Mythology final review

Chaos to order - how from chaoes came the gods that brought about order

the role of the female and the masculine vs feminine traits of unviersal forces - the mothers are typically the ones to initiate the plot against the Kyrios(Master), the females were more interested in preserving the welfare of the family, females had to rely on the males to do their bidding, the females are tricky and scheming

invocation of the muses asking them to help him speak - could also be used as an escape if ever questioned ( the gods told me to say this)

teleological myth

Invocation of the muses

Primordials vs titans - sky keeps pushing the titants back into gia's womb

revolt of kronos and subsequent castration of ouranos and birth of aphrodite and the furies from his genitals

titans vs olympians - Kronos copulates with Rhea adn eats his children (olympians), Rhea devises a plan to hide zeus in crete, zeus defeats kronos with the help of the hundred handers, zeus battles typhon, the one prophesized to overthrow him and defeats typhon.

Prometheus - he is introduced and then later punished to the underworld, heracles saves him under zeus' orders, sacrifice at mekone performed by promethues was a first and he thought he could trick them by offering the indedible parts of the animals, as punishment for that zeus keeps fire to himself and does not introduce it to humans so prometheus steals it, becuase he steals it they get pandora the first woman

hermes is a one day old baby and wants meat and goes to look for apollos cattle, gets distracted by tortoise and tricks it to come back to his cave to gut it and use its shell to make a liar

hermes steals apollos cows and makes them walk backwards to avoid people noticing

cuts up two cattle for sacrifice at a river for sacrifice

doesnt eat the meat even though he is hungry

accused of his mother for being a rogue

morning arrives and apollo relaizes his cattle is stolen and follows the tracks and finds the farmer that saw hermes and leads apollo to the cave

apollo drags hermes to olympos and for zeus' judgement and zeus is delighted by hermes' cunningness and tells them to make up

hermes brings out the liar and temtps apollo and convinces him to give the cattle and he is now an accetped member of the olympian gods

gives an account of the birth of hermes and how he managed to sneak his way into a place of honor among the gods

there is no domain for hermes to rule over as everything has already been divied up, he was the last born, this is alluded to by the strange brith of hermes where he was born in a dark cave

the gods live on olympos but not hermes; the gods dont eat meat they eat ambrosia and nectar; this is meant to question is hermes a god, he craves meat etc, the contradiction is his refrain from eating the cows meat earlier in the book

Hermes received his place among the gods through his trickery inventivness and exchange, this would become his domain

apollo is the main antagonist and hermes is the main protagonist, Hermes is always playing tricks with apollo and stealing from him, this is becuase the domains they cover, apollo is concerned with boundaries and hierarchies and hermes is a god who crosses those boundaries and so serves as the messenger of the gods

hermes and apollo represent polar opposites

the crossing of boundaries is a reaffirmation of the boundaries and the reconciliation between hermes and apollo shows the need for both the boundaries and the corssing of them

hermes is funny, making his opponents laugh but is also a brat

the hymn plays out like a family fued; a story of how the younger brother covets the belongings and position of the older brother

the contrast between hermes' divine persona and his 1 day old baby body is notable ; he uses his appearance to fiegn innocence

its a celebration about demeter and persephone and their cosmic role
no mention of city of athens in the poem so the poem is likely composed before athens took over the city

speaks about and to the female expirience, the action of the poem was instigated by hades but it is the females that dominate the narritive

hades speaks only once and zeus has no direct role in the poem

the poet highlights the female characters with the loss of demeters daughter and Persephone's suffering with the kidnapping and the bond between the two of them

this kidnapping could be a metaphor for marriage, the marriage between persephone and hades was planned by zeus (kyrios), when it happened it was mourned like a death, marriying hades is technically death but she is immortal so cannot die

marriage is equated to death:
-when a daughter was married off to the husband she became part of his household
-she would cut off ties with her original family and belonged almost entirely to the husband family and so could be considered dead to her old family

begins with a disclaimer that the kidnapping of persephone occured not just becuase of lust but with the sanction of zeus, part of his divine plan

we are told of the innocence of persephone - playing in the fields and comes a trap (the most beatiful flower ever) when she goes to pick it up a hole opens up and hades takes her to the underworld. she cries for help from zeus but he does nothing

demeter hears the cries but does not know where persephone went, Demeter is lost running around desperate to try to find her daughter and no one would dare help her as it was ordered by zeus, becuase of this she did not ear or drink for 9 days

finally helios tells demter that is was zeus who ordered the kidnapping and she avoids all the gods because of this

demeter disguises herself as an old woman and still is recognised as godlike and is invited into the house

Lambe manages to somehow cheer up demeter and she eventually ends up working at celeus as a nurse

demeter tries to makethe son of meteria immortal, the mother of the son panics when she sees that the son is put into an open flame and saves the son, now the son demophoon is no longer able to become immortal, this makes demeter angry and she reveals her true self leaving the family in awe

demeter continues mourning causing a year of famine until zeus intervenes. she refuses to stop the famine until she lays eyes on her daughter, before persephone leaves the underworld hades gives her a pomegranite seed that binds her to the underworld

an agreement is made with persephone spending 1/3 time of the year in the underworld and the rest in the heavens with her mother, this expalins the seasons

capture of chryseis and bryseis, awarded to agamemnon and achilles respectively

chryses father of chryseis begs for the return of his daughter and when agamemnon refuses, he calls upon apollo who brings plague onto the achaians, achilles calls assembly overruling agamemnons power. Kalchas reveals the reason for the plague and why apollo is angry with the condition of protection from achilles. They find out it was becuase of agamemnons refusal to return chryseis. agamemnon says if he is to give up his prize he will take achilles' prize (bryseis). Achilles feels dishonored from this request from agamemnon and refuses to fight the war if his prize is taken.

agamemnon still takes bryseis with little struggle from achilles and returns chryseis to appease apollo.

achilles is mad and calls on his mother thetis to use her influence on zeus to make him side with the trojans to wipe out his own side, the achaians. Thetis visits zeus and agrees to help the trojans but is in fear of his wife who hates the trojans

concepts of pride and honor are introduced and concepts of TIME and GERAS. Both achilles and agamemnon feel their honor has been compromised from giving up their GERAS (the women).

Both heroes' Hubris(pride) blinds them from the greater good

theme of the nature of the realtionship between the humans and the gods, sometimes the heroes seem to have free will and others the gods are making the decisions for them and other times neither the gods or humans make the decsions it just is what it is

zeus sends a fraudulent dream to agamemnon that he can defeat the trojans once nad forall the next battle in the morning so agamemnon plans a full assault on the trojans

agamemnon proposes a speedy retreat and the troops reacts very positively to this and start packing up, hera through odysseus convinces the army to stay - divine intervention

hektor orders his troops to meet the achaians on the plains in front of troy

the gods are not always concerned with the consequences their actions may have on the humans. The false dream causes death and destruction for both Greeks and Trojans, but that fact does not enter into of Zeus' thinking. That humans are mortal is of little importance to the immortal gods.

honor is focused on, with thersites arguement to leave and the war is not worth the honor and that agamemnon always gets the biggest share of the spoils, odysseus rips into him pointing out that he is a commoner and has no honor which is reinforced by his ugly appearance

the two armies advance and paris steps forward challenging any greek to step forward to fight him, Meneloas steps forward and Paris is overcome by fear and terror and retreats back within the trojan ranks. Paris kidnapped helen, wife of Meneloas

Hektor, paris brother finds him and give scolds him for retreating and so feeling ashamed he agrees to the duel, both sides come to a truce to watch this duel, Paris is quickly defeated and taken hostage by meneloas and is being dragged back towards achaian ranks when aphrodite intervenes and saves paris, her favorite warrior, she conceals him and brings him to his bedroom in troy

agamemnon steps forward and states that meneloas is the undeniable winner and demands the return of helen

Helen and Paris are overcome with carnal passion represented by Aphrodite and her threats is quite plain here. Helen would like to choose the honorable warrior, Menelaos, but her sexuality and passion control her and she returns to the bed of Paris, who is also unable to control his passionate nature and complete his battle with Menelaos

Book III makes it clear that human passion must be controlled if men are to be successful. By fighting with Menelaos and abiding by the terms of the truce, Paris could end the war that his actions caused. However, Paris can no more control his passion than Helen can control hers

The gods meet in conference on Olympos. Zeus proposes that because Menelaos has obviously won the duel, the long, nine-year war be brought to a close. Hera and Athena dislike this course of action, and Hera, in particular, protests to Zeus, she wants complete destruction of troy

At Troy, Athena seeks out Pandaros, one of the Trojan leaders, and tempts him to kill Menelaos, thereby gaining great glory. Pandaros acts on her advice and He shoots an arrow at Menelaos as the truce is still in effect. but Athena makes sure that it only wounds Menelaos becuase she just wants the battle to begin anew. Agamemnon and the Achaians are shocked by this violation of the truce and by the seemingly serious injury to Menelaos.

the trojans advance and Agamemnon immediately orders his troops to prepare to fight, and he goes through the ranks of his army, praising the men. The Achaians respond to their king's spirit and they eagerly and cheerfully arm themselves and fall into line. The war begins again.

