Homer¹s Iliad, first line:

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Sing, goddess, of the rage of Peleus¹ son Achilles, that destructive rage which set ten thousand woes upon the Achaians (Greeks), which cast down to Hades the souls of many valiant heroes, and made their bodies the spoil of dogs and the feast of birds, for the will of Zeus was being accomplished ­(sing) from that point at which they first faced off against each other in strife, Agamemnon son of Atreus, the lord of men, and godlike Achilles.

 

Rage      sing       goddess     of Peleus¹ son     Achilles

Mhnin   aeide,   yea,        Phlhiadev       Axilhow

 

destructive     which   ten thousand    on the Achaians        woes     set upon

oulomenhn,      h        muri'            Axaioiw            alge'   eyhke

 

    -  ˜˜    | - ˜˜      | --     | - ˜˜  | - ˜˜       | - ˜

Mhnin a|eide, ye|a, Ph|lhia|dev Axi|lhow

Mênin aeide, theia, Peleyiadeio Akhilleios

 

- ˜˜        | --       | - ˜˜      | --       | - ˜˜         | - ˜

oulome|nhn, h | muri' A|xaioiw | alge' e|yhke     etc.

oolomenein hey moori Akhaiois algê etheike

 

Epic Meter:  Dactylic Hexameter = six measures of dactyls. 

Dactylos means ³finger² ­a human finger consists of one long joint followed by two short ones;

in Dactylic hexameter,

a dactyl consists of one long syllable and two shorts (-  ˜˜), or the equivalent (two longs, --); the last measure of each line is normally shorter by one short syllable to allow time for the natural pause one usually makes at the end of a line]

A long syllable is one which takes longer to say; it can be long because it contains a vowel sound which is long by nature, or because the vowel is followed by more than one consonant.

 

HOMERIC TERMS:

 

Mênis: rage; anger which causes one to withdraw from and invert one¹s normal role in

            society

Aidos: respect, reverence / shame

Geras: a prize of honor; a reward given by the group to represent your worth to them

Tîme: your ³price², or worth = honor

Kleos: A good report, good reputation = glory

Arete: excellence in anything; for Homeric warriors, physical excellence in battle

Atê: mental blindness leading to ruin; this keeps one from seeing the logical

            consequences of one¹s actions (which are usually clear to others)

 

 

 

 

EPIC RING COMPOSITION:

Themes appear in an ABCDCBA pattern.

 

One of the possible diagrams of ring composition in the Iliad:

 

A.   Funeral pyres of the Greeks

B.    Quarrel between Agamemnon and Achilles

C.    Ritualized journey of daughter to rejoin father (Chryseis to Chryses)

D.   Achilles goes to Thetis

E.    Thetis goes to Olympus to supplicate Zeus

F.    Quarrel on Olympus among the gods over helping the Trojans

 

                        CENTRAL ACTION FRAMED

 

F.   Quarrel on Olympus among the gods over helping Achilles defile Hektor

E.   Zeus goes to Thetis ­ to tell her to stop Achilles

D.   Thetis descends from Olympus to go to Achilles

C.  Ritualized journey of father to reclaim son (Priam for Hektor¹s body)

B.  Reconciliation between Achilles and Priam

A.  Funeral pyre of Hektor