It always struck me that Hector fought competently and cooly for family and city rather than glory (making him one of the more admirable characters in the book), and did it despite the fact that it was all Paris and Helen's shit show. He has one blow up with Paris, but spent remarkably little time chastising their stupidity or cursing fate and casting blame.
We're all actors in a play we can't control. We need to make the best of it. Hector probably does a better job of it than most people would in his situation.
Even though he's a warrior in his element on the battlefield, Hector's calm focus is what I found refreshing in this book. He's focused on defending Troy and he refuses to get caught up in pettiness. I can't help but think how his bearing and manner would have made him a leader - not a boss, but a leader - even if he hadn't been Priam's son.
You bring ancient themes into sharp focus for modern readers. I’m especially struck by how you connect heroism and humility, which, in my opinion, is a challenging feat.
This could have been written about today's men and women in politics. Wow. History repeats, nothing stays the same, and yet we are all called to take part in life where we are at. 'Berta
Book 12 continues to show how even the gods are constrained by fate. I don't understand how fate fits within the larger belief system in ancient Greece. If fate is stronger than the gods, then what did the Greeks believe to be the source of fate?
When I read Book 12, the lines you quoted at the beginning of the essay really jumped out at me. It seems like Sarpedon is saying, if he had his druthers and could live forever, he would never fight for fame and glory. This implies to me a tinge of self-doubt as to whether all of this glory and honor stuff is worth it, while at the same time acknowledging that his sense of duty leaves no choice.
I appreciate your reminding us of the role ego-driven rage plays in the Iliad. Many are killed and maimed as a result. We should never under estimate the influence of ego mania, whether in the Iliad or modern times.
My favorite parts of this book were the intro barreling into a future where all this is over and the metaphor at the end that compares the whole war to two farmers arguing over where the field ends. A lot of the characters in Homer worry about legacy (as does Broadway’s Hamilton). The future perspective gives a dispassionate counterpoint to the boasting that mid-combat warriors are prone to about how history will remember them. That metaphor seems to be about how there can be human conflict wherever there are at least two humans, ranging from the smallest scale of two farmers to the epic scale of this war.
This book reminded me of how all the great nations have eventually lost their positions at the top. Can anyone think of one that didn’t?
It’s amazing I had the strength to finish this chapter, weak as men are now 😂 Homer bringing the contemporaneous social criticism!
It always struck me that Hector fought competently and cooly for family and city rather than glory (making him one of the more admirable characters in the book), and did it despite the fact that it was all Paris and Helen's shit show. He has one blow up with Paris, but spent remarkably little time chastising their stupidity or cursing fate and casting blame.
We're all actors in a play we can't control. We need to make the best of it. Hector probably does a better job of it than most people would in his situation.
Even though he's a warrior in his element on the battlefield, Hector's calm focus is what I found refreshing in this book. He's focused on defending Troy and he refuses to get caught up in pettiness. I can't help but think how his bearing and manner would have made him a leader - not a boss, but a leader - even if he hadn't been Priam's son.
You bring ancient themes into sharp focus for modern readers. I’m especially struck by how you connect heroism and humility, which, in my opinion, is a challenging feat.
This could have been written about today's men and women in politics. Wow. History repeats, nothing stays the same, and yet we are all called to take part in life where we are at. 'Berta
Book 12 continues to show how even the gods are constrained by fate. I don't understand how fate fits within the larger belief system in ancient Greece. If fate is stronger than the gods, then what did the Greeks believe to be the source of fate?
When I read Book 12, the lines you quoted at the beginning of the essay really jumped out at me. It seems like Sarpedon is saying, if he had his druthers and could live forever, he would never fight for fame and glory. This implies to me a tinge of self-doubt as to whether all of this glory and honor stuff is worth it, while at the same time acknowledging that his sense of duty leaves no choice.
I appreciate your reminding us of the role ego-driven rage plays in the Iliad. Many are killed and maimed as a result. We should never under estimate the influence of ego mania, whether in the Iliad or modern times.
My favorite parts of this book were the intro barreling into a future where all this is over and the metaphor at the end that compares the whole war to two farmers arguing over where the field ends. A lot of the characters in Homer worry about legacy (as does Broadway’s Hamilton). The future perspective gives a dispassionate counterpoint to the boasting that mid-combat warriors are prone to about how history will remember them. That metaphor seems to be about how there can be human conflict wherever there are at least two humans, ranging from the smallest scale of two farmers to the epic scale of this war.
I just saw this post about Homer on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/share/15NK6JCAzR/?mibextid=WC7FNe