Description
Book SynopsisIn The Pity of Achilleus, Jinyo Kim examines how the major themes of the IliadAchilleus'' ''wrath,'' heroic values such as honor and glory, and human mortality and suffering, to mention the most widely recognizedare connected to each other in a way that reveals the poem''s structural coherence and unity. Kim asks whether Achilleus'' pity toward Priam at the poem''s close is, as is widely believed, a poetic deus ex machina. In other words, is the conception of Achilleus'' pity an expression of a ''later'' and ''more civilized'' era, as a way of ''correcting'' the warlike savagery that is an undeniable and significant part of the poem? She concludes, rather, that Achilleus'' final reconciliation with the old king of Troy his ''enemy'' according to the warrior ethos in the Iliad represents the integral and ultimate resolution of the theme of Achilleus'' ''wrath'' that is announced in the poem''s opening lines. This book will be valuable for students and scholars of classical literature an
Trade ReviewA valuable new contribution. Kim's book is a useful contribution to the study of formulaic language and themes in the Iliad, and may be read with profit by anyone interested in these questions..... * Political Theory *
Kim covers much familiar ground, but she has some fresh things to say about pity and its implications in Iliad. * Greece & Rome *
Offers a compelling argument. * Classical World *
Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. * CHOICE *
A valuable new contribution. Kim's book is a useful contribution to the study of formulaic language and themes in the Iliad, and may be read with profit by anyone interested in these questions. * Political Theory *
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Achilles' Pity Chapter 3 The Meaning of Pity Chapter 4 The Tripartite Structure Chapter 5 Achilles' Menis Chapter 6 Conclusion