Agamemnon's attitude toward his warriors is similar to Zeus' attitude toward the other gods. His comments are intended to produce a particular response. Zeus mocks another god to produce a particular reaction. Agamemnon criticizes or praises based on his assessment of the warrior's personality

The significant comparison between the scenes involving the gods and those involving Agamemnon and the troops is that for the gods, their decisions are almost jokes, but for agamemnon his praises and criticisms are a matter of life and death

Pandaros' shot at meneloas is significant, if he didnt take the shot the war could have ended

When Pandaros wounds Diomedes, the valiant Achaian soldier appeals to Athena for aid. She answers him by giving him additional courage, plus the privilege of being able to distinguish gods from men. She warns him, however, not to fight against any of the gods — with the exception of Aphrodite

He kills many Trojans, including Pandaros, and then he wounds Aeneas, the son of the goddess Aphrodite. Diomedes takes the splendid horses of Aeneas as a war prize and is about to finish off Aeneas himself when Aphrodite comes down to protect her son. Diomedes pursues her and wounds her in the hand. Apollo carries Aeneas off to safety in the temple at Pergamos.

Ares, the savage god of war, enters the Trojan ranks and helps Hektor rally his forces. With his aid, Hektor and the Trojan army again attempt to advance. the strong and brutal influence of Ares is felt, and the Achaians gradually begin to withdraw toward their camp.

Hera and Athena then fly to the aid of the Achaians, after gaining permission from Zeus to bring Ares under control. On the plains before Troy, Hera gives fresh strength to the Achaians while Athena brings the now-wounded Diomedes back to the fray. Athena advises him to not be scared of any god or human and then he encounter ares adn stabs him in the belly sending him back to olympos

That gods and goddesses enter the battle is an example of the anthropomorphic nature of Greek gods. That is, they have human shapes, emotions, and other qualities. Aphrodite's concern for her son and her favoritism toward the Trojans are her obvious motivations in entering the battle. Zeus generally tries to keep the gods out of the battle, though this effort often proves futile.

The Trojan force is in full retreat when Helenos, a soothsayer, suggests that his brother Hektor return to Troy and arrange for the queen and the other royal women of the city to make an offering in the temple of Athena in hopes of placating the goddess.

Agamemnon orders Menelaos to kill Adrestus even though Menelaos' intends to spare the Trojan. Diomedes and Glaukos step into the area between the two resting armies and challenge each other to personal combat. They discover, however, while explaining their individual pedigrees, that there were once ties of friendship between their grandfathers; thus, according to the heroic code, they must maintain these same bonds of friendship. (xenia). they trade armor

Hektor instructs his mother, Hekuba, about the rites to be held in Athena's temple, and then he goes to find Paris, who has been absent from the battlefield. He discovers his brother at home with Helen and her handmaidens, and he sternly rebukes him for his irresponsibility. Paris admits that he has been disgracing himself, and he prepares himself to join the fight

Hektor goes to visit his wife and son, his wife says for hektor to be carful as achilles slew all her family except hektor, he says he cant let other trojans fight without him, he goes to hug his son and the baby gets scared, he then takes off his helmet and hugs his son, his epithet is hektor of the shining helm, and it exactly that that his son is scared of.

hekttor and paris return to the battle

a distinctive movement from cold-heartedness to tenderness, from barbarity to honor occurs. The opening savagery is represented by Agamemnon, who forces Menelaos to kill the prisoner Adrestus

Agamemnon's brutality is immediately contrasted with the kinship discovered by Glaukos and Diomedes.

The end of Book VI is the famous scene between Hector and Andromache and their infant son, Astyanax. Most commentators consider this scene to be the most moving in the Iliad. It is a portrait of the warrior at home, war forgotten as he watches his son play and talks with his wife. Hektor's family becomes a symbol for all the soldier's families, what their lives could be if there were no war. Once again, Hektor is the perfect contrast to Achilles. As Hektor stands in the loving circle of his home and family, Achilles, alienated and alone, rages in his tent. Achilles is more dangerous, but Hektor is more human

However, Homer makes it clear that both Hektor and Achilles are alike in one respect — they will fight and die for honor over all else. Home, family, peace — all mean everything to Hektor, yet he will return to the battle, knowing he will be killed, because honor demands it

apollo and athena arrange a duel to stop the carnage between hektor and a greek hektor, the achaians cast lots and Aias is picked and they duel but no one comes out victorious and as it reaches dark they are seperated and exchange gifts

that night nestor proposes a truce to bury the dead and so that they may build a wall around the ships, and on the trojan side antenor suggests to return helen to which paris says he will return her belongings and some of his, they send a messanger over to the achaian camp to propose this and a truce to bury the dead, the achaians refuse the proposal but accept the truce

The next morning, the two armies collect their dead and conduct the funeral rites. At a council on Olympos, Zeus warns the gods that he is at last planning to bring the Trojan War to a finish and that any interference in favor of either side will be punished severely. However, when Athena asks to be allowed to advise the Achaians, Zeus consents.

not enough to talk about

in the morning, the Trojan forces come out of the city and the armies clash again. Zeus watches over the fighting from nearby Mount Ida and decides to give the day's victory to Troy. A furious battle ensues, and soon the Achaians are driven from the field in complete disorder. Most of the commanders flee also, and old Nestor is saved from Hektor's spear only by the courage of Diomedes

Hektor is everywhere, fighting bravely and cheering on his men. Hera and Athena prepare to intervene, but Zeus notices their approach. He repeats his earlier warning through his messenger, Iris, and the goddesses return to Olympos.

the achaian forces are driven back behind their walls and Hektor orders his army to camp on the plain for the night to prevent the Achaians from sailing off to safety in the darkness and to retain the advantage for the morning's assault.

Many critics and commentators have mentioned the beautiful simile that ends Book 8. In the simile the watch fires of the Achaian camp are compared to the stars. The simile ends with an image of the horses standing, waiting for dawn. The peacefulness of the simile contrasts with the barbarity of the fighting that has occurred in Books 7 and 8.

At an assembly of troops that night, even proud King Agamemnon bursts into tears. He says that the war is lost, and he suggests sailing home. His dejected soldiers receive this speech in silence, but Diomedes leaps to his feet, reminding the king of his responsibilities and reminding the troops of their heroic heritage

he reminds them that it is fated that Troy will eventually fall. This brave declaration restores the confidence of the army and, on the recommendation of Nestor, guards are posted at the wall and the troops disperse to their tents for dinner and sleep.

Nestor takes the floor and reminds Agamemnon that the absence of Achilles is causing the present distress of the army. The king admits that he was unwise to have insulted the great warrior. He decides to offer many valuable gifts, as well as the return of Briseis, if Achilles will rejoin the army

he refuses to accept the terms offered by Agamemnon. He cannot be bought or sold, he says, and nothing, even if it were all the wealth of Egypt, could erase Agamemnon's public insult. Therefore, he will not join in the battle, and in the morning, he and his men will sail for home.

it is reported back with great sorrow from agamemnon but diomedes reassures them it was foolish to try and appeal to someone so stubborn

Until now, it was possible to sympathize with Achilles because Agamemnon had clearly been in the wrong; but with Achilles' refusal to accept the honorable terms offered to him, he puts his injured pride above all other considerations, and the moral balance begins to fall against him

some believe that Achilles' reasons for refusing the offer are psychologically and morally valid because he does not need the gifts that Agamemnon offers to him. He knows that he will die shortly after the reconciliation is effected; and most importantly, he knows that if Agamemnon took away a gift earlier on a whim, then nothing will stop him from doing the same thing again.

Achilles has freely chosen not to accept an honorable settlement, and thus he is responsible for what follows — that is, the death of Patroklos.

Nestor advises that under cover of darkness a scout be sent into the Trojan camp. With luck, this maneuver will enable them to learn the strengths, as well as the plans, of the enemy.

Diomedes volunteers to reconnoiter behind the Trojan lines, and he selects Odysseus to accompany him. The two men arm themselves and set out. In the area between the camps, they capture Dolon, a Trojan nobleman who was sent by Hektor to conduct a reconnaissance of the Achaian camp. The warriors promise Dolon that they will not harm him and from him they learn useful information about the trojans. Diomedes then treacherously kills the Trojan spy.

