Iliad – Book 24 Essay, Research Paper

In Book 24, the scene between Priam and Achilleus, which may also be called The Banquet , served as the climax of the poem. During this scene a series of events developed themselves to resolve some very important situations in the Iliad Achilleus was returned from his deep sorrow and anger for his dear friend Patroklos. Also, he realized that it was time to stop his great stubbornness, to leave behind his behavior, to change. The interference from the gods and symbolism were used by Homer throughout the Iliad. These techniques very effectively achieved the purpose of Book 24 as being the climatic chapter of the epic. Moreover, analyzing Book 24 and especially The Banquet more closely and through the course of our in-class discussions, it can also be added that role-reversal was another important technique Homer used to finalize the Iliad.

During the final chapter of the Iliad, as throughout the epic, interventions from gods played one of the most important roles in virtually every significant event during the course of war. the goddess silver-foot Thetis descended in a flash of speed from the peaks of Olympos , (p. 478), to tell Achilleus that it was the time to stop eating your heart out in sorrow and lamentation . (p. 478). Presumably at the same time as Thetis was speaking with her son, Achilleus, Iris, the messenger from gods, went to tell Priam to take some gifts as a ransom and go to Achilleus shelter to take the dead body of his son, Hektor. These two examples demonstrated that the people obeyed interventions from gods unhesitatingly. Even though Achilleus spent days torturing Hektor s dead body and he obviously was still in great sorrow and anger, he complied with Zeus s will without a second thought.

Priam in his house, after telling his wife that he was about to go to Achilleus, disregarded his wife s opinion about his decision, telling her that had it been some other who ordered me, one of the mortals, I might have called it a lie and rejected it (p. 481).

Another example of involvement of the gods would be Priam s reaching the Achilleus shelter. Only thanks to Hermes presence was Priam able to reach and enter the shelter that Myrmidons built for their king, unseen by Achaians. Also, he left the encampment of Myrmidons with the help of same Hermes. Surely, this would not be possible if Priam had gone there without any help from Olympos. Every important action in the Iliad was either caused by or affected by interventions from gods.

Another important technique used by Homer throughout the Iliad was symbolism. In the beginning of Book 24, when for days the body of Hektor was dragged by Achilleus around Patroklos tomb, Apollo pitied him. He guarded the body from all ugliness, under the golden aegis (p. 475), so that the body would not decay and be totally destroyed.

When Priam was leaving the city of Troy to go to Achilleus to plead for the body of his son. Symbolically, it was as if he was going to the underworld Hades, to meet his certain death: and all his kinsmen were following much lamenting, as if he went to his death. (p. 483).

Achilleus knew his fate. That was the reason for his angry reaction to Priam s words of supplication, when he was asked to accept the gifts for the body of Hektor No longer stir me up, old sir. You must not further make my spirit move in my sorrows (p. 490). Achilleus understood that there have been neither significance nor value in gifts if there were not much longer left for him to live. From the beginning of the poem, we, the readers, were aware of the fact that he was mindful of his glorious, magnificent, but, unfortunately, short life. He knew that after Hektor was dead, it would be his turn. When Hektor was killed by Achilleus, he was wearing Achilleus armor. Symbolically, Achilleus had chosen his own destiny by killing Hektor, he has really killed himself. Of course, symbolically, Achilleus was accepting his own fate by giving the dead body of Hektor to Priam. He, himself, with the help of his friends, lifted Hektor s body onto the wagon.

Cunningly switching the roles of Achilleus and Hektor for a period of time, when Priam started talking in the words of supplication, Homer brought Achilleus down , out from his thoughts of revenge and anger. Suddenly, Achilleus broke down, remembering his own father, his friend Patroklos, his home. It was remarkable to notice that Achilleus realized that he would never see his father again, becoming so human again and weeping for his own father, now again for Patroklos. (p. 488)

As Priam took Hektor s body back to Troy, people of the city gave Hektor the appropriate burial. Proper burials of epic heroes were very important to the people of ancient Greece. Following the burial tradition, the Trojans performed burning of the hero s body. They carried out bold Hektor, weeping, and set the body for burning. (p. 496). And when the fire was put out with wine, they held a glorious feast (p. 496); showing once again that life goes on, even if it s full of sorrows.

By not recognizing the traditions through the act of savaging Hektor s body for many days, Achilleus showed his stubbornness and uncontrollable anger, just as with Agamemnon in the beginning of the Iliad. Throughout the Iliad, Achilleus was an extremely proud hero, in other words, believed himself to be above all and everything. His pointless stubbornness and unnecessary excess of pride caused him great personal conflicts and affected the course of the war. His best friend Patroklos died, and Achilleus felt responsible for his death. His passions and emotions ruled over the good judgment when there was a necessity for one. In the last pages of the Iliad, the transformation of Achilleus from the invincible hero to a man whose death is close at hand showed that mortality is inevitable, fate is unavoidable, and no one is above the gods.

324