Delahoyde & Hughes Orpheus HOMER'S ILIAD: BOOK XV

Questions for Book XV:

• Fate clearly is set and it always seems pretty grim. So how do you live your life? How do you cope under such a system? What are you supposed to do and think to get through another day? Adopt a Les Nessman outfielder philosophy? (In one episode of WKRP the station forms a softball team but Les as a child always had to practice violin instead of learning to play outside, so he gets sent to the outfield and begs silently, "Please, Lord, don't let them hit it to me.") Is that the only hope -- that you're so insignificant that the gods don't notice you and you may not be the direct victim of nasty divine politics? Do you have to go through your life thinking, "Please, Lord, don't let them hit it to me"?

Zeus wakes up, sees Poseidon fighting and Hector hurt, and pitches a fit at Hera. We hear of future fated events. Ares learns of his son's death and Athena urges self-restraint.

After Apollo helps revive Hector, we also are given a brief flashforward to Hector's fate (15.711f). This confirms the attitude about Fate, but there's still glory in the moment despite ultimate futility. Hector is in the thick of it. He's doomed, but he participates enthusiastically. So maybe it's a matter of knowing your place and nevertheless taking your shot, like Hector does, even when unfairly pitted against the half-divine Achilles, Fate, the gods, Athena's tricks, etc. That's pretty impressive!

At the end of the book, Ajax is doing a good job of defending the Greek ships from the Trojans.

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Iliad: Book XVI
Iliad Index
Orpheus: Greek Mythology