Love and Friendship in the Iliad

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  • Love and Friendship in the Iliad
    • Parental love
      • Gods who watch over mortals
        • Thetis and Achilles - affects major plot changes - Book 1 Thetis asks Zeus to 'give honour to my son' and this causes the Greeks to loose.
        • Zeus and Sarpedon - Zeus has to make a decision about whether or not he saves Sarpedon in Book 16 and has to ultimately accept that Fate is bigger than he is
        • Aphrodite and Aeneas - not a key part of the plot, but Aphrodite removed him from the fighting - showing parental love again.
        • Other gods treat their favourites like their children - Athene and Odysseus and Aphrodite and Paris
      • Mortals who take care of their children
        • Priam and Hecabe and Hector - in Book 22 they appeal to Hector asking him; 'I beg you, my dear son' - asking him not to fight.
        • Chryses and Chryseis - important example of parental love in book 1 as it ultimately starts the argument between Achilles and Agamemnon - shows how far a parent will go
        • There are characters who are like parents:  Nestor is always trying to mediate and give advice - in book 11 he persuades Patroclus 'to take the field with the Myrmidon contingent'. Pheonix also does this - in book 9 as part of the embassy he reminds Achilles of his love which is like a parent
      • Other more complex examples
        • Priam lost his son Hector and Achilles dad Peleus is not around - Priam and Achilles respect each other as though they were father and son
    • Comradeship
      • Agamemnon
        • Has very little love or respect for his comrades - he uses bullying tactics - In book 4 he questions Diomedes and Odyseeus asking them 'why they hang back like this' - rather than praising them, he criticises.
      • Patroclus
        • Model solider with concern for fellow men - He tells Eurypylus that he will not 'abandon you in your distress' and he leads the army as whole
        • His death: funeral is very significant - gets an entire book and shows sadness of all soldiers - his death represents all soldiers deaths
      • Achilles and Patroclus
        • Patroclus
          • Model solider with concern for fellow men - He tells Eurypylus that he will not 'abandon you in your distress' and he leads the army as whole
          • His death: funeral is very significant - gets an entire book and shows sadness of all soldiers - his death represents all soldiers deaths
        • Death of Patroclus creates inconsolable grief for Achilles 'a black cloud of grief' engulfed him when he found out - creates outpouring of fury on the battlefield
        • More intense than any other friendship - grew up together, live together, share everything - Achilles is leader of Myrmidons and Patroclus is second
        • Friendship and dedication ultimately brings the downfall of both of them - Patroclus fights to help Achilles - Achilles fights to get revenge for Patroclus
        • Love transforms into revenge - shows intensity
    • Marital love and lust
      • Bad example
        • Agamemnon - Lust for Brisies and list for Chryseis ultimately leads to the argument between Achilles and himself - also shows a disrespect for  marital laws and his wife Clytomnestra
        • Paris and Helen - dont understand marital laws when Paris takes Helen from Menelaus - over dominating lust that leads them to make bad choices. - Hated by Hector although tolerated
      • Positive example
        • Hector and Andromache - model of marital bliss along with a child - perfect family. There is difficulty when Andromache asks him to 'have pity on me' and asks him to stay, but he chooses the city over his marriage.
        • Achilles and Briseis - fond of her and cares for her to the point where he will start an argument with Agamemnon over her

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