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The Iliad Today. Why do we still read classical literature?. Why study the Greeks and Romans? .
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The Iliad Today Why do we still read classical literature?
Why study the Greeks and Romans? • They are all dead, their civilization is dead and gone, they were polytheists. What do they have to say to us?Just as Latin is not dead, it is also true that Greece and Rome are not dead. They, too, are immortal in their architecture, art, law, government, languages, mythology, literature, and philosophy. • The cultures of Greece and Rome live around and through us every day.
Iliad • The Iliad is a book about a Civil War. • It is a book about all wars, about the people and characters that you find in every war—actually, in every town!—the wise, the foolish, the clever, the noble, the base, the ambitious, the women, the old, and the young. • It is about their pettiness, their heroism, their adventures, their sacrifices, and their sufferings. • TheIliad is mostly about people, not war, and it gives us unforgettable and universal character types.
Cleopatra In art, literature, and poetry, Helen is one of the most confusing characters of antiquity – is she really looking for power and love or is she a victim?
Achilles • Character type: • Divine birth • Achilles is extremely emotionally volatile and full of pride. • Achilles' grief is extreme. He swears to get revenge, knowing that it will mean his own death. • There is only one way to defeat him/his character type; his most sensitive, or weakest point.
Hector and Achilles • With the gods many interventions in the battle for the city of Troy, many men met their end on the field of battle. • No exception to this was Achilles and Hector. Although both men lost their lives, Hector had much more to lose. • While Achilles knew that by entering the battle his life would end, he favored his ego and chose to live on in legend. • While Hector knew he must defend his people, he dreaded the knowledge of his family falling to the hands of invaders. Although Hector lost more in the bloody war, he would unknowingly be the victor in that his example of leadership and character would live on in parallel to Achilles’ egotism and flaws.
Achilles is a natural born diva: exceptional, untouchable, demanding, and uncompromising Hector is a natural born leader: devoted, courageous, consistent, and well-rounded.
What does Achilles teach us?Be careful what you wish for…. • In many cases the character repents of his/her ill-considered wish and things revert to normal — though in some stories the character is stuck in the new situation and forced to deal with the consequences of his/her thoughtless wish. • Achilles asks Zeus to help the Trojans punish the Greeks, which ends in his friend Patroclus' death fighting the empowered Trojans.
Beware of Greeks bearing Gifts… In reality, the “Trojan” horse was a Greek horse. It was the Trojans who fell for the ruse by the Greeks. The Greeks' wooden horse was filled with Greek fighters who overpowered the Trojans
Trojan Horse at the Mt Olympus Theme Park, Wisconsin Dells, WI
Another theme …Dressing as the Enemy/Undercover To achieve an end; Odysseus and Diomedes both dress as the enemy, someone they aren’t. Princess Leia: Aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper? Luke: What? Oh, the uniform. <pulls off helmet> I'm Luke Skywalker. I'm here to rescue you. Princess Leia: You're who?— Star Wars: A New Hope
Death of a close friend • In this theme, two heroes are intensely close friends. Unfortunately, one of them (usually the one who's not the main character) dies during the course of the story. The death has a profound effect on the remaining hero, and changes them forever. • It's important to note that • The two cannot just be friends or acquaintances. They have to be REALLY close, and • The character's death needs to be a huge turning deathpoint in the story. Duke and Roadblock Bubba And Forrest Gilgamesh and Enkidu Romeo and Mercutio Kirk and Spock
Art This stamp, issued by Bhutan, commemorates the return of Briseis.
Greek and Roman classics first told those stories that reverberate through all of literature • The classics of Greece and Rome provide us with a set of connected stories and a cast of characters that teach us what it means to be human. • They are also the basis of literature, teaching us about the natural man (man at his best and worst, but natural man). • They don't give us the answers that we find in revelation, but they do give us the questions.
