Essay on Achilles Shield - 761 Words

As long as there is thought there will always be debate as to the relevance and applications of any figure that has potential symbolism deeper than its appearance. We see it with the Bible, with its accompanying fundamentalism, literalism, interpretationalism, and its downright detractors. Attention given to an object for such a prolonged time is bound to foster battleground for linguists, philosophers, and literary scholars. Additionally, we see it with the Shield of Achilles in Homers The Iliad. The Shield is a literary figure of beauty which the world has enjoyed, despised, and revered for several millennia. Its lengthy and detailed description forces any reader to, if not look past it for higher meaning, at least imagine and†¦show more content†¦He compares the physical description, with the circular depiction of the cosmos and geologic structure of the earth, and the significance of the two images, in the depiction of the God(s) interaction with man. Nibley quotes Justin Martyr when he said that Homer became acquainted with Moses cosmic teachings while he was visiting Egypt... impressed by what he [Moses] had written about the origin of the cosmos, he depicted it in the Shield of Achilles. (Nibley, pg. 46) This interpretation causes there to be a more eternal implication in the tone of the Shield, instead of merely a work of beauty, it is a work of Divine Beauty, wherein a revelation of the world as it really is, is incorporated into the description. There is, also, a thought wherein the importance of the Shields image is merely a meandering act of poetic prowess by Homer. That the Poets stream of thought brought it about, as much of an aesthetic wonder as a relief from the intensity of the battle scenes. This mode of thought was described by Oliver Taplin in his essay The Shield of Achilles Within the Iliad that takes an in depth attempt to discover the meaning of the Shield. During his explanation of the Shield he states this idea, as best understood by him when he wrote the explanation which is, I suspect, most in keeping with the dominant school of what might be called `primitive oral poetics, namely that the oral poet has simply wandered on fromShow MoreRelatedThe Shield of Achilles2510 Words   |  11 Pagesof which has about it something whole and total, so that there are a multiplicity of visions of the cosmos, all equally possible and legitimate in so far as they spring from the universal and immutable principles. Titus Burkhardt. To every shield, there is another side, hidden. A. N. Whitehead. In the Hesiodic account of the world-ages, preserved in the ancient writing known to us as the Works and Days, the poet briefly describes the age of the heroes. He tells us that the heroesRead MoreEssay Shield of Achilles and the Shield of Aeneas3655 Words   |  15 PagesStudy of the Shield of Achilles and the Shield of Aeneas In Homer’s great work, the Iliad, Achilles is given a set of armor, including a glorious shield which allows him to return to battle and carry out his revenge against Hector. Likewise, in Virgil’s Aeneid, Aeneas is sent a shield for the purpose of aiding him in defending Rome from invasion. However, these shields are made special not by their military value, but by the engravings that decorate their surfaces. Achilles’ shield holds engravingsRead MoreAchilles Shield Is Much More Than A Tale Of War And Glory2478 Words   |  10 PagesAchilles shield is much more than a tale of war and glory. Within the text, lies the struggles of life and death and the relationships between a god with a man, earth and the heavens, and a boy with his mother. This is the tale of the, birth, life, and death of one of the greatest heros ever to live. However was his status worth his life? Is death a worthy price for eternal life in legend and song? Is it wrong for a mother to let her son die, for an ultimately pointless cause, to let him give hisRead MoreAnalysis Of Homer s The Iliad And The Odysseys1428 Words   |  6 Pageshall with bronze gold, amber, silver, and ivory† and describing Menelaus’s palace as â€Å"this is the way the court of Zeus must be, inside, upon Olympus. What a wonder.† Furthermore, compared to the wedding of Thetis and Peleus who is the parent of Achilles from the Iliad, the wedding of Menelaus’s children seems more realistic and imaginable. At the wedding of Thetis and Peleus, all the gods and goddess are invited and they have an extremely lavish wedding. There is a difference between the pictureRead MoreThe Iliad, by Homer980 Words   |  4 Pagesthe tale of Achilles and the wrath of war lies a magnificent object that is shortly mentioned in Book 18. The brief section in Book XVIII, lines 505-660, described the shield that Achilles would carry into battle. However, it also tells us something about the nature of Achilles and his heroic image full of rage and anger. In order to understand the significance of the Shield of Achilles, one must closely look within the different layers of the shield itself. Each layer of the shield symbolizesRead MoreGreek Gods And The Gods1528 Words   |  7 Pagesfalls out of Zeus’ good graces, Thetis is able to lend her helping hand, displaying the hierarchical dynamic between the g ods. The gods are indebted to each other, the likely reason that Hephaestus felt as though he needed to make Thetis the ornate shield. The duty and obligation to each other fuels the mutualistic relationships between the gods. Thetis’ motivation to help Hephaestus was not solely out of kindness; rather Thetis saw the opportunity to make a strategic move and put Hephaestus in herRead MoreHistory of the Trojan war1388 Words   |  6 Pagesfor armor and the spear, shield, and sword as weapons. The spear being the main weapon used by the Greeks was the primary weapon only when the spear was thrown, broken, or unusable in any way would the Greeks pull out their swords. The spear measured about nine feet in length, the spear used a bell-shaped iron tip on the front end, and a sharp spike on the other end in case the front was cut off, the Greek could then use the back end as a substitute. The shield covered the body of a regularRead MoreThe Fury of Achiles in Homers Illiad and Ovids Metamorphoses1066 Words   |  4 PagesAchilles Through the stories in both Homers Illiad and Ovids Metamorphoses one can see the power and the fury of Achilles, one greatest Greek warriors in the Trojan War. In Homers Illiad, Homer illustrates the battle between Achilles Hector, who was the Prince of Troy. In Ovids Metamorphoses, Ovid illustrates the battle between Achilles and Cycnus, who is the son of Neptune. In both battles, the outcome is the same both warriors are slain by Achilles. While both stories have the same endingRead MoreAnalysis Of Homer s The Iliad And The Odysseys1428 Words   |  6 Pageshall with bronze gold, amber, silver, and ivory† and describing Menelaus’s palace as â€Å"this is the way the court of Zeus must be, inside, upon Olympus. What a wonder.† Furthermore, compared to the wedding of Thetis and Peleus who is the parent of Achilles from the Iliad, the wedding of Menelaus’s children seems more realistic and imaginable. At the wedding of Thetis and Peleus, all the gods and goddess are invited and they have an extremely lavish wedding. There is a difference between the pictureRead MoreMuseum Report: Sarcophagus with Scenes from the Life of Achilles963 Words   |  4 PagesSarcophagus with Scenes from the Life of Achilles; artist anonymous; 180-220 AD; marble, very high-relief carving, some elements are sculpture in the round; 52x83x57 in; well preserved with some damages on the right and left sides. I. This is a three-dimensional rectangular object with a massive lid that has a shape of a flat couch with two figures reclining on it. Even though both figures look alike and their faces are unfinished, they are slightly different. The figure in the front is a