Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Reading Notes: Homer"s Iliad, Part B

Image result for king priam
(King Priam at the feet of Achilles: Wikimedia Commons)

I found it interesting how Hector defended his actions of running away from Ajax by basically saying he fears Zeus and the fate he has in store for him if he challenges another strong warrior to a battle. Yet, he puts on Achilles armor which makes Zeus really mad at him.

The scene with the horses crying over Patroclus is touching will be a great part to retell and show the intelligence and emotions the horses have.

Achilles has one of the best scenes in the story because he is able to make a whole army back down by just showing his presence and yelling at them. Even the horses feared them and I could add a lot more drama when retelling this part of the story.

The part where Apollo tricks Achilles could be retold in a more comical way. It could be comic relief in a time of the story that it extremely tense. I could also make Achilles find the humor in this situation as well instead of getting angry at Apollo.

The chase scene between Achilles and Hector could also be retold to be more comical. I picture them just running around the city as everyone watches them while having their own conversations of what is going to happen. It would also be funny to have Achilles yelling at Hector while he’s chasing him and Hector just looking back with a scared look on his face.

Once again, the movie “Troy” differs from the actual story because at first Paris has to fight Achilles and then he backs down. Then, Hectors steps in to protect his brother. I do not like how they portrayed Hector as a coward in this version of the story. So retelling it I will probably make Hector seem more brave even though he knows he is about to die.

I think I could make the part where Priam goes to see Achilles more intense by not letting him have protection from the gods. I could retell it as him being extremely sneaky and having some close encounters of being caught.


It was interesting to see that Achilles actually showed compassion when King Priam came to see him. What surprised me the most was that Priam ate and drank with the man who had just killed his favorite son. In my retelling I think I would have Priam immediately leave after Achilles accepts the ransom. 

Bibliography: Homer's Iliad (Retold by A. J. Church) 

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