Prof. Bretton Rodriguez October 5, 2016 The Iliad Prof. Bretton Rodriguez October 5, 2016

Outline: I. Review II. Historical Context III. Textual Background IV. Main Themes of Book I V. Afterlife of The Iliad

Section I: Review

Key Terms: Myth Once believed to be true by a specific people or culture Attempts to explain the the nature of the world Provides a rationale for social customs and beliefs Establishes rules by which people can live their lives Epic A long narrative poem dealing with heroic deeds and often associated with war, vengeance, and adventure Written in an elevated style and concerns a heroic or semi- divine figure whose actions have a national or even cosmic importance

Key Terms (2): Monotheism Polytheism Anthropomorphism The doctrine or belief that there is one god alone Polytheism System of belief in which there is more than one god Anthropomorphism Non-human beings and objects that are described or thought of as being like humans in appearance, behavior, etc.

Gilgamesh: c.1800-1600 BCE Genesis: c.950-650 BCE

The Iliad: c.800 BCE

Iliad - Overview Earliest work of the European Literary Tradition Covers a few weeks within a ten-year war Composed in an archaic form of Ionian Greek Written in dactylic hexameter Epic poem Begins in the middle of the action Heroes and gods are characters Was part of a larger epic cycle Oral composition 24 Books Over 15,000 lines Formal rhyme scheme made it easier to remember

Section II: Historical Context

The Trojan War: c.1200 BCE

The Hellenic World: c.800-500 BCE

The Homeric Question(s): Did a poet named Homer compose The Iliad and the Odyssey? Were they composed by the same author? Were they composed at the same time? How is it possible to remember a 15,000+ line poem?

Section III: Textual Background

Early Manuscripts:

Problem of Translation: Example of original Greek: Iliad, lines 1-21

English Translations (Pope): The Wrath of Peleus' Son, the direful Spring Of all the Grecian Woes, O Goddess, sing! That Wrath which hurl'd to Pluto's gloomy Reign The Souls of mighty Chiefs untimely slain; Whose Limbs unbury'd on the naked Shore Devouring Dogs and hungry Vultures tore. Since Great Achilles and Atrides strove, Such was the Sov'reign Doom, and such the Will of Jove.

English Translations (Lattimore): Sing, goddess, the anger of Peleus' son Achilles and its devastation, which put pains thousand-fold upon the Achaians, hurled in their multitudes to the house of Hades strong souls  of heroes, but gave their bodies to be the delicate feasting of dogs, of all birds, and the will of Zeus was accomplished....

English Translations (Lombardo): Rage: Sing, Goddess, Achilles' rage, Black and murderous, that cost the Greeks Incalculable pain, pitched countless souls Of heroes into Hades' dark, And left their bodies to rot as feasts For dogs and birds, as Zeus' will was done.

Section IV: Main Themes of Book I

Summary of Book I Introduction to the world of The Iliad Introduces the audience to the various divine, semi- divine, and mortal characters Establishes the conflict that will be developed throughout the rest of the poem Explores several of the main themes, which will be further developed throughout The Iliad

1. Role of the Gods How do we interpret the role of the gods in The Iliad? Are they different than the gods in Gilgamesh? How much control do they have over events?

Book I, Lines 205-219 Athena came, sent by the white-armed goddess Hera, who loved and watched over both men. She stood behind Achilles and grabbed his sandy hair, Visible only to him … Athena’s eyes glared through the sea’s salt haze. “I came to see if I could check this temper of yours, Sent from heaven by the white-armed goddess Hera, who loves you and watches over both of you men.

2. Heroic Ideal What does it mean to be a hero in The Iliad? Is Achilles a hero at the beginning? What is the importance of honor?

Book I, Lines 361-377 Then Achilles, in tears … He prayed over and over to his beloved mother: “Mother, since you bore me for a short life only, Olympian Zeus was supposed to grant me honor. Well, he hasn’t given me any at all. Agamemnon Has taken away my prize and dishonored me.” … And Thetis, now weeping herself: “My poor child. I bore you for sorrow, Nursed you for grief … Now you’re destined for both an early death And misery beyond compare.

3. Importance of Destiny What is the role of destiny in The Iliad? Can the characters in The Iliad change their destiny? What is its relationship to the gods?

Book I, Lines 521-562 Thetis did not forget // Her son’s request … “Father Zeus, if I have ever helped you In word or deed or among the immortals, Grant me this prayer: Honor my son, doomed to die young … Give the Trojans the upper hand until the Greeks Grant my son the honor he deserves.” … This provoked a troubled, gloomy response: “This is disastrous. You’re going to force me Into conflict with Hera … And so you can have some peace of mind, I’ll say yes to you by nodding my head, The ultimate pledge. Unambiguous, Irreversible, and absolutely fulfilled, What I say yes to with a nod of my head.” And the son of Cronus nodded.

Section V: Afterlife of The Iliad

Myths of Origin: Greek and Trojan origins become incredibly important in the Ancient and Medieval worlds Various nations created origin myths that linked themselves to individual heroes from the war: Rome France Germany England Spain Iceland

Modern Retellings of the Trojan War

Thank you!