Essays on Homer

The point which is to be adressed in the beginning is what is an epic poem and an epic film? An epic poem, epic, epoc, or epopee is a long narrative poem, usually involving a period beyond living memory in which the extraordinary acts of...

In Lattimore’s translation of The Iliad of Homer, the elaborate ekphrasis of Achilles’ shield in Book 18 temporarily ceases the unrelenting narratives of brutality, gore, and destruction of the Trojan War. Homer weaves in a detailed description of Hephaestus’ divine forgery of Achilles’ colossal shield,...

Homer is the staggering maker of the Iliad and the Odyssey, two epic melodies that are the central works of old Greek composition. The Iliad is set during the Trojan War, the ten-year assault of the city of Troy by a partnership of Greek domains....

“Greece, sound, thy Homer’s, Rome thy Virgil’s name…”(Milton 16). Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey and Virgil’s Aeneid were important books to the cultures of Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece. Homer and Virgil were both classical poets and authors who utilized various techniques to enrapture their audiences...

In both Homer’s Odyssey and Virgil’s Aeneid, destiny and free will are both significant. Destiny is unchangeable, it may seem like a coincidence, but it is something no person controls for oneself, but within the destiny, you do have a choice. Free will is defined...

The story of Niobe, as told by Achilles in book twenty-four of the Iliad, is related to Priam for the purpose of making the latter eat, though he is grieving the loss of Hector, whose body he has come to ransom. This tale can be...

Stories are often passed down from generation to generation. Literature was often taught verbally rather than written in olden times, like the author Homer. Homer was an author mostly known for his Epics, The Iliad and The Odyssey. These literary works were primarily passed down...

In Homer’s Iliad, there is a recurring theme surrounding the idea of being the ‘greatest.’ Both the Achaeans and Trojans have heroes whom they believe embody their ideal of the ‘greatest.’ For the Achaeans, this hero is Achilles, while for the Trojans Hector is their...

In Homer’s Iliad, the audience is presented with the complex virtues of glorious battle – of warfare. In his portrayal of warfare, Homer offers many examples of supposed heroes, of whom, most debate between Hector or Achilles as the most prominent. The greatest hero presented...

One of the most common translations of the First Noble Truth of Buddhism is “existence is suffering”, implying that to exist, to be alive, brings on pain, loss, grieving, and suffering. Reading Homer’s Odyssey and analyzing the characters, one thing is evident – human suffering...