Analysis of Similes in the Illiad
Analysis of Similes in the IlliadIn the Iliad, Homer finds a great tool in the simile. Just by opening the book in a random place the reader is undoubtedly
faced with one, or within a few pages. Homer seems to use
everyday activities, at least for the audience, his fellow
Greeks, in these similes nearly exclusively. When one is
confronted with a situation that is familiar, one is more likely
to put aside contemplating the topic and simply inject those
known feelings. This would definitely be an effective tactic
when used upon the people of Homer's day. From the heroic efforts
in the Iliad itself it is clear that the populace of his time
were highly emotional creatures, and higher brain activity seems
to be in short, and in Odysseus' case, valuable, order.
It is also wise to remember that history is written by the
winners. In the Iliad, there seems to be relatively little
storyline from the Trojan's side. We are regaled with story upon
story of the Greeks, their heroes, and their exploits, while the
Trojan's are conspicuously quiet, sans Hector of course. It could
almost be assumed that throughout time most of the knowledge of
the battle from the Trojan side had been lost.
Considering the ability to affect feelings with similes, and
the one-sided view of history, Homer could be using similes to
guide the reader in the direction of his personal views, as
happens with modern day political "spin". These views that Homer
might be trying to get across might be trying to favor Troy. It
could easily be imagined that throughout time, only great things
were heard about the Greeks mettle in war, and that Homer is
attempting to balance the scales a bit by romanticizing the
Trojan peoples, especially Hector, and bringing to light the
lesser-heard tales of Greek stupidity.
Shortly into Book Two, Agamemnon gives the speech to his
assembly about his plan to rally the troops with reverse
psychology. Agamemnon shall announce he is giving up on taking
Troy, whereupon the individual army captains will then "prevent
their doing so." When the announcement is made, King Agamemnon
is startled to see the ranks, not surprisingly, take advantage of
the chance to leave and make for the ships with vigor. Homer
describes the scene as "bees that sally from some hollow cave and
flit in countless throng among the spring flowers, bunched in
knots and clusters..." This simile is tainted with dark words
like "from a hollow cave" and "bunched in knots", giving the
"bees" an ominous tone. The Greek ranks are painted as a throng
of weak-kneed wimps with their constitution sapped, obviously not
the case as they go on to win the war, but it suffices to cast
the Lycians in a negative light.
A short, but emotionally appealing, simile is found after
the Greek warriors have changed their mind about leaving and
return to the Scamander: "They stood as thick upon the
flower-bespangled field as leaves that bloom in summer." This
scene assumes quite a juxtaposition....
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