Violence In The Iliad

The Iliad, translated by Robert Fagles, is the bloody story of the clash between the Trojans and the Achaeans. The epic poem narrates the brutal war as a test of heroism and manliness. Pride and misunderstanding are woven into the battle like the threads of a macabre tapestry. In the story of the Iliad, it seems that human beings are cruelly slaughtered for the sake of gore and glory. Fagles describes the senseless slaughter after a long battle in book four, line 629, “That day ranks of Trojans, ranks of Achaeans fighters sprawled there side by side, facedown in the dust.” Both the Achaeans and the Trojans suffered immensely. Could there be found, in the midst of such carnage, an integral key to the meaning of the Iliad? Some of the most brutal and heart wrenching scenes of Homer’s epic poem are essential to understand the darker side of human nature and Greek culture. In the Iliad, Poseidon chastises crying boys, an example of the

However, the violence serves a purpose. Although bodies are mutilated, and young boys forced to kill for the sake of killing, the violence in the Iliad is essential to the plot. It helps the reader grasp the emotional range of the Greek people. It proves that human emotion cannot be changed through centuries. The heartbreaking scenes in the Iliad connect the past to the present. Though there are centuries between today, and ancient Greece, the loss of hero rings true. The insecurity and pressure heaped upon young males is experienced today, the corruption of nature, is a common problem. In the Iliad, Poseidon chastises crying boys, an example of the importance of masculinity to the Greeks; Achilles drags Hectors body around the walls, showing that grief can bring people together; Achilles piles the river high with bodies, proving the duality of the greek religion. Violence in the Iliad is important because it provides insight into human nature and Greek