The Iliad - Scholarship

Scholarship on central characters: Hektor, Achilles and Women, all of which should be easy to work into wider themes such as Anger, Time etc.

Views Hektor as a victim of the destructive forces of war. His tragic demise is a result of duty and noble qualities. They highlight the injustice of conflict.

Link to themes: duty, war, reality of war

Simone Weil - Hektor

• Suggests Hektor presents the noble ideals of heroism and honour

• He reminds of the cost of war

• Hektor highlights the consequences of unchecked pride and ambition

Friedrich August Wolf - Hektor

Hektor is shaped by oral tradition; his actions and speeches convey larger thematic concerns, like fate, honour and human condition

Gregory Nagy - Hektor

• The hubris and stubbornness of Achilles and inability to reconcile his personal honour with the greater good

• Draws parallels between Achilles and Oedipus or Antigone

A.A. Long of Achilles

Women are depicted as catalysts for conflict as well as objects of male desire. Briseis and Chryseis reflect broader social attitudes.

Froma Zeitlin - Women

• Explores the tension between Achilles’ divine lineage

• The duality adds depth to his character, contributing to overarching themes of morality in the Aeneid.

Samuel Butler - Achilles

Cites the importance of women lamenting, expressing grief and mourning the losses. Like Andromache and Hecuba

Margaret Alexiou

• Emphasises the complexity of the female character

• Challenges simplistic interpretations, including ones where women are presented only as objects of male desire

• Navigate the constraints of a patriarchal society and are catalysts for conflict.

Edith Hall - Women

• Hektor can be seen as a tragic hero

• His fate embodies the inevitable downfall of Troy

M.I.Finley - Hektor

Achilles’ rage is a symbol of the destructive potential of unchecked emotion and tragic consequences.

Cedric H. Whitman - Achilles

• Speaks of the limited agency afforded to women in the Iliad

• Emphasises the roles of women as prizes and objects of desire or honour, as opposed to active participants.

Hanna Roisman - Women

Achilles’ desire for immortal fame influences his actions, driving him to extremes, both emotionally and in combat. Links to Kleos and societal values

Gregory Nagy - Achilles