...In the Iliad, there are continuous examples of women that are treated as an object or materialistically, women are also treated as they are inferior to the men and the gods. According to the dictionary definition of sexism is; prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against women, on the basis of sex. In essence women are shown to have no power in the Iliad due to the dominance and power of the men and gods. Treating women as inferior is a sign of a possible piece of sexist work. Unfortunately the Iliad does use men as a dominant power and women as inferior. It plays an important role to help prove that the Iliad is a sexist work. A work like the Iliad is considered sexist because of examples that are shown through the gods and...
Words: 1095 - Pages: 5
...4. In Homer’s Iliad, explain how the concept of shame functions for the characters of the poem. What, generally, is shame, and how and why are people supposed to be affected by it? In your answer, select an example of shaming from the text which has what you would call a standard effect, and also indicate at least two instances where shame does not have the standard effect. In the two exceptional instances, explain why you believe the concept does not function “properly”. THE SHAMELESS OF THE ILIAD The shame concept holds a significant part of life in ancient times. Especially, among the Greeks, shame was widely regarded as a matter of life and death, which can be observed in numerous noticeable works such as the Iliad. In the Iliad, when the characters try to make the one who acts against the society or needs to be motivated, feel ashamed by talking and insulting. This can be observed with dialogues of many characters like between Achilles and Agamemnon or Odysseus, and between Paris and Hector. There are numerous instances; some are acceptable and standard while some are really abnormal and extraordinary, in the Iliad Books 1, 3 and 9. There is an emphasized standard effect of shame In Book 1. Because Agamemnon feels himself superior, he gets Briseis, Achilles’ prize as a symbol of honor. Achilles becomes extremely angry and humiliates Agamemnon. In front of the army, he calls Agamemnon ‘shameless’. Then, Agamemnon shoots back, questions if he is a good warrior and...
Words: 892 - Pages: 4
...Do you believe that gods are morally superior to humans? In the Iliad there is a very complex relationship between the gods and the humans. One would commonly believe that the gods help the humans stay moral, however in the Iliad it is almost the exact opposite. This essay, through textual evidence as well as through arguments from authority, will show how the gods are in fact less moral than the humans. Often those who start or refuse to stop an unjust war are considered to be immoral people, or in the case of the Iliad as immoral gods. According to Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy on War, “War can be necessary and proportionate only if it serves an end worth all this death and destruction” (Lazar 3.1). Meaning war may be needed if there is a just reason and if the war will prevent even more catastrophe. The gods in the Iliad time and time again act immoral by provoking unjust wars and frequently encouraging wars to continue that are coming to an end, such as when Athena "stirs" the fighting at the wishes of Zeus, Zeus telling Athena to "Urge on the Danaans" (Book 17, 537-543). In the Iliad each god has their own self-serving plan for what they wish to happen and every one of them uses the...
Words: 1072 - Pages: 5
...both Aeneas and Turnus. W. S. Anderson, in his influential article1 on Vergil's use of the Iliad, has argued that although Achilles is initially invoked as a model for both Aeneas and Turnus in Aeneid, as the poem progresses Vergil establishes Aeneas as the true heir to Achilles, while Turnus becomes a new Hector or Paris. Book 9 opens with Iris urging Turnus to take advantage of Aeneas' absence by attacking the Trojan camp, a clear reference to Iliad where Iris rouses Achilles to drive the Trojans from the Greek camp. Anderson has argues that “Vergil uses this allusion to support Turnus' own false notion that he is a new Achilles,” a delusion which is gradually dispelled in Book 10 after the reappearance of the real successor to Achilles, Aeneas. The resemblance of the attack of the Latins on the Trojan camp to the attack of Hector and his companions on the Greek camp in Iliad Book 8 and 12 seems to support such a view, placing Turnus in the role of Hector and not Achilles. Later, however, the issue is complicated further as in his slow retreat before the Trojans Turnus is reminiscent of Ajax in Iliad. Finally, just at the end of his retreat, Turnus turns and just jumps into the river, like Achilles' two leaps into the river in Iliad. The use of three different Homeric models for Turnus in Book 9 must initially qualify any identification of him with one particular character from the Iliad but it is plain to see the similarities between Homer and Vergil. Satan is not the only...
