Achilles Discussion Questions II

In what ways are Achilles and Gilgamesh cut from the same cloth? That is, describe all characteristics they share in common.

Compare the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus with that between Gilgamesh and Enkidu.  Again, describe all characteristics they share in common. 

Compare Achilles’ reaction to Patroclus’ death to Gilgamesh’s reaction to Enkidu’s death – and then, more importantly, what ultimate, deeper effect does this reaction lead to?  That is, what deeper wisdom must both Achilles and Patroclus come to understand in their dramatic arc from selfish, adolescent action-heroes toward that of an icon of the complete human being?  