how the majority of the conflicts were infighting between the Greeks and the Gods, rather interactions between the Trojans and Greeks. An element that annoyed me (slightly) was the ~10 pages only describing the Trojan and Greek armies - their leaders and where they came from. This may have been more exciting to ancient peoples, as they would have been more familiar with the places and leaders, but to me it seemed a bit excessive. One interesting quote I found in the reading was "So he decreed. And Zeus the son of Cronus bowed his craggy dark brows and the deathless locks came pouring down from the thunderhead of the great immortal king and giant shock waves spread through all of Olympus." This makes me wonder what devastation would be caused if Zeus threw a tantrum.
My favorite episode is from the end of Chapter 4 when Zeus sends Athena to reignite the mortal war. She finds Pandarus and convinces him to shoot Menelaus with an arrow. Another goddess intervenes, protecting Menelaus from a fatal injury. Panderus' act of aggression angers the Achaeans, who are already upset at Paris and the Trojans who they feel deliberately broke their earlier truce agreement. I find this scene interesting because it actually reignites the war, having a significant impact on the future of the mortals. This is a particularly interesting episode when seen alongside Paris' fleeing of battle with Menelaus. In both of these incidents the Achaeans feel disrespected by the Trojans when in fact both acts were caused by the Gods. This is an example of how much influence the Gods have over the everyday life of the humans. It seems as if the humans are merely puppets for the Gods to manipulate. However, despite the mortal's entertainment value, the Gods and Goddesses appear to develop intense personal connections with them and intervene in battle on their behalf.
I, like many of my classmates, was surprised at how easily this translation of the Iliad reads. It really is accessible for someone who has never read Greek or Roman epic poetry before this class. My favorite part of the story thus far is the human characteristics embodied by the gods. These immortals are just as fickle, capricious and flawed as we humans are. The scene where Zeus and Hera have an their argument in Book 1 is a prime example of this. They bicker, nag and threaten each other like a married couple from some sitcom from the 60s/70s. This is very interesting when thinking about the historical context of this epic, that is, where it is situated in history. So much of western civilization’s works of literature are founded in texts like the Iliad and the Odyssey.
My initial reaction to the Iliad, not having read any classical epics before, was surprise at its modern tone. While a good portion of this impression could stem from the translator’s discretion, they would still have to be faithful to the original text. The descriptions of action and emotion were as vivid as in any modern novel and the dialogue didn’t seem as structured or unnatural as I would have expected.
ReplyDeleteSince my familiarity with the story is limited to the movie Troy, I was surprised by how active the Gods were in the events of the tale. I had expected that there would be more references to them and that they would play a larger role, but their presence, familiarity, and humanity were still striking. When I think of a god I think of a being beyond the troubles and conflicts of humans, but the gods of The Iliad are not only involved but seem nearly as fallible and flawed as any of the mortal characters.
Before I began reading this epic or taking this class, I had no previous knowledge of the Iliad at all. So my initial reaction to the Iliad was how complex and detailed each part was, and how one individual part of the book had just a huge impact on how the story unfolds. The descriptions of violence and emotion were surprising because of how old this epic is. I was not expecting such complex and concise descriptions of what seemed like simple parts of the books. What I didn't enjoy so much about the Iliad was the last 5 or 6 pages of book number 2. For some reason, I was having an tough time following what was occurring when the armies were gathering. It seemed like there was an underlying tension within this part of the book but I couldn't quite figure it out. Finally, what I thought was interesting about these first two books was how involved the gods are in the story. I wouldn't have expected the gods to come to earth from Olympus and take action in the war.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the first two section of The Iliad, my first reaction was amazement at the amount of the text that was actually description, and not plot or dialogue. I had no previous knowledge of The Iliad save the movie Troy and the week of middle school I was introduced to a few passages in my English class. I really enjoyed the sections of the story were the gods were the main characters and I could see the relationships and attitudes that were shared among them. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I felt overwhelmed with the amount of names and relationships presented to me beween both humans and gods. Although I did not enjoy the feeling of having to learn all the names and relationships myself, I felt a sense of awe thinking about how men were able to memorize and say from memory a few thousand lines of this text when they were asked to at a social gathering.
ReplyDeleteI also had little to no knowledge about the Iliad before reading or this class. I was also expecting that it would be difficult to read smoothly, like Shakespeare. However, I was pleased to find how easily it flowed. I really started to get caught up in the story. It didn't really start the way it did considering that it shows Achilles begging the gods for the Trojans to basically destroy the army he fights for. I never expected that to happen knowing what a great hero Achilles was renowned for being. I too was surprised with how much the god interacted with the people and how nothing seems to be done without one of the gods having his/her hand in it.