Words: 877 - Pages: 4
...Emmett Oh Lyke 4:00 ESSAY 1 FATE IN THE ILIAD Fate is unavoidable, regardless of the effort one puts into changing or avoiding it. Fate in Homer’s ILIAD is depicted as a one way freeway with no exit ramps. No matter what the characters do, once they set foot on their path there is no going back. Dr. Harvey has brought forward the idea in lecture that any speech, simile, or any other small part in the epic can be a microcosm to a greater theme in the text. One of the greater themes that continued to appear throughout the text was fate’s inevitability superseded all other forces in the ILIAD. Fate is the most powerful force in the ILIAD because it shapes the events and decisions that occur throughout the epic. Fate shapes events and decisions by overpowering the will of gods and great warriors, as well as overwhelming characters to the point where they concede to their own fate. Fate`s power is also preserved by the very characters it acts upon. Throughout the Epic, the gods seem to be unable to change fate. For example, the gods are unable to save Hector and Achilles, despite loving them both, as fate has to run it`s course. The Homeric simile described below is a microcosm to these examples. In Book 11 of Homer’s epic, the Acheans are able to drive Trojan forces into a retreat caused by a strong charge put on by Agamemnon. During the Trojan retreat, Agamemnon knocks Isus and Antiphus off their fleeting chariot, killing them, and stripping them of their armor...
Words: 1457 - Pages: 6
...The Essential Role of Goddess in Homer’s The Iliad and The Odyssey Just as women were viewed as inferior to men during Homer’s era, a first glance at Homer’s epics The Iliad and The Odyssey portrays goddesses as inferiors to gods. Despite the era’s bias to men, the goddesses are of equal importance to the plot of his stories as the gods. The goddesses play vital roles as either helpers or nightmares to men by often determining the results of an action. Homer did not establish the goddesses in his epics merely as minor structures to blend in the background. Rather, he established dynamic goddesses who were both powerful and intelligent. In fact, in many ways the goddesses controlled the gods by having an influence in their decisions and actions through manipulation, persuasion and guidance. By influencing the gods, the goddesses also played a large role as shepherds for human fate. The goddess’s constant intervention in the mortals’ lives was driven by favoritism, love or sexual desires, and their pity for the weak. Although the goddesses are often restricted from doing as they wish by the gods, they have proven, in many occasions, to overpower the gods through manipulation. Goddesses were often told what to do by the gods. Tasks such as delivering messages from Zeus were often carried out by Athena. Just as Hector told his wife, “Go home, attend to your own handiwork at loom and spindle, and command the maids to busy themselves, too. As for war, that is for men, all we...
Words: 1970 - Pages: 8
...| The Evolution of Historiography in Greek Society | American Public University August 3, 2014 Rena Reynolds HIST501 Summer 2014 Although at first Greek historians had difficulties grasping the concepts of time and that ideas of the past could influence those of the present, through trial and error the development of Greek chronology help achieve the documentation of the Greek experience. Greek historians grew from works of fiction with some historical significance to the systematic study of people and culture as their society progressed through wars and cultural change. War is a universal experience which has occurred since the birth of the human race. It is also the muse of historians around the world. In early Greek society war provided a gateway to heroes, glory, and gods. The famous Trojan War described in Homer’s Iliad epic gave descriptions of Achilles, Hector, Paris and Helen of Troy which were intertwined with the gods Athena, Apollo and Hephaestus. Homer entertained the populace with the “actions of gods and the deed, passions, glories, and defeats of a few heroes,” but also cataloged a few historical significant items. Subsequent the Great Persian War (in 490 and 480/79 BC) inspired Herodotus in writing his Histories migrating from heroes and gods to a more common cultural history. His descriptions still held a dramatic flair which was pleasing to the populace but held a more chronological account of events. Following the Great Persian War was the Peloponnesian...
