The Death of Achilles in the Iliad

Motif Transference and Poetic Technique

Datos Bibliográficos

ID10285139
AutoresFabian Horn (0000-0003-2872-5516, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, autor de correspondencia)
Año2020
Volumen74
Número1
Páginas1-28
Fecha de publicación2020-03-06
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaMnemosyne (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0026-7074 • E-ISSN: 1568-525X
EditorialBrill (PUBLISHER • NL)
DOI10.1163/1568525x-12342767
OpenAlexW3011491391
IdiomaEN
Referencias citadas29

Based on an approach derived from neoanalysis, oral poetry theory, and intertextuality, this paper argues that the death of Achilles is of particular importance for the Iliad . Numerous structural and thematic similarities reflect and foreshadow elements of the traditional story of the death of Achilles which is thereby incorporated into the Iliad symbolically through two intertwined sets of correspondences. These motif transferences and symbolic correspondences serve to explain several peculiar details of the Homeric narrative and contribute to our interpretation of the poem in the context of the Homeric concept of heroism and to our appreciation of the Iliad ’s poetic technique. Through the constant foreshadowing of his death, Achilles achieves the highest glory a Homeric warrior can hope for, dying in battle and earning immortal fame without actually dying, but vanquishing all his enemies. This is part of the Iliad ’s strategy to encompass the whole of the Trojan War through analepses as well as prolepses and by making Achilles’ triumph over Hector prefigure the fall of Troy

Aesthetics · Ancient history · Art · Battle · Context (archaeology · Glory · Interpretation (philosophy · Intertextuality · Linguistics · Literature · Motif (music · Narrative · Physics · Poetry · Trojan · Classical Antiquity Studies · Computer Science · Folklore, Mythology, and Literature Studies · History · Philosophy · Theatre and Performance Studies