lines 1-58 book 3
how does homer contrast the trojan and greek armies?
homer uses a simile to compare the armies. he presents the trojan army as confident and loud by writing “the trojans advance with shrieks and cries like cranes… shrieking, they make for the rivers of ocean to bring death and destruction to the pygmies”. whereas the greek army “moved forward in silence”.
could be a version of civilisation vs barbarism, greeks - superiority
paris wore a leopard skin, egotistical and confident but flees when he sees menelaus. also a reference to heracles.
menelaus could be portrayed as being the real lion and paris just has a dead one on his back.
menelaus could see paris as a carcas, the simile shows he is already dead.
similes
add values
link to the myths, connecting to other stories e.g. leopard skin compares to heracles
paris
what impression do we get of paris?
hector describes him as a woman, he’s a champion because of his good looks which is how women are described. however paris contradicts that by proposing to fight menelaus.
paris is trying to call hector’s bluff, he was only defending himself because he was ashamed hector was humbling him, but he realised he actually has to fight menelaus.
paris is described as cowardly, which contradicts usual descriptions of heroes.
“godlike paris”, however he’s doing these cowardly thing, he doesn’t want to get involved, conveying how he keeps distance like gods seeing humans as a sport.
“his heart failed him completely” homer blames it on his heart, showing it wasn’t rational though but gut reaction.
hector
clearly values bravery in a soldier
although they’re brothers hector gets angry / disappointed in paris because
paris is representing troy in the duel and hector is worried because he represents state and family.
seems spiteful because he has to fight because his brother has caused it, he’s been drawn into it because of paris and now he’s fighting in the war.
“you shouldn’t have been born or married” blaming paris
“your heart is tireless, like an axe in the hands of a carpenter, hewing though the wood. the carpenter’s skill shapes a ships timbers, but the axe gives him the strength he needs.” without an axe a carpenter is nothing, so hector is the axe. paris being compared as a carpenter shows he ‘made’ the war, and hector is the axe that won the war.
helen’s first appearance
ambiguous position, does she feel guilty?
because she misses menelaus, therefore maybe she went unwillingly? we don’t know
veils herself, maybe ready for marriage
the gods might have manipulated her using her emotions to get her to do things
priam and the old men
they do not blame helen although they recognise she’s the cause of the war
they consider sending helen back
family of troy
out of touch with the plebs, it’s just the royal family fighting, not consulting