Words: 1781 - Pages: 8
...to class | | W. Sept. 12 | Intro to Mythology | T 3-22 (T=Thury) | M. Sept. 17 | The Oedipus Myth | ACM 235-236 (nos. 66-68)Oedipus the King, T 305-353 | W. Sept. 19 | Oedipus Rex 1 | Finish or re-read T 305-353 | M. Sept. 24 | Oedipus Rex 2 | Lévi-Strauss, T 354-369 | W. Sept. 26 | Oedipus and Structuralism | “ | M. Oct. 1 | Gilgamesh | The Epic of Gilgamesh, T 192-227 | W. Oct. 3 | No class—UMich Plato conf. | | M. Oct. 8 | Thanksgiving | | W. Oct. 10 | Gilgamesh and Structuralism | G.S. Kirk “A Lévi-Straussian Analysis of G.”, T 228-238 | M. Oct. 15 | Ritual & Liminality | Victor Turner, “Forest,” T 417-429 | W. Oct. 17 | Demeter & Ritual | Hom. Hymn to Demeter, T 430-448 | M. Oct. 22 | Tricksters: Prometheus | T 381-383, 396-402, 27-29, 38-41Review Lévi-Strauss, T 280-294 | W. Oct. 24 | Tricksters: Hermes | Hom. Hymn to Hermes, ACM 187-197 | M. Oct. 29 | Dionysus: Myth & Bacchae | T 495, 509-514Euripides, Bacchae (44-83) | W. Oct. 31 | Bacchae | ACM 21-22 (D1), 47 (M2), 48 (M4), 212-213 (Ode 2.19), 394 (1130) | M. Nov. 5 | Exam 1 | Odyssey Books 1-8 | W. Nov. 7 | Hesiod Theogony 1 | Hesiod Theogony ACM 129-160 | M. Nov. 12 | Hesiod Theogony 2 | Same | W. Nov. 14 | | | M. Nov. 19 | | | W. Nov. 21 | Hesiod Works and Days | Hesiod “The Ages of Man” T 41-44 | M. Nov. 26 | | | W. Nov. 28 | Enuma Elish | T 61-81 Mesopotamia: Enuma Elish | M. Dec. 3 | Heracles 1 | | W. Dec. 5 | Heracles 2 | Apollodorus ACM, pp...
Words: 749 - Pages: 3
...Journal Essay #3 When the reader first opens Homer's epic poem The Iliad, the author's very first line states the poem's main premise: "Achilles' rage" (1); if that doesn't tell the reader anything, it's also the title of the first book. However, I've noticed that many people still find it difficult to determine who the heroic protagonist is in The Iliad. That's because the audience today doesn't believe that their view, of what constitutes a heroic protagonist, coincides with the typical heroic protagonist of the Ancient Greeks. Yes, contemporary readers will all probably agree that Achilles possesses a couple of the characteristics, that would make him a heroic protagonist (i.e. being extremely brave, ambitious for honor, physically strong, etc...). However, Achilles also possesses some less thought-of characteristics, that might cause contemporary readers to arguably disagree with Achilles being an heroic protagonist. Given all criteria that makes up an epic poem's heroic protagonist, and that The Iliad is considered an epic; I'm going to have to say, that (while others display qualities of heroic protagonists) Achilles is the most heroic protagonist of The Iliad. Some of the more controversial characteristics, that make Achilles the perfect candidate for being the most heroic protagonist include: ambition driven by glory and immortality, he fights something or someone god-like, he has a known companion, he has an outward physical element that's very prominent, he is...
Words: 652 - Pages: 3
...The opening prologue of Homer’s famous Iliad speaks of the quick-tempered Akhilleus, about his inability to solve conflicts peaceably and the consequences he faces because of this. “Anger be now your song, immortal one,/Akhilleus’ anger, doomed and ruinous,/that caused the Akhaians loss on bitter loss [. . . .]” (Iliad, I:1-3). Throughout the epic, Akhilleus struggles with his own barbaric nature. He also struggles with Troy’s prince Hektor, his opposite in personality. Akhilleus is the embodiment of barbarism. He is intemperate, prone to violence, and arrogant. Hektor becomes Akhilleus’ fiercest enemy after he kills Akhilleus’ closest companion, Patróklos. Hektor is the civilized man in The Iliad. He has self control and he is considerate...
Words: 1171 - Pages: 5
...and the heroine of the poem) and also of the people of the time—the upper class who took sides during the dispute. Be sure to read Pope’s letter to Arabella Fermor in the notes for Canto 1. Some EPIC CONVENTIONS are as follows: 1. In medias res. In Medias Res is Latin for "it begins in the middle of things" and then has flashbacks to explain action leading up to that point.In THE ILIAD, for example, the story begins after the war between the combined forces of Greece and the forces of the walled city of Troy and their allies has been in progress for nearly ten years. 2. Invocation to a muse. The story begins with an invocation(prayer) to a god or gods. The poet, who in those days would have been reciting the epic to an audience, say, at a banquet, began by calling for a blessing--for a god or gods to attend this effort of his. They probably literally believed that the called upon god or muse came into them and, therefore, that it was not the poet who recited, but the god in the poet's body. Poet's, then, were considered very sacred, for they could call down a god and have the god in them, at least temporarily. We continue to have remnants of this belief, of course.We often think of poets or of any true artist as being different or touched by a special hand.In the case of the beginning of THE ILIAD, the poet says something like "Sing, goddess of epic poetry, the story of the anger of...
