Week 6

Sunday 6:30pm–8:30pm

I decided to conquer the last three books on this glorious Sunday evening. I thought this weekend was going to be nice and relaxing. Sadly, it was just more of the same. That is alright, there’s always another weekend to give it a shot. I will have to say, these weeks go by fast but the days feel like years. Especially since we wake up at 4:30 every morning! I don’t know why, but I feel bad for Hector. He was the only Trojan left outside of Troy and he knew his fate. Priam, his father, begs him to come back inside the gates. he wants his son to live. Hector knows that if he retreats, he will be ashamed. Apollo returns. To be honest, this book just really made me want to watch Star Wars! Hector wanders for a second if he could maybe talk Apollo down, but realizes how stupid that idea was. He ran around Troy three times. Achilles is apparently very fast as well. Zeus considers if he should save Hector and let the battle continue, but Aphrodite tells him it’s time for him to go. Sorry, Hector, you did not receive a rose tonight. Join us next Thursday for a new episode of the Bachelorette: Trojan War Edition. That could have been very cheesy, but I laughed. Wouldn’t you be saddened if your life was put on a scale, and sunk to the ground in comparison to someone else’s? Athena is disguised as Deiphobus and puts a false hope in him that the two of them could take on Achilles. Spears are thrown. Poor aim. He turns to get help from Deiphobus but realizes he had been tricked. Trick or treat. It’s October! The gods tricked him. At that point, I would be ready to die. Hector is still wearing Achilles’ old armor, so his opponent knows the weak points. Right in the neck. Achilles drove his spear right into his neck. He doesn’t return his body to the Trojans but lets animals and bird scavenge the body. Then they continue to lay it on. All the Greeks take a stab at it, literally. Hector’s body is then dragged behind the chariot of Achilles. All while his mother and father are watching. Please God, never let my mother and father experience pain as Priam and Hecuba have. Andromache was even worse. She saw her husband, the father of her child, dragged and dead. Her life is over, to sum it up. And now Astyanax will have to die, which he does.

In Book 23, even though Achilles had just accomplished a great victory, he still mourned the death of Patroclus and so did the Myrmidons. You cannot tell me that Achilles and Patroclus were not lovers. I have never read about such pain and love all in the same book! At least he eats now but still won’t shower until Pat has been buried. Pat appears to him in a dream and tells him he needs a funeral so he can let his soul be free and live an eternal life. He gives him an elaborate gathering and sacrifices twelve Trojan captives. The next day, they play games to remember Pat. We love a good funeral party game to really kick up the energy. From what I understand, there was boxing, wrestling, archery, and chariot races. Achilles wants to give the second place prize to the last place finisher because Athena and Diomedes cheated, but Antilochus, who came in second, pitches a fit. Menelaus makes it even messier by saying Antilochus cheated. I really see this who epic as a reality tv show. I think I’ll name it Getting Down with the Greeks.

The final book of the epic. Achilles is still running around dragging Hector’s body because he missed Pat. We’re there with you, buddy. I still don’t think I could live with myself. My grandfather died a few years ago, he and my grandmother had been together for 60 years. I don’t know how she does it. Anyway, Achilles’s actions don’t hurt Hector’s body because it is being protected by Apollo. On the twelfth day, Apollo tells Zeus his body needs to be ransomed. Thetis tells Achilles, Iris tells Priam to begin the argument for ransom. Hecuba is scared that Achilles will kill Priam, but Zeus sends an eagle that shows her not to worry. Priam rides out after he “cashed out” as the kids say. Idaeus, I had to type it so I would remember his name for the quiz. Hermes is disguised as a Myrmidon soldier to help Priam through the Greek camp. Priam supplicates Achilles and makes him think of how his own father would feel after his death. Then Achilles cries for Peleus and agrees to give the body to Priam. Praim falls asleep in the tent of Achilles because everyone is always tired after a good heart to heart, but is awoken by Hermes and told he cannot sleep in the tent of the enemy. Priam and Idaeus go back to Troy with the body of Hector. All the women cry and cry and cry.

Tuesday 12:40pm–2pm

Someone said Hector was the star quarterback of Troy and I agree with that. The question we tackled today was: does hector actually deserve to die? I think everyone dies, obviously, but he was a warrior and a fighter just like anyone else. The treatment following his death was just, wow. It was EXTRA. He was dragged around the city in front of his family. His parents had to see their son’s limp corpse being defaced by a bunch of childish Greeks. We said it was a “degradation of character”. Even prior to his death, he was being chased and was killed. I love the concept of “fragile masculinity” I think it is so interesting how some people care so much about others perception of them. The other thing that struck me was the grieving of Andromache. It was beautifully tragic. She was waiting for him, drawing a bath for him, and made dinner for him. Then she saw his body laying there. I almost cried myself. Then poor Astyanax, he would walk off of the wall because there is no way he can avenge his father.

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