Briseis Essays

  • Black Ships Before Troy Essay

    739 Words  | 3 Pages

    great skill in physical combat, Achilles did not display the character traits that define a hero; Achilles showed the flaws that made him human. Briseis and all of the Greek army could attest to that. Two beautiful maidens, considered war prizes, went to Agamemnon and Achilles. The most handsome, Chryseis, served Agamemnon, while the other maiden, Briseis,

  • Essay On Xenia In The Odyssey

    764 Words  | 4 Pages

    Xenia Although many people have never even heard of the word Xenia, it is used multiple times in the epic The Odyssey. Xenia means to have "basic hospitality, the generosity and courtesy shown to those who are far from home (Wikipedia, Xenia Greek, pg.1.) In Ancient Greece there was no such thing as a motel 6 to be able to stay the night at while you were away from home, so you would hope that the person that you are going to knock on the door to ask if you can stay the night or nights with has

  • The Odyssey: The Joys Of Equality In The Odyssey

    790 Words  | 4 Pages

    Equality Within the comforts of the modernized human civilization that we all experience on a daily basis, a person can easily forget how privileged they are to be existing in such a time of human equality. However, times were not always as pleasant as they currently are, as different diversities of people were not only shamed for their race, gender or ethnicity, but they were abused for it. That being said, if abusive behaviors like human trafficking and racial discrimination can still be found

  • Redemption In The Odyssey

    1127 Words  | 5 Pages

    Homer uses the Gods and Goddesses impact on Odysseus to show how redemption can be earned which is illustrated through Foster's quest theory. Circe, Zeus, Poseidon, Athena, and Helios are gods that symbolize mythological ideas, whereas in the Odyssey they symbolize lessons Odysseus needs to learn. Odysseus is a man that is judged by the gods all the time, he is on a journey to get home to his family from war. Odysseus does not always make the best decisions and it gets himself in big trouble. Circe

  • Examples Of Weakness In The Odyssey

    1660 Words  | 7 Pages

    Weakness is a trait all groups of humanity find themselves bound to in many senses, whether it be mentally or physically, but much like Odysseus in Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, translated by Robert Fitzgerald, strength can be found within this turmoil. The tale begins on the island of Ithaca where Telemakhos, the son of the warrior Odysseus, is confronted by the goddess Athena. The Grey-Eyed-Goddess tells Telemakhos to step up and make something out of his life, by setting out on a quest to learn

  • Heroism In The Iliad

    1298 Words  | 6 Pages

    The greatest literary works reflect the human condition: from adversity come epiphanies of wisdom and heroism. Despite varying time periods and cultures, literature shows how solely through hardship can humanity heroically advance with wisdom. For example, The Iliad’s conflict between the Greeks and the Trojans show the wisdom of humanity in war and the heroic acts of war. The Iliad and The Biography of the Prophet show the human condition of suffering as the sole means of bringing heroic acts and

  • Themes Of Fate In Oedipus The King

    1409 Words  | 6 Pages

    The history of Greek tragedy shows common themes of fate versus the choices people make, also known as free will. They also show dramatic irony. The reason most Greek tragedies exemplify these themes is due to their beliefs in the Gods of that era such as Apollo, Hermes, and Athena, etc. who would often give prophecies on the fates of people. Particularly, in Oedipus the King, there was a prophecy from Apollo that in the end was revealed to have come true. The presence of whether fate or free will

  • Similarities Between The Shawshank Redemption And The Silence Of The Girls

    1122 Words  | 5 Pages

    see Andy Dufresne being beaten brutally by The Sisters. In SG the theme of war imposes the excessive existence of violence in the book. Briseis observes how her brothers are being viciously killed by Achilles and all these bloody images stay on her mind. She comes back to these brutal memories again and again throughout the whole story. Although Andy and Briseis favour a cold-minded attitude to what’s happening, violence has affected both central figures

  • Achilles Hubris In The Odyssey

    424 Words  | 2 Pages

    with his responsibilities. When Agamemnon steals Achilles war-prize, Briseis, Achilles quits the war. He is passionate about the idea that he deserves Briseis, which conflicts with his responsibilities in war. Achilles hubris’ overpowers his role in battle; he chooses his war-prize over helping lead the Greeks to victory. Agamenon selfish as he is covets a prize in return for Chryseis, “That done, I myself will call for Briseis at your hut, and take her, flower of young girls that she is, your prize

  • Use Of Voice In The Iliad

    504 Words  | 3 Pages

    Iliad uses the voice of a muse to aid in telling the story of the hero Achilles. It begins in the midst of the Trojan War, as the Achaeans capture two maidens from a Trojan-allied city- Briseis and Chryseus. Agamemnon, the leader of the Achaean army, and Achilles, the fierce warrior, claims Chryseus and Briseis as their prizes, respectively. Upon her capture, Chryseus’ father Chryses, a priest to the god Apollo, begs Agamemnon for the return of his daughter and offers a great ransom: the scepter

  • The Iliad Compare And Contrast Essay

    1025 Words  | 5 Pages

    lineage for the character Briseis, and a change in the events surrounding the death of Patroclus. While the Iliad from The Essential Homer and the film Troy by Wolfgang Petersen, portray the mythological story of the Trojan War, Petersen’s

  • How Did Achilles Join The Trojan War

    368 Words  | 2 Pages

    Achaean warrior, to return and assist them in the battle. Achilles had previously withdrawn his assistance, since Agamemnon insulted him and stole his war prize Briseis. Odysseus and several other notable Achaean warriors approach Achilles and echo Agamemnon’s request to have Achilles return, in exchange for a plethora of gifts and Briseis. Achilles quickly declines the offer. He then asks Odysseus a rhetorical question,

  • Achilles's Pride Research Paper

    1168 Words  | 5 Pages

    of the epic, King Agamemnon of Mycenae's armies have been fighting with Troy for nine long years. When Agamemnon takes away Briseis, the hero Achilles' prize, Achilles threatens to leave. This leads to many issues caused by pride and importance throughout the main characters. For example, pride causes Agamemnon to lose almost his entire army in the interest of keeping Briseis as his prize. Opponents of this stance argue that while pride may motivate these characters, anger motivates them even more

  • Agamemnon In The Iliad

    891 Words  | 4 Pages

    the prize without even holding the contest. He tells everyone that he knows Agamemnon is the best. That 's actually pretty magnanimous coming from Achilles, who has a lot of reasons to be upset with Agamemnon 's lack of leadership. Achilles lost Briseis, whom he loved, just because Agamemnon whined about it not being fair. Achilles ' subsequent withdrawal from fighting caused the Achaeans to lose a major battle. In short, Agamemnon is a jerk and bully, who blames others for his failings and sacrificed

  • Patriarchal Women In The Iliad

    573 Words  | 3 Pages

    Chryseis and Briseis and both women held captive in the epic. Also, Athena and Hera play a major role in the outcome of the battle. Andromache causes the Iliad to have a humane side. These women are crucial to the Iliad and the storyline. Many heroes have a female as a war prize in the Iliad. The women are important in this aspect because they incentivize the fighting for the heroes. Also, if a hero does not have a war prize, he can fight for one on the battlefield. Briseis is an example

  • Achilles Flaws

    751 Words  | 4 Pages

    book of the epic titled “Rage of Achilles”, Achilles the main character of the epic, whom is the prime and best warrior for the Greek is found in a huge rage. Agamemnon, king of the Achaean army claims Chryseis as his war prize and Achilles claims Briseis has his prize. Chryseis’ father Chryses begs Agamemnon to return his daughter. Following, Agamemnon refuses to do so and Chryses pays the god Apollo to send a plague to the Greek camp

  • Agamemnon And Achilles

    405 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the opening book of the Iliad, there is a bout between supreme commander Agamemnon, and great warrior Achilles. Both of the men are highly respected men, but Agamemnon is responsible for the many deaths of his great soldiers, due to his inability to give up his prize girl Chryseis. According to the book, Agamemnon would have not given up his girl if it was not for Achilles; he would have let his men suffer and die due to his selfishness. Achilles is the man who figured out why the god Apollo

  • Black Ships Before Troy By Anne Frank: Negative Attitude Towards Conflict

    677 Words  | 3 Pages

    Negative Attitude Towards Conflict What mindset is best to have during conflict? Mr. Van Daan was always moody, and never really appreciated what he still had. Most people deal with conflict in a negative way. A positive attitude towards conflict may be the best way it handle it but, some people have a negative attitude towards conflict. There are many ways that people can argue about the negative effects of conflict. In Anne Frank, Anne was always positive no matter what happened. Anne was happy

  • Who Is Achilles An Epic Hero

    1052 Words  | 5 Pages

    weapon. Because of Achilles’s immunity, he was a well-known warrior, something significant in his culture since many had been fighting in the war for the past ten years. Achilles wept to his mother when Briseis was taken away from him. Not only did Achilles value the love between him and Briseis, but he also valued the trust he had in his mother to let her know what he felt and what he needed help with. Trust is an important value of culture, especially during the period of war between the Trojans

  • Honor And Glory In Homer's Iliad

    260 Words  | 2 Pages

    However, unlike Confucius’s idea of collectivism, Greek’s definition of honor is highly individualistic. This concept of individual victory leads confliction between King Agamemnon and his great warrior Achilles. When Agamemnon takes Archilles’s gift (Briseis) after being forced to give up his own prize (Chryseis), Achilles breaks the alliance with Achaeans. Agamemnon responds to Achilles