Iliad 1, 2, 3
Iliad 1
The main characters in this chapter, Achilles and Agamemnon, are good foils to each other. Achilles, is strong yet self controlled, a flame that burns bright and fast. Agamemnon is powerful, greedy and arrogant. Achilles is the son of Thetis and Peleus, a descendant of Zeus. However, I was struck that a noble heritage may not guarantee a good character, in the bickering realm of Greek gods. Achilles is also called the runner, and appears to be strong in battle.
Agamemnon is the son of Atreus and is a warlord. He commands though, and does not fight in the front lines, as Achilles taunts him. He makes demands, demands of other's wives. He is proud and arrogant, but he represents the Greeks, who are loved by the gods (some of them anyway). How much of Agamemnon's stupidity can the gods endure?
Apollo already lost his patience at Agamemnon's dishonor of Chryses (the name was interesting, I wondered if it was related to the word crisis). The gods apparently have a heiarchy that is based on strength. The stongest gods are those that are above the others, with Zeus apparently being above all having hands that could mess up another god. It will be interesting to see which gods act the most noble. I already have suspicions about Hera. We'll see.
Iliad 2
The gods stir up war. Zeus sends the Greeks to fight the Trojans and warns the Trojans about what is coming. Some of the gods try to deter the fight and slow things down, but to no avail, the stubbornness in the heart of Agamemnon has been stirred and the lines are drawn. There are some mixed poems in with the prose which I assume are prophecies from an oracle. Those who spoke out against the war were thrown down, literally, and not allowed to speak up.
The second half of the book contains a listing of the commanders of the massive fleets and the cities they were from. It helps to set the stage for the immensity of the battle that is coming. Achilles is still having a hard time dealing with the loss of his woman, and his armies as well are having a hard time, especially with his absence. Zeus has willed a battle into being and it's about to explode.
Iliad 3
The two armies stand on the brink of war. Two warriors step out to confront each other but one shies away upon seeing the other. The two warriors have some history apparently, Paris has Menelaus's former wife, Helen. She apparently misses her old husband. Was there a prequel to this epic I'm missing out on? I'm sure there is a very obvious answer, but I'm coming into this very in media res.
So the two sides set down their forces for a one on one combat.
On a different note, I was struck by the description of Agamemnon: he is born into power and wealth, blessed by the hods, commands hundreds of armies... yet, he is arrogant and warmongering. Enough is not enough for him, he must have more. What does power do to people? Does it corrupt them absolutely, as the old maximum goes, or does it “attract the corruptible”, in the words of Frank Herbert. Either way, has Agamemnon been corrupted? And what of Troy and Hector? I want to know their stories as well.
The fight doesn't end the war though, thanks to the will of the gods. Neither Zeus blesses this nor does Aphrodite approve, who then goes to meddle (rather obviously) by whisking Paris away as he is getting beat down. Paris seems to not have much honor, but goes with Aphrodite's plan and ignores the battle he himself had called for. Both Troy and Greece seem to hate him now. Will Agamemnon's proclamation of victory be enough to end the war? I doubt so. We will find out, however, in the next installment of, “Read the Epic!”
The main characters in this chapter, Achilles and Agamemnon, are good foils to each other. Achilles, is strong yet self controlled, a flame that burns bright and fast. Agamemnon is powerful, greedy and arrogant. Achilles is the son of Thetis and Peleus, a descendant of Zeus. However, I was struck that a noble heritage may not guarantee a good character, in the bickering realm of Greek gods. Achilles is also called the runner, and appears to be strong in battle.
Agamemnon is the son of Atreus and is a warlord. He commands though, and does not fight in the front lines, as Achilles taunts him. He makes demands, demands of other's wives. He is proud and arrogant, but he represents the Greeks, who are loved by the gods (some of them anyway). How much of Agamemnon's stupidity can the gods endure?
Apollo already lost his patience at Agamemnon's dishonor of Chryses (the name was interesting, I wondered if it was related to the word crisis). The gods apparently have a heiarchy that is based on strength. The stongest gods are those that are above the others, with Zeus apparently being above all having hands that could mess up another god. It will be interesting to see which gods act the most noble. I already have suspicions about Hera. We'll see.
Iliad 2
The gods stir up war. Zeus sends the Greeks to fight the Trojans and warns the Trojans about what is coming. Some of the gods try to deter the fight and slow things down, but to no avail, the stubbornness in the heart of Agamemnon has been stirred and the lines are drawn. There are some mixed poems in with the prose which I assume are prophecies from an oracle. Those who spoke out against the war were thrown down, literally, and not allowed to speak up.
The second half of the book contains a listing of the commanders of the massive fleets and the cities they were from. It helps to set the stage for the immensity of the battle that is coming. Achilles is still having a hard time dealing with the loss of his woman, and his armies as well are having a hard time, especially with his absence. Zeus has willed a battle into being and it's about to explode.
Iliad 3
The two armies stand on the brink of war. Two warriors step out to confront each other but one shies away upon seeing the other. The two warriors have some history apparently, Paris has Menelaus's former wife, Helen. She apparently misses her old husband. Was there a prequel to this epic I'm missing out on? I'm sure there is a very obvious answer, but I'm coming into this very in media res.
So the two sides set down their forces for a one on one combat.
On a different note, I was struck by the description of Agamemnon: he is born into power and wealth, blessed by the hods, commands hundreds of armies... yet, he is arrogant and warmongering. Enough is not enough for him, he must have more. What does power do to people? Does it corrupt them absolutely, as the old maximum goes, or does it “attract the corruptible”, in the words of Frank Herbert. Either way, has Agamemnon been corrupted? And what of Troy and Hector? I want to know their stories as well.
The fight doesn't end the war though, thanks to the will of the gods. Neither Zeus blesses this nor does Aphrodite approve, who then goes to meddle (rather obviously) by whisking Paris away as he is getting beat down. Paris seems to not have much honor, but goes with Aphrodite's plan and ignores the battle he himself had called for. Both Troy and Greece seem to hate him now. Will Agamemnon's proclamation of victory be enough to end the war? I doubt so. We will find out, however, in the next installment of, “Read the Epic!”
posted by DCZX at 10:21 PM
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