To fight in the war meant to strive for achieving glory and honor all the while facing casualties and bloodshed. Through the use of Homeric similes, Homer foreshadows and depicts the ongoing events of the war. His detailed similes help readers to predict the outcome of battles and understand the effects of the war upon each of the characters in the book. Homeric similes help readers to see that death in the war is due to fate and nature, which makes the theme of war and mortality evident in all books of Homers Illiad.
In book 6 of The Iliad, a Homeric simile arises that compares the many deaths of the soldiers to leaves on trees and changing seasons. Glaucus, a man on the Trojan side, upon running into Achean member Diomedes compares the …show more content…
For in my heard and soul I also know this well: the day will come when sacred Troy must die…” (6.527-531). The Trojans are aware that they are fated to lose the battle yet they continue to fight to earn Glory through their bravery. Hector knows that death is not to be feared or something to run away from for the time being, as it is a natural occurrence in the war. This particular Homeric simile comparing men to leaves and the seasons shows Homer’s connection with nature. Through this simile, Homer outlines the cycle of life in mortal men and even those who are supposed to be immortal like Achilles.
The theme of mortality is evident through the falling of many major characters such as Hector and Achilles and also the place of Troy. Homer does this to outline human impermanence and the men of the war devoting their lives to battle and glory so in a sense they become immortal because they will never be forgotten. The cycle of life is shown through the generations of warriors and the passing of great heroes. As the stories of these heroes live on, future generations follow in their footsteps as leaves on trees falling and
In book 6 of The Iliad, a Homeric simile arises that compares the many deaths of the soldiers to leaves on trees and changing seasons. Glaucus, a man on the Trojan side, upon running into Achean member Diomedes compares the …show more content…
For in my heard and soul I also know this well: the day will come when sacred Troy must die…” (6.527-531). The Trojans are aware that they are fated to lose the battle yet they continue to fight to earn Glory through their bravery. Hector knows that death is not to be feared or something to run away from for the time being, as it is a natural occurrence in the war. This particular Homeric simile comparing men to leaves and the seasons shows Homer’s connection with nature. Through this simile, Homer outlines the cycle of life in mortal men and even those who are supposed to be immortal like Achilles.
The theme of mortality is evident through the falling of many major characters such as Hector and Achilles and also the place of Troy. Homer does this to outline human impermanence and the men of the war devoting their lives to battle and glory so in a sense they become immortal because they will never be forgotten. The cycle of life is shown through the generations of warriors and the passing of great heroes. As the stories of these heroes live on, future generations follow in their footsteps as leaves on trees falling and