Menis or Rage in Homer

Poem Review # 103483

Literature > Greek and Roman
Literature > Poetry

This paper examines the concept of wrath or rage in the poem, 'The Iliad' by Homer.

779 words () | 1 source | MLA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer notes that menis, translated as wrath or rage, is one of the very first words of the Iliad, exemplifying its place as a fundamental theme in the poem as a whole. The writer points out that Achilles' menis, or wrath, can be separated into three phases. It is first provoked when King Agamemnon insults his honor by stripping him of his prize- the servant girl Briseis, to which he becomes violently and self-indulgently furious. The writer discusses that Achilles then renews the inconceivable fervor of his wrath when Hector kills his best friend Patroclus, to which Achilles vows revenge until his menis is finally tamed by grief and compassion as he meets with king Priam to negotiate the exchange of slain Hector. The writer maintains that Achilles' movement and evolution through each of these phases is a representation of the journey of each of us, as he faces moments of unavoidable pain and suffering, while at the mercy of the inscrutable forces, and tries to understand the essence of his own inscrutable nature- both human and divine.

From the Paper:

"Achilles' movement and evolution through each of these phases is a representation of the journey of each of us, as he faces moments of unavoidable pain and suffering while at the mercy of the inscrutable forces and trying to understand the essence of his own inscrutable nature- both human and divine. Through witnessing this progression- or perhaps deterioration- of Achilles' menis, in response to his seemingly unjustified suffering caused by unseen, enigmatic forces, it becomes clear that while one cannot control some of the larger aspects of their fate, they can control their reaction to that fate, which in essence, does give them the power to control that fate. This dichotomy is made possible by the simple fact that every person will have both tragedy and triumph in their life, or perhaps it is better said that they have the possibility for every instance of their life to become a tragedy or a triumph, according to their reaction to it- like a book who's last sentence changes the meaning of everything that came before."