Characterisation
Scholar Scholarship Supporting Evidence
William Allan "45% of the Iliad is in
direct speech."
William Allan "Speeches are
integral to many of
the most important
episodes in the
poem."
"being a good
speaker is in itself
part of the heroic
ideal."
William Allan The speeches "are
more personal in the
sense of being more
emotional and
rhetorical."
"the different styles
and content of
particular speeches
also serve to
characterise the
individual hereos."
Jenkyns "Psychological
realism- when you
get inside the
character's mind."
Distinct
characterisation
Major and minor
characters- plot and
interest
Myth usage- "Homer
is working within the
grain of his
tradition."
Micheal Silk "the characters appear
less as private,
inward individuals
than as accessible
beings whose identity
is defined primarily
by their public or
external status.
, Agamemnon is an
individual with an
individual's feelings,
but first and foremost
he is a 'king of men'
who behaves as a
king.'"
Micheal Silk The focus is on their
status and as such,
there are no
"romantic
relationships; here no
'true love' and above
all none of the hard
personal decisions
that we associate with
such commitments."
Micheal Silk
"There are no
rounded characters in
the poem. Individuals
are presented and
differentiated in very
partial terms."
Micheal Silk "the individualisation
of the characters is in
any case subordinated
to their representative
status."
Minchin By including direct
speech, the "effect on
the audience is
immediate."
Audiences have "a
preference for direct
speech"so including
iy makes the story
more engaging and
.
interesting
Jasper Griffin "characters can be
different from one
another...they can
intend things which
they do not explicitly
reveal as their
, intention...they can
be complex."
Jasper Griffin "Figures are
characterised by
Homer's introduction
to them, namely
through their epithet;
e.g Agamemnon is
introduced in Book 1
as 'son of Atreus,
king of men' whereas
Achilles is 'godlike'.
The former is
identified by his titles
and rank, reflective
maybe of his concern
about his status and
authority, the other
by his personal
quality."
Book 10
Scholar Scholarship Supporting Evidence
Peter Jones "There is a general
scholarly agreement
that Book X is not by
Homer. It is wholly
self-contained, it is
never referred to
again, and if it was
not there, no one
would notice its
absence. The
slaughter of sleeping
men at night is hardly
heroic. There are
many oddities in
language, and the
speeches are not
constructed as they
are in the rest of the
epic."
E.T Owen "the poet inserts what
there is some
Scholar Scholarship Supporting Evidence
William Allan "45% of the Iliad is in
direct speech."
William Allan "Speeches are
integral to many of
the most important
episodes in the
poem."
"being a good
speaker is in itself
part of the heroic
ideal."
William Allan The speeches "are
more personal in the
sense of being more
emotional and
rhetorical."
"the different styles
and content of
particular speeches
also serve to
characterise the
individual hereos."
Jenkyns "Psychological
realism- when you
get inside the
character's mind."
Distinct
characterisation
Major and minor
characters- plot and
interest
Myth usage- "Homer
is working within the
grain of his
tradition."
Micheal Silk "the characters appear
less as private,
inward individuals
than as accessible
beings whose identity
is defined primarily
by their public or
external status.
, Agamemnon is an
individual with an
individual's feelings,
but first and foremost
he is a 'king of men'
who behaves as a
king.'"
Micheal Silk The focus is on their
status and as such,
there are no
"romantic
relationships; here no
'true love' and above
all none of the hard
personal decisions
that we associate with
such commitments."
Micheal Silk
"There are no
rounded characters in
the poem. Individuals
are presented and
differentiated in very
partial terms."
Micheal Silk "the individualisation
of the characters is in
any case subordinated
to their representative
status."
Minchin By including direct
speech, the "effect on
the audience is
immediate."
Audiences have "a
preference for direct
speech"so including
iy makes the story
more engaging and
.
interesting
Jasper Griffin "characters can be
different from one
another...they can
intend things which
they do not explicitly
reveal as their
, intention...they can
be complex."
Jasper Griffin "Figures are
characterised by
Homer's introduction
to them, namely
through their epithet;
e.g Agamemnon is
introduced in Book 1
as 'son of Atreus,
king of men' whereas
Achilles is 'godlike'.
The former is
identified by his titles
and rank, reflective
maybe of his concern
about his status and
authority, the other
by his personal
quality."
Book 10
Scholar Scholarship Supporting Evidence
Peter Jones "There is a general
scholarly agreement
that Book X is not by
Homer. It is wholly
self-contained, it is
never referred to
again, and if it was
not there, no one
would notice its
absence. The
slaughter of sleeping
men at night is hardly
heroic. There are
many oddities in
language, and the
speeches are not
constructed as they
are in the rest of the
epic."
E.T Owen "the poet inserts what
there is some
