In the final book of the Iliad, the elderly Trojan king confronts the monstrous killer Achilles. Professor Chris Mackie examines the patterns of the heroic quest, descent into the Underworld, and the moment of resolution before the final days of the life of Achilles and of Troy.

Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

In the final book of the Iliad, the elderly Trojan king confronts the monstrous killer Achilles. Professor Chris Mackie examines the patterns of the heroic quest, descent into the Underworld, and the moment of resolution before the final days of the life of Achilles and of Troy. Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

A King's Ransom: Priam and Achilles

In this subject students are introduced to the diversity of the ancient Greek achievement, which has exercised a fundamental and continuing influence upon later European literature and culture. The subject commences with a detailed treatment of Homer's Iliad and the myth of the Trojan war. This is one of the dominant myths in the Greek tradition and is narrated in some detail in epic poetry, in drama, and in art and architecture. We explore how myths are 'read' in their historical context, especially in the contexts of the Persian and Peloponnesian wars of the 5th Century BC. A variety of sources are treated to enable students to build up a picture of Greek society as a whole.

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A King's Ransom: Priam and Achilles

A King's Ransom: Priam and Achilles

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