CLCV 2008 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Chryseis, Chryses, Chiastic Structure
29 Nov 2016
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Document Summary
A narrative poem, celebrating the deeds of gods, heroes, and men, usually in dactylic hexameters. Imitation of homer; iliad is the mould of later epics. Action > battle with a hero"s aristeia, or outstanding deeds, superhuman feats of strength. Style: epithets (swift-footed achilles, white-armed hera, etc, patronymics (sons called by their fathers" names, formulaic language; catalogues, similes, ecphrases (description of a work or art; shield of achilles) Performance context (always oral, not so much reading) Structure > various episodes form an organic whole, central theme (wrath of achilles) The invocation of the muse (1: goddess . The epic question (8: what god was it then that put them [agamemnon and achilles] together in bitter collision? . Chryseis, his daughter, agamemnon"s prize: agamemnon won"t give her back, priest prays to apollo. Plague of apollo: 10 days of plague, achilles calls an assembly. Kalchas, the blameless seer: asks for protection from agamemnon, reveals why apollo is angry.
