Animal Uses And Use Of Similes In The Iliad

Lying in the cover of wheat-yellow shrub, a cheetah waits patiently for its prey; in contrast, a herd of gazelles peacefully drink from a water hole. The cheetah tenses, ready to make its move; the gazelles tense up, fear in their eyes. In the blink of an eye the cheetah launches after the herd; a chase, albeit a short one, ensues. The cheetah reaches its chosen prey, and the kill is complete. From an ecological perspective, the hunt can be seen as a battle––a conquest between the weak and the strong in which those who win survive. In the Iliad, similes are frequently utilized to showcase the violence in the text as natural, highlighting the characters’ lack of decision making––be it because of the primitive nature of war, or the gods’ influence––in

The aforementioned excerpt starts off with its longest line at the beginning and progressively gets shorter. By shaping this part of the Iliad into an inverted pyramid, Homer emphasizes the ever-decreasing distance between Achilleus and Hektor. The simile’s structure also seems to stress the characters’ humanity and its quick devolution to more basic, animalistic behaviors. In addition, Homer’s use of an extended sentence, instead of brief statements, brings to surface the prolonged nature of both battle and the hunt. By emphasizing the drawn-out nature of the chase, Homer adds some meaning and depth to Achilleus’ actions. The confrontation between Achilleus and Hektor isn’t a random skirmish on the battlefield where two warriors randomly face off––it is purposeful and driven by

It is important to note that the Iliad is originally a poem told by many bards and storytellers; by using similes, Homer compliments the spoken word of the Iliad with a visual component. In certain scenes, Homer utilizes similes in the Greeks’ favor, elevating their battle prowess in comparison to the Trojans. Presented to a primarily Greek audience, Homer’s particularity in bolstering the Greek army plays to the bias of the audience––augmenting the atmosphere of the crowd. The implementation of similes throughout the epic is vital to the poem as it provides the Greek audience with a brief respite from the practically nonstop gore of