Homer's The Odyssey, translated by Emily Wilson discussion

This thread is for discussion of Book 6 of The Iliad.

Some powerful moments involving two key women - Helen and Hector's wife Andromache.
Helen's speech to Hector, and the complexity of her position and self-criticism is very interestingly handled, but it is the moment between husband and wife (and, in particular, when his son is frightened by the sight of him in his helmet, and shrinks back) that I found most moving.
Certainly the pointlessness of the whole conflict seems to be made again and again. The suffering and loss it causes. The precariousness and fragility of family life.

Jonathan wrote: "Some powerful moments involving two key women - Helen and Hector's wife Andromache.
Helen's speech to Hector, and the complexity of her position and self-criticism is very interestingly handled, b..."

Many of us feel the scene between Hector and Andromache with their son is one of the most timeless and universal episodes of The Iliad. Imho, it is worth reading (at least skimming) the whole bloody epic for that passage alone. And that is not to minimize the power of a number of other scenes.

For me, one of the gifts of reading The Iliad is the scenes one's memory can recall and recreate again and again (a lifetime?) after having read it. This is one of them. Priam and Achilles is another. And a few others exist. It seems to me that not too many pieces of literature can do that, making this one worth the effort of enduring the parts outside one's own liking or interest.

Lily wrote: "For me, one of the gifts of reading The Iliad is the scenes one's memory can recall and recreate again and again (a lifetime?) after having read it. This is one of them. Priam and Achilles is another. And a few others exist. It seems to me that not too many pieces of literature can do that, making this one worth the effort of enduring the parts outside one's own liking or interest. ."

Beautifully expressed, Lily.

I agree with you and Jonathan about the power of the scene between Hector, Andromache, and their son.

I'm also thinking about the importance of generations throughout The Iliad, and especially in this book. For example, Diomedes and Glaucus discover their ties as guest friends.

Just coming to this scene now, and listening to the TTC lectures on the book as I read-- highly recommended. The professor completely agrees with you, Lily!