ReplyDeleteBefore this assignment I had very little, if any knowledge about the Iliad as well. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed the first two chapters since the story line was new to me and extremely intriguing. I loved how prominent the gods were in the story line and their ability to actually interact with individual characters, giving them advice that would heavily sway their opinion. Just like other bloggers, I didn't expect the gods to have such significant roles in the plot, but the quarrel between Zeus and Hera was entertaining and the tension created between Agamemnon and Achilles was beautifully portrayed.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I am not one to complain too much about complicated reading, I could not help feeling a little bit of terror at the prospect of reading so many ancient epics. Especially when I, like so many others, had never read one before. When I first began reading the Iliad I was slightly out of touch with Homer, however, that's how it goes with every new book. I just wasn't processing the information he was presenting. Then, out of desperation I began reading out loud. Soon enough I found myself connecting with Homer and his characters. I felt like a bard. Fortunately, no one was in the room to hear my little performance. Whereas Katie found the description to be heavy, I, on the other hand, was astonished by both the amount and richness of the dialogue. It is remarkable how much I learned about the characters, the war, and the Gods just through various arguments and discussions. My favorite part of the first two books was the argument between Achilles and Agamemnon. Because I read it out loud I really felt connected with the characters and their feelings. Alright, enough praise. One thing that really did annoy me was Homer's redundant listing of the armies present. Because of my limited knowledge that entire section was meaningless. I only recognized a few names and cannot remember the rest.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to see that six of you have already signed up and posted. I've also enjoyed reading what your impressions are so far. You've mentioned a couple of the things that we'll look at in more detail tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteAs seems to be the case, I had very little knowledge of the Iliad prior to this reading. What I did know was gleaned from the movie Troy, which most likely isn't the most accurate representation. I found that the most interesting scene took place on Mt. Olympus. Here Zeus and Hera bickered about Zeus' plans for the Trojan War. As she accused him of playing favorites and being untrustworthy, I noticed how differently the Greeks viewed their deities than modern American culture does today. Nowadays, it seems necessary to see a god as a perfect, infallible being which is above human emotion. For the Greeks, however, the gods embraced human emotion. It was very intriguing to see the gods display human emotions such as anger, mistrust, and jealousy. This gave an interesting insight into Greek culture.
ReplyDeleteThe scene where the multitudes of armies joining the battle of Troy are listed, however, seems lost to the modern reader. If this scene had been read to an ancient Greek audience, it likely would have been the cause of great nationalism due to the reference of so many Greek cities and towns. The modern reader is simply lost among a sea of cities which no longer exist and names which no longer have a great meaning. Unfortunately, this section of the Iliad was unpleasant to read.
I've grown up with and loved the epics of the Iliad and the Odyssey from elementary school but have only ever read a graphic novel and relatively juvenile translation of both stories. Despite it's translation, and an inevitable loss of original tone because of it, I assume the tone and bias is very similar to the original translation. Though we haven't heard a passage from the Trojans yet, the tone seems to be by and large negative towards the greeks particularly towards Agamemnon, which he seems to absolutely deserve. I agree with JD Murray that the section describing the might of the greeks army was dense and seemed unnecessary but added to the epic sprawl of the story. I would add another example of unnecessary dialogue when Agamemnon repeats his dream word for word for around half a page. What I was most impressed with was the gods' relationships with one another and the complexity of each. I have enough knowledge of other greek myths to notice a couple times when Homer references another myth not necessarily relevant to the Iliad such as when Hephaestus was thrown off Mt Olympus for being deformed or not what a god should look like. I was very happy with the style of writing and found myself enjoying the assigned reading.
ReplyDeleteMy first impression of The Iliad was that it was written in a much modern translation than the version of The Odyssey that I read in high school. However, before starting this class my knowledge of The Iliad was very limited. Mostly, I know about the Odyssey and although The Odyssey is the sequel to the Iliad, it touches very little on it. I found it interesting that, as in The Odyssey, the gods and goddesses have a huge role in the story. It is funny how the gods choose sides over things like Agamemnon refusing to sacrifice to Apollo. Although, I suppose if I was Apollo I would be pretty angry too. As a side note, Agamemnon just came off as really unpleasant. Homer portrays him as a thoroughly unpleasant person, and personally I can totally see why Achilles is mad at him all the time. I would be too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your post! You must have enjoyed then (as did I) the colorful insults Achilles flings at Agamemnon. When I read this the first time, I simply loved them and was amazed that Achilles dared to speak to his supreme commander like that.
DeleteBTW, please make sure to sign in before you reply. Your screen name shows as Unknown, and that makes it harder for me to see who is able to post without problems and who may still need some help with the technology. Clicking on your profile, though, I was able to see that you are cdebok.
In high school I took both a mythology class and AP Literature where we read the Odyssey. In mythology, we learned primarily about Greek mythology, which I have always found incredibly interesting. Moreover, with that I have already been able to recognize several references made in the Iliad to myths I have already learned about which is exciting.
ReplyDeleteAll in all, I am already fairly familiar with the way Homer writes. I think the syntax and imagery used is incredibly beautiful. I feel like I can see everything that is happening as I read it. I was surprised by how much the gods are involved with the Trojan war. I was also surprised, but found it refreshing, that the gods are depicted much like humans in that they too possess faults. I also find it interesting how many of the problems and feelings that the characters have been facing are similar to what we today face, even thousands of years after this was written.
Now knowing how it was originally told and how much time it took to tell, this time reading it I could definately see why each 'book' seemed to end so abruptly, kind of like an old school TV series. I always have been surprised by the amount of description regarding each Greek King and the convorsations between them as well.
