The article The Shield of Achilles within Iliad by Oliver Taplin, presents a curious topic that would often be overlooked or just breezed through by literary readers themselves who would often look out for the plot, development of the story, or “thrill of the ride”. Tedious details of Achilles’ shield do not contribute to such popular entertainment. And to wonder at the irony of its beautiful and celebratory designs against the backdrop of war and inhumanity is reserved for scholars, historians, and literary enthusiasts – fanatics of Homer’s works – for whom this article must have been written. (for whom was it written)
Nevertheless, Iliad has a multi-faceted significance in today’s civilization: cultural, historical, literary, psychological, and even perhaps, scientific. The irony of Achilles’ shield is not happenstance, nor whimsical creation. A Oliver Taplin points out, “(I find it) hard to believe that a poet who worked it that way (just following his fancy) could have so consistently commanded the attention, indeed adulation, of our civilization.” (Taplin 4) And to delve deeply into this literary metaphor promises to unearth a richness in our knowledge of humanity, of life itself, and wisdom of ages past that had been bought at the terrible price of pain and suffering. Such was the endeavor and success of the article. (Why it was written)
The shield composes of five concentric circles. The innermost circle contains the earth, heavens and seas. This conveys the most basic elements and perhaps, the passage of time. The second circle depicts urban life, divided into scenes that contain celebrations (marriage) and destructions (war). The third circle shows the rural life and is divided into how it is in four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The fourth shows a dance, and has no subdivisions, represents the life of Troy before the Achaeans came. The fifth circle is the ocean, which completes the depiction of the world from the inner circle. (Taplin 5-11)
With this detail, the irony of the Achilles’ shield becomes prevalent. As Oliver Taplin puts it, it seems a relief from the bloody descriptions and narrations of a ruthless tale of battles and war that is Iliad. In the midst of all the gore and misery so sympathetically narrated by Homer, why this sudden detail of a beautiful universe engraved in the shield of the strongest warrior of the tale? Rather than irony, or deliberate contrast to the theme of the poem, Taplin concluded that the shield is a microcosm (Taplin 13), an attempt at a greater perspective of the world. While the Iliad had beautiful moments in its tale, the amount of beauty and misery in the story of Iliad is inversely proportional to the whole picture in the shield. Taplin gives an excellent suggestion that through the simile presented by the shield, no matter how gruesome the Trojan War is, it is placed in perspective through the shield. It is a terrible thing, the war, as beautifully depicted by Homer, recounted the suffering and loss on both sides. But through the shield’s simile, the war is depicted as still just a tiny part of the world – that through all the terrible things, there are still a whole world of goodness and beauty. (What I learned)
Though this is a good conclusion, it is not very convincing that this is the original intent of the shield as Homer depicts it. The answer to this question may never be known, unless homer himself gave his reason for this depiction of the shield. We can only speculate, and this needs to be remarked well in keeping with scholarly integrity. Nevertheless, such discussions enrich the experience with the poem more than just merely following the heart-wrenching plot. (What I disagree on and how can it be improved)
Work Cited
Homer. The Iliad. Trans. Robert Fagles. NY: Penguin Books, 1990.
Taplin, Oliver. The Shield of Achilles Within Iliad. Cambridge University Press. 1980
Hamilton, Edith. The Trojan War. Mythology: Timelss Tales of Gods and Heroes. New York, NY: Warner Books, 1942
