Iliad scholarship

Griffins- role of immortals

the gods are involved in battle as passionately as the humans

Edwards-gods and mortals

divine intervention adds glory to the heroes

E.V Rieu- immortals and mortals

when dealing with mankind the gods are far from amusing

Jenkyns- gods

they have no sense of numinous. They are purely for literary and emotional effect.

Jones-mortals and immortals

The gods work to the extremes. They either love you, hate you support you or detest you

Jones- gods and mortals

Homer shows people are capable of making up their minds without divine intervention

Hammond- gods

the divine world mirrors the world of humans without real pain or consequences

Jones- heroism

a man is a hero because a god supports him

Silk- Achilles

Achilles is an uncomfortable and even destructive force in the heroic world

Silk-heroism

Homer’s heroes are static. They seem to show no capacity for development.

Jones- kleos, death, heroism

they kill and are killed in search of kleos

Jones-heroism

they would rather not have to fight at all

Clarke- heroism, timê

the driving force behind manhood is the need for praise and admiration

E.V Rieu- heroism, family

Homer sets his heroes within a larger framework- their families

Jenkyns- death,heroism

the purpose of a homeric hero is to die

Duffy-fate

fate and the will of Zeus are identical

Jones-fate

Homer has no rational theory to explain the relationship between fate and free will

Farron-Andromache, women

Like all the women in the Iliad, all she can do is watch

Farron-women

Homer’s women are all tragic

Farron-men and women

there is little regard for women by men in the iliad

Farron- slaves, women

female war captives are treated virtually as inanimate objects

Haynes- role of women

men lose their lives, women lose everything else

Hauser- role of women

women inform us about the world of men

Easterling- women

Women are desired objects

Edwards-immortals and mortals

goddesses are equal to men

Hall- role of women

it is the woman’s role to express the pain

Hauser- women

Homer’s women are complex, they push against expected norms

Hammond- women

the women and children suffer and grieve

horace- role of homer

Homer tells us what is good, what is bad, what is useful and what is not

Hammond- death

the main theme in the Iliad is not heroism or war but human suffering and death

Southey- war

book after book of butchery

Edwards- Achilles, timê

Achilles is torn between concern for the battered greeks, restoration of his own honour and above all, safety for patroclus

E.V Rieu-war

the iliad is written not to glorify war but to emphasise it’s tragic futility

Silk- Agamemnon and Achilles, greek war camp

the heroes quarrel is set out to bring death and destruction

Clarke- gods, death

the gods are exempt from the bonds of death

Jauregui- death

the theme of death is overwhelming in the last two books

Clarke-heroism,death

heroism and death are tied together

Hall- greek war camp

The iliad is more greeks vs greeks than greeks vs trojans

Snider- reconciliation

the Iliad is a series of reconciliations

Silk- reconciliation

on earth no reconciliation can be done until most of the damage is done

Leigh- Achilles, timê

for Achilles the cost of his glory is Patroclus’ death

Hammond-Hector

we sympathise with Hector because he sympathises with others

Knights-life in troy,women

inside the city is portrayed as the realm of women

Snider-reconciliation

it masters it’s conflicts and turns them into harmony

Knights- family, parents and children

relationship between parents and children is central to the iliad

knights-friendship

heroes in the Iliad are friends in the sense that they are companions in war

Schein- Hector

Hector is presented as quintessentially social and human

Jordan- Achilles

Achilles is brutal, vain and pitiless

Sowerby- Achilles

Achilles is not good in any sense other than physical prowess

Hall- menis

it is not just Achilles’ anger but everyone’s anger that drives the poem

Swift-Achilles

a man without pity and obsessed with violence