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Pathos
Definition of Personification
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the sentence, "The rain poured down on the wedding guests, indifferent... read full definition
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the sentence, "The rain poured down... read full definition
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the... read full definition
Book 4
Explanation and Analysis—Personified Deities:
In the Ancient Greek world, people devoted much of their worship to Olympians like Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Athena, and Apollo. However, Greek mythology also encompasses a number of non-Olympian deities, some of which are personifications of life's many conditions—and banes. At several points in the Iliad, Homer mentions a number of these personified deities. Because immortals operate like human characters, Homer is able to personify these abstract emotions and conditions when he describes them. Through this, he sheds light on the human condition.
One of these personified deities is Strife, also known as Eris. When Homer introduces Strife in Book 4, he refers to her as the sister and comrade-in-arms of Ares, the god of war:
Strife, only a slight thing when she first rears her head
but her head soon hits the sky as she strides across the earth.
Now Strife hurled down the leveler Hate amidst both sides,
wading into the onslaught, flooding men with pain.
By elaborating on personified deities like Strife, Homer captures the condition they represent from a unique angle. For example, by saying that Strife is "only a slight thing when she first rears her head" but that "her head soon hits the sky," Homer expresses that disagreements that feel minor in the beginning often escalate quite quickly. And with strife often comes hate. By associating these deities with each other, Homer plays with emotional conditions that often go hand in hand. For example, just before the quoted passage, he describes Terror, Rout, and "relentless Strife" storming around on the battlefield together.
From time to time in the poem, Strife reappears on the battlefield. In Book 11, for example, Zeus flings her onto the Achaean ships. There she stands "raising her high-pitched cry, great and terrible." This makes the Achaeans "mad for war and struggle." Moreover, Homer makes it clear that Strife takes pleasure in witnessing the men fight each other: "the pressure of combat locked them head-to-head, lunging like wolves, and Strife with wild groans exulted to see them flawing down at the melee."
Other personified deities that play a role in the Iliad include Panic and Rout. Book 9 opens with their appearance among the Achaeans:
So the Trojans held their watch that night but not the Achaeans—
godsent Panic seized them, comrade of bloodcurdling Rout:
all their best were struck by grief too much to bear.
Drawing on these personified deities gives Homer a way to figuratively capture the Achaeans' mounting distress. Instead of saying that the fighters feel panicked, he can say that panic seizes the fighters. This not only makes for compelling poetry, it also sheds light on the mortals' powerlessness. They're subject to the whims of Zeus and the other Olympians, but also to the human-like force of abstractions like Strife, Panic, and Ruin.
Related Themes:
Book 9
Explanation and Analysis—Personified Deities:
In the Ancient Greek world, people devoted much of their worship to Olympians like Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Athena, and Apollo. However, Greek mythology also encompasses a number of non-Olympian deities, some of which are personifications of life's many conditions—and banes. At several points in the Iliad, Homer mentions a number of these personified deities. Because immortals operate like human characters, Homer is able to personify these abstract emotions and conditions when he describes them. Through this, he sheds light on the human condition.
One of these personified deities is Strife, also known as Eris. When Homer introduces Strife in Book 4, he refers to her as the sister and comrade-in-arms of Ares, the god of war:
Strife, only a slight thing when she first rears her head
but her head soon hits the sky as she strides across the earth.
Now Strife hurled down the leveler Hate amidst both sides,
wading into the onslaught, flooding men with pain.
By elaborating on personified deities like Strife, Homer captures the condition they represent from a unique angle. For example, by saying that Strife is "only a slight thing when she first rears her head" but that "her head soon hits the sky," Homer expresses that disagreements that feel minor in the beginning often escalate quite quickly. And with strife often comes hate. By associating these deities with each other, Homer plays with emotional conditions that often go hand in hand. For example, just before the quoted passage, he describes Terror, Rout, and "relentless Strife" storming around on the battlefield together.
From time to time in the poem, Strife reappears on the battlefield. In Book 11, for example, Zeus flings her onto the Achaean ships. There she stands "raising her high-pitched cry, great and terrible." This makes the Achaeans "mad for war and struggle." Moreover, Homer makes it clear that Strife takes pleasure in witnessing the men fight each other: "the pressure of combat locked them head-to-head, lunging like wolves, and Strife with wild groans exulted to see them flawing down at the melee."
Other personified deities that play a role in the Iliad include Panic and Rout. Book 9 opens with their appearance among the Achaeans:
So the Trojans held their watch that night but not the Achaeans—
godsent Panic seized them, comrade of bloodcurdling Rout:
all their best were struck by grief too much to bear.
Drawing on these personified deities gives Homer a way to figuratively capture the Achaeans' mounting distress. Instead of saying that the fighters feel panicked, he can say that panic seizes the fighters. This not only makes for compelling poetry, it also sheds light on the mortals' powerlessness. They're subject to the whims of Zeus and the other Olympians, but also to the human-like force of abstractions like Strife, Panic, and Ruin.
Related Themes:
