We enacted the final 8-minute puppet play, held discussion on the expected yet unexpected finale to this book, and watched a pertinent clip from The Teaching Company while we nibbled on some fruits, veggies, and ambrosia of Mt. Olympus. Afterward we took 10 minutes to write individual summaries of key facts and personal thoughts on The Iliad and concluded with a summary by Ken on why The Iliad and other Great Books are worth our efforts to understand them.
Expect the Unexpected
After the grand finale of “The Iliad in 8 Minutes or Less”, we discussed some unexpected happenings in these final books. Finally Achilles steps up, bringing more action and emotion into the plot. Instead of a generic see-saw of mayhem, a long awaited trajectory begins to take shape in the story.
Greek View of Death
The Greek and Trojan warriors were not afraid to die. After all, death was determined by the Fates. What they feared most was a bad legacy, a dishonorable death, or to be left as carrion without a proper burial.
Funeral games: What is that all about?
http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/olympics/a/OlympicGames.htm
Achilles Lives!
No resolution. Even thought the ending of the tale is known, the book doesn’t take us as far as we expected — the death of Achilles, the arrival of the Trojan horse, or the fall of Troy. Only the rage of Achilles is resolved.
Greek Values
Many of the heroes seemed “flat”, indistinct; lacking moral characterizations that would make them individuals we could like or dislike, cheer for or rail against. The descriptions were all about physical prowess, strength, ability to fight and/or stir up blood lust in their comrades.
So what did the Greeks value in a man? Lineage, efficacy in war, skillful rhetoric, physical beauty with an intolerance of physical weakness or flaws (for example, lame Hephaestus scorned by his mother, Hera)
Gods began to fight gods
How the gods are explained – through their behaviors, characteristics. They are man-made explanations of the mysteries of life. Their strengths – great powers, miracles, strong loyalties, wise, fair, willing to abide by the Fates (shadowy but potent figures who ultimately control the destiny of mortals). Their weaknesses – selfish, vindictive, petty, childish, prone to strife when bored. Is there a connection between immortality and being bored?
Fates
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moirae
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/202442/Fate
Snack discussion
We watched a clip from The Teaching Company: Ancient Greek Civilization, Chapter 5 The Age of Heroes, from 18:00 to the end. Dr. Jeremy McInerney gave a greater understanding of the oral tradition of these great stories during these ancient times. If a storyteller went into a town that had a great warrior, he could especially highlight the heroic deeds of this home town hero. And if the town didn’t have the distinction of harboring a renowned Trojan soldier, the bard could create one! When Homer endeavored to set these fluid tales to parchment, it altered the fluidity of the work and the freedom and creativity of the storytellers yet thankfully preserved the tale for all mankind.
Summary
We each wrote a brief summary of key factual information, plot summary, characters, and observations, and also some personal thoughts or impressions.
So many things were built with The Iliad as a foundation. A solid foundation that under girds the great philosophies,…the Roman culture…Christianity…its spread throughout the West…our heritage. It relates us to our ancestors. These are the great stories that help us to be who we are. As we read through the great books we will see we are standing on the shoulders of giants. Myths, values, what’s worth doing, worth living for. Immortality, that yearning for significance, that even after we die we want people to be moved and shaped by what we’ve done. As we study and understand these ancient books, may we study and understand ourselves as well.