Wednesday, February 4, 2015

iliad book 1 lesson set



 “The king, being obliged to send back his captive, enters into a furious contest with Achilles, which Nestor pacifies; however, as he had the absolute command of the army, he seizes on Briseis in revenge.”  The king of the unity of Greeks is obliged through treaty and law to return Chryseis.  He and Achilles debate if this action amongst others was allowed ot eaas it appropriate to order achielis to act in such a fashion.  Nestor quells Achilles and pacifies the argument, yet achielis being unhappy with teh decision of teh unity of Greek states decides to use to position of being in charge of the unified army and besieges Brisei.  The poem begins 10 years into this siege.  Was chilies justified to sack a client state?  Was this virtuous?
If the Greeks later believed Helen of Greece was to be returned why would this return not be the same other than the fact the women might not have been married?

Achilles unhappy with the decision and outcome withdraws support of the army from the other Greek  states.  He prays to his mother thjetis( thetisa)
“complaining to Thetis, she supplicates Jupiter to render them sensible of the wrong done to her son, by giving victory to the Trojans. Jupiter, granting her suit, incenses Juno: between whom the debate runs high, till they are reconciled by the address of Vulcan.”

Ok lets see: Achilles get pissed off withdraws support from the Greeks and allows the people of Greece to be taken over by the Trojans.  The Greeks requested the virtue of returning women taken against their will to cities that should not have been sacked.  Of course the Greek Trojans invaded and took over the council, in fact the Trojans were connected to the Greek tribes, were they client states , associates ot just an ally.  the Gods debated whether troy should dominant and take the Greeks over, they were sackers so the punishment was to stop their criminal actions.  Would the gods simply let teh Greeks be taken over because Achilles sucked out and was told to return a women he illegally and without virtue.  Was it not Godthit who allowed Achilles to think that way to end teh sieges and teh ill behaviour.  The situation changed and reversed with Helen and all the Greeks realised how unvirtuous their behaviour was and that they should not run around sacking cities and stealing women, it turns out the divine wanted them to learn to act more virtuous like Odysseus who later married by lay and co scent women of states, made alliances peacefully and even condemned sacking or trying to sack cities like phrygea were the Greeks lost the war badly.  Achilles siege was bnot blessed and it looks like the ancient Greeks were about to be taught a lesson in propriety.  Thus the judgement of Paris was to judge those capable of acting civil, which later includes Achilles who must have seen the wrong of his way and fought to return a women  unvirtuously stolen by paris in a similar fashion to the way he acted.  The Greeks did learn their lesson and Odysseus who is the model of virtue and Greek expansion later really did act in a fashion tailed due to this lesson, all these actions led to a people and a behaviour virtuous enough to merit that expansion and later marriage alliance with all the world.

Achilles might mean the heal of the balkas or were ever they were, yes he was a real person.

No comments: