"Sing, goddess, the anger of Peleus' son Achilles/ and its devastation" (Homer 1.1-2). So begins The Iliad, Homer's classic tale of the Trojan War and some of its finest warriors. In his ninth year of battle against the city of Troy, Achilles is introduced as the most courageous, honorable, and vict...
Homer's The Illiad - Hector As The Epic Hero In Homer's The Iliad there appears to be some controversy over who the true epic hero might be. We have heard many arguments supporting Achilles as the Epic Hero, and since The Iliad does indeed say "The Story of Achilles" I believe that Achilles is an e...
No one would doubt Oedipus as a glorious king, especially the King of Suffering. His confronting with Sphinx, his tender empathy for the Thebans, and his resolve to rescue Thebes from the plague successfully prove his greatness, which makes him an honored king. In addition to a successful king, he p...
Penelope went back inside the house, in amazement, for she laid the serious words of her son deep away in her spirit, and she went back to the upper story with her attendant women, and wept for Odysseus, her beloved husband, until grey-eyed Athena cast sweet slumber over her eyelids. ...
Book 1 The first book highlights the quarrel between Achilles, the great Greek warrior, and Agamemnon, the King of Pyros and the leader of the Greeks in the Trojan War. Agamemnon is infuriated that he must return Chryseis to her father in order to end a plague sent by Apollo against the king and his people. As a replacement for Chryseis, Agamemnon demands that Achilles hand over his consort, Briseis. Achilles begrudgingly complies, but feels shamed by the action. In response, he promises that he and all his men will desert Agamemnon and completely withdraw from the war effor...
The Greek and Roman spirit influenced the book Aeneid in many ways. Virgil made Aeneas' behavior such that he fully qualified to be called a Roman hero. Aeneas reflected very few Greek traits. He was very much the "Roman hero." Greek heroes were very different from Roman heroes. Will Durant, author ...
