A few things stood out to me when I read the first part of the Iliad readings. Firstly, I was really intrigued by the relationship between Hector and his love, Andromache in the sixth part of the reading. While Hector is obviously a brave and powerful warrior, Andromache still worries that he might die in battle, abandoning her and their infant son, Astyanax. Yet, he stays true to the idea that if he is killed in battle by the Greeks, it it because "it be my fate to die". Hector cares tremendously for his son and even prays to the gods that he will turn out better than his father did. I could imagine writing a story from Andromache's perspective as a woman torn while the man she loves puts his life on the line for Troy. This is a little irrelevant to that relationship, but I also love the inclusion of Paris throughout the stories. It adds a real Batman and Robin feel to the story, and it even got me thinking about the idea of writing about their adventures together in battle.
In terms of the plot line, it was fairly easy to follow. The inclusion of several Greek gods throughout the story kept me engaged and helped me understand the historical context of the story. I also really liked some of the imagery in several of the stories. For example, in the first part of "The Quarrel", the writer describes the wrath with which Apollo descended from Olympus to avenge the priest, stating he "came as night comes across the sky". Furthermore, in Hector and Andromache, he compares Paris running to meet Hector to "a horse that is fresh from his stable, and prances over the grass and tosses his mane". I have always struggled to incorporate creative imagery like that in my writing, but reading through the first part of the Iliad stories definitely gave me some inspiration that I can carry over into the stories I write this semester.
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| A painting depicting Hector wishing farewell to Andromache and Astyanax. |
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