The Iliad

(A Literary Analysis of The Iliad by Homer)

One of the most unbeatable war novels in the history of Greece is the Iliad, a
work of Homer. The famous siege between the Spartans and the Trojans has never been
matched by any other novels. The story revolves around several characters like Paris,
Helen, Hector, Agamemnon, Menelaus, Priam, and Achilles. But it is mainly about
Achilles, the bravest Achaean warrior (also known as the Spartans).

In Homer’s the Iliad, war is depicted as horrible, bloody, and fruitless. A long
siege has existed for so long between the Spartan and Trojan troupes. The two kingdoms
were always after the other, they compete in many things – the expansion of territories,
the accumulation of riches, and last - the possession of Helen. The Trojans sent for a
herald to end the dispute between the kingdoms but the mission was aborted when Paris
met and fell in love with Helen, causing him to take the Queen of Sparta to Troy. This
made the Spartans set for war again to get back Helen, together with the united people of
Greece they went to the plains of Troy for another clash. But Sparta’s greatest warrior,
Achilles, refused to fight because of his squabble with King Agamemnon over Briseïs.
Achilles knew that without him Sparta could not claim success, so he threatened to depart
in the war. His invulnerable strength that made him the bravest Spartan warrior was the
work of his mother, Thetis, who dipped him in the River Styx making him unbeatable.
But the secret on his heel was his utmost weakness, Thetis was not able to dip that part of
his body where she held him making Achilles’ heel his weak spot. This is what the epic is
about, the significant role of Achilles as Sparta’s leading warrior in the Trojan War. It
focuses much on Achilles’ internal struggles, whether he was to join the war again or not
because of his dispute with Agamemnon and the prophecy that his doom awaits him if
continues to fight. But despite all of his heroic acts, I still believe that Achilles was not at
all brave, he has a weak point inside him that his warrior-like figure just conceals.

The long warfare between the city of Troy and Sparta shows no clear winners.
Many people die in vain on both camps because of arrogant and cruel emotional
decisions made by men. The selfish act of Paris in taking Helen caused many lives to be
taken away and Achilles’ reluctance to collaborate with his camp cost him to lose,
Patroclus, his best friend. The Spartans may have placed over the Trojans, but with the
number of lives sacrificed in the war they became losers. Death and fighting is not shown
as glorious in the Iliad. In this line from the W. H. D. Rouse’s translation of the Iliad, we
can infer that there never was a good war. The scene of the passage pictures to us the
lives given up in the war.

No one could make light of that battle, if any were left untouched and
unwounded, if Pallas Athena took him by the hand and led him through the midst,
if she kept him free of hurt. For many Trojans and many Achaeans fell on that day
and lay prone in the dust side by side. Book IV, pg. 57

The Iliad also talks about the inner struggles of Achilles that tore him apart and
his qualities that are not likely to be identified as his because of his warrior-like image.
We see in the story how he changed his mind to fight again with the Trojans and
denounced his feud with Agamemnon. The other traits of Achilles were shown
chronologically in the story for he changed along the turn of events. Each incident
revealed a different side of Achilles’ persona.

Let me start with this idea, though considered to be the bravest warrior of his
time, Achilles whines much about the taking away of his prize – Briseïs. A woman or any
valuable thing is rewarded to a warrior after they have triumphantly sacked a city. But
when Agamemnon takes away Briseïs from him, in replacement for the daughter of
Apollo’s priest the king has to give back, Achilles turns very mad and walks out to his
camp saying that he is withdrawing from the war with the Trojans. A line from Rouse’s
translation shows this particular scene where Achilles confronts Agamemnon of his
inequality.

“Ha! Greedy heart, shamelessness in royal dress! How could any man be willing
to obey you, whether on some errand or in the battlefield? I cared nothing about
the Trojans when I came here to fight; they had done nothing to me….No, it was
you shameless man! You care nothing…and now you threaten me to rob me of
my prize, which I worked hard to get, which the army gave me. I never get a prize
equal to yours if our men capture some town; but most of the fighting is done by
hands. Only when sharing-time comes, you get most of the good things, and I
have a scrap to comfort me – not much, but all I can get! – As I come back tired
of fighting. Now I will just go home to Phthia…” Book I, pg. 14

In here we see how attached Achilles is to worldly prizes. It was hard for him to
accept that someone has taken away what was rightfully his. He acts childishly and warns
Agamemnon that he would abandon them in the war. People are often like this, we brag
too much on material possessions that we forgot what is really important. We stick to the
fact that in material things we find comfort. We also threaten to do things that would
cause the other individual a problem. On another angle, we can see also the greediness in
Agamemnon’s heart and his injustice towards his people. In the present times, our leaders
become so consumed of prosperity and power that they cannot see how their people are
suffering with their actions.