ReplyDeleteThis is the second time that I have read the Iliad, one in high school before. I enjoyed reading the first and second book though I found it hard to read at points. I am interested to keep reading and refresh my memory of the different books of the Iliad.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I like how it shows that problems of past are still happening today (love, possession, ect). It makes it a very good story to read multiple times.
My first impressions were mostly all positive. I haven't read it in years so i didn't remember much, but thing really begun to come back to me. I did find the text a bit challenging, which slowed down. But that is just something I'll have to get used to. Overall I'm really enjoying the Iliad this far.
ReplyDeleteSo like many others, The Iliad is my first experience with classical epics. I was excited for this class because I have almost no background on the subject of Homer and his epic poems and very little on Greek mythology, so in that regard my mind is an empty slate ready to be filled. My expectations for The Iliad were that it would be a tough read, (some parts more than others) and that the references and allusions would be difficult to follow. I also thought it might be boring. I was wrong. I found this book extremely engaging.Something about Homer's epic verse and the way the words flowed together made it interesting to read. I found myself rereading certain passages, (like the argument between Achilles and Agamemnon), and even reciting them aloud because it just sounded so raw.
ReplyDeleteSomething that also went against my initial expectations was the behaviors of the Greek characters. I assumed that Achilles, being the amazing warrior that he was, would put honor and duty to the army and greater good before selfish indulges. I know Agamemnon was being completely unreasonable, but still. I guess I figured their values would be different than what they appear to be.
This being my first true experience with Epic Poetry, other than the very brief unit we conducted on the Odyssey in high school over 4 years ago, I was deeply impressed at how much detail the first two book brought to the story. The description of of the Greek Kings and the depiction of their actions toward on another amazed me.
ReplyDeleteWell this will be the second time reading the Iliad for me. I read it in high school however it will be interesting to see what details i pick up from the text the second time trough.
ReplyDeleteHowever my first impression of the Iliad is that I like the relationship between the gods and the mortals and how the gods play significant roles in the mortals lives.
Though this is my second time reading the Illiad, my first impression this time around is poignantly different from my first impression five years ago. I am fascinated by the way in which the mortals communicate with the gods and also the wayin which the gods communicate with one another. We know the gods are immortal, but they clearly express emotions and experience drama that is reminiscent of the way mortals live and interact with one another. The speed with which Apollo hears the prayers of his priests is incredible. The two worlds of mortals and immortals are deeply intertwined and co-dependent. I am excited to see how this relationship develops.
ReplyDeleteI was pleasantly surprised about how accessible the text is- this is a much better translation than the one I read in highschool. I enjoyed seeing the invocation of the Muses and picking out the Homeric epithets. The plot moved quickly, except for the part where Homer lists all the warriors, ships and their leaders. I can see how that would have been interesting to his contemporary audience though. All in all, I'm liking it.
ReplyDeleteWhile I have never read the entire Iliad before, I have heard of some sections of the story from other works of literature. What surprised me most about the first two books was how the majority of the conflicts were infighting between the Greeks and the Gods, rather interactions between the Trojans and Greeks.
ReplyDeleteAn element that annoyed me (slightly) was the ~10 pages only describing the Trojan and Greek armies - their leaders and where they came from. This may have been more exciting to ancient peoples, as they would have been more familiar with the places and leaders, but to me it seemed a bit excessive.
One interesting quote I found in the reading was "So he decreed. And Zeus the son of Cronus bowed his craggy dark brows and the deathless locks came pouring down from the thunderhead of the great immortal king and giant shock waves spread through all of Olympus." This makes me wonder what devastation would be caused if Zeus threw a tantrum.
My favorite episode is from the end of Chapter 4 when Zeus sends Athena to reignite the mortal war. She finds Pandarus and convinces him to shoot Menelaus with an arrow. Another goddess intervenes, protecting Menelaus from a fatal injury. Panderus' act of aggression angers the Achaeans, who are already upset at Paris and the Trojans who they feel deliberately broke their earlier truce agreement. I find this scene interesting because it actually reignites the war, having a significant impact on the future of the mortals. This is a particularly interesting episode when seen alongside Paris' fleeing of battle with Menelaus. In both of these incidents the Achaeans feel disrespected by the Trojans when in fact both acts were caused by the Gods. This is an example of how much influence the Gods have over the everyday life of the humans. It seems as if the humans are merely puppets for the Gods to manipulate. However, despite the mortal's entertainment value, the Gods and Goddesses appear to develop intense personal connections with them and intervene in battle on their behalf.
DeleteI, like many of my classmates, was surprised at how easily this translation of the Iliad reads. It really is accessible for someone who has never read Greek or Roman epic poetry before this class. My favorite part of the story thus far is the human characteristics embodied by the gods. These immortals are just as fickle, capricious and flawed as we humans are. The scene where Zeus and Hera have an their argument in Book 1 is a prime example of this. They bicker, nag and threaten each other like a married couple from some sitcom from the 60s/70s. This is very interesting when thinking about the historical context of this epic, that is, where it is situated in history. So much of western civilization’s works of literature are founded in texts like the Iliad and the Odyssey.
ReplyDelete