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Achilles’ Heel: (Im)mortality in the Iliad
- Author(s):
- Thomas J. Nelson (see profile)
- Date:
- 2021
- Group(s):
- Ancient Greece & Rome
- Subject(s):
- Greek poetry, Epic poetry, Greek, Poetry, Literature, Mythology, Greek, Mythology, Classical, Mythology, Homer, Iliad (Homer), Achilles (Mythological character)
- Item Type:
- Article
- Permanent URL:
- https://doi.org/10.17613/kt2s-gd47
- Abstract:
- In this article for sixth-formers and school teachers, I explore the story of Achilles' heel and Homer's likely suppression of the myth in the Iliad. Homer's Iliad appears to acknowledge, but simultaneously reject, an alternative tradition in which Achilles was more than mortal, part of a broader downplaying of heroic invulnerability and immortality within the poem. The only way to achieve immortality in the Iliad is through the fame and glory provided by Homeric song.
- Metadata:
- xml
- Published as:
- Journal article
- Status:
- Published
- Last Updated:
- 1 year ago
- License:
- All Rights Reserved
- Share this:
Open access, open source, open to all
tjn-omnibus-2021-homer.pdf