Another distinctive trait of Achilles was his manly features. But behind these
manly qualities, Achilles is still a child inside. From the previous statement, Achilles
walks away and calls for his mother over Agamemnon’s injustice to him. He’s like a little
boy who loses his ball and breaks down at home. Just like any mother would do, Thetis
then persuades Zeus to favor his son and make him glorious. Thetis’ greatest worry in life
is when his son would continue to battle with the Trojans and die of it. On the next line,
we can see how Achilles runs to his mother and cries over the injustice done to him in
Rouse’s version of the Iliad.

“O my Mother! I was born to die young, it is true, but honor I was to have from
Zeus Olympian, Thunderer on high! And now he has not given me one little bit!
 Yes, my lord King Agamemnon has insulted me! He has taken away my prize and
keeps it, he has robbed me himself.” Book I, pg. 17
In every great story there is always this great significance of our mothers. Like
Achilles, an attachment between him and his mother makes them so close to one another.
Motherhood is given meaning in the story, even in the part where Hector parts from his
family. Andromache was much devastated to think of the possibility that Hector would
die and their son Astyanax will grow without a father. It is the same in our situations
today; the very first person who gets affected with our actions is our mother. It is to them
that we confide all our problems in life and it is them who console us in our distress.

The preceding situations led to Achilles’ growing pride. He knew inside that he
was Sparta’s greatest warrior so he threatened them of withdrawing in the battle. He
became boastful of his ability, for he knew that his unwillingness to fight will make
Sparta lose their way, thus, disappointing Agamemnon who had insulted him. The
following passage from Rouse’s translation shows what resulted when Achilles did not
fight along with the Spartans - the Trojans have advanced before them, for their greatest
warrior was no where to be found. The line was Apollo’s motivation for the Trojans.

“On Trojans, on! Do not give way to the Achaeans! Their flesh is not iron or
stone – volley away and your points will cut their skins! And now there’s no
Achilles to fight for them – he is away by the ships, nursing his grievance in a
bitter heart!” Book IV, pg. 57

Only if Achilles acted professionally and set aside all his bitterness to
Agamemnon their battalion would easily be triumphant over Troy. All our personal
problems must be separated from the task we need to fulfill so as to succeed in it and that
others would not be disappointed with us. With his actions, Achilles left the Spartans
hanging in the battle.

Achilles’ harsh action cost him the life of his best friend, Patroclus, who disguised
himself as Achilles by wearing his armor and rallied the Greeks to war, but only losing
his life to Hector’s sword. On the next passage from Rouse’s translation of the Iliad, we
see how much Achilles was disturbed when he learns the death of his best friend and how
he grieved over it.

When Hector saw him retreating and wounded (Patroclus), he came near and
stabbed him in the belly: the blade run through, he fell with a dull thud, and
consternation took the Achaeans. So fell Patroclus, like a wild boar killed by a
lion…Patroclus Menoitiadês killed many men, but Hector Priamidês killed
him… Book XVI, pg. 201

“Bad news, my Lord Prince (Achilles)! I have very bad news for you, I am sorry
to say. Patroclus is dead…” Book XVIII, pg. 216

Sorrow fell to Achilles like a cloud. He swept up the dust with both hands, and
poured it over his head and smirched his handsome face, till the black dirt stained
 his fragrant tunic. He tore his hair and fell flat in the dust; grand in his
grandeur…Antilochos had taken the hands of Achilles and stood weeping beside
him in pain, while he moaned heavily, for he feared Achilles might put the steel to
his own throat. Book XVIII, pg. 216

He lay with Patroclus in his arms, weeping bitterly, while his comrades were
mourning around. Book XIX, pg. 228

This is the turning point of the Iliad – the Spartans regained hope, the Spartans
restored victory, the Spartans had Achilles back. He rejoins the war for revenge. In the
part, Achilles showed great love for a dear friend. He lowered himself, swallowed his
pride, reconciled with Agamemnon, and fought for Sparta again. Achilles dearly loved his
friend, that he cannot let a moment pass without getting back to the person who killed
Patroclus – Hector. On the next passage, Achilles showed how important his friend was
that he even treated his dead body well and how he was persuaded by his mother to
reconcile with Agamemnon. Achilles and Thetis were having a conversation on this part.

“Mother, this armor is indeed the work of immortal hands, such that no man
could make. Now I will get ready at once. But I am very much afraid the flies may
get into my dear friend’s wounds; worms will breed and make the flesh nasty –
there’s no life in it – the body will rot.”

“Do not trouble my child; I will see what I can do to keep off those savage tribes
of flies which batten on those killed in war…What you must do is call a meeting
of the princes, and denounce your feud against King Agamemnon. Then you may
arm yourself at once, and clothe you in your valour.” Book XIX, pg. 228 – 229

Forgetting his disagreement with Agamemnon and the foretelling of his doom,
Achilles gets motivated to demonstrate his might in the war again and kill Hector. It was
on this part where Achilles was now over his internal struggles – to be ally again with
Agamemnon after their dispute and continue to fight. His pride and the prophecy made
on his destiny held him back to be present in the battle. But Patroclus’ death lit the fuse of
the bomb in him – an angry Achilles, an angry Spartan warrior thirsting for revenge. Now
that he’s motivated, Achilles heads to Troy to get back at Hector.

