It took me about seven weeks to finish the Iliad. That’s quite a long time for me to read one book. I decided not to rush it because I was only going to read the Iliad for the first time once! In this post, I’m going to mostly talk about the last chapter of the Iliad, in my version, it’s called Priam and Achilles. I also have a lot to say about the gods in the Iliad!
Before we go any further, just want to repeat my disclaimer. I’m just an amateur, beginner reader having fun, this is not for academic purposes. I want to share my reading experience and thoughts so you might want to give it a go one day. So please don’t take me too seriously!
The more I read the Iliad, the more I realised my wrong presumption about the book. Now I’ve finished it, I’m struck again by the focus of the Iliad. It’s not about the entirety of the Trojan war. The story is set in the last year of the Greek siege of Ilium and most of the actions take place in a few days. The story only hints at how the war started, and now I’m at the end of it, I’m surprised again that it doesn’t tell how the war would end either!
The story also refers to Achilles’ impending death repeatedly. For example, the ghost of Patroclus said to Achilles,
“For I have been swallowed up by the dreadful doom that must have been my lot from birth; and it is your destiny too, godlike Achilles, to perish under the rich Trojans’ walls.”
Achilles’ mother Thetis also prophesied,
“… you do not have long to live; you are doomed to die immediately after Hector — ”
And Achilles himself said,
“I shall never be welcomed again on my return home by Peleus the old charioteer and my mother Thetis, but the earth I stand on will cover me.”
With those and many more hints, I expected to find out how his death would happen. But I still have no idea after I finished reading the book, the story stops almost abruptly with:
Such were the funeral rites of horse-taming Hector.
As a beginner reader of Ancient Greek literature, I’ve no idea where to read the following story about Achilles’ death and even more so, where to find out the result of the Trojan war. Homer lets us overhear the gods’ conversation, and it sounded like Ilium was not supposed to be sacked by the Greeks. For example, Zeus gave permission to the gods to pick sides and help either the Greeks or the Trojans,
“My reason is that, if Achilles fights the Trojans without intervention from you, the Trojans will not stand up to him for a moment. Even before this, they would take one look at him and run; but now he has been embittered by the loss of his companion, I am afraid he will cheat destiny and storm the walls of Ilium.”
What does it mean by “cheat destiny”? If cheating destiny means storming the walls of Ilium, does it mean the destiny is that Ilium should not be sacked? But it WAS sacked in the end was it not? The stories about the famous horse and how Cassandra was taken home by Agamemnon. How did it all happen? I was also very surprised to see Cassandra pop up in the last chapter without any earlier reference.
However, the biggest surprise is definitely Achilles’ reception of Priam, Hector’s father, the ruler of Ilium. It’s one of the most human moments in the Iliad. Before this point, Achilles was consumed by grief for his friend Patroclus and turned into a bit of a monster. He wouldn’t eat or drink himself and wouldn’t let the men eat or drink before going back onto the battlefield either. Thankfully Odysseus stopped him from carrying out that plan – he’s such a reliable and sensible leader.
“You wish the troops to express their grief at a man’s death by fasting. That is impossible. Day after day, one after the other, men fall in their hundreds — would we ever find rest from struggle and suffering? No: we must steel our hearts, bury our dead and let one day’s tears suffice.”
To be able to control your emotion in grief, to steel your heart, to let the dead go and to let the living move on, is heroic too.
Back to Achilles. In revenge, he killed many Trojan warriors. He killed Hector. In his grief, he refused to give Hector’s body back to his people and dragged it round and round Patroclus’ grave-mound for days. Hector’s father and mother and his wife saw and were heartbroken. Even after he killed Hector, Achilles still had no peace. Because he knew, even though it was by Hector’s hands Patroclus was killed on the battlefield, the ultimate responsibility lay with Achilles himself. It was he who allowed Patroclus to go on the battlefield with Achilles’ own armour. It was his anger and quarrel with Agamemnon and his refusal to back down that killed his best friend. He said plainly himself,
“I have destroyed Patroclus.”
He lamented day and night. He didn’t know what to do with his regret and loss. His fellow warriors tried to comfort him. His mother tried to comfort him. But no one could bring him back from his grief. Until the old father of his arch-enemy came to the Greek camp, alone, except for one equally old attendant, in the middle of the night. We see the astonishing scene when Priam met Achilles in his hut:
“Remember your own father, godlike Achilles, who is the same age as I am and on the threshold of miserable old age. No doubt his neighbours are tormenting him and there is nobody to protect him from the harm and damage they cause. Yet, while he knows you are still alive, he can rejoice in spirit and look forward day by day to seeing his beloved son come back from Troy.”
In brief, though your old father is pitiable, at least he has the hope of seeing you again.
“But my life has been dogged by calamity. I had the best sons in the whole of this broad realm and now not one, not one I say, is left… Most of them have fallen in action, and the only one I could still count on, the mainstay of Ilium and its inhabitants — you killed him a short while ago, fighting for his native land. Hector. It is to get him back from you that I have now come to the Greek ships, bringing an immense ransom with me.”
“Achilles, respect the gods and have pity on me, remembering your own father. I am even more entitled to pity, since I have brought myself to do something no one else on earth has done — I have raised to my lips the hands of the man who killed my sons.”
