The Iliad is one of the most renowned works in the entire history of European literature. The classical epic poem covers the events of the legendary Trojan War, and it should hardly come as a surprise that combat occupies much of the plot. However, while the martial achievements of the mighty heroes on both sides occupy most of the text, this is not all there is to the Iliad. In the poem’s last book, when the Trojan king Priam comes to the victorious Achilles to beg for the body of his slain son Hector, the epic poem reveals its deeper layer. In an uncharacteristically quiet scene, the two characters talk about fate, war, and loss and discuss how humans may deal with the hardship the gods pile upon them for sheer amusement. Both characters have things to say in this conversation, stressing the point that, despite all their differences, they share the same nature. Priam reminds Achilles that he is still a human, and Achilles urges the Trojan king not to give up under the misfortunes of war because that is also a part of human nature.
As soon as Priam encounters the dreaded Achilles in his encampment, he reminds the mighty Achaean hero of his father, the elderly king of Myrmidons, back home. This is literally the first thing that the king of Troy utters when he prostrates himself before the killer of his son: “Think of your father, oh Achilles” (Homer, 2010, XXIV). Having begun this speech by reminding the Achaean hero of his parent, who is as old and infirm as Priam himself, the king ends it on the same note. The desperate plea “think on your own father and have compassion upon me” wraps up his supplication in the same way that it begins (Homer, 2010, XXIV). Achilles is genuinely moved by the old king’s words, and they achieve precisely the goal Priam seeks. Grief besets the mighty hero, and he begins weeping along with Priam, as much for his own father as for the dead Patroclus (Homer, 2010). Considering that, one may safely conclude that Priam’s rhetorical choice was the correct one, but it still leaves the question of why the Trojan king decided to invoke Achilles’s father specifically.
The answer is fairly simple: Achilles’s father is the main link that connects the superhuman Achaean warrior to humanity. As any reader would be aware by the last book of the Iliad, the hero’s mother is an Olympian goddess Thetis, who helps him in her divine capacity more than once throughout the text. Achilles, therefore, is a half-Olympian, and divine blood flows in his veins along with the human one. This is why Juno is so enraged with the idea, shared by many other gods, that Hector deserves the same funeral rites that would befit Achilles. As the furious goddess says, “Hector was mortal and suckled at a woman’s breast, whereas Achilles is the offspring of a goddess” (Homer, 2010, XXIV). Yet while his mother is divine, Achilles’s father is as human as everybody else, which is why Priam reminds the Achaean hero about him. By bringing Achilles’s father to the great warrior’s mind, the Trojan king essentially reminds Achilles of his humanity, which is why this moment is so impactful for the character and the audience alike.
While Priam is in a good position to remind the Achaeans of his own aging parent, Achilles’ experience also enables him to share some wisdom with the Trojan king. Although he has avenged his dear friend Patroclus by killing Hector, revenge does not absolve him of the pain. The last book of the Iliad literally begins by stating that Achilles mourns his fallen friend every bit as much as he did before dueling and slaying Hector (Homer, 2010). By this point, he realizes that war, for all its glory and spoils, does not bring the satisfaction that would be meaningful enough to overcome the pain of losing someone close. Moreover, he understands that all the promises of glory and majesty that the gods use to lure humans into their wars pale in comparison to the excruciating personal loss. This is what he tries to tell Priam by noting that “immortals know no care, yet the lot they spin for man is full of sorrow” (Homer, 2010, XXIV). Achilles’ grief for Patroclus allows him to empathize with Priam and also to understand the limitations of emotional fulfillment that war can bring.
However, the Achaean hero goes beyond merely acknowledging the old king’s grief and, to the best of his ability, tries to urge Priam to live further. He notes that weeping does not avail from sorrow because it is not within human power to escape it (Homer, 2010). However, he is quick to note – also speaking from experience – that people can and should not allow grief to consume them whole. Achilles invites Priam to feast and, at least for a short time, sets his sorrows aside (Homer, 2010). This strategy seems to work because, after sharing a meal with the Achaean hero, Priam asks to allocate him a sleeping place. As the king of Troy mentions, he did not eat or “enjoy the blessed boon of sleep” ever since Achilles took Hector’s life – and the Greek hero accedes to the request (Homer, 2010, XXIV). Thus, moved by Priam’s suffering, Achilles pushes him to recognize the limits of his body and pay attention to its needs, which were previously overshadowed by his grief for Hector. Essentially, the hero reminds the reader that, while suffering is human, to go on living is more human still.
As one can see, the interaction between Priam and Achilles in the last book of the Iliad is an uncharacteristically quiet moment when the two characters briefly set enmity aside to recognize their common humanity. To convince the dreaded slayer of Hector to return the fallen hero’s body, Priam reminds Achilles about his human father and, by extension, of his own human nature. Achilles is moved by the king’s grief, as well as by his own recent epiphany that war and revenge bring amusement to gods yet no solace in sorrow for humans. He grimly notes that mortals cannot escape the suffering at the gods’ hands but spins this notion to the best of his ability to console Priam and urge him to go in with his life. While it is undoubtedly human to grief, Achilles points out that the same human nature requires people to eat and sleep even when sorrow consumes them. Thus, Priam reminds Achilles that he is but a man, and, in turn, Achilles shows Priam that he needs to continue living despite his grief precisely because he is merely a human.
Reference
Homer. (2010). The Iliad. (S. Butler, Trans.). Project Gutenberg. Web.