The Iliad - Some Thoughts
I'm not finished reading The Iliad yet. This is my first experience reading Homer, and it's about time. I wanted to read some Homer in my lifetime. As a high school student, 'Ancient History', as it was called, was one of the most confusing classes I took. There were too many gods and goddesses to remember. Mythology was an unknown when I began the course. I wondered why anybody would need to study this.
Because I am a slow reader, I opened The Iliad in early summer, and got to page 23. I closed it. A week went by. I opened The Iliad and got to page 25. I closed it. I opened The Iliad and flipped through it. All those gods and goddesses, after all these years, were back 'to haunt me'!
I was in Chapters Book Store one day in July, rummaging around, and came across a book that I thought might give me some background before I attempted to read The Iliad again. Not being a History student, I had no idea whether this author was any good or not, but I liked the title of his book: Sailing The Wine-Dark Sea Why the Greeks Matter. It's by Thomas Cahill. The book captured my attention, and found I was anxious to get back to it when I had to put it down to do something else. After I read Cahill's book, I decided I could read The Iliad. I received what I believe was some good advice from a friend who said: don't try to start from the beginning of The Iliad figuring out all the characters because you will go mad - just read the book through, and you will be surprised how it will come together for you. This was my approach to begin reading, and it worked for me. Normally, I want to have the characterization clear at the beginning, because it makes me feel like I'm actually understanding the book.
I have been enjoying The Iliad immensely! This epic is packed with action. The movement reminds me of that game played at picnics - 'tug-of-war' because it is back and forth. When it's going well for one side, it's going very well, and when it's going badly, it's going very badly. There is so much detail about the action I find I can't sit and read it for hours at a stretch. I get tired because I'm caught up by it and feel like I'm actually there in the war. I tend to read for awhile, take a break and do something else, and then read for awhile again.
I have some observations I would like to share.
I find myself drawn to be in favour of one particular side winning this war.
I cannot believe that one woman could possibly cause this much blood to be shed.
The longer the war goes on, (because the violence angers me), the more I wish to get inside Troy and 'shake the bejeebers' out of Helen. Oh, that really makes sense doesn't it? I don't like violence, but I feel like being violent! (Yes, we humans are full of paradox).
I think the characterization in this book is amazing to have had this effect on me.
I have asked myself whether other people who read The Iliad might be drawn to hope for the other side. Further to this thought, I have wondered whether Homer intended for the reader to be drawn to one particular side. It's an interesting thought, because writers do not write without motive. Perhaps by the time I finish the book this question will be answered for me.
How many years ago did Homer write this? And I can still get excited about this? All I can say is WOW!
Because I am a slow reader, I opened The Iliad in early summer, and got to page 23. I closed it. A week went by. I opened The Iliad and got to page 25. I closed it. I opened The Iliad and flipped through it. All those gods and goddesses, after all these years, were back 'to haunt me'!
I was in Chapters Book Store one day in July, rummaging around, and came across a book that I thought might give me some background before I attempted to read The Iliad again. Not being a History student, I had no idea whether this author was any good or not, but I liked the title of his book: Sailing The Wine-Dark Sea Why the Greeks Matter. It's by Thomas Cahill. The book captured my attention, and found I was anxious to get back to it when I had to put it down to do something else. After I read Cahill's book, I decided I could read The Iliad. I received what I believe was some good advice from a friend who said: don't try to start from the beginning of The Iliad figuring out all the characters because you will go mad - just read the book through, and you will be surprised how it will come together for you. This was my approach to begin reading, and it worked for me. Normally, I want to have the characterization clear at the beginning, because it makes me feel like I'm actually understanding the book.
I have been enjoying The Iliad immensely! This epic is packed with action. The movement reminds me of that game played at picnics - 'tug-of-war' because it is back and forth. When it's going well for one side, it's going very well, and when it's going badly, it's going very badly. There is so much detail about the action I find I can't sit and read it for hours at a stretch. I get tired because I'm caught up by it and feel like I'm actually there in the war. I tend to read for awhile, take a break and do something else, and then read for awhile again.
I have some observations I would like to share.
I find myself drawn to be in favour of one particular side winning this war.
I cannot believe that one woman could possibly cause this much blood to be shed.
The longer the war goes on, (because the violence angers me), the more I wish to get inside Troy and 'shake the bejeebers' out of Helen. Oh, that really makes sense doesn't it? I don't like violence, but I feel like being violent! (Yes, we humans are full of paradox).