It’s such a risky move. We’ve seen so many warriors on the battlefield pleading for mercy and life but no one ever was spared. Nothing stops Achilles to kill Priam there and then. But, so far having shown no mercy at all towards any Trojans
Taking the old man’s hand, Achilles gently put him from him, and they were both overcome by their memories: Priam, huddled at Achilles’ feet, wept aloud for man-slaying Hector, and Achilles wept for his father, and then again for Patroclus… when godlike Achilles had had enough of tears and the longing had ebbed from mind and body, he leapt at once from his chair and in compassion for the old man’s grey head and grey beard took him by the arm and raised him. Then he spoke winged words:
“Unhappy man of sorrows, you have indeed suffered much. How could you bring yourself to come alone to the Greek ships into the presence of a man who had killed so many of your fine sons? You must have a heart of iron. Here now, be seated on this chair and, for all or grief, let us leave our sorrows locked up in our hearts, for weeping is cold comfort and does little good.”
The two enemies wept together. He treated the old man gently, raised him from the ground and seated him on a chair. And Achilles was seeing things from Priam’s point of view, a Trojan! He first of all saw Priam’s sorrows and suffering, “Unhappy man of sorrows, you have indeed suffered much”. He then admired Priam’s courage to come alone to the enemy’s camp, to me, who had killed so many of your fine sons. Not just sons, but ‘fine’ sons.
Then Achilles said,
“We men are wretched creatures and the gods have woven grief into our lives: but they themselves are free from care.”
Let me just go on a small detour here. These gods really make me angry. Listen to this speech of Zeus’,
“Yes, they do concern me [meaning the Trojans and Greeks], dying as they are. Nevertheless I am going to stay here seated in some glen on Olympus from which I can enjoy the divine spectacle — since I now give the rest of you [meaning the gods] my permission to join the Trojans and Greeks and give your help to either side, as the inclination takes you.”
People were bleeding and dying. Old fathers and mothers were never to see their sons again. Women were losing their husbands in the hundreds. Zeus ENJOYED it as a divine spectacle, he was just watching a good show, sitting in a front-row seat in some glen on Olympus.
“Zeus, sitting on Olympus, heard the din. He laughed to himself in delight when he saw the immortals come to grips and hold back no longer.”
Zeus gave the order, take a side, whichever side you feel like. Hera and Athene felt personally insulted because Paris chose Aphrodite in a previous episode that was not included in the Iliad. Apollo took the side of the Trojan because Agamemnon insulted his priest. As petty as the reasons were, at least they had a reason. What had the rest of the gods to do with this? They clearly didn’t have very good reasons because just look how easily they gave up. River Scamander was furious with Achilles and was determined to drown him. But Hera interfered and the River was nearly dried up by Hephaestus. As soon as he was overpowered, he pleaded for mercy,
“Hephaestus! You’re more than a match for any god. I can’t cope with this blazing fire of yours. The fight’s off. Let godlike Achilles go straight in and drive the Trojans from their town. why should I get mixed up in other people’s quarrels?”
Exactly why should you get mixed up in other people’s quarrels if you have no principle and no spine to back them up when things just get a tiny bit difficult? Just leave them alone! The gods could not make any sacrifice. Think about it, they had no reason to make any sacrifice. The Trojans and Greeks were fighting for their honour and defending their homes. What were the gods fighting for? Apollo, who had been at least consistently helping the Trojans, said,
“Earthshaker, you would credit me with very little sense if I fought you for the sake of mortals, those wretched creatures who, like the leaves, flourish in fiery brilliance for a little while on the bounty of the earth, then in a moment droop and fade away. No, let’s call the battle off before it is too late, and leave these mortals to do their own fighting.”
Is that your opinion of men Apollo? Wretched creatures like the leaves? For an immortal god who lives forever and ever, the life of a man is extremely short. And for an immortal god who cannot die, the life of a man is fragile. But because man’s life is short, it flourishes in fiery brilliance and because man’s life ends when he or she dies, they can truly sacrifice themselves and be truly heroic.
That’s my rant against the gods. Back to our scene with Achilles and Priam. Achilles who refused to be comforted by anyone, who has been mourning without end, comforted the old Priam saying,
“Endure and do not mourn without end. Lamenting for your son will do no good at all. You will not bring him back to life before you are dead yourself.”
And Achilles who refused to eat, persuaded Priam to “think of food”. Together they sat down eating and drinking. I don’t remember reading Achilles sharing a meal intimately like this with anyone else apart from Patroclus. Even more than that, Priam and Achilles admired each other across the table
Dardanian Priam let his eyes dwell on Achilles and saw with admiration how large and handsome he was, the very image of the gods. And Achilles dwelt with equal admiration on the noble looks and utterance of Dardanian Priam.
After that Achilles showed more kindness by hiding Priam overnight so other Greek leaders wouldn’t discover and take him captive. He also promised to refrain himself and the Greeks from fighting for as long as Priam requested for Hector’s funeral.
“Venerable Priam, everything shall be as you require. I will hold up the fighting for the time you have demanded.”
With these words he took the old man by the wrist of his right hand to banish all far from his heart.
Achilles arranged a bed for Priam for the night before he went to sleep himself. And that’s the last time we see Achilles in the Iliad. Not as a fierce, invincible and godlike warrior, covered in blood and gore. But a merciful and kind mortal man. And I like him the better for it.
A Day of Small Things 