Iliad 2 -
Paris: Magnificent Hero or Spoiled Child?
Homer uses tone, imagery, epithets, and similes to describe Paris’ character. Outwardly, Paris is a brave person, but inwardly, he is full of doubts and fears. He is like a stallion that has been pampered too much, a child who is allowed to get everything he wants. Because of his attitude, he starts the Trojan War and brings on the fall of Troy.
Paris is portrayed in this passage as being a walking contradiction. He appears to be a hero, but is one of the causes of the war because he kidnapped Helen for his own selfish interests. Homer uses the contradictions in Paris’ behavior to suggest the ironic contrasts in his character. For ...
Want to read the rest of this paper? Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay and over 50,000 other term papers
|
to modify the Trojan lines, an adjective that intensifies the effect of Paris’ action of retreating by mentioning its opposite. Homer further reviles Paris by calling him, ironically, “magnificent” and “brave,” thereby heightening the indignity of his cowardly retreat.
Another contrast in Paris’ character is represented in his beauty. He is known as one of the most handsome men in Troy, but looks can be deceiving, as Hector implies when he says, “Paris, appalling Paris! Our prince of beauty--/mad for women, you lure them all to ruin!” In this quote, Hector is highlighting Paris’ ability to ruin virtually everyone’s future. After all, Hector’s comment suggests, he is not only an unrepentant heartbreaker, but also a self-centered catalyst for the war. Hector specifically describes Paris as “appalling” and, in another ironic twist, juxtaposes this idea with Paris’s unofficial title as the ...
Get instant access to over 50,000 essays. Write better papers. Get better grades.
Already a member? Login
|
CITE THIS PAGE:
Iliad 2 -. (2004, December 26). Retrieved May 18, 2025, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Iliad-2/19575
"Iliad 2 -." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 26 Dec. 2004. Web. 18 May. 2025. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Iliad-2/19575>
"Iliad 2 -." Essayworld.com. December 26, 2004. Accessed May 18, 2025. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Iliad-2/19575.
"Iliad 2 -." Essayworld.com. December 26, 2004. Accessed May 18, 2025. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Iliad-2/19575.
|