Achilles moved to him full of fury…his right hand held poised the great
spear…he scanned Hector with ruthless heart, to see where the white flesh gave
the best opening for a blow…an opening showed where the collar-bones join the
neck to the shoulder, the gullet, where a blow brings the quickest death. Achilles
aimed, and the point went through the soft neck…he fell in the dust and Achilles
cried in triumph, “There, Hector…Now you shall be mauled by vultures and dogs,
and he shall be buried by a mourning nation!” Book XXII, pg. 261

And then he thought of a shameful outrage. He cut behind the sinews of both
Hector’s feet from the ankle to heel and strapped them together with leather
throng, and fastened them to his chariot leaving the head to drag. Then he laid
 the armor in the car, and got in himself and whipped the horses. Away they flew,
the dust rose as the body was dragged along… Book XXII, pg. 263
Achilles’ determination to take Hector’s life in exchange of his friend’s became
fruitful. He was not even contented to kill Hector; his revenge did not end there. He
treated Hector’s body scantily, dragging it on his chariot, thus, insulting the Greek and
Trojan Society. Desecration of a person’s dead body is a form of sacrilege on both
kingdoms. The next thing he did was to make the King of Troy, Priam, beg for his son’s
body. On the passage, we see Priam lower himself to a warrior just to get back his son’s
dead body.

“Tell me not yet to be seated, gracious prince, while Hector lays here uncared
for. I pray you set him free quickly, that I may look upon him; and accept the
ransom that we bring, a great treasure…” Book XXIV, pg. 293

Achilles might have taken revenge fruitfully, but his arrogance had now turned
him into a beast. He was no winner in his arrogant and rude ways. His anger have eaten
him up inside, making him no hero anymore but a person with a heart of stone. This
particular part tells us that we must not let our emotions take control over us; because of
insensitive emotional decisions we fail to remember the difference between what is
wrong and what is right – we tend to lose our way and get blinded by the wrong notions
that come into our minds.

On his last battle with the Trojans, the prophecy of his death was brought to life -
Achilles met his downfall. His anger led him to his own death. An arrow from Paris
ended the history of Sparta’s greatest warrior – Achilles. Even the bravest warrior has his
own weakness. As for Achilles, it was on his heels where the arrow that ended his life
landed. It implies to us that even the strongest person stumbles on the smallest stone.

Primarily, Homer’s Iliad tells us how wars greatly wreck many lives. The long
siege between the city of Sparta and Troy had taken away many innocent lives, destroyed
great friendships, and devastated happy families. No one is really a winner in war and
there’s no good in it. Homer’s work shows how fruitless disputes are; there is really no
use in proclaiming it against one another. Victory is not measured on the number of
people killed, but on the number of people that we’ve helped.

The epic also pictures to us the real image of a hero. Achilles is a hero to the
Spartans, but an enemy to the Trojans. A hero is not perfect all the time; he also has a
good and bad side. Yes, Achilles was a great warrior, but he’s anger turned him to a beast.
Yes, he was smart, but his pride and attachment to earthly prizes made him a fool. Yes, he
was brave, but the secret on his heel made him a coward. You see that not all good traits
can be attributed to a hero. He may seem to look perfect, but if he does not act perfect, he
will not be one.

What struck me most is that not all brave people are really brave. I can draw the
conclusion that when we get hurt, we all ran home and cry to the person who understands
us the most. It makes me contemplate on the thought that when people toss on the sea of
difficulty, they ran to their mothers and lock themselves up inside their own home’s
safety.

The line in the song “A Warrior is a Child” that says “They don’t know that I
come running home when I fall down, They don’t know who picks me up when no one is
around, I drop my sword and cry for just a while…’cause deep inside this armor a
warrior is a child,” can be implied to the character of Achilles. Behind all his mannish
features, he struggles with so many things and deals with different emotions that affect
his actions. If you took a closer look on the Iliad, you will discover how these noteworthy
qualities of Achilles are made known in the turn of events.

A message lies hidden in the wars contained on the novel, every brave warrior
feels pain and they long for a safe place of refuge. His ferocious acts cannot cover up the
fact that they are also normal people, people who try to conceal what they feel inside. The
great Achilles had in him some qualities that are not likely to be distinguished as his
because of the image he projects. He was a fearless warrior but what is unknown to us is
that, Achilles bragged over a prize, Achilles loved a woman, Achilles broke down to his
mother, Achilles cried over a friend, Achilles fought over many struggles, Achilles longed
for home, and Achilles felt the pain of every blow he received in his heart.