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... ugh the nostrils of Patroklos she distilled ambrosia and red nectar, so that his One of the most important functions she performs as a mother in the story comes on her very last appearance in book twenty-four when she is sent by Zeus to persuade her son to return the body of Hektor to the Trojans. Once again she is used to facilitate the fate of Achilles and to bring about the conclusion to Homers tale. So it seems that Achilles and his mother have a very strong relationship, as Hera states "always his mother is near him night and day." Thetis loves Achilles with all her heart, however, there is a sense of guilt when it comes to his mortality, an anger that her son must die, which is understandable. Her place in the story is the link between Achilles and Olympus; she accepts the anger of her son and agrees with his choice when his anger is taken over by a thirst for revenge.
Achilles' attitude to his mother comes across as more than a little demanding and childish, as though he has power over her even though she is a goddess, that power being emotional. Thetis is to some extent a slave to her son, while he respects and loves her; he also uses her as a go-between. She spends much of her time lamenting her son's fate, while enabling it come about. Achilles nemesis, Hektor, is one of many sons. Hecuba, his mother is Priams chief wife and as such is an aristocratic woman with more power than most (the same can be said for all the women of the Iliad). Hecuba is one of the women (along with Andromache and Helen) whom Hektor meets as he returns to troy in book six.
Homer uses this episode to force the reader or listener to consider a different aspect of the warring society; the plight of the wives and mothers left at home. Hektor respects his mother, calling her "honoured" when she offers to bring him wine with which to pour a libation to Zeus (Which shows both their shared piety and her willingness to serve him as a mother. ). He asks her politely to perform religious rites to Athena and she immediately complies. Hector mentions his brother, Paris, whom he thoroughly dislikes: "If only I could see him gone down to the Death God, then I could say my heart had forgotten its joyless affliction." Hecuba, also Paris' mother, does not reply.
Thus she does not disagree with one son or the other; she doesn't reveal what she believes. We see here the obedient spirit we saw in Thetis, Hektor also seems dominant though highly respectful towards his mother. In book twenty-two Hecuba uses an obvious image of motherhood (her breasts) to attempt to persuade him to be careful: "Hektor, my child, look upon these and obey, and take pity on me, if ever I gave you the breast to quiet your sorrow. Remember all these things, dear child" She uses the word "child" three times in six lines to emphasise the strength of her feeling, all the while crying.
At the end of this speech (which was proceeded by another emotive speech from his father, Priam) Hektor is, like Achilles, blinded by passion and pride and refuses. The balance of power between mother and son is shown clearly here as his needs are placed above hers. Homer uses the image of the mother in this scene to emphasise the pathos of Hektor's fate but her tone also emphasises her reliance on him. Later in the book, after Hektor has been killed she gives another emotional speech wondering: "What shall my life be in my sorrows, now you are dead?" . She expresses again here her reliance on her son, her husband is elderly, she appreciates that Hektor is the man she relies on to defend not only the city of Troy, but to protect her. We see that the death of her son leaves her with nothing.
Hecuba's bitterness and hatred at this is directed towards Achilles in a venomous attack in book twenty-four when she states: " I wish I could set teeth in the middle of his liver and eat it. That would be vengeance for what he did to my son; for he slew him when he was no coward but standing before the men of Troy" The depth of the anger felt by Hecuba is made explicit here, as well as showing her pain at the death of her son she also brings to mind the issues which Homer wishes to address concerning the wrath of Achilles and the nature of the fates. She is not shown as a member of the weaker sex but is a resentful mother who has lost a son in an unnecessarily brutal way. The theme of loss is one that appears time and again in the dealings between mother and son within the Iliad. The mothers we encounter fear greatly for their sons life, they express this by constantly attempting to protect and shield them.
Even the goddess Aphrodite feels the need to protect her son Areas when, in book five she saves her beloved son from Diomedes blow. In many ways mothers are shown as gently attempting to redirect disturbance away from their children. In book four the simile; She brushed it away from his skin as lightly as when a mother brushes a fly away from her child who is lying in a sweet sleep Is used when Athena sweeps the tearing arrow aside its path towards Menelaus. This relates the protectiveness that a mother feels for her son who is at war.
On the other hand the role of the mother is shown as, to some extent, an antithesis to war, for example when Andromache or Hecuba lament the negative influence that war has had on their respective sons lives we feel the sorrow felt by those left at home. We also see that the attitude of a son to his mother is one of respect but not automatic compliance. Both Hector and Achilles disregard their mothers emotional stances and do what they want, or need, to do. Their mothers are obedient to them, not visa versa and the love they feel is valued by their sons, but valued far below their heroism and pride. In the Iliad the protective love of the mother is rewarded by the due respect of her son, however, the son is always the one who has the final word, even if he chooses not to abuse this power. Bibliography: Bibliography The Iliad of Homer, Trans.
Richard Lattimore (1976) A. Cameron & A. Kurt (eds. ) Images of women in Antiquity, London (1993) J. Peradotto & J.
P. Sullivan (eds) Women in the Ancient world. The Arethusa papers. New York (1984) Pomeroy, Sarah B.
Goddesses, whores, wives and slaves: Women in classical antiquity (1975) Sealey, R Women in classical law and society, London (1990) Will cock. M. A companion to the Iliad, Chicago (1976)
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Research essay sample on Book Twenty Four Left At Home Son
