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Ceasefire By Michael Longley
Poet’s purpose • Longley's title 'Ceasefire' marks a pause, not an end to conflict: "because at that time we were praying for an IRA ceasefire, I called the poem 'Ceasefire' and, hoping to make my own minute contribution, sent it to the Irish Times. It was the poem's good luck to be published two days after the IRA's declaration. Almost always a poem makes its own occasion in private. This was an exception, and I still find warming the response of several readers, some of them damaged or bereaved in the Troubles..."Since August 1994 I have read 'Ceasefire' many times in public. But only once or twice have I pointed out that the truce is temporary, that after the ceasefire the Trojan War is resumed and Achilles himself is killed. I suppose I was trying not to tempt fate."I did certainly have misgivings. In my poem as in my political attitude, was I pressurising those who had been bereaved or maimed to forgive before they were ready to forgive? Was I in my presumption suggesting that widows, widowers, orphans might kiss the hands (as it were) of self-appointed murderers and torturers?
Theme • The poem seems to urge conciliation and empathy, the sense that one's enemies' past tragedies are the same as one's own. It tactfully condemns neither side - indeed, it shows reverence towards the figures, though perhaps also implicating the sense of glory and idealization of the warrior which feeds into violence. It valorises Priam's courage to "do what must be done", an act of responsibility to one's kin, which is met with equal humanity; the final couplet is resolutely noble. • The jump between the poem's and title's two references - a span of millennia - suggests both the timeless and timely potential of poetry.
Characters • Although Achilles killed Hector in hatred and despoiled his body in rage, Longley shows his progression from anger to compassion through the intervention of Priam. He has said he was interested in the "tenderness" that accompanied "the power shift from Achilles to Priam." He finds this incident "very modern in its psychology.“ • The couplet at the end is read in a controlled monotone as if in this act of reconciliation Priam is overcoming his own hatred and desire for vengeance: something that many of those involved in the troubles could relate to.
Structure • Longley inverts the sequence of the narrative, holding Priam's words back until the concluding couplet of the sonnet. • In revealing only at that point the essential prerequisite to the recovery of Hector's body, he gives this act of reconciliation with an enemy its crucial role in the making of a truce.
Sonnet structure • The poem is a sonnet, with its quatrains and couplet separated into numbered stanzas. It is written in an iambic hexameter. • The even-numbered lines are rhymed in couplets, with the alternate lines left unrhymed. Each feature of the poem's form, therefore, simultaneously acknowledges traditional expectations while retaining a sense of departure by the adoption of formal irregularities.
Grief and Loss • It is possible to read the poem and the scene described, Achilles' return of Hector's corpse to his mourning father, Priam, as a mere re-rendering of the familiar portion of Homer's Iliad. However, 'Ceasefire' inhabits both the literary past and the political present. Longley's organisation of the events in his poem results in an emphasis on the mutual grief of the two men. The opening quatrain focuses on Achilles' empathy. • The experience of loss, as one that is shared by an entire community, is reflected by the story of Priam and Achilles. The poem deals with the universal experience of grief as a result of conflict.
Grief and Loss 2 • The shared 'sadness' gives the poem a sense of a single community, divided by a conflict in which everyone is a victim. • The poem explores the moment and meaning of ceasefire in a way which speculates about the mutual conditions necessary for an end to war'. • The experience of loss, as one that is shared by an entire community, is reflected by the story of Priam and Achilles.
Forgiveness • The poem itself makes no mention whatsoever to Northern Ireland; indeed, it is set some 3,000 years ago, and deals with a scene from Homer's Iliad - King Priam of Troy goes to Achilles to ask him for his son's body back. • But the underlying themes of forgiveness and reconciliation are a subtle reminder of the immortality, in a way, of human emotions
"Put in mind of his own father and moved to tearsAchilles took him by the hand and pushed the old kingGently away, but Priam curled up at his feet andWept with him until their sadness filled the building"This verse is touching for many reasons - firstly, it shows Priam, a proud, strong king, debasing himself in order to get his son's body back so he have a proper burial; what's more, he is humbling himself, from king to beggar, for the man who killed his son.It also shows us the human side to the hero Achilles. He is usually seen as a strong, ruthless fighter - but here we see him weeping, and embarrassed, because of the sheer strength and courage of Priam's gesture. • 'Ceasefire' is very moving, and very powerful, because of the number of themes it draws upon: human emotions, such as pride, love, compassion and forgiveness; history; the relationship between a father and his son; and as a very subtle political comment, set against the background of a 3,000-year-old classic situation.
Critical Essay Extract • This poem is a summary in sonnet form of the Iliad by Homer. ‘Ceasefire’ is an account of the aftermath of king Priam’s son Hector’s death. Achilles, who murdered Hector, is moved to pity and presents King Priam of Troy with his son’s ‘corpse’. The hidden message beneath the surface of the poem is that in life we all go through severe pain and in order to move forward in life we must recognize each other’s suffering and make a compromise or settlement. This topic relates to everyone as we all fight and make mistakes in everyday life. • Longley conveys his feelings for the problems in Northern Ireland very effectively. Like Priam, he believes we should all (Catholics and Protestants) ‘get down on our knees and do what must be done and kiss Achilles hand the killer of my son.’ We must be willing to identify each other’s grief however painful. • I admired Longley’s ability to turn such a fierce legendary warrior as Achilles into a sensitive, thoughtful, compassionate individual. I felt that the description of both honourable ‘Gods’ weeping softly together ‘until their sadness filled the building’ was an exceptionally touching image.
Language • Longley in the sonnet uses tender, intimate, domestic, familial words, images and actions in order to define the personal relationship established between Priam, King of Troy, and Achilles the Greek warrior. In doing so Longley depicts the traditional epic hero figures of Homer's grand narrative as respectful, friendly, empathetic human beings rather than the hostile, warring enemies of classical mythology. For example, quatrain III's lines: • 'When they had eaten together, it pleased them both / • To stare at each other's beauty as lovers might'. These poetic effects arise as a result of Longley choosing the personal and intense lyric voice of the sonnet form for handling his war theme.
Relevance? How, and in what ways, might the episode from Homer's 'Iliad' help Longley as a poet engage with the 'Ulster Troubles' and we, as readers, with other political conflicts and wars taking place in the world today?