The two Achaian heroes also learn that a new contingent of troops from Thrace lies asleep and unprotected on the Trojan flank. They kill many of these warriors until Apollo intervenes. they then return to camp and take a ritual bath

The events in Book X are violent, but there is no honor or nobility to offset the brutality.

The bath that Diomedes and Odysseus take in the sea at the end of Book X may be symbolic of their need to cleanse themselves both physically and spiritually of this dirty night's work.

Earlier, Athena had helped Odysseus and Diomedes; now Apollo helps the Trojans. This recurring theme of the gods' involvement in human affairs continues to emphasize the anthropomorphic nature of the Greek gods and to show how the two groups — gods and men — deal with similar concerns on different levels.

Achaians push back the trojans but many achaian leaders are injured and the trojans regain the ground they lost

he sends Patroklos to get information from old Nestor because his own pride will not allow him to show any interest in the fate of the Achaians.

old Nestor gives Patroklos a long account of the day's events, with many reminiscences of past battles. Finally, coming to the point, he convinces Patroklos to try yet another time to persuade Achilles to return to battle against the Trojans. If Patroklos cannot do this, Nestor says, perhaps Patroklos himself could put on the armor of Achilles and join in the fighting. Nestor says that if the Trojans were to recognize the mighty Achilles' armor, they would think that Achilles had settled his dispute with Agamemnon and that he had returned to the battlefront. This strategy alone may be sufficient to save the day. Patroklos is impressed by this advice and returns to Achilles' tent.

achilles sending patroklos out sets in motion the events that will eventually lead to achilles' return to the battle

he Greeks believed that if a body was not buried, the soul would wander eternally seeking rest. Homer, in the Iliad, accentuates the horror of war by having Odysseus do more than kill Socus; he condemns him to an eternity of pain and sorrow.

The Achaians are forced to take refuge behind their wall while the Trojans continue their brutal assault. Then suddenly an eagle with a serpent in its talons flies over the Trojan army; Poulydamas, a Trojan commander, interprets this as a bad omen and asks Hektor to fall back, but the commander refuses. The attack continues and after several attempts, the Achaian wall is broken. Forcing open one of the gates with a large stone, Hektor and his men storm inside. The Achaians retreat in panic and take refuge among their ships.

Zeus has brought Hektor and the Trojans as far as the Achaian ships, so now he relaxes and turns his attention to other matters. Poseidon takes advantage of Zeus' lapse of attention to come to the aid of the Achaians and, disguised as Kalchas, he moves among the Achaian ranks, encouraging them to continue fighting.

old Nestor seeks out Agamemnon, Diomedes, and Odysseus, all three of whom are wounded. Nestor wants to devise a plan of action. Agamemnon is certain that the defeat of the Achaian army has been willed by heaven, and he can think only of having the troops retreat and board their ships, escaping by sea. Odysseus points out that this is not only dishonorable but that it would be extremely dangerous

From Olympos, Hera notices how Poseidon, the sea god, is trying to aid the Achaians, and so she makes plans to occupy Zeus so that Poseidon will have even more opportunity to help the besieged Achaians. Dressing in her finest garments and borrowing the magic girdle of Aphrodite, Hera flies off to Mount Ida, where Zeus is sitting. Her husband is overwhelmed by her charms, and Hera finds it easy to seduce him.

book 12 - completes the first grand sweep of Trojan successes as Homer builds up to the re-entry of Achilles. The Book opens with the explanation that in the future the wall will be completely destroyed by Poseidon, showing the impermanence of human creation

book 13 - old Idomeneus emerges as the principal fighter. The battle scenes in this book grow more intense as the fighting seems to move toward some climax. Idomeneus, the Cretan king, has his aristeia as he holds off the Trojan attackers

book 14 - Homer here introduces a comic element as a break from the intense battle scenes that precede and follow the interlude between Hera and Zeus. The seduction of Zeus by Hera requires careful planning because she, in a very real sense, is subverting the will of the Father God in attempting to allow Poseidon to attack the Trojans unchecked. Zeus' seduction speech to Hera must be one of the most unusual in the history of love and sex. Zeus essentially woos his wife with a report on his sexual conquests — an interesting tactic. At the end, Poseidon leads the Achaians into battle, perhaps symbolically showing that the Achaians literally have the sea at their backs.

book 15 - Zeus, having awakened to the Achaian rally, asserts his leadership, and no god dares stand in his way. Zeus stands into direct contrast with Agamemnon, whose leadership is frequently questioned and sometimes challenged. The discussion between Achilles and Patroklos shows that Achilles is in conflict regarding his position. He obviously wishes to return to battle, but cannot because of his vow and his pride.

