Iliad Part II

I was correct in my suspicion: The Iliad is a masterpiece. Why do we fight? What is honor? How important is honor? Can it be taken away from us? Do we have free will? Is everything predetermined? Do our choices matter?

Questions like these are posed by the Iliad ever since Book I. The lack of respect Achilles has for Agamemnon and the insecurity of the latter lead to the longstanding feud between them causing the deaths of countless Achaians.

I thought this poem, this epic, was a story about Troy. I thought the general purpose of the narrative was to relate the tale of Ilion. But no, it is much more....personal than that. In fact, the Iliad is a tragedy; the tragedy of Achilles and the tragedy of Hector. These two heroes, one Achaian and one Trojan, are both in the prime of life. They both lose everything on the battlefields of Troy. Achilles loses his honor, his friend, and his life. Hector loses his dignity, his pride, and his entire home. It is among the most tragic works ever written.

More than that, it is intensely personal. I can sympathize with Achilles and Hector throughout the poem. Through their struggles and battles I am right there beside them. I can see how important honor was to the ancient Greeks - honor kept them fighting at Troy for ten years. Honor kept the Trojans from returning Helen. For honor Zeus granted Thetis's request for Trojan victory and slaughtered the Achaians. For honor Achilles takes up the sword again. Everything about the poem revolves around honor.

However, I am at a loss to explain it. What is honor? How can we understand it? How does it relate to my faith? I have no idea what honor is. I can describe honorable people, but I don't know anything about it. Can it be taken away? Does it depend on what people think of us? How does it differ from fame? From integrity? From pride?

However, from a Christian perspective, the poem is lacking. True Heroism is never described. The selfless giving of oneself is not present, for the simple reason that the Achaian world was a pagan, dark world. Christ had not yet arrived. For this reason, the 'heroes' think only of themselves, only how to better themselves and bring themselves personal glory on the field. Moreover, there is no virtue exibited by either side. Not even the gods are a source of virtue; oftentimes they conduct themselves worse than their mortal subjects. Virtue was a long time in coming yet; not for another thousand years would Virtue truly be understood.

The one possible exception could be the occaisional behavior of Achilleus and Hektor. Both are quite gentlemen, respecting the old, being courteous to guests, and coming the closest of any characters in the Iliad to exhibiting the quality we call 'honor'. If they lack the "chivalry" of Roland, Lancelot, or Beowulf, it must be remembered that the courtesy these latter heroes exhibited was one heavily influenced by Catholic Christian morality and humility. Homer was ignorant of all this for obvious reasons, so it therefore should not come as a surprise that these heroes act in the selfish way in which they do.

Never have I thought this deeply about a poem. Epic poetry takes on a whole new meaning for me now. I am eager, very eager, to finish the Iliad, read the Odyssey, and move on with the progam. Reading these books in seminar has been the most revealing and the most intellectually stimulating experience I have ever had. I am exited for Thursday.