In his poem, Homer attempts to make his distressful hero not just brave, not just a resourceful and somewhat cunning person who can find a way from any difficult situation, but also a just and righteous character. Upon returning home, Odysseus carefully watches people's behavior to pay on their merit. Through these examples, Homer demonstrates the true actions that should be taken by heroes. The life-affirming mood of the Iliad is sometimes overclouded with the mournful thoughts about the shortness of life. With that, thinking about the inevitability of death, the heroes of Homer try to leave glorious memories about them. Hence, the poem depicts the glorification of military valor, though Homer does not approve war. This is evidenced by both certain speeches of the author and his heroes and the vivid compassion towards Hectors of the other protectors of Troy who do not appear the causers of war.
The images of the Homeric heroes are static to some extent, that is, their characters are introduced somewhat unilaterally and remain unchanged from the beginning till the end of the Iliad. At the same time, every character has its own face, distinct from others: Odysseus is peculiar for his artfulness, Agamemnon is characterized by his arrogance and lust for power, Paris appears effeminate, Elena is known for her beauty, and Penelope - for her wisdom of consistency, Hector represents the valor of the true protector of his city, as well as the mood of hopelessness, since it is destined for him, his father, son, and the whole Troy to be destroyed (Nagy, 2011).
Achilles, the main character of the Iliad, appears a multi-faceted character that often seems to be standing aside all other Homeric heroes. Achilles is ambitious and fearful in his anger: a personal offense made him disregard his duty and refuse to participate in battle. At the same time, a lot of moral qualities are inherent in Achilles' personality, which eventually makes him redeem his guilt before his army. On the other hand, his anger that appear the pivotal axis of the plot of the poem, is discharged with generosity.
According to the Iliad, Achilles left his comrades by having been unjustly offended by Agamemnon. the Achaeans, however, soon find themselves in a severe plight, and require the help of Achilles, which urges Agamemnon to send his men to him with a plea to return and a promise to redeem his guilt. Achilles refuses to return, which is psychologically precisely: his proud prevents him from doing this. However, the sense of duty and the feeling of patriotism do not allow him to reconcile with the defeat of the Achaeans, and he gives his armor to Patroclus in order to fight the Troyans off the Greek ships (Homer, Rouse, 1950). When Patroclus dies, however, Achilles forgets his anger: the love to a friend prevails ambitions. Now feels a double guilt: the dereliction of the duty before his army, and the fault for Patroclus' death. Achilles then rushes into battle and puts the Troyans to flight, kills Hector and defiles his body, thus avenging the death of his friend (Homer, Rouse, 1950). Hence, the cruelty of Achilles is somewhat justified by the sense of anger and grief.
However, when Priam visits Achilles and asks him to give him the body of his son for burial, Achilles' heart softens. He is touched with the old man's plight, his anger diminishes, and the hero shows mercy. Thus, the Homer's praise of a human hero represents one of the brightest manifestations of humanism in the Iliad, at the same time establishing Achilles as a truly good hero. With that, however, the courageous deed of Achilles entails the following virtues of Diomedes, with the latter participating funeral games in honor of Patroclus, which marks respect towards the ancestral traditions.
With that, the unilateralism in the representation of the heroes is justified by the fact that most of them appear before readers only in battles where they cannot manifest all the features of their characters. Achilles, however, represents a certain exclusion, since he is shown in the relationships with a friend, during the battle with an enemy, in his quarrel with Agamemnon, in his conversation with Priam, and many other situations. With regard to the insufficient development of the characters, it can be explained by the absence of this element in the entire literature of the pre-classical period of Ancient Greece (Nagy, 2011).
With respect to the role of women in the Iliad, as well as the depiction of their psychology and inner stimuli, it is introduced by their behavior and their words. Besides, for the depiction of the spiritual moves, Homer resorts to a special method, that is, the interference of gods. For instance, in the first book of the Iliad, when Achilles takes out his sword to attack Agamemnon, someone suddenly snatches him for his hair (Homer, Rouse, 1950). Looking around, Achilles sees Athena, the patroness of heroes who does not allow killing (Ogden 210-238). Another example illustrates the situation when Aphrodite takes Paris away from the battlefield and orders Elena to return home. Elena is angry with Paris, considering him to having escaped the battle, and refuses to return to the alleged coward. However, the goddess threatens Elena, and she is forced to obey. This method is peculiar for Homer's poems, and, apparently, is called to praise heroes, since gods manage the actions of only worthy individuals (Ogden 210-238).
Generally, Homer resorts to gods' interference to explain a crucial change in the line of behavior, the motivation behind the conscious decision that comes in the stead of a moment's impulse. The lack of psychological characteristics of women in the Iliad is partially explained by the tasks of the genre: an epos that is based on folk art usually describes the events of a certain team or collective, paying little or no attention to separate personalities. Meanwhile, the psychological analysis is a phenomenon connected mainly with the interest to an individual.
In the Iliad, the Homeric gods appear anthropomorphous: they possess all the weaknesses peculiar for human-beings, and sometimes even vices that are not the characteristics of the Iliad's figures, differing from people only by their immortality and power (Ogden 53-55). Substantially, the Homeric Olympus is based according the human society of the period of the tribal system.
Works Cited
Nagy, Gregory. Homer the Preclassic. Berkeley: U of California, 2011. Print.
Ogden, Daniel. A Companion to Greek Religion. Chichester: Wiley, 2010. 53-55, 210-238. Print.
Homer, and W. H. D. Rouse. The Iliad: The Story of Achilles. New York, NY: New American Library, 1950. Print.
