Greek Literature

Kelsy Coston
Sep 6, 2018 · 7 min read

Journal Entry #2: Books 5–8

Thursday, August 30th

1 Hour

The focus of today’s class and Book 5 and Diomedes’ aristeia. Throughout Book 5, Diomedes goes on a rampage killing Trojan after Trojan, proving himself the one of the finest warriors of the Greeks. This aristeia was set off by Athena, who gave him the courage strength to be his very best on the battlefield. He was killing left and right, even an arrow wound by the hands of Pandarus couldn’t stop him. Diomedes was pretty much on a roll, and nothing or nobody could stop him. Athena even gave him the power to wound Aphrodite, he was that powerful at the time. If he could wound a god, then a mere mortal was nothing to him. It was obvious too. Everybody on the battlefield knew Diomedes was at his best. His armor was literally described as glowing. The poet goes into great detail of the aristeia, and even goes as far as to say you wouldn’t know what side Diomedes fought for, because he was storming through the plain with such ease. Killing Trojans was the best way to gain honor or kleos in Greek society, and soon everybody knew of Diomedes and recognized him as one of the better warriors.

At first I thought gifts from the gods were random, or did not have any real meaning behind them. It was mentioned in class that the gods have a very contractual relationship with mortals. The reason Athena helped him is because she has always been in support of the Greeks, but she specifically helped him for of a multitude of reasons. They already had a relationship with one another because of their like-mindedness, and his offerings to her, but she also has a relationship with his father because she had helped him in the past. I then realized that everything the gods do has a purpose or hidden meaning to it. I also found it interesting that the gods had such a heavy hand in the end of Pandarus’ life. Athena was the reason he failed to kill not one, but two people with his arrow, and ultimately gave Diomedes the strength to kill him even after being wounded.

We see aristeia in a lot of modern films, and even video games too, just not in the same way. Aristeia is especially visible in any type of super hero movie. You’ll see a hero such as superman or the Avengers regain their strength after almost getting beat and all of the sudden be ready to destroy anyone that comes in their path so that they can save mankind. (Although, I guess the Avengers couldn’t reach aristeia in Infinity War.) Aristeias in movies focus much more on the visual aspects. You’ll see a lot of death or fighting, but there will be little to no narrating or talking at all, unless it’s a celebratory catchphrase from a superhero that’s finally defeating their enemy. During Diomedes’ rampage, the poet tells of every important kill that he has, and goes into even greater detail of his violent encounters with Aphrodite and Ares.

Tuesday, September 4th

3.5 hours

Within the first few lines of Book 6 we see the concept of pity as Adrestos begs for mercy from Menelaus in exchange for ransom. Agamemnon comes along and instantly shuts down that idea, telling Menelaus to show no mercy on the Trojans. I’ve always thought it was crazy how, even in real life, the most sane people become inhumane in times of war. Acts of violence and moral decisions that would never normally be allowed are generally excused during warfare. Agamemnon says not to leave any Trojan alive, not even a child in the womb. It’s crazy how ruthless these warriors were and how devoted they were to take the city of Troy. Something that confused me in this book was Glaucus and his life story and family. Were him and Diomedes just stopped in the middle of a battlefield having a conversation with each other? After just describing that no Trojan would be spared why did this story stop them from fighting? And why was Glaucus the only one that told his entire life story in an encounter with Diomedes.

Hector then went to rouse Paris into fighting, even though he and Helen were the reason this war started in the first place. Until this point, I wasn’t aware that Paris wasn’t fighting in the war. This is the second time the reader gets to see Helen and assess how she’s really feeling. I know if I were her, I’d be going through emotional turmoil at this point. Almost 10 years of people fighting over her? Countless deaths and endless fighting all because she’s so beautiful? That doesn’t sound worth it to me or to her. She says she wishes she was drowned on the day she was born so that none of this would’ve come about. Paris just seems like a coward to me. He lost the battle to Menelaus and was still unwilling to give up Helen, so his men continue to fight for him while he stays laid up with his wife that he doesn't deserve.

Hector then goes to visit his wife and son. Up until this point, we have only seen hector as a fierce warrior that goes through the Greeks like it’s nothing. This interaction with his family does a good job of humanizing him, and it also shows why he has to be so strong on the battlefield. When I read that Achilles killed Andromache’s father and 7 brothers my jaw just about dropped. I would be just as angry as Hector is all the time. That also shows how great of a warrior Achilles is, because the reader has not yet seen him in battle. Hector also depends greatly on his honor and what others think of him. During his visit, he has a feeling that Troy will fall, but will not stay with his wife for fear of being called a coward and giving up. As someone who has never been married, and wont be for a while, it is difficult to say what it takes to have a strong marital partnership. I would say it takes honesty, trust, and interdependence. It is hard to tell whether Hector and Andromache have this based off of such a short interaction, but you can at least say that they love each other, because of the way Andromache mourns for him while he’s still alive. It’s such a sad act but beautiful at the same time.

In Book 7 another challenge is proposed between Hector and the strongest member of the Greek army (to be determined since Achilles left). Hector is unparalleled at this point. It is clear that he is the strongest warrior out there and everyone seems to fear him on the battlefield. The only one that even came close to challenging was Achilles so the Greek army fears him even more now. I found it funny how they chose their greatest warrior by doing the equivalent of drawing out of a hat since no one wanted to stand up to hector originally. This is the second time a battle was proposed that resulted in no changes to the war or deaths. Two times the Greeks and Trojans attempted a head to head battle to prevent further deaths on both sides, yet the entire armies remain involved afterwards. It’s also crazy to me how much death and destruction every warrior causes, when they are literally fighting with rocks and spears. When Hector and Ajax missed after throwing their spears they picked up the closest thing to them and tried to cause as much damage as possible. Imagine if these warriors had the type of machinery we do today. Towards the end of Book 7, it became much more about planning then actual warfare. As night fell both troops decided to stop fighting. After failed negotiation of whether or no to give up Helen, both sides agreed on a temporary truce to burn their dead. Greeks began building a wall and trench to divide them from the Trojans and protect their ships. At this point I was slightly confused. Was Zeus angry because the Greeks didn’t make any offerings to him while building this wall?

Book 8 is where you get a true understanding of the gods and their power. Zeus establishes his place as the ruler of all gods by telling all of them not to interfere with the war anymore. Any god who does interfere will suffer great consequences, for Zeus is stronger than all of the Gods combined. He then used his scales which determined the fate of the war. I was confused on whether he was listening to the scales, and going with whatever they say, or whether the scales were leaning based on his own thoughts and opinions of the war. If his actions were based on the outcome of the scale, does that mean that they were determined solely by fate, and that fate is something separate from the gods? If the outcome of the scale was determined by him than why was it necessary at all? After the Achaean side of the scale went down signaling Greek loss, Zeus began to work in favor of the Trojans. You can see how quick the Trojans gain confidence once they realize Zeus was against the Trojans. Even the gods noticed this because Athena and Hera tried to get re-involved in the war, despite Zeus’ commands (even though they were forced to turn back).

Zeus then prophesies the return of Achilles. Telling the audience exactly what’s going to happen in the next few chapters of the book is a very common Greek writing technique. It’s interesting that the gods and the audience know exactly what’s going to happen, but none of the mortals do. This type of dramatic irony leaves the audience wondering how something is going to happen, rather than what is going to happen. We know Achilles will come back to the war after Patroclus’ death, but does that necessarily mean victory for the Greeks? We also don’t know exactly when this will happen or who will cause his death. Also, where did this prophecy come from? Does Zeus always know everything that’s going to happen in the mortal world?