Examples Of Parallelism In The Iliad

Homer’s epic poem The Iliad tells the story of the part-god Greek hero Achilles. There are many devices the author uses to illuminate the characters and the theme of the story. One such device utilized in the poem is parallelism, which highlights Achilles’ rise and fall from honor, and his eventual return to his honorable ways. At the start of the poem, Achilles is portrayed as the strongest, most honorable man in the Greek army. This is highlighted by Agamemnon’s treatment of Calchas compared to Achilles treatment of the men coming to retrieve Briseis. When Calchas tells Agamemnon that he is the cause of the plague that swept the Greek army, he responds furiously, telling Calchas he is “a visionary of hell” (124) and that he must prepare “a prize of honor” (139) to compensate for his girl, Chryseis. This was a dishonorable act as Calchas simply told Agamemnon the situation and did nothing wrong. On the other hand, when the messengers arrive at Achilles’ camp for Briseis, he

After discovering the plague that Apollo cursed the army with, he calls a meeting to discuss the issue. Despite calling meeting without Agamemnon’s approval, this further displayed Achilles honor and status, as he clearly cares for the wellbeing of all the troops. This moral action is contrasted when he cries to his mother after Achilles sends the messengers to take Briseis. Because of Agamemnon’s previous actions, Achilles asks his mother to convince Zeus to “take the Trojan side and roll the Achaeans back to the water’s edge, back on the ships with slaughter!” (470-472). He does this simply to show Agamemnon what the Achaeans are like without their greatest soldier. Achilles is willing to bring harm to an entire army simply because he is angry with his commander. These two moments contradict each other and highlight this immoral act, beginning Achilles’ descent into dishonor that is explored throughout the rest of the