Briseis Essays

Xenia Although many people have never even heard of the word Xenia, it is used multiple times in the epic The Odyssey. Xenia means to have "basic hospitality, the generosity and courtesy shown to those who are far from home (Wikipedia, Xenia Greek, pg.1.) In Ancient Greece there was no such thing as a motel 6 to be able to stay the night at while you were away from home, so you would hope that the person that you are going to knock on the door to ask if you can stay the night or nights with has

great skill in physical combat, Achilles did not display the character traits that define a hero; Achilles showed the flaws that made him human. Briseis and all of the Greek army could attest to that. Two beautiful maidens, considered war prizes, went to Agamemnon and Achilles. The most handsome, Chryseis, served Agamemnon, while the other maiden, Briseis,

Equality Within the comforts of the modernized human civilization that we all experience on a daily basis, a person can easily forget how privileged they are to be existing in such a time of human equality. However, times were not always as pleasant as they currently are, as different diversities of people were not only shamed for their race, gender or ethnicity, but they were abused for it. That being said, if abusive behaviors like human trafficking and racial discrimination can still be found

Homer uses the Gods and Goddesses impact on Odysseus to show how redemption can be earned which is illustrated through Foster's quest theory. Circe, Zeus, Poseidon, Athena, and Helios are gods that symbolize mythological ideas, whereas in the Odyssey they symbolize lessons Odysseus needs to learn. Odysseus is a man that is judged by the gods all the time, he is on a journey to get home to his family from war. Odysseus does not always make the best decisions and it gets himself in big trouble. Circe

Weakness is a trait all groups of humanity find themselves bound to in many senses, whether it be mentally or physically, but much like Odysseus in Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, translated by Robert Fitzgerald, strength can be found within this turmoil. The tale begins on the island of Ithaca where Telemakhos, the son of the warrior Odysseus, is confronted by the goddess Athena. The Grey-Eyed-Goddess tells Telemakhos to step up and make something out of his life, by setting out on a quest to learn

The greatest literary works reflect the human condition: from adversity come epiphanies of wisdom and heroism. Despite varying time periods and cultures, literature shows how solely through hardship can humanity heroically advance with wisdom. For example, The Iliad’s conflict between the Greeks and the Trojans show the wisdom of humanity in war and the heroic acts of war. The Iliad and The Biography of the Prophet show the human condition of suffering as the sole means of bringing heroic acts and

The history of Greek tragedy shows common themes of fate versus the choices people make, also known as free will. They also show dramatic irony. The reason most Greek tragedies exemplify these themes is due to their beliefs in the Gods of that era such as Apollo, Hermes, and Athena, etc. who would often give prophecies on the fates of people. Particularly, in Oedipus the King, there was a prophecy from Apollo that in the end was revealed to have come true. The presence of whether fate or free will

see Andy Dufresne being beaten brutally by The Sisters. In SG the theme of war imposes the excessive existence of violence in the book. Briseis observes how her brothers are being viciously killed by Achilles and all these bloody images stay on her mind. She comes back to these brutal memories again and again throughout the whole story. Although Andy and Briseis favour a cold-minded attitude to what’s happening, violence has affected both central figures

with his responsibilities. When Agamemnon steals Achilles war-prize, Briseis, Achilles quits the war. He is passionate about the idea that he deserves Briseis, which conflicts with his responsibilities in war. Achilles hubris’ overpowers his role in battle; he chooses his war-prize over helping lead the Greeks to victory. Agamenon selfish as he is covets a prize in return for Chryseis, “That done, I myself will call for Briseis at your hut, and take her, flower of young girls that she is, your prize

Iliad uses the voice of a muse to aid in telling the story of the hero Achilles. It begins in the midst of the Trojan War, as the Achaeans capture two maidens from a Trojan-allied city- Briseis and Chryseus. Agamemnon, the leader of the Achaean army, and Achilles, the fierce warrior, claims Chryseus and Briseis as their prizes, respectively. Upon her capture, Chryseus’ father Chryses, a priest to the god Apollo, begs Agamemnon for the return of his daughter and offers a great ransom: the scepter

