The Horrors of War Exposed in Homers Iliad - 1379 Words

The Horrors of War Exposed in Homer’s Iliad nbsp; There- Harpalion charged Menelaus - King Pylaemenes son Whod followed his father into war at Troy But he never reached his fatherland again. He closed on Atrides, spear stabbing his shield Right on the boss but the bronze could not drive through, So back he drew to his ranks, dodging death, glancing Left and right, fearing a lance would graze his flesh. But Meriones caught him in full retreat, he let fly With a bronze-tipped arrow, hitting his right buttock Up under the pelvic bone so the lance pierced the bladder. He sank on the spot, hunched in his dear companions arms, Gasping his life out as he writhed along the ground Like an earthworm stretched out†¦show more content†¦nbsp; Though Homer violates one of his mores by failing to glorify the death of young Harpalion, in nearly every other way he maintains his traditional devices in recording his demise.nbsp; Within the passage, Harpalion undergoes a graphic death, much the same as many heroes and captains undergo upon their introduction to the audience.nbsp; He is pierced by an arrow, which slants upward, virtually disemboweling him and causing him to instantly begin writhing in throes of agony.nbsp; His life-blood oozes out slowly, as he undergoes bitter pain, and none of his comrades are able to do more than watch helplessly.nbsp; Harpalion takes a long time dying,nbsp; and his father stands by weeping as his lifeless body is hoisted onto a chariot bound for Ilium.nbsp; This highly graphic and catharsis-inspiring death scene is further typified by the fact that Harpalion had received no previous mention in the annals of Homer, and like so many of the heroes of the Trojan war is featured only in the contex t of death. nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Also located within the passage is one of Homers epic similes, which are featured throughout the poem, and are a central theme in all chapters and scenes.nbsp;Show MoreRelatedSimilarities Between Greeks And Trojans1196 Words   |  5 PagesGreeks and Trojans The Iliad is a book full of poems that talk about the history of Trojans and Greeks. Within the Iliad, there is a strong urge to show a world in which was are tremendous and the gods have direct hand in human events and these deities influence fate. The two leading gods, Achillies and Aeneas, the reader can see the ways in which these two cultural problems entwine and try to create an image of the ancient world which is at once barbarously real in terms of the depiction of notRead MoreVirgil s The Iliad And The Odyssey1403 Words   |  6 PagesVirgil s Aeneid takes a character form Homer’s Odyssey and constructs a life for him beyond Homer’s ideas. It is quite obvious that Virgil was heavily influenced by both Homer’s writings, The Iliad and the Odyssey. Both stories tell of parallel journeys home from Troy at the end of the Trojan War. Homer’s Odysseus is returning to Greece and the family he left behind ten years ago. Virgil’s Aeneas, in contra st has been given a direct command by the God, Mercury to create a new Empire. Both menRead MoreThe Sonnet Form: William Shakespeare6305 Words   |  26 Pagesa question to which the sestet offers an answer. In the following Petrarchan sonnet, John Keats’s â€Å"On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer,† the octave describes past events—the speaker’s previous, unsatisfying examinations of the â€Å"realms of gold,† Homer’s poems—while the sestet describes the present—the speaker’s sense of discovery upon finding Chapman’s translations: Much have I travell’d in the realms of gold,   Ã‚  Ã‚  And many goodly states and kingdoms seen;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Round many western islands have I