I think the characterization in this book is amazing to have had this effect on me.
I have asked myself whether other people who read The Iliad might be drawn to hope for the other side. Further to this thought, I have wondered whether Homer intended for the reader to be drawn to one particular side. It's an interesting thought, because writers do not write without motive. Perhaps by the time I finish the book this question will be answered for me.
How many years ago did Homer write this? And I can still get excited about this? All I can say is WOW!
posted by maggiesong at 4:11 PM
5 Comments:
Greig...thanks for your comments on The Iliad. I appreciate what you wrote. Yes, there are a myriad of characters, as well as gods and goddesses, and I think this is why it could be confusing. And yes, it is like the Book of Numbers isn't it? After I got into the poem and felt comfortable with it, I went to do some reading on the gods and goddesses.
I'm going to give you two links here, and it seems to me that on one of these, there is a geneology chart for them. I find Athena interesting to read about because she was apparently born from Zeus' mind, rather than by normal means of procreation, and was his favorite. I like Athena too. I hope you find these links as helpful as I did.
http://department.monm.edu/classics/Courses/CLAS230/MythDocuments/Pantheon/Pantheon.htm
http://www.the-pantheon.com
These don't appear to be coming up as live links here, so you will have to copy and paste to your browser.
Hmmmm....you were cheering for the Trojans and I was cheering for the Achaians. I didn't want to be on anyone's side per se when I began the book, but rather, to try to read objectively. Somewhere in about the middle of the book, however, I got pulled into the battle.
I think Helen is self-centred too. I have a thing about mothers abandoning their children, but I suppose that's the power of Aphrodite working. It indicates that this powerful force can make people do things they otherwise might not do. In psychology, I would suspect that both Paris and Helen would be considered as functioning in the id. As far as Paris goes, initially he is more interested in diddling while Rome burns, so-to-speak. Any sense of responsibility toward community leaves both Helen and Paris sadly lacking.
I think carting other peoples' wives off as trophies was common. Women were possessions.
The action in The Iliad reminds me of stories of the Vikings....lots of blood and guts, but always time to come together with the boys and share 'a few beers' after a hard day of work.
I haven't got your comment in front of me as I write this comment back to you Greig, but you mentioned Menelaus. I haven't read any other Homer, so I cannot comment about the difference you see in The Iliad with regard to him. In The Iliad, I see him as a man who is past his physical fighting prime, but who has gained, over his years of being a warrior, a certain amount of wisdom, and knows that his experience is worth more at this point than his weakening brawn.
I found at least one grammatical error on reading my response to you Greig. "Any sense of responsibility toward community, leaves both Helen and Paris lacking." (Once again, I don't have my previous comment in front of me, so I'm trying to recall how I had worded the sentence). "Leaves" should be "leave. A much better sentence structure would have been "Helen and Paris appear to lack any sense of responsibility toward community." I'm trying to become more astute with regard to grammar thanks to Roger!
Olivia, thank you for the note you left on the book. It sounds like a good read, and something that I will make note of. It sounds as though you have thoroughly enjoyed this book.
I do have a book called "The Myths of Greece and Rome" by H.A. Guerber that I purchased a couple of years ago, and it contains stories mixed with poetry that has been written about the myths. I have to admit I have not read this from cover to cover, but only used it as a reference tool.
I feel as though I'm late getting started in reading and appreciating some of the writing that has been done by keen minds and expressive spirits over the centuries.
Olivia...I forgot to ask you why you think the gods' and goddesses' names were thrown around recklessly in The Iliad. I found that they appeared as agents that explained why a particular person was acting as they were at a particular time in the epic, or to flesh out a particular character and show how they were possessed by the characteristics of gods/goddesses. I found your comment interesting.
Kristyn! Thanks for your comment. I like the description you used, about the dominant characters beginning to emerge as the Iliad unfolds. I found that this was when the epic began to become so much more interesting.
Thanks also for your tip on the Collins book with regard to Mythology.
I looked inside the cover of my Oxford Paperback Reference book on Literary Terms that I purchased in the York Bookstore on the suggestion of my first English prof. It has served me well. It's less than $20.00, and contains more than 1,000 terms.
Kristyn, you were asking about a book on Biblical characters. I looked inside my Oxford, and they also publish an Oxford Paperback Reference book on "Bible". I'm not sure if this would be the books of the Bible and an overview of each, or whether it would be names.
Post a Comment
<< Home