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Foreshadowing
Genre
Explanation and Analysis:
The Iliad is an epic poem that is broken into 24 parts. Originally products of oral traditions, epics are long narrative poems that typically recount the adventures of heroic characters and present these adventures as foundational to a society or civilization. The main characters of epics tend to be mortal humans, but they're often involved with gods or other immortal beings through their adventures.
As the first epic poems were produced in preliterate societies and made to be performed, they often involve conventions that facilitate memorization and performance. Many of these conventions—such as an episodic structure, the frequent use of stock epithets, and sustaining a specific meter—are at play in the Iliad. Thus, traces of the poem's oral origins are inscribed into the written text.
The epic genre is well-suited to depicting war. For example, the length and scale allow Homer to go into minute detail about the warriors' clashes and to give a broad overview of the wider scene. In addition, while the narrator remains consistent, Homer shifts between different focalizations to capture what's going on behind the scenes on the two opposing sides. This constant movement keeps the reader from maintaining sympathy for one side only. Although the poem's focus initially seems to be Achilles and the Achaeans, the narrator also goes into thorough detail about Hector and the Trojans. Through this, Homer shows that those who are complicit in war's brutality are also victims of it.
Related Themes:
