There is a frequently recalled story about a contest between Homer and Hesiod, imagined from the contest recounted by Hesiod in Works and Days. In it, both poets choose their best passages from their works -Hesiod chooses his section on the rising of the Pleiades constellation from Works and Days. Ultimately, the round of aristocratic judges … Continue reading Notes on Hesiod
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The Idea of Revenge in the Iliad and the Odyssey
In both the Iliad and the Odyssey we encounter vengeance exacted by the protagonists. In the Iliad, a poem explicitly about the "rage" or "wrath" of Achilles, we discover the rage that follows from the sorrow for the death of a loved one. In Books XV and XVI, the beloved companion, Patroclus, is killed by Hector … Continue reading The Idea of Revenge in the Iliad and the Odyssey
Book XVIII of the Iliad: Examining the Shield of Achilles
In Book XVIII of the Iliad, Achilles is distraught. Patroclus has been killed by Hector, and the armor of Achilles has been stripped and stolen by Hector. Thetis, Achilles's goddess mother, travels to the house of Hephaestus to convince him to build a new shield for Achilles so he can return to the battle and … Continue reading Book XVIII of the Iliad: Examining the Shield of Achilles
Notes on Odysseus’s Tale to the Phaeacians
In Book IX, the "great teller of tales" responds to Alcinous's request by first revealing his name as Odysseus (paralleling the tale of his venture with Polyphemus). He reminds the Phaeacians of his many troubles and woes after finally revealing his name, he recalls his story: Upon leaving Ilium, Odysseus and his men were carried … Continue reading Notes on Odysseus’s Tale to the Phaeacians
Phemius and Demodocus: Two Bards Considered
In Homer's Odyssey, we encounter two different examples of poets, one hailing from the halls of Ithaca, and the other from the land of the Phaeacians. We hear neither one speak -Phemius is silent until the closing books of the text when he pleads for his life. As with all things inherited from the ancients, we … Continue reading Phemius and Demodocus: Two Bards Considered
The Iliad and the Odyssey: Two Proems Compared
"Rage" is the first word presented to us in the Iliad. The Goddess, not the muse, is commanded to sing of the rage of Peleus's son Achilles. Which Goddess does Homer invoke? We are not given a clear answer, however we can acknowledge that this Goddess remains anonymous, not unlike Odysseus at the outset of … Continue reading The Iliad and the Odyssey: Two Proems Compared
