Sent tumbling, patroclus is speared by the young trojan euphorbus. When patroclus answers achilless call to question nestor, homer says from that moment on his doom was sealed. So they fought to the death around that benched beaked ship as patroclus reached achilles, his great commander, and wept warm tears like a dark spring running down some desolate rock face, its shaded currents flowing. Hektor was only the third person to strike him though he was the only one to deliver a fatal blow. Hector sees this move, advances, and putting a spear through patroclus belly, kills him. The sixth battle, the acts and death of patroclus the iliad. Achilles and patroclus are so emotionally close that patroclus. Throughout the iliad of homer, the constant theme of death is inherently apparent. The trojans see the coming myrmidons and believe that achilles has finally come to battle. The iliad blog 7, the deaths of patroclus and hector the iliad blog 7, the deaths of patroclus and hector. Poseidon comes down to the battlefield and takes the form of calchas the seer. The deaths of sarpedon and patroklos in this book introduce an elegiac tone into the last part of the iliad, as the characters that the reader sees as sympathetic are killed. To the dismay of peaceful readers, homers descriptions of wounding and killing are copious and exquisitely detailed.
In the iliad, patroclus is a close friend and confidant of achilles, who leads the greeks in war against the trojans. If youve read book 16, youll know that what patroklos says is technically true. Read book 16 death of patroclus of the iliad by homer. Little ajax knows then that some god has spoken to them, and the aeantes spirits rise.
As they fought on around the benched ship, patroclus, hot tears pouring down his face like a stream of dark water flowing in dusky streaks down the face of a sheer cliff, returned to achilles, leader of men. The death of patroclus in the iliad full free lesson. In fact, one rarely sees patroklos as an individual. This lesson focuses on book 16 of the iliad by homer. The list below has been prepared by ian johnston of malaspina universitycollege, nanaimo, bc, and later adapted by carlos parada to fit the transliteration used in the greek mythology link. Achilles declines to fight but agrees to the exchange of armor, with the understanding that patroclus will fight only long enough to save the ships. So they fought to the death around that benched beaked ship as patroclus reached achilles, his great commander. When patroclus comes on the field dressed as achilles in book 16, the greeks think their star quarterback is back off. The poetry is in the killing, and excerpt from the mourner. Throughout the iliad, gods and goddesses intervene in the action, and this scene is no exception. Euphorbus strikes at him and misses only to be killed by menelaus. Noble achilles, the fleet of foot, saw and pitied him, and spoke to him with winged words. He has made a fatal decision, and the deaths of sarpedon, patroklos, hektor, achilles himself, and the fall of troy all inevitably follow.
Euphorbus attempts to strip patroclus armor, but menelaus kills him. Then patroclus drew near to achilles with tears welling from his eyes, as from some spring whose crystal stream falls over the ledges of a high precipice. Achilles prays to zeus for patroclus protection, futilely. Hector consults within himself what measures to take. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in the iliad, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. The god apollo sides with the trojans, like zeus, and steps in to stop patroclus, who is wounded. Tragically, patroclus is begging for his own death.
Books 15 16 book 15 marks the beginning of the end for hector and the trojans, who have reached the height of their power and now face a downhill slope. This lesson will summarize the events surrounding the heros end, and explain its significance for the epic as a whole. Read about how death is described in the iliad, plus the names of the combatants and types of death described in homers great epic of the trojan war. Some noteworthy aspects of that encounter you can tease out their implications for yourself are. Read powerpoints on achilles in books 118 and the homeric gods. Homer, iliad book 17 theoi classical texts library. Thus disguised, he encourages the two aeantes great ajax and little ajax, when they are named as a pair and gives them new strength before he flies away. A comparison with those addressed to menelaus at other points in the poem will enable me to pinpoint the unique manner in which the pathos of patroclus death is enhanced at the end of book 16. Even though patroklos is an important character in the iliad, homer gives little attention to him until the ninth book, and even then, the focus is not on patroklos himself, but on his relationship to achilles. There is no dramatic character development, but one does see patroklos as a character perpetrates dramatic events and provides a. Menelaus, fighting nearby, watches the death of patroclus.
Patroclus arms for battle in all respects but for achilles weighted, heavy, tough spear 16. The sixth battle, the acts and death of patroclus, the iliad, lit2go edition, 1899, accessed may, 2020. Revisiting the apostrophes to patroclus in iliad 16 chs. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of the iliad and what it means. We linger over the deaths of patroclus and hector because we get to know them so well.
So patroclus made his request, fool that he was, for his own doom and an evil death were. Sarpedon to glaucus, allies of troy, book 12 susan bertolinothe iliadmosaic 2 14 15. He tells patroclus that achilles cannot save him now. Hector taunts the fallen man, but with his dying words patroclus foretells hectors own death. For a description of the chimera and the story of its death at the hands of bellerophon, see iliad, book 6. Achilles does bury patroclus, and the iliad dedicates a chapter to the funeral games of patroclus, where all greeks compete in athletic games. Achilles retrieves a special cup and pours libation to zeus praying for patroclus to come back unharmed having gained glory. Achilles pursues him thrice round the walls of troy. Homer, iliad book 16 theoi classical texts library. Thoughout the whole book, zeus outlines the rest of the iliad and beyond, predicting even the eventual fall of troy, which occurs after the end of the poem.
In the 16th book of homers iliad, zeus seems destined to fulfill his promise to achilles mother, thetis, to give glory to achilles. Although modern critical descriptions of the iliad never fail to acknowledge the major role battles play in the poem, these scenes are rarely at the center of commentary. Patroclus killed many trojans and trojan allies, including a son of zeus, sarpedon. Homer, iliad, book 16, line 1 perseus digital library. Heres a clickable link to ian johnstons work on the iliad. All the same, it definitely sounds like patroklos is trying to knock hektors ego down a few notches, basically telling him he talks the talk, but doesnt walk the. Zeus knows that the death of patroclus will force achilles to fight for the greeks achaeansdanaansargives. The myrmidons swarm like bees as patroclus sounds the charge and fills them with courage. Menelaus intends to strip him of his armor but apollo inspires hector in the shape of a trojan to stop. How experts track north koreas leader nyt news duration. This is a crucial book and a turning point because in it zeus sits idly by knowing his son sarpedon will be killed, and achilles friend patroclus is also killed. The iliad book 16 death of patroclus american literature. Patroclus dying says to hector that zeus and apollo have made hector the victor, although he shares the mortal share of death with euphorbus.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. For zeus son, sarpedon, it was a spear through the heart, and for hector, it was the bronze. When patroclus comes on the field dressed as achilles in book 16, the greeks think their star quarterback is back off the bench, and they get pumped way up. The death of patroclus is one of the most powerful scenes in homers iliad. Menelaus observes the death of patroclus and runs to guard his body like a mother cow lowing over a calf. The echoes of patroclus death in hectors continue as hectors soul psyche flies off to hades. Patroclus adresses achilles at the start of book 16 described as flesheating wolves, hearts filled with boundles son of zeus, leader of the lycians, killed by patroclus. Two hundred forty battlefield deaths are described in the iliad, 188 trojans, and 52 greeks. In twentyfour scrolls, containing 15,693 lines of dactylic hexameter, it tells the wrathful withdrawal from battle of. Patroclus adds that achilles will soon kill hector. In the tenth year of the trojan war, tensions are running high among the achaians a superancient name for the ancient greeks. Murray 1 and the son of atreus, menelaus, dear to ares, failed not to mark that patroclus had been slain in battle by the trojans, but fared amid the foremost fighters, harnessed in flaming bronze, and bestrode the dead, as over a calf standeth lowing plaintively its mother, that hath brought forth her firstborn, ere then knowing naught of motherhood. Deaths in the iliad, ian johnston greek mythology link.
At the end of book 16, hector kills patroclus, fulfilling zeus prophecy. And the brilliant runner achilles saw him coming, filled with pity and spoke out winging words. Achilless reappearance in the narrative at the end of book 11 starts the progression of events that leads to the fated deaths of patroclus, hector, and after the end of the poem achilles himself. First, the priest chryses comes to ask their leader, king agamemnon, to release his daughter, whom agamemnon was holding captive. Each main character, either by a spear or merely a scratch from an arrow, was wounded or killed during the progression of the story. Set during the trojan war, the tenyear siege of the city of troy ilium by a coalition of greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the. Patrokloss overstepping the bounds set him by first achilles see above, then apollo lines 707709, effectively dooming himself. Zeuss speech makes it clear to the reader that a predestined. Achilles agrees but tells patroclus he should only drive the trojans back from the ships, not follow them to troy. However, the original version of this list could be useful when consulting the online translation of the iliad by ian johnston, to which the line numbers in the right column refer. When achilles saw him thus weeping he was sorry for him and said, why, patroclus, do you stand there weeping like some silly child that comes running to her mother, and begs to be taken up.
Murray 1 thus then they were warring around the wellbenched ship, but patroclus drew nigh to achilles, shepherd of the host, shedding hot tears, even as a fountain of dark water that down over the face of a beetling cliff poureth its dusky stream. The battle rages on between the trojan and achaean forces, and patroclus devises a scheme to free the achaean ships from the trojans. Patroclus begs achilles to send him back to the war to help the achaeans. Book 17, line 5 the trojan euphorbus comes to take the body but king menelaus will not yield. Meanwhile, patroclus goes to achilles tent and begs to be allowed to wear achilles armor if achilles still refuses to rejoin the battle himself. Patroclus soon spears sarpedon, and both sides fight over his armor.