Essay, Research Paper: Iliad

email: cwfk48c@prodigy.comtitle: the Iliad The novel opens with continued fighting between the Trojansand the Achaians. In the first chapter the Achaians capture twoTrojan women as war prizes. This action is ironic, because theentire conflict was caused by the capture of Helen by Paris. Thefather, a priest, of one of the captured women pleads with theGods for her return. The God Apollo causes a plague to kill theAchaians until the daughter is returned. King Agamemnon reluctantly agrees to return the girl, buttakes the other, who was Achilles war prize, in return. Achillesis outraged and refuses to fight. These events set the pace forthe entire novel. The fighting continues and the Achaians seem to be winning,but soon begin to falter. Patroklos, a close friend of Achilles,is convinced by an old, wise soldier to return to battle dressedin Achilles armor. Apollo sees that Patroklos is slayinginnumerable Trojans and gives Hektor the power to spear him. Achilles is so grief-stricken over the death of his friendthat he returns to battle and kills Hektor. He then drags thecorpse of Hektor around Patroklos' grave for nine days, eachsymbolizing a year of war.

















 







The father of Hektor, Priam, goes to Achilles in the lastchapter and asks for his body to be returned. Achilles istouched by Priam's pleading and agrees to return the corpse.This scene in crucial to the development of the plot. Throughoutthe entire book Achilles is filled with rage. The final passageshows that he has come to a resolution. Homer focuses on the personal growth of Achilles. Achilleshas developed to the point where he is able to understand thepain Priam is feeling, and recognize it as being similar to hisown pain over the loss of Patroklos. The closing also points out an important theme between rightand wrong. "The Iliad" begins with Agamemnon doing wrong bystealing someone's daughter. It closes with Achilles finallydoing right by returning someone's son. These actions create abalance and fluidity for the novel. The last chapter ties together the central theme of the bookwhich is Achilles moral development. Homer could have concludedthe book with the defeat of the Achaians or the fall of Troy.This would have given the novel little symbolic meaning since itwould show no change in any of the characters. Homer created atrue symbolic classic by concentrating on Achilles development.