Unit 2: Homer IliadBook 11

Classical Civilisation

The aristeia is a type of scene in the Iliad in which a hero in battle has his finest moments (aristos = best). Such is the ferocity of the hero's efforts, an aristeia generally results in the death of everyone standing in his way. The typical elements of the scene and the typical order in which they appear in the Iliad are:

Arming Brilliance of armour/hero [Exhortation to followers] Initial exploit Setback (wounding) Divine inspiration Renewed exploits Extended simile [Taunting the victim] The kill

The Aristeia

The first part of Book 11 (pages 181-188) dramatises the aristeia of Agamemnon.

On the next slide, there is a series of quotations representing each stage of Agamemnon’s aristeia.

Try to match each quotation to one of the elements of the aristeia we have already noted (arming, brilliance of armour/hero, etc).

You may need to check your text to see which quotation best suits which element of the aristeia.

Book 11: The Aristeia of Agamemnon

The Aristeia of Agamemnon: Quotations

1 ‘You shall now pay for your father’s disgraceful insult’

2 Athene and Hera thundered in answer, glorifying Agamemnon

3 As a lion easily crunches up the little fawns of a speedy doe...

4 Agamemnon shouted orders to his troops to prepare for battle

5 Admirable Coon...came up side-on, unnoticed by godlike Agamemnon, and struck him below the elbow in the middle of the forearm

6 He slashed off his arms and head with his sword and sent the trunk rolling like a log through the crowd

7 First he placed fine leg-guards on his shins, fitted with silver ankle clips

8 Agamemnon stabbed him in the forehead with his sharp spear

9 Agamemnon continued to harry the enemy ranks with spear, sword and boulders

10 Beams from the bronze armour he wore flashed into the distant sky

Taunting the victim

Divine inspiration

Extended simile

Exhortation of followers

Setback (wounding)

The kill

Arming

Initial exploit

Renewed exploits

Brilliance of armour/hero

It shows Homer’s use of repeated scenic formulas – a narrative trait that probably originated in the oral tradition of storytelling

It adds to the Iliad’s ritualistic style of representation

It varies tremendously from occasion to occasion and hero to hero – by amplifying certain elements and reducing or eliminating others, Homer is able to convey a range of meanings about a particular moment in the story or a particular character

The aristeia is an important convention of the Iliad because...

Look again at Agamemnon’s aristeia in Book 11 (pgs. 181-188) and make notes on the following questions:

Which elements of the aristeia are amplified here?

Which are reduced?

What do these adaptations of the aristeia formula suggest about Homer’s attitude towards Agamemnon?

Analysis

‘Homer’s representation of violence is anything but mindless.’

How far do you agree that the aristeia of Agamemnon supports this view?

Write up your ideas, with evidence from the text, in a paragraph of clear, analytical writing.

Question

Look again carefully at the passage we have just read – from p.196 (“So they fought on like blazing fire…”) to p. 202 (“…and the blood stopped flowing.”) and make notes in answer to the questions that follow:

How is the character of Patroclus presented?How is the character of Nestor presented?How does Homer present the circumstances leading

up to Patroclus’ decision to help the Greeks?

Patroclus and Nestor

Garrett Hedlund as Patroclus in Wolfgang Petersen’s film Troy (2004)

Patroclus in Context

Choose either of the two contextual texts we have just looked at – Troy or The Song of Achilles – and consider how it presents the character of Patroclus in comparison to the way he is presented in the passages we read from Book 11 of the Iliad.

Consider:How does your contextual text present Patroclus in ways

that are similar to Homer’s text?How does it present him in ways that are different?Can you explain these similarities and differences in the way

he is presented?

Patroclus in Context

This is disputed. Some commentators believe there is no more to the relationship than a

strong bond of friendship. Some see in it traces of a social practice that was probably current in Athens

at the time of the epic’s composition – about 800 BC. This was the practice of pederasty: a socially acknowledged erotic

relationship between an adult male and a younger male, usually in his teens. The older male was the erastês: the dominant, active figure, training the

younger man in every aspect of conventional Greek manhood. The younger was the erômenos: the ‘beloved’ who submitted to the will of

his erastês in every regard. The Iliad does not refer explicitly to this practice, but aspects of the way

Achilles’ and Patroclus’ relationship is presented do appear to be influenced by it.

What kind of relationship do Achilles and Patroclus have?

The idea that Patroclus and Achilles were lovers is quite old. Many Greco-Roman authors read their relationship as a romantic one—it was a common and accepted interpretation in the ancient world. We even have a fragment from a lost tragedy of Aeschylus, where Achilles speaks of his and Patroclus' 'frequent kisses.' There is a lot of support for their relationship in the text of the Iliad itself, though Homer never makes it explicit.

Madeline Miller says…

Strong Patroclus was moved to compassion at the sight and mournfully spoke winged words:

“Wretched rulers and leaders of the Greeks, so now it seems you were destined to glut the swift dogs of Troy with your white flesh, far from your dear ones and the land of your fathers. But tell me, Eurypylus, is there any hope of holding awe-inspiring Hector in check, or will the Greeks fall to his spear and be destroyed today?”

Iliad, Book 11, lines 815-822

How far is this passage typical of Homer’s presentation of the character of Patroclus in Book 11?

(10 marks)

10 Mark Question