The description of the shield was wild. I had put the book down and when I came back later I was confused—wait are we still talking about the details? Yup. I’d love to hear more about the 1820 replication, I couldn’t imagine what such a thing would look like without modern laser etching or something!
And woe to the Trojans for their missed opportunity to return to the city walls.
I think that we should not lose sight of the fact that Achilles bears quite a lot of responsibility for the death of Patroclus. I read somewhere that Greek heroes can be defined by their propensity to cause suffering, both to themselves and to those they care about, and this seems to be a great example.
I’m loving The Iliad as a whole, but I must say that Book 18 and the detailed description of Hephaestus’s design of the shield was phenomenal. I couldn’t wait to read your post to find out more about it and (I hoped) see some kind of representation (thanks for that!). The Iliad not only has a great story, but it’s also fascinating to see *how* the story was told (and retold and retold …). This is one of those cases: why did Homer and his audiences want this kind of design detail? As you wrote in your post, because the shield represents the world that Achilles is going to carry into battle, knowing he is going to his death. I so loved reading this book!
Are you reading it out loud? If so, cool! Wilson has a note on those lines that says a lot of those names mean ocean related things but she doesn’t elaborate.
Matthew, many thanks for another excellent, thought-provoking essay. I found your explanation of the symbolism of the shield particularly interesting. The passages in the poem that describe the images on the shield are mesmerizing, but I had not considered that they cover the full spectrum of life's experiences, and the symbolism of Achilles carrying into battle all of humanity.
The theme of Achilles' heroism is clear, but, in my mind, his heroism is not without question. One could validly question whether actions motivated by revenging the death of a beloved friend are truly "heroic" even if the actor knows that his actions will result in his own death. Revenging the loss of a loved one might be honorable under cultural mores, but is it "heroic?" Isn't heroism the sacrifice of one's life or well-being on behalf of a just cause or to save life/lives of others? Is revenge a just cause? Perhaps it was in ancient Greece, but is that heroism in the modern world? Sorry for the litany of questions.
On a lighter note, I couldn't help but be amused by Zeus calling Hera his "ox-eyed Queen." I've heard of a hog-eyed man, but had not previously heard of an ox-eyed Queen.😉
I also think the cow-eyed/ox-eyed epithet is so funny! it's interesting—I think it probably refers to large, dark eyes as a marker of beauty, but some have argued that Hera was originally a goddess associated with cows/oxen.
Dan, I think you've hit on something with your questions about what makes a "hero" in ancient Greek culture v. our own modern (western) culture. On my own Substack/podcast I co-host with a good friend, we just finished reading the Odyssey. We had a long discussion about this very issue concerning Odysseus and his actions at times. It made us do exactly what you are doing: question definitions of 'hero' throughout time and cultures.
Wikipedia was a helpful starting place to our discussion. It laid out the different definitions of "hero." And even said early on: "The definition of hero has changed throughout time."
Under an ancient Greek definition, Achilles' revenge would have fallen well within "heroic" actions. Whereas our own cultural understanding largely shaped under a Christic lens (despite our increasing secularization) would struggle with the idea of revenge as heroic, which seems to run counter to the Christian idea of forgiving one's enemies, and "turning the other cheek". Or, if that doesn't seem to fit, there is the medieval notion of the "knight in shining armor" as the model hero--noble, honorable in all his ways, sacrificial, and loyal (and also shaped in an A.D. world).
But then, the context of war does seem to complicate the definition. I can see ways in which avenging the death of a comrade in arms could be considered heroic in light of the code by which soldiers are living by in war--living for one another, for one another's honor, "Band of Brothers" reality.
So then... maybe all I've done here is raise more questions. 😆
Either way, I definitely appreciate your questions here. :)
The description of the shield was wild. I had put the book down and when I came back later I was confused—wait are we still talking about the details? Yup. I’d love to hear more about the 1820 replication, I couldn’t imagine what such a thing would look like without modern laser etching or something!
And woe to the Trojans for their missed opportunity to return to the city walls.
I think that we should not lose sight of the fact that Achilles bears quite a lot of responsibility for the death of Patroclus. I read somewhere that Greek heroes can be defined by their propensity to cause suffering, both to themselves and to those they care about, and this seems to be a great example.
Good point, although the more we progress, the less convinced I am that the humans have much responsibility for anything in the end! 🤣
Not to distract from the discourse about Achilles (which I admit is the most reasonable focus) but Hephaestus has robots made of gold!
Achilles is the first James Dean. As the Eagles said “too fast to live, too young to die.”
I was just reading about the Cypria, a lost epic poem that has some of the prequel stories about Achilles et al. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypria
I’m loving The Iliad as a whole, but I must say that Book 18 and the detailed description of Hephaestus’s design of the shield was phenomenal. I couldn’t wait to read your post to find out more about it and (I hoped) see some kind of representation (thanks for that!). The Iliad not only has a great story, but it’s also fascinating to see *how* the story was told (and retold and retold …). This is one of those cases: why did Homer and his audiences want this kind of design detail? As you wrote in your post, because the shield represents the world that Achilles is going to carry into battle, knowing he is going to his death. I so loved reading this book!
Agreed 👍🏼
I loved the naming of the sea nymphs, not the most relevant, but so lyrical, a joy to read out loud.
Are you reading it out loud? If so, cool! Wilson has a note on those lines that says a lot of those names mean ocean related things but she doesn’t elaborate.
I read that part out loud to my husband.🥰
Matthew, many thanks for another excellent, thought-provoking essay. I found your explanation of the symbolism of the shield particularly interesting. The passages in the poem that describe the images on the shield are mesmerizing, but I had not considered that they cover the full spectrum of life's experiences, and the symbolism of Achilles carrying into battle all of humanity.
The theme of Achilles' heroism is clear, but, in my mind, his heroism is not without question. One could validly question whether actions motivated by revenging the death of a beloved friend are truly "heroic" even if the actor knows that his actions will result in his own death. Revenging the loss of a loved one might be honorable under cultural mores, but is it "heroic?" Isn't heroism the sacrifice of one's life or well-being on behalf of a just cause or to save life/lives of others? Is revenge a just cause? Perhaps it was in ancient Greece, but is that heroism in the modern world? Sorry for the litany of questions.
On a lighter note, I couldn't help but be amused by Zeus calling Hera his "ox-eyed Queen." I've heard of a hog-eyed man, but had not previously heard of an ox-eyed Queen.😉
I also think the cow-eyed/ox-eyed epithet is so funny! it's interesting—I think it probably refers to large, dark eyes as a marker of beauty, but some have argued that Hera was originally a goddess associated with cows/oxen.
Dan, I think you've hit on something with your questions about what makes a "hero" in ancient Greek culture v. our own modern (western) culture. On my own Substack/podcast I co-host with a good friend, we just finished reading the Odyssey. We had a long discussion about this very issue concerning Odysseus and his actions at times. It made us do exactly what you are doing: question definitions of 'hero' throughout time and cultures.
Wikipedia was a helpful starting place to our discussion. It laid out the different definitions of "hero." And even said early on: "The definition of hero has changed throughout time."
Under an ancient Greek definition, Achilles' revenge would have fallen well within "heroic" actions. Whereas our own cultural understanding largely shaped under a Christic lens (despite our increasing secularization) would struggle with the idea of revenge as heroic, which seems to run counter to the Christian idea of forgiving one's enemies, and "turning the other cheek". Or, if that doesn't seem to fit, there is the medieval notion of the "knight in shining armor" as the model hero--noble, honorable in all his ways, sacrificial, and loyal (and also shaped in an A.D. world).
But then, the context of war does seem to complicate the definition. I can see ways in which avenging the death of a comrade in arms could be considered heroic in light of the code by which soldiers are living by in war--living for one another, for one another's honor, "Band of Brothers" reality.
So then... maybe all I've done here is raise more questions. 😆
Either way, I definitely appreciate your questions here. :)
A beautiful reading of what you rightly call the fulcrum. I really enjoyed it.
This section read different for me. And maybe it's that transition that happens with Achilles.