Words: 1261 - Pages: 6
...Bernard 1 Jeff Bernard Professor Toscano Honors IT 10/05/07 Achilles: The Tragic Hero The great hero Achilles, in Homer's The Iliad, was known to all Greeks for his strength, courage, and his ability to kill countless Trojans at impeccable speed. Also well known is the “Rage of Achilles,” which caused thousands of Greeks to lose their lives. Some critics have claimed that Achilles fits the Aristotelian model for a tragic hero: a noble character with a fatal flaw that eventually brings his downfall. However, I would argue that Achilles fits his own category for a tragic hero. Unlike the standard tragic hero that the audience sympathizes with, Achilles tends to lose audience support after his continued refusal to swallow his pride and save his dying comrades. Achilles' pride, greed, sense of honor, and hard-hardheadedness, eventually leads to the death of many of his friends, among them Achilles “beloved” Patroclus, as well as numberless other Greeks. Although Achilles never lost his life and the Greeks did not lose the war, it is tragic nevertheless. Achilles has remarkably few traits that would be seen as admirable by people in the world today. Achilles is primarily motivated by greed, thirst for honor, and an outrageous sense of his own self-importance. Initially, Achilles does not seem like he is in the wrong for holding a grudge against Agamemnon. Agamemnon shamed him in front of all the Greeks by publicly ordering Achilles war-prize, Briseis, to be taken...
Words: 1246 - Pages: 5
...Chicago-Style Citation Quick Guide The Chicago Manual of Style presents two basic documentation systems: (1) notes and bibliography and (2) author-date. Choosing between the two often depends on subject matter and the nature of sources cited, as each system is favored by different groups of scholars. The notes and bibliography style is preferred by many in the humanities, including those in literature, history, and the arts. This style presents bibliographic information in notes and, often, a bibliography. It accommodates a variety of sources, including esoteric ones less appropriate to the author-date system. The author-date system has long been used by those in the physical, natural, and social sciences. In this system, sources are briefly cited in the text, usually in parentheses, by author’s last name and date of publication. The short citations are amplified in a list of references, where full bibliographic information is provided. Aside from the use of notes versus parenthetical references in the text, the two systems share a similar style. Click on the tabs below to see some common examples of materials cited in each style, including examples of common electronic sources. For numerous specific examples, see chapters 14 and 15 of the 16th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style. * * * * * Notes and Bibliography: Sample Citations The following examples illustrate citations using the notes and bibliography system. Examples of notes are followed...
Words: 1982 - Pages: 8
...Asking who attacked Troy, similar to the original question, will provide different answers depending on who you talk to. Professor Blegen’s suggest in his book Troy and the Trojans that there is irrefutable evidence regarding who attacked troy, and that Homers Accounts of The War can be taken as almost a transcript of the battle. Belgen’s views can be seen from an excerpt from his book “It can no longer be doubted, when one surveys the state of our knowledge today, that there really was an actual historical Trojan War in which a coalition of Achaeans, or Mycenaeans, under a king whose overlordship was recognised, fought against the people of Troy and their allies.” (Ch 1, pg 20). What Belgen is saying in his book that there was most certainly...
Words: 590 - Pages: 3
...Shakespeare’s play Macbeth and Malouf’s novel Ransom both explore themes about freedom. The themes of freedom are largely characterised by their modes of textual representation – the play and the novel. Malouf’s novel is a heteroglossic text and is able to explore the themes relating to freedom through multiple focalisations and intertextuality with Homer’s Iliad. On the other hand, Shakespeare’s Macbeth explores the theme of freedom with asides, soliloquies and the supernatural. However, despite these differences in their representations of freedom there is a convergence for the reader in the implications for narrative meaning. Regardless of their contexts both texts elevate free will over predestination. Malouf’s novel Ransom reimagines...
Words: 1619 - Pages: 7
