Do you care if you’re remembered after death? The longing for immortality courses through ancient literature like lifeblood. Mortals seek unending life, as Gilgamesh diving for the immortal flower or Thetis dipping Achilles in the River Styx; heroes strive for undying fame in deeds of great strength, wit, or piety; and gods and humans alike […]
It is not hard to sympathize with Simone Weil’s famous claim that “the true hero . . . of the Iliad is force.” The Prologue announces the action of the poem to be Achilles’s “wrath” and its repercussions, which include myriad d’algea—a “myriad of pains”—heaped on the heroes. And there are, indeed, a myriad of
What Should We Do with the Violence in the Iliad? Read More »
This spring, Brian Phillips triggered my midlife crisis. At the Rocky Mountain Regional Conference, he gave a talk in which he made a casual statement that led to a poignant discovery. “In the Iliad, Achilles seeks glory, while in the Odyssey, Odysseus desires home,” he announced. Nothing new there. “But really,” he continued, “They were
On Home and Glory: Musings on Daily Life and Divine Destiny Read More »
