Homer - The Shield of Achilles
Event Details
“Then on the centre of the shield itself
Through his extraordinary skill he fashioned
Numerous images as decoration.
On it he made the earth, the sky, the sea
The sun that never wearies, the full moon,
And all the wonderous stars that crown the sky-
The Pleiades, the Hyades, Orion
The mighty warrior, and the Great Bear,
Known as the Wagon, which revolves in place,
The only constellation never washed
By Ocean’s streams.”
In Book 18 of The Iliad, Achilles – devastated by the death of his beloved Patroclus – vows to take revenge on his killer, Hector, who has also stolen the armour that Patroclus had borrowed from him. Thetis, his mother, makes him promise not to return to battle until she has obtained a new set of armour from Hephaestus (Vulcan in Roman mythology). At her request the craftsman god creates an immortal set of armour with a stunning decorated shield.
In the middle of his epic poem Homer has set a description of the shield itself, creating one of the earliest examples of Ekphrasis, the use of a detailed account of a piece of art as a literary device. Achilles’ shield contains heaven and earth and two cities, one at peace and one at war, farmland with fields being ploughed and harvested, vineyards, cattle menaced by a lion, a wedding, and a man on trial for murder. At the end of the passage Homer describes a group of young men and women dancing in the open air.
Over the centuries this section of the Iliad has struck many readers and listeners with its beauty and the power of the images described. It has been interpreted in many different ways and has inspired poets from Hesiod to W.H. Auden.
As we look at these lines in detail, we will examine the elements that make it such a memorable description and consider ways in which it underlines the themes of the Iliad as a whole.
This study is suitable for people who are not familiar with the Iliad as well as those who have already read the poem.
JOINING DETAILS:
- Single meeting study facilitated by Caroline Hammond
- Wednesday 16 April, 6.00-8.00 pm BST
- £30 to include background materials and opening notes
