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Reading Notes: Homer's Iliad, Part A

The Iliad- Homer retold by A.J Church
mythfolklore

After reading these excerpts from the Iliad it struck me how frustrated Achilles must have been. The first time I read the book, I thought he was being overly dramatic when he fought with Agamemnon and then sat idle and refused to help when his countrymen where being killed, however, after reading it again I noticed that he already sacked twenty-three cities while Agamemnon did nothing. It is more understandable why he got fed up and swore not to help anymore.

Besides that, he also already knew that if he stayed and fought he would die young. He was literally giving his life for Agamemnon's cause and got dishonored for it. That brings me to something else I noticed in the reading, the importance of honor.

When Patroclus kills Sarpēdon, the Lycian's lasts words were to his comrade, Glaucus, imploring him to save his body from being desecrated and dishonored. At that time, honor and glory were more important than life, which is why Achilles went to fight in the first place. Furthermore, when Patroclus died he made sure to tell Hector that he didn't get any honor in killing him. If anyone gets the credit, it is Apollo.

This theme of honor and glory is seen again when Hector returns to Troy. He is careful not to tell Paris that he ran away from the battle out of fear because he doesn't want to insult him, however, he tells him and Helen that Paris must return to the fight or else he will be seen as a coward and lose all honor.

Again when his wife implores him to stay out of the fighting he says he cannot and instead goes to the front lines. Even to him, honor and glory are more important than staying alive.

Another thing I noticed was how much they believed in fate. They said a few times that the gods were in charge of the outcome of the fight. When the Trojans are doing well, the Greeks say Zeus favors them and vice-versa.

The gods themselves are unfair. Apollo kills Patroclus because he favors the Greeks just as (not in the excerpt) Aphrodite saves Paris when Menelaus tries to kill him earlier and Athena gives strength to her favorite Greeks. They choose sides and it is impossible for the mortals to win without their favor.
I actually got to see this statue when I was in Florence last summer: 

(Menelaus holds the body of Patroclus)

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