The Iliad: Difference between revisions

''The Iliad'' (Greek: ''Ιλιάς'') is an epic poem from the [[Trojan Cycle (Literature)|Trojan Cycle]] describing a few months in the ninth year of the [[Trojan War]], a siege of the great city of Troy by an alliance of Greek city-states. It is considered one of the cornerstones of Western literature.

 

 

Within this narrative framework, the poem gives an incredibly detailed and engaging snapshot of the war, from the battles themselves to the personalities of the elites and the political machinations of the gods; both prophecy and free will are strong forces. Crossover characters from other Greek myths are a bonus for the dedicated fan.

** Solve conflicts through words and compromise, not violence or insult. Becomes more obvious in the penultimate book where we see several altercations (e.g. Ajax vs. Idomeneus, Antilochus vs. Achilles, Antilochus vs. Menelaus) over prizes in the Funeral Games that mirror Achilles and Agamemnon's initial argument but are settled peaceably. While this may seem something of a [[Broken Aesop]] as the setting is an enormous war, it's worth noting that if the Trojans had returned Helen and apologized at the beginning, they probably wouldn't have gotten their whole city destroyed.

** Welcome counsel. Whenever characters refuse advice (which is ''often'') it never ends well.

* [[The Archer]]: Paris and Pandarus for the Trojans, Teucer for the Greeks.

* [[Asskicking Equals Authority]]: If Achilles is so [[Badass]], why is Agamemnon in charge? He has the most ships, by ten. Admittedly, the entire fleet was put together to bring Helen back to her husband, Agamemnon's brother.

* [[Big Good]]: Agamemnon is a subversion. He's the leader of the Greeks and the one who began the campaign, but not even he can resist the temptation to [[Kick the Dog]].

* [[The Big Guy]]: Telamonean/Big Ajax, aka Greater Ajax and Ajax the Giant. He's the biggest soldier among the Greek forces, and doubles as a [[Mighty Glacier]]/ [[Stone Wall]] during defensive battles. Sarpedon seems to play a similar role on the Trojan side. Both are pretty decent guys.

* [[Book Ends]]: The ''Iliad'' begins and ends with an initially refused ransom that is eventually accepted.

* [[Brains and Brawn]]: [[The Rival|Hector]] and [[The Strategist|Polydamas]], [[The Big Guy|Greater Ajax]] and [[The Archer|Teucer]], [[The Smart Guy|Odysseus]] and [[Badass|Diomedes]] in Book 10.

* [[Deconstruction]]: Can be seen as one of the first, given its emphasis on the stupidity of the heroic code, and the damage that it causes to those who try and live up to it.

* [[Deus Ex Machina]]: All over the place, naturally.

** In books five and six, Diomedes goes on a god-stabbing rampage. First he slashes Aphrodite's arm when she tries to rescue Aeneas. Apollo picks up the baton and is forced to repel three attacks by Diomedes before using his divine don't-mess-with-the-gods voice to tell him to back off. The wounded Aphrodite meanwhile runs and tattles to her lover, Ares, the god of slaughter; he promptly arrives to lay down the law. Instead, he gets [[Impaled With Extreme Prejudice]] by Diomedes's spear, causing him to howl like thousands of men in pain (literally) and run to his daddy. Diomedes becomes the only mortal to injure two gods in a single day, though this could not have been done without massive help from Athena. Some scholars believes that this whole episode pre-dates ''The Iliad'', and Homer lumped it into his own epic.

** During his [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]], Achilles beats down the local river god. While crossing it.

** When Achilles is ready for his [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]], Zeus announces to the Gods to interfere because Achilles is so angry that he will likely prove Fate wrong and conquer Troy on his own!

* [[Did You Just Scam Cthulhu]]: Hera borrows Aphrodite's girdle to [[Distracted By the Sexy|distract Zeus with sexy]]. This may be god on god, but Zeus, as king of the gods, can [[Curb Stomp Battle|curb stomp]] just about anyone.

* [[Dressing As the Enemy]]

* [[Due to The Dead]]: Proper respect towards corpses is very, very, [[Berserk Button|very]] important in ''The Iliad''.

* [[El Cid Ploy]]: Patroclus pulls one by dressing as Achilles while he's [[Achilles in His Tent|In His Tent]]

* [[Final Speech]]: Sarpedon and Patroclus get these.

* [[The Final Temptation]]

** [[The Hero]]: Agamemnon

** [[The Lancer]]: Initially Achilles, but Diomedes takes over when Achilles is in a huff.

** Note that later on, Achilles himself suggests taking away the prize rightly won by Nestor's son in a chariot race. Now, you'd think if ''anyone'' knew what could go wrong when you took away a prize someone rightly won...