Patroklos pleads with Achilles to be allowed to wear Achilles' armor and to lead the Myrmidons, his troops, into battle. While Achilles is considering this request, flames are seen rising from among the ships, indicating great success for the Trojans. Achilles consents, and Patroklos and the Myrmidons arm themselves with great enthusiasm.

The Trojans are panicked by the belief that Achilles has decided to unleash his fury against them, and in a short time, the addition of Achilles' fresh and well equipped regiment of Myrmidons to the Achaian army destroys the Trojan advantage. Hektor and his men flee toward Troy.

Apollo slips up behind him and strikes him so fiercely on the back that Patroklos' vizored helmet flies off. His spear is shattered and his armor falls to the ground. Then, while Patroklos is standing in a daze, a Trojan soldier pierces him midway between the shoulders with a javelin.Patroklos tries to hide, but Hektor sees him and rams a spear through the lower part of his belly. Patroklos falls with a thud, and the entire Achaian army is stunned. His voice failing, Patroklos tells Hektor that it was not he who conquered him. It was the gods

Achilles tries to rationalize his consent to the plan with patroklos by claiming that he had sworn not to participate in the fighting unless his own ships were threatened; but in fact, he never really said this. What has happened is that Achilles is beginning to lose his ability to think clearly and weigh all the factors in this situation.

Achilles' prayer is for Patroklos, and the reader immediately finds that Zeus will grant Patroklos success but denies him "safe and sound return from battle." Later, Zeus considers overturning fate to let his own son, Sarpedon, live. Hera overrules him

Menelaos attempts to protect the body of Patroklos from the enemy, but finally he is driven off by Hektor. The Trojan commander strips Achilles' beautiful armor from the corpse and puts it on in place of his own. Then almost immediately, a battle develops over Patroklos' naked corpse.

The Trojans hope to take it to Troy to mutilate it as a warning to all the Achaians, and the Achaians want to give it a proper funeral ceremony. The leading warriors on both sides engage in this fight, and two gods, Apollo and Athena, also join

Finally, the body of Patroklos is rescued and is safely carried back to the Achaian camp.

However, even here Homer continues to use similes that seem to diminish Menelaos. he is compared to a cow protecting its calf and later in this book he is compared to a fly. Menelaos is generally presented as a sympathetic character, but at the same time, this presentation often makes him seem somewhat less than many of the other Greek heroes.

While most of Book XVII is battle description, the decision by Hektor to wear Achilles' armor is very suggestive. Hektor, the greatest of the Trojan warriors, seems by this act to associate himself as the equal of Achilles

When Achilles learns of the death of Patroklos, he bursts into tears, tearing his hair and throwing himself on the ground. His sorrowful lament is heard by his mother, Thetis, and she comes to comfort him. She points out that if Achilles avenges Patroklos, he himself will be killed. Despite his mother's warning, however, Achilles chooses to undertake this risk, so great is his love for Patroklos. Thetis therefore promises to procure new armor for her son from the god Hephaistos to replace the armor that was captured by Hektor.

Achilles' sorrow is intensified by the sight of his dead comrade's body, and all of the Achaians join Achilles in mourning. Achilles vows to kill Hektor and to slaughter twelve Trojan warriors on the funeral pyre of Patroklos

. The return of Achilles to the Achaian force makes it too dangerous to fight in the open, and suggests to stay in the walls. Hektor refuses to heed this advice, however, and he insists that the Trojan army stay in the field. His opinion prevails.

that Achilles is given his final chance to decide his fate, for Thetis tells him that he will die if he avenges Patroklos. Despite this knowledge, Achilles chooses to continue his plan for revenge

A fatalistic element in the scene is Achilles' statement, "I've lost the will to live," along with the overriding fact that he will be killed if he returns to the battle

Achilles announces that his quarrel with King Agamemnon is ended and that he is ready to return to war. This speech is applauded with great joy by all the troops. Agamemnon rises and welcomes Achilles back to the army. He says that at the time of their disagreement, he had been blinded and robbed of his wits by Zeus. He states that in compensation to Achilles, he will return Briseis to him, as well as shower upon him many other presents.

Achilles puts on his splendid new armor, and then, mounting his chariot, he prepares to lead the army and the charge into battle

Throughout the Iliad, Achilles has been a creature of extremes — a man of absolute feelings and absolute reactions. Now that he is finally reconciled with Agamemnon, his passion to avenge Patroklos becomes as intense and impatient as was his former, selfish desire for the satisfaction of his honor. No longer concerned with such human "trivialities" as eating or resting, Achilles is transformed into a kind of cosmic figure, an archetypal hero sweeping through all opposition, divine and human, to achieve his ends.

Zeus calls for an assembly of all the gods. When they have gathered, he gives them permission to openly assist either of the factions, for Achilles must be prevented from overstepping the bounds that fate has set on his achievements

Achilles is about to kill Aeneas when Poseidon rescues the Trojan prince. Poseidon does so because Aeneas has been fated to be the sole survivor of the house of Priam. But, undaunted by divine interference of Poseidon, Achilles continues fighting, slaughtering many of the Trojans and sweeping through the field unchecked.

an interlude to achilles aresteia

The Trojan troops flee in terror from Achilles. One portion of the army heads for the city while another group seeks refuge near the River Xanthos. Achilles cuts off the second group and kills many of them as they try to cross the stream. he also takes 12 captives that he swore to sacrifice

Athena defeats Ares and Aphrodite, while Hera drives Artemis from the field. Poseidon challenges Apollo, but the younger god does not accept his uncle's dare because of deference to his age.

Achilles continues to chase the Trojans, and Agenor, a half-brother of Hektor, attempts to fight him in single combat; but Agenor is far inferior to Achilles, and Apollo finally rescues him. This diversion allows most of the retreating troops enough time to take refuge in the city.

Many commentators think that the theomachy lowers the tone of the poem just as it builds toward its climactic moments. The fight among the gods borders on slapstick comedy and adds little to the developing rage of Achilles. The general defense of the theomachy has been that it serves as a type of comic relief allowing the tension that the reader has developed concerning Achilles to lessen before the confrontation with Hektor

Achilles vs hektor - priam begs for hektor to hide within the walls and avoid achilles. he feels shame in not making the right decision of retreating and in order to avoid the shame of going back on his word he will fight and die

achilles chases hektor around the city 3 time over, hektor is then tricked by athena in disguise to stand his ground, hektor then realises that it was fated for him to die here

hektor tries to set the rules for the duel and achilles refuses and says he cant forgive hektor for killing patroklos

achilles stabs hektor through the throat, this seals achilles fate as hektor tells him that apollo will kill him, the greeks come up to the body and start to desecrate it, hektors body is dragged on the back of the horse and carriage of achilles

Two scenes explore the god/human relationship in complementary fashion. Zeus considers saving Hektor's life by "plucking the man from death." Athena counters that Zeus can do as he pleases, "but none of the deathless gods will ever praise you."

funeral of patroklos and continued desecration of hektors body

Achilles has a vision of the ghost of Patroklos in which his friend asks that his funeral be held so that he can enter the realm of the dead in peace.

During this time, the body of Hektor lies on the ground untended, but Apollo and Aphrodite protect the corpse from the ravages of stray dogs and the heat.

achilles continues the mutilation of hektors body

the gods urge the return of his body

hermes guides priam to cross the gates of achilles camp and meet with achilles, achilles is shocked adn priam offer a supplication to achilles, both mourn their respective losses and share their grief, achilles attempts to comfort priam and agress to give back the body

athena tricks aias into killing and torturing the sheep that were given to the greeks as spoils of war, when he comes to his senses he realises just how low he has fallen by the fate of the gods and tecmessa explains that he feels great remorse. she fears that he will do something horrible and tells him not to leave his children and wife,he pretends to be moved by the speech and he says he is going to cleanse himself.

some time later a messenger finds tecmessa and says that calchas a seer warns to not let aias leave the house or he will die, they are too late and he had drove his sword into his own stomach.

A dispute then arises over what to do with Ajax‘s body. Ajax‘s half-brother Teucer insists on burying him despite the demands of Menelaus and Agamemnon that the corpse of the dishonoured warrior be left unburied. Odysseus, although not previously a great friend of Ajax, steps in and persuades them to allow Ajax a proper funeral, pointing out that even one’s enemies deserve respect in death, if they were noble. The play ends with Teucer making arrangements for a respectful burial for his half-brother, although Odysseus himself is not to attend

Themes:
issue of hubirs and sophrosyne

ethical code of ancient greeks but there are problems with this code

things change but aias rejects the concept of change

the heroic code in classical athens,

watchman signals to the city that troy has fallen, clytemnestra controls the meaning of the flair with her ability.

agamemnon enters and he brings home cassandra his prize of war, it is stated that the house is dripping of blood.

clytemnestra kills agamemnon behind closed doors to get revenge for ipgigenia

entrance of agisthus who also helped with the murder

Themes:
there are gender role reversal themes

The Libation Bearers begins at the burial mound of Agamemnon

Agamemnon’s and Clytemnestra’s son, has returned in secret from exile with his companion Pylades. He cuts a lock of his hair to honor his father and reveals his intention to avenge Agamemnon’s death.

Orestes reveals to the Chorus and to Electra that the god Apollo has sent him to Argos to avenge Agamemnon’s death. The siblings and the slave women pray to the gods for vengeance, and reiterate their loyalty to the deceased Agamemnon.

The Chorus explains that the queen had a terrible dream in which she gave birth to a serpent that then killed her. Orestes wonders if he himself is the serpent. He then relates his plan: he and Pylades will disguise themselves as guests, and when inside the palace, they will murder both Aegisthus and Clytemnestra.

Now disguised, Orestes and Pylades wait at the gates of the palace. When they finally enter, Clytemnestra meets them. Orestes lies, telling her that her son is dead. Clytemnestra briefly (and falsely) laments before resolving to find Aegisthus. The Chorus reemerges, praying to the gods to guide Orestes. As they do, Orestes’ old nurse, Cilissa, enters, lamenting the prince’s supposed death and looking for Aegisthus. The Chorus urges her to tell him of Orestes’ demise in order to put him at ease. Although confused, Cilissa agrees to do as they ask.

As the Chorus prays again, Aegisthus enters, wondering if Orestes is really dead, and resolving to question the mysterious travelers himself. He exits, and then the Chorus hears a scream coming from inside the palace—Orestes has murdered Aegisthus. A wounded servant rushes in to warn Clytemnestra, who emerges and calls for an axe to defend herself. Orestes, however, is too quick for her, and despite the fact that his mother both pleads and threatens, he drags her within the palace and murders her on top of Aegisthus’ body.

Orestes sees the Furies—vengeful goddesses who mean to punish him for Clytemnestra’s death. Terrified, he runs offstage, as the Chorus wonders whether the endless cycle of vengeance will ever come to a close.


Themes:
nature of justice: Dike
gender transgression

priestess of Apollo, preparing to perform her morning prayer. Her ritual is interrupted, however, by a bloodstained refugee who has come to her temple to be cleansed. It is Orestes, the son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, who killed his mother in order to avenge her murder of his father. Following him is the Furies

apollo reveals that Orestes only killed Clytemnestra at his divine command, and explains to the audience that he has lulled the Furies to sleep, before expressing his hatred of the merciless goddesses. Apollo tells Orestes that he must continue to Athens, where Athena, the goddess of wisdom, will try his case.

the ghost of Clytemnestra appears, scornfully cursing the Furies for their laziness. They wake up and are horrified to find their prey has escaped, cursing the Olympian gods for helping a guilty man defy their power. At this moment, Apollo emerges from the temple, and a verbal fight begins. Apollo finds the Furies contemptible and horrific, relics of a time when vengeance was more important than justice. The Furies, meanwhile, believe that Apollo is trying to steal their power. The dialogue ends with the Furies vowing to pursue Orestes, even as Apollo promises to protect him.

Orestes prays to Athena just as the Furies find him once again, threatening and tormenting him when they do. Soon after, Athena herself enters, and commands both the Furies and Orestes to tell her who they are and why they’ve come to Athens.Both sides explain their presence to her, and agree to abide by her ruling.

Athena wishes to serve justice, but fears the wrath of the Furies. She decides, however, to create the first ever murder trial in order to determine Orestes’ guilt, recruiting ten honorable citizens to form a jury.

Apollo, however, argues that men’s lives are worth more than women’s, and Athena agrees, casting the deciding vote that allows Orestes to go free, an innocent man.

This chain of events horrifies the Furies, who believe that Athena has stolen their power from them. Athena, however, wisely offers the Furies a new role: patron goddesses of Athens. She explains that if they provide the city with peace and prosperity, they will receive offerings and prayer in return. After some convincing, the Furies agree, and take on the mantle of the Eumenides—“the kindly ones.”