Homer's The Iliad

It would be instructive to first cover the territory that The Iliad deals with most exclusively. The poem dramatizes the struggles of the gods and the mortals during this time in the l0-year siege of Troy. The focus is on Achilles who, after an argument with Agamemnon, refuses to continue his battle. After Achilles' friend, Patroclus, is killed by Hector, who is prince of Troy, Achilles resumes his fighting and leads the invasion to kill Hector. He returns Hector's body to King Priam for a hero's funeral. Homer uses the siege of Troy to show human relation-ships under the stress of battle, where their true character is most likely to emerge.

Achilles is given a choice early on in his career, and through this career it is determined how he will relat

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of their drives. If the poem features Achilles directly, it also pays great homage to Hector, who emerges as one of the noblest heroes in literature. Homor says much about human nature that he can oppose Achilles and Hector, and respect both men for their points of view. Hector is a skilled warrior and he is feared by the Greeks and worshipped by the Trojans. One of his strongest qualities is loyalty, and when he bids adieu to his wife Andromache in Book VI he forecasts the fall of Troy and her own capture in moving terms: "And seeing you in tears, a man may say: 'There is the wife of Hector, who fought best of Trojan horsemen when they fought at Troy.' So he may say--and you will ache again for one man who could kept you out of bondage. Let me be hidden dark down in my grave before I hear your cry or know you captive!" (Homer 156). Landscape and the elements come into play for Hector: he fights at home, and he is defending this land against the invader. Troy's desolation looms heavily for him. He is both resigned to the destruction on one hand, and on the other it makes him fight with that much more might. He hates to think that his home will be overrun and that his family and loved ones will be thrust into slavery or death.
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Some common words found in the essay are:
XXII Hector, Zeus Homer, Book VI, Paris Menelaus, King Agamemnon, King Priam, Iliad Odyssey, Book I--show, Hector Greek, Trojan War, stress battle, achilles king agamemnon, human relations, human nature, achilles king, king agamemnon, elements landscape, achilles' friend, kill hector, siege troy, friend patroclus, achilles' friend patroclus,
Approximate Word count = 1366
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)

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