* [[Impaled With Extreme Prejudice]]: A ''lot'' of people. Including ''Ares''.

** Achilles after Patroclus' death -- he's right.

** Helen probably feels immense guilt for causing a ten-year war.

* [[Lady of War]]: Athena herself helps out the Greek side. [[Action Girl|Also beats up Ares in a duel]].

* [[The Lancer]]: Patroclus to Achilles, either Aeneas or Polydamas to Hector.

* [[Living MacGuffin]]: Helen of Troy.

* [[The Load]]: Paris may be the [[Ur Example]]. Even the other Trojans think he's a philandering, cowardly jerk who's responsible for the war. His preferred weapon is a [[The Archer|"cowardly bow"]], is humiliated in his only proper fight, and relies on the Goddess of Love to get him out of trouble. When the armies gather for the duel between Paris and Menelaos, it is explicitly stated that, whether Greek or Trojan, ''everyone'' wants Paris dead. In one translation, he gets called a "desperate, womanizing pretty boy" by his [[Badass]] older brother Hector, and a "sissy, curly-haired pimp of a bowman" by Diomedes. Of course, in part of the myth not covered in the ''Iliad'', he [[For Massive Damage|gets one over]] Achilles by hitting his heel with his ''poisoned'' arrows.

* [[Lock and Load]]: Arming scenes are everywhere. Even the ladies get in on it; for example, when Hera is dressing to seduce Zeus.

* [[Ludicrous Gibs]]: Sometimes the deaths in ''Iliad'' are quite messy. Homer goes into loving detail about how each weapon is swung/thrown, how it flies through the air, who it hits, what part of their body it hits, how it penetrated their armor, which internal organs it damages, whether/how it exits their body, how long it takes them to die, how they die, and their comrades' reaction to their death.

* [[Manly Tears]]: Many times. The most famous example being between Achilles and King Priam {{spoiler|when Priam begs Achilles to return the body of his son Hector for burial. Priam's passion moves Achilles who begins thinking about his lost friend Patroclus; and the two men weep together over their loss.}}

* [[Mind Screw]]: The end of the second book is deemed as jarring by some as the [[Homer|author]] starts to talk in the first person and invokes the Muses to aid his memory.

** Achilles.

** When she gets her hand speared by Diomedes, Aphrodite proves herself to be quite the Momma's ''Girl''.

* [[Sexy Discretion Shot]]: When Hera seduces Zeus, he creates a cloud for a little privacy.

* [[Shipper On Deck]]: Agamemnon becomes exponentially funnier if you view him as a Helen/Menelaus shipper. It's not even innacurate.

* [[The Smart Guy]]: Odysseus (Greek), and Polydamas (Trojan) for their entire respective armies.

* [[Smite Me Oh Mighty Smiter]]

* [[Take Our Word for It]]: In all of Helen's appearances she is never given a full description. Homer uses the reactions of those around Helen to emphasize her beauty.

* [[Talking Is a Free Action]]: Several characters give speeches in the middle of battle, both to the other men and the enemy. Patroclus both lampshades and plays this straight, when he points in the middle of battle that words are good for debate and not in war, and that in the time you'll give a nice speech a whole bunch of people will have probably died. In Book Sixteen he says, "Warfare's finality lies in the work of hands, that of words in counsel. It is not for us not to pile up talk, but to fight in battle."

** The bribe for Achilles in Book Nine is repeated. That's two pages of walls of text there.

* [[We Are As Mayflies]]: Homer returns to this idea repeatedly, expressing it through a metaphor likening human beings to leaves as autumn approaches.

** Patroclos calls Achilles out on his [[Achilles in His Tent|stubborness]] over his wounded honor instead of fighting the Trojans.

** Paris is such a [[Jerkass]] that Helen doesn't mention him in any meaningful way over her ''half-page'' of grieving over Hector. She doesn't even name him as the only other person who's still nice to her--no, that goes to ''Priam''. [[Sarcasm Mode|Nice work, Paris.]]

* [[Wish Fulfillment]]: Even considering [[Values Dissonance]], how many people wish ''they'' could command an army to kill some bastards when ''their'' spouse makes off with someone else?

* [[Worlds Most Beautiful Woman]]: Helen, the [[Trope Namer]] (as well as the [[Trope Codifier]], [[Trope Maker]], and the [[Just for Pun|one in the oldest book]]).