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One theme I see consistently in The Illiad is competition. Competition is one of the things that keeps this story going because every character care about their pride and reputation. For example, when Hektor prayed that his son will grow up to be a better warrior than him .. we as readers view that as Hektor being a family man and supporting his son . However, this could also mean that he wants to go around bragging about having a better son than anyone else. Therefore, this shows that competition in The Illiad could be for the smallest things, which is makes it as big of a theme as it is.
This is a very astute observation, and we might want to keep the idea of "competition" in mind as we read through the Iliad. There is a constant strain in the motivations of the different characters to be the "best," whether it is on the battlefield, at an assembly, or even in fatherhood. This striving to be the absolute best, and therefore to be remembered for it, is crucial.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree, mostly every character seems to be in competition for being a better warrior. However, in some cases the men show a lot of fear. When Hektor challenged for a one on one fight, hardly anyone had the guts initially except for Menelaos. In contrast, we do see that one character (Achilleus) is debating whether he values his glory or his life.
ReplyDeleteThis is something that is on my mind as well when reading the book. I am constantly taking note as to who is in competition with who because I feel like theres always something new which in all honesty does make the book very interesting. I agree with the fact that so many of the characters strive to be better than anyone else whether that be through their own actions or through the actions of their child (in Hektors case wishing his son to be a better warrior than him).
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