Mythology
Delahoyde & Hughes

HOMER'S ILIAD:

BOOK XXIV: Achilles and Priam

Questions for Book XXIV:

How do we know Achilles has matured in this last book?

Why is Hector's death more important, as evidenced by the last line?

The now insomniacal Achilles all along has been stewing, crying to his mother, recognizing that he could have other women, but repeatedly deciding he's still ticked off. He has been living out bizarre extremes, fighting ferociously, sitting on his butt intensely, engaged in extremist behavior, sometimes extreme passive-aggressive behavior, or outwardly going to extremes in rending his hair in grief, starving himself, smearing himself with feces, essentially holding his breath until he turns blue, and screaming that he wants to hack the meat off Hector and eat it. Very dramatic, but mature? It's all rather self-absorbed, a lot of style standing in as substance.

Dragging Hector's corpse around is a grim, babyish goofiness (possibly his "god" side coming out since they act like this, in extremes). After the circular stasis of the non-corrupting body being dragged for a dozen days now, even the gods say that enough is enough -- Achilles is too much an animal. He has absorbed himself in his own image instead of in the war. But he finally tempers himself during Priam's visit where we get moments of him acknowledging his potential lapse into wrath, and we see an actual change of spirit and self.

Priam's grief is "majestic" but human and manifested in the touchingly tragic wrath of a mourner when he lashes out at the Trojans "mobbing his colonnades" with good intentions (24.282f). Guided by Hermes, old Priam impressively sets out for the Greek camp. When he gets there, he's alone, and obviously vulnerable.

The majestic king of Troy slipped past the rest
and kneeling down beside Achilles, clasped his knees
and kissed his hands, those terrible, man-killing hands
that had slaughtered Priam's many sons in battle. (24.559-562)

Then we get an epic simile that lends us a pause for the tableau to sink in. Notice the importance of the silent moments in this book. Achilles is moved by Priam's demeanor and appeal to him. In the unspoken moments conveyed by the stall of the simile, Achilles really sees Priam. Somewhere in here, Achilles turns inward to adjust himself, or it happens organically. They both have a good cry. Then Achilles surprises us by giving good advice that he himself ought to have been taking.

"There are two great jars on the floor of Zeus's Hall." Achilles goes on to tell Priam the contents of the two jars and how Zeus melds out these contents. What is Achilles saying about mortal life?

Achilles tries to dissuade Priam from grieving and lamenting (24.610f)!

Achilles promotes eating despite grief (24.707f)! The story of Niobe, which originally does not highlight the point about food, if it includes it at all, functions as a myth within a myth -- a story alluded to in order to provide needed wisdom in a crisis time.

Achilles advises sleep!

Achilles still fears his potential for rage (24.684f), but he has the capacity now truly to look at and listen too the old man (24.743f).

The return of Hector's body and a twelve-day truce are the peaceful result. We follow Priam back to a grief-stricken Troy, leaving Achilles behind.

It is Hector, therefore, who earns the last line of the epic. Why is the final line a lament about Hector despite the invocation's identification of the theme?

True or False:

Hector has real relationships with people and connects.
Hector is driven up the wall by his brother Paris the cheese-wienie, but he continues to have hope for him.
Hector is less guilty of blaming the gods, realizing he should have taken the advice of the seer. He has every reason and opportunity to blame the gods, but he doesn't; he refers to "my recklessness."
Hector represents "civilized responsibility and restraint" (Introduction 56).So Hector's experience is far more human and accepting. His death is a greater loss to us, as he was a better example for us as human beings.