Achaean warrior, to return and assist them in the battle. Achilles had previously withdrawn his assistance, since Agamemnon insulted him and stole his war prize Briseis. Odysseus and several other notable Achaean warriors approach Achilles and echo Agamemnon’s request to have Achilles return, in exchange for a plethora of gifts and Briseis. Achilles quickly declines the offer. He then asks Odysseus a rhetorical question,

lineage for the character Briseis, and a change in the events surrounding the death of Patroclus. While the Iliad from The Essential Homer and the film Troy by Wolfgang Petersen, portray the mythological story of the Trojan War, Petersen’s

these: Agamemnon is the reason behind Achilles’ wrath in both the Iliad and Troy. He triggered it by taking Briseis from Achilles’ who was his love interest in the movie Troy and his concubine in the Iliad. Keeping a relationship connection in both sources shows the significance that she has with Achilles. Modern culture expects every hero to have a love interest in someone else. Having Briseis in Troy shows that Achilles has a softer side and he can be compassionate to those he cares about. When Agamemnon

of the epic, King Agamemnon of Mycenae's armies have been fighting with Troy for nine long years. When Agamemnon takes away Briseis, the hero Achilles' prize, Achilles threatens to leave. This leads to many issues caused by pride and importance throughout the main characters. For example, pride causes Agamemnon to lose almost his entire army in the interest of keeping Briseis as his prize. Opponents of this stance argue that while pride may motivate these characters, anger motivates them even more

In the movie Troy, directed by Wolfgang Petersen, writer David Benioff takes a strong stance on his characterization of Achilles compared to in the Iliad. In Troy there's an emotional side of Achilles that isn't apparent in the Iliad. In the Iliad Achilles is portrayed more like a God than a human. In the Iliad Achilles is characterized as a fierce, savage warrior. He’s seen as the invincible, God-like hero of Greece. One example of his savagery are his actions before and after he kills Hector

living. In the book, Agamemnon's men come to get Briseis and Troy knows it is just the job of the soldiers. These differences occur because in the movie Brie sees was a love interest of Achilles but in the book she more or less than a war prize. I feel the director used this as a focal point to really display the differences in their reactions. The similarities between Agamemnon, Briseis, and Achilles showed ownership because Agamemnon owned Briseis which he gave to Achilles to

off. When Briseis is taken away by Agamemnon, this only makes Achilles more frustrated. He is not upset because he had a romantic relationship with her, he is upset because she was given as a prize by Agamemnon for valor. When Achilles finds out that Briseis is going to be taken by Agamemnon it only further aggravates him. This also completely devalues Achilles contribution as a warrior. This can be seen when Agamemnon says, “But I, I will be there in person at your tents to take Briseis in all her

the prize without even holding the contest. He tells everyone that he knows Agamemnon is the best. That 's actually pretty magnanimous coming from Achilles, who has a lot of reasons to be upset with Agamemnon 's lack of leadership. Achilles lost Briseis, whom he loved, just because Agamemnon whined about it not being fair. Achilles ' subsequent withdrawal from fighting caused the Achaeans to lose a major battle. In short, Agamemnon is a jerk and bully, who blames others for his failings and sacrificed

Chryseis and Briseis and both women held captive in the epic. Also, Athena and Hera play a major role in the outcome of the battle. Andromache causes the Iliad to have a humane side. These women are crucial to the Iliad and the storyline. Many heroes have a female as a war prize in the Iliad. The women are important in this aspect because they incentivize the fighting for the heroes. Also, if a hero does not have a war prize, he can fight for one on the battlefield. Briseis is an example

through a song/poem. The anger of Achilles is aggravated by Agamemnon and Achilles’ sense of dignity. When looting one of the last standing towns of Troy, the great Greek King, Agamemnon claims the women, Chryseis, as prize and Achilles’ takes Briseis. Chryses, the father of Chryseis and priest of Apollo asks for his daughter back, but Aggenemom refuses to do so. Chryses