Week 6: The Wrath of Achilles and the end of The Iliad.

It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end — Ernest Hemingway

Thursday, February 22nd, 2018

The discussion today in class was riveting and very thought provoking. We talked about how in the Homeric period, chaos and cosmos go hand in hand. One often leads to the other. Throughout The Iliad we have seen how the gods have played a hand in how the overall war turned out. Either there is chaos and the gods (mostly Zeus) has to intervene or the gods put themselves in the picture and create chaos.

As previously mentioned in my last journal, the gods came down and went head to head against each other. Homer earlier in The Iliad made a comment about humans not being able to see the gods, but I imagine if they could, all the soldiers on the Greek side and the Trojan side would stop and stare in awe at the magnificent display.

We also talked about self-regarding pity which is a phrase coined by Aristotle. We briefly brought up Lykaon and Tros. I think the biggest culprit of self-regarding pity in the previous books was Agamemnon. Yes he tried to argue is point with the story of Zeus but I feel like he was looking for pity. He came across like he was saying ‘don’t be angry with me but pity the fact that delusion was able to grab hold of me and make me offend Achilles.’

Friday, February 23rd, 2018

Achilles’ actions and words always cause me to think. Does the fact that he knows he is going to die make him brave enough to speak to Apollo the way he does? On the other hand, it seems like no one can get through to Hector. He is determined to go head to head with Achilles. Everyone is warning him of his death, his own father says Achilles is mightier than he is. It seems like he thinks he still has the hand of Zeus on his side. Unfortunately for him, we know that Zeus has left the playing field and is letting what must come to pass come to pass.

Hector’s parents are very graphic when it comes to imploring him to retreat back into the wall. They are hoping to draw pity from their son so that he would not face Achilles. Reminds me of the argumentative techniques we discussed in class. Pathos, they are using a pathos argument. On the other hand, his pride is preventing him from going back into the city. He would rather face Achilles than admit he was wrong an over confident when Polydamas suggested they retreat in the first place. He even thinks if he gives back Helen and the riches, it would sate Achilles’ anger. The Trojans had tried in book 7 to give back the riches Paris took, if the war would come to an end and that didn’t work. The Achaians themselves could not convince Achilles to come back to the war by giving him back what they took along with more riches. Therefore, we know that Hector has no chance of offering anything to Achilles to prevent him from killing him.

But as we discover, Hector is leaving it all up to fate, or in this case, Zeus to determine the outcome. Many times over we are reminded how glorious Achilles looks in his aristeia when Homer refers to him as like a god. It is so glorious that Hector turns and runs with Achilles chasing after him. I know the gods are watching what is happening but do the people of Troy watch from the wall? Also are the Greeks an audience to Hectors imminent death? If so, what would be going through the minds of both sides. Do the Greeks look on in awe at the man they not too long ago found too difficult to defeat being chased around? Do the Trojans still think of Hector as this mighty warrior or does the sight of him running away make them look away in shame?

Yet again a god had to intervene to keep the plot moving. Hector’s plea for the slain to have a proper burial was like a last ditch effort to reason with Achilles. No matter the outcome, he just wants a proper burial but not so surprisingly, Achilles wants to hear nothing of it. One thing I have to salute to Hector is his bravery. Now knowing that who he thought was Deiphobus was really Athena, he realizes it is his fate to die now. However, he does not just give up and stand idly by as Achilles kills him. He continues to fight in hope that his legacy lives on after him. I guess the whole glory thing is a really big deal.

In Hector’s last words he makes reference to Paris and Apollo bringing Achilles down. I do not yet know how Achilles die or when exactly it will happen but I think I have an idea now. If Paris kills Achilles, does he not get even greater glory than Achilles himself? When you think about it Achilles gets glory for defeating Hector and saving the Greeks, so then the killer of Achilles should be seen as an even mightier warrior. I cannot wait to find out and see how that plays out.

It seems ironic that The Iliad is all about the wrath of Achilles but his duel with his greatest enemy happened all in one book. Seems a bit anticlimactic to me. It’s like knowing something is coming and when it finally arrives you are left feeling like ‘That’s it?’

Sunday, February 25th, 2018

The beginning of book 23 is another reference to how close the bond was between Achilles and Patroclus. The fact that he even refuses to wash the blood off is astonishing. I was trying to figure out why keeping the blood was a big deal for him and I think other dragging Hector’s body to where Patroclus lies and sacrificing 12 Trojans, it’s a symbol of his devotion to avenge his friend. Sort of like a ‘this is the blood of those who have wronged Patroclus and he will know of my devotion to avenge his death’ bond.

Patroclus’ spirit’s message to Achilles is also another show of their bond. He wants Achilles’ ashes to be held in the same urn as him. This makes me think they had more than a friendship. When you think back to how Patroclus came into Achilles’ life through Peleus, they could have been thought to be brothers.

Another thing he said stuck with me. He said that because Achilles hadn’t burned his body yet, he was stuck at the gates of the underworld. Does this mean that all the other soldiers who probably didn’t get a proper burial (such as being flung into the river by Achilles) is stuck at these gates too? Is this why Hector begged for a proper burial? It never occurred to me that the way you were buried had an impact on your entrance into the underworld.

The animals and the hair and the Trojans that Achilles places on Patroclus’ pyre seem like what one would do when making a sacrifice to a god. It draws a comparison between how Achilles perceived Patroclus and a god. Maybe Patroclus was like a god to him.

The chariot games threw me off for a minute. I was confused about how they got from mourning to organizing a race. Then I tried to relate it to modern times. In Western culture, we have a wake, which is basically a social gathering with food and drinks before or after a funeral. It’s usually in honor of the deceased. Therefore, I began to understand that they were having these events in honor of their fallen comrade.

Briefly mentioned is Oedipus and his funeral in Thebes. Does this mean that Sophocles came before Homer or were they around at the same time but the Oedipus stories made first? It’s great to see the intermingling of stories because it makes it seem less fictional and more like history. I think book 23 was a jovial book to read and it was a necessary break from all the war fare.

Monday, February 26th, 2018

This is it! I’ve finally made it to the end of The Iliad.

The last book of The Iliad was different from what I expected it to be. I didn’t bet on the gods taking pity on Hector and trying to get him a proper burial. When I say gods I exclude Poseidon, Hera and Athena. These three are still bitter about how Paris, Priam and Troy offended them. I personally thought Thetis would have put up more resistance to Zeus’ commands. I thought she would want to honor her son’s way of mourning because he doesn’t have long to live either. On the other hand, when she talks to Achilles, she asks him to eat and be with women because he doesn’t have long to live.

Passing thought: Priam is really mean to his remaining sons. He says he wishes one of them would have died in place of brave Hector. He even goes on to fashion Hector in the likeness of an immortal’s child.

Hermes taking the form of a Myrmidon was shocking and ironic. To Priam, he seems like a nice young guy who doesn’t wish to kill him. Which is weird because he is suppose to be on the opposite team. It’s ironic because Hermes was on the side of the Greeks in book 21. How does Priam not realize it is a god with him when he sets the guards to sleep at the wall of the Greeks?

I think it was a big moment when both Priam and Achilles shared a moment of grief. It connected these two characters who have been not only surrounded by grief but have caused each other grief. It was powerful and I appreciate the poet placing that scene in there.

One prominent thing that stood out to me during the Trojans lamentation to Hector, was Helen’s speech. It is vastly similar to that of Briseis’. It would seem like Hector and Patroclus were similar in some ways. They provided kindness to both of these woman who were captured.

Tuesday, February 27th, 2018

This class discussion was about the different elements present in the last 3 books that we found were outstanding. One of the more focused things was why The Iliad did not portray the fall of Troy. There are many answers to this. One such answer is, Achilles did not actually make Troy fall, he just progressed the fall. Also, The Iliad is a story about Achilles’ wrath, therefore it stopped when his wrath ended. Finally, one classmate argued that the fall of Troy was represented in The Iliad because Hector was the embodiment of Troy and he died.

The Iliad came full circle and ended how it began, with a ransom. However, there is anger in book 1 while book 24 is grief and lamentation. I personally believe the book feels finished because the Muse delivered the story it was asked and not a scene more. I don’t think the epic needs a 25th book but in it, I would probably put Achilles and the Achaians getting ready to finally bring Troy down physically.

The ending of class took a turn when we talked about emotional intelligence. We were asked to select a scene or them in the epic that stood out the most to us. Then we had to explain ourselves in a way that would provide a reason for choosing this scene or theme.

The thing I found most important in The Iliad was leadership. There are many scenes where different leadership abilities are showcased. Agamemnon’s abilities would probably be the most prominent example. At times throughout the epic, he doesn’t seem to be a capable leader and at others I see the showings of how a real leader should behave. There are other examples such as Hector, Achilles and Nestor. I judged these characters on how effective they were in leading people and it makes me wonder what do I think a good leader is. Am I able to recognize bad leadership skills and good ones?

I am the type of person who likes to be in control of every situation I am placed in. I like to feel like others are dependent on me and without me they would be lost.

The Iliad has come to an end and though its felt like forever, I can assure myself that it is a journey I am grateful for and one that I will never forget.

Books help us understand who we are and how we are to behave. They show us what community and friendship mean; they show us how to live and die. — Anne Lamott