Week Two Reading Diary: Homer's Iliad

 Iliad unit
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1. Of How the War with Troy Began
    For this Iliad reading diary, I will probably mention the movie Troy due to it being for many people the only knowledge they have of Homer's tale.  I didn't know there was more than one Ajax so I am assuming the one deemed "the Greater" is the one who most people know.  Also I really enjoy how direct this retelling is, I read the Iliad in high school and I remember how I had to drag through it.

2. The Quarrel
    Achilles seems much more honorable than he does in the story than he does in his somewhat recent movie portrayal.  I also enjoy how the gods are involved and play major roles, which makes the tale much more epic instead of just a quarrel among mortals.  My favorite line from this section was "Then he turned to Agamemnon and cried: "Drunkard with the eyes of a dog and the heart of a deer," which is a pretty funny and spelled out insult towards Agamemnon.

3. The Quarrel (cont.)
   Agamemnon's character is even more fleshed out as a greedy and self-serving man, as seen by not taking the advice of one older and wiser than him, Nestor, yet disregards his words.  Also, Achilles' blood lust is also revealed because he was fairly tame and peaceful for the previous excerpts.

4. What Thetis Did for Her Son
  I wish it explained why Thetis would hold Zeus by the beard since I have no idea what this action would mean.  Also why would Agamemnon at the end listen to a dream of Nestor when he disregarded him before.

5. Hector and Andromache
    I am glad the duel section is removed, as I remember it being very tedious reading.  Also Hector has a much more callous heart towards his brother Paris than in the movie and that makes me much happier reading, as I was always mad when Paris and Hector interacted in the film.  I really enjoyed Hector in this telling because he is made to be a very clever and quick man.

6. Hector and Andromache (cont.)
   It is interesting how Achilles killed every one of Andromache's family and I am slightly confused when Andromache says that Achilles "took our city."  Does this mean that Achilles is just besieging the city of Troy or something else?  Also, my favorite line from this section was said by Hector, who again shows himself to be a wise man.   "Do not let these things trouble you. No man will be able to kill me, unless it be my fate to die. But fate no one may escape, whether he be a brave man or a coward."

7. The Embassy to Achilles
  Its odd how much detail is described in telling about the preparation of the feast in this chapter while somewhat large characters are introduced with a sentence or even not at all.  Also, it is odd that Ulysses appeals to Achilles using wealth as a tool, since Achilles showed little concern for riches at the beginning.
  
8. The Embassy to Achilles (cont.)
  I again find Achilles to be wiser and a better speaker than the usually described wise Ulysses.  A lot of what he says shows him to be not as battle hungry as he is usually made out to be.  He even has qualms about fighting and how it was a thankless job where the lazy are rewarded for his actions.

9. The Deeds and Death of Patroclus
  The story of Patroclus is much different than the movie version and it strikes me as odd how the original plays out.  Also, the description of certain things were out of place for me, such as how two of the three horses were immortal.

10. The Deeds and Death of Patroclus (cont.)
   I really liked the use of foreshadowing in this section, where "...Father Zeus heard his prayer:  part he granted, but part he denied."  This section had a lot of more stylistic elements in it compared to the others, such as showing Patroclus's hubris.  Also how did Glaucus realize that it was Patroclus that killed Sarpedon?

11. The Deeds and Death of Patroclus (end)*
   Why would Apollo warn Patroclus to not to take the city and let him go, only to kill him later on.  While I understand how Homer would include the gods in the story, I find it kind of cheap how they intervene in such bold ways; I can understand sending a dream or giving advice, but what Apollo did to Patroclus was just disappointing. 

12. The Rousing of Achilles
  I guess it is a Mediterranean custom by why is there fighting over the remains over the body of a fallen soldier, this is at least the second or third time this is mentioned.  Also I was confused while reading because the use of "arms" is used ambiguously in my opinion.  Another note of mine is how odd it was for the horses of Achilles to be described here, I feel like it was a useless description to be included in this abridged version. 

13. The Rousing of Achilles (cont.)
    Why did Zeus warn Achilles that the Trojans were going to take Patroclus's body, since that would mean doom for Zeus's favored Trojans.  Also how were the chiefs wounded by their own spears?  Did it mean they committed suicide or were they unfortunate enough to have a very unlikely accident?  I liked how the use of foreshadowing was used again at the end.

14. The Slaying of Hector
   This was another instance of how I hate how the gods are so active in this tale.  To me, it detracts on how mighty these men are supposed to be portrayed and instead shown as simply a pawn of the gods, which I think wasn't the purpose of this story to show how weak humanity is.

15. The Slaying of Hector (cont.)
  I like how the gods also disregard that Achilles offered up sacrifice as well, it makes them look very fickle and childish how they all play the human characters against each other.  Also it is very convenient how Hector can hear Priam and his mother over the battle and the retreat of the Trojans back behind the walls.

16. The Slaying of Hector (end.)
   "Men and lions make no oaths to each other, neither is there any agreement between wolves and sheep."  That quote by Achilles is probably one of my favorite quotes in general, it shows how little Hector is compared to the might of Achilles. 

17. The Ransoming of Hector
  Why was Priam angry with his other sons?  Were they like Paris and essentially useless?  Also did the gods protect Hector's body for it to be "...whole, and without blemish," since Achilles drug around the body for apparently several days.

18. The Ransoming of Hector (cont.)
  This was an odd way to end the Iliad since Achilles is not dead.  The whole point of prophesying that Achilles would die if Hector was killed and all of the other hints in the story were wasted.  This ending, to me, would be like ending the gospel of Matthew where Jesus goes to Pontius Pilate.  Do we know what happens to Jesus? Yes but it is slightly annoying not including it regardless.  With this information, including characters like Paris are useless.  I actually had to look up if Achilles died in the original since I didn't remember and I was shocked to realize he doesn't.