Homer: Poet of the Iliad

356 Pages·1990·19.521 MB·English

by  Mark W. Edwards

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Mark W. Edwards
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Homer
Poet of the Iliad
THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY PRESS BALTIMORE AND LONDON
This book has been brought to publication with the generous assistance
of the David M. Robinson Publication Fund and the Andrew W. Mellon
Foundation.
© 1987 The Johns Hopkins University Press
All rights reserved. Published 1987
Printed in the United States of America
The Johns Hopkins University Press
zor West 4oth Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21211
The Johns Hopkins Press Ltd., London
Originally published in hardcover, 1987
Johns Hopkins Paperbacks edition, 1990
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Edwards, Mark W.
Homer, poet of the Iliad.
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
1. Homer. Iliad. 2. Trojan War in literature.
3. Achilles (Greek mythology) in literature. I. Title.
PA4037.E39 1987 883/.01 86-21134
ISBN 0-8018-3329-9 (alk. paper)
ISBN 0-8018-4016-3 (pbk.}
Title page illustration: Poet, youth, and dog, from an Attic red-figure cup of
490-480 B.c. attributed to Douris. From The Metropolitan Museum of Art,
Gift of Dietrich von Bothmer, 1976, and loan Musee du Louvre. (1976.181.3)
Used by permission.
Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
The Purpose and Plan of This Book 1
Homeric Style: Some Basic Features 2
The Scale and Structure of the Poems 7 ‘
PART I: Characteristics of Homeric Poetry
1. The Bard, Oral Poetry, and Our Present Text 15
The Bard in Homer 16
Homer the Singer 19
The Techniques of Oral Poetry 21
The Establishment of the Text 23
2. Narrative: The Poet’s Voice 29
3. Language 42
4. Meter and Formulae 45
5. Word Order and Emphasis 55
6. Story Patterns and Use of Myth 61
Large-Scale Story Patterns 62
Small-Scale Patterns 64
Homer’s Adaptation of Myth 67
7. Type-Scenes and Expansion 71
8. Battle Scenes 78
9. Description 82
10. Speeches, Soliloquies, and Characterization 88
Speeches 89
Soliloquies 94
Characterization 96
ul. Paradigms and Aphorisms 98
12. Similes 102
vi 13. Metaphors 11
14.Symbolism 14
15.Sound 117
16. Word Play and Significant Names 120
17. Gods, Fate, and Mortality 124
The Gods as the Religion of the Characters 125
The Gods as a Compositional Device 131
Mortals and the Gods _ 138
18. Personification and Psychology 143
19. Honor, Proper Behavior, and Warfare 149
Honor 150
The Proper Way to Behave 152
Warfare 154
20. History and Society 159
Ionia in the Time of Homer 160
Archaisms from the Mycenaean Age 163
Society and Weapons in the Homeric Poems 164
PART II: Commentaries
21. Iliad Book 1 173
The Proem (1-12a) 174
The Priest’s Appeal and the Plague (12b-52) 176
The Assembly and the Quarrel (53-305) 178
Achilles and Thetis (306-492) 182
The Assembly of the Gods (493-611) 184
22. Iliad Book 3-188
Challenge to a Duel (1-120) 190
Helen and Priam on the Wall (121-244) 191
The Duel and the Rescue (245-382) 194
Helen and Paris (383-461) 195
23. Iliad Book 6 198
The Battle Continues (1-118) 200
Diomedes and Glaucus (119-236) 201
Hector with Hecuba and with Helen (237-368) 206
Hector and Andromache (369-529) 208
24. Iliad Book 9 214 vii
The Greeks Decide to Approach Achilles (1-181) 216
The Three Envoys and Their Reception (182-221) 218
Odysseus’s Speech and Achilles’ Response (222-431) 221
Phoenix, Meleager, and Achilles (432-622a) 224
Ajax and Achilles, and the Envoys’ Return (622b-713) 229
The Significance of Achilles’ Decision 231
25. Iliad Book 13 238
26. Iliad Book 14 246
The Greek Council (1-152) 246
The Beguiling of Zeus (153-353) 247 ‘
Poseidon Rallies the Greeks (354-15.4a) 250
Zeus Awakens (15.4b-261) 251
27. Iliad Book 16 254
Achilles and Patroclus (1-100) 257
Patroclus Prepares for Battle (101-256) 259
Patroclus and Sarpedon (257-683) 261
The Death of Patroclus (684-867) 263
28. Iliad Book 18 267
The Mourning of Achilles (1-147) 270
The Recovery of Patroclus’s Body (148-242) 273
Hector’s Decision (243-313) 274
The Lament for Patroclus (314-67) 275
Thetis Visits Hephaestus (368-477) 276
The Shield of Achilles (478-616) 278
29. Iliad Book 22 287
Preliminaries to the Duel (I-91) 290
Hector’s Soliloquy (92-130) 291
Hector’s Flight before Achilles (131-213) 292
Achilles’ Victory (214-404) 295
The First Laments for Hector (405-515) 298
30. Iliad Book 24 301
Achilles’ Continuing Grief (1-142) 304
Preparations for the Ransoming (143-321) 306
Priam’s Journey to Achilles (322-468) 306
Vili Priam and Achilles (469-676) 308
The Funeral of Hector (677-804) 313
Afterword: The World-view of Homer 317
Bibliography 325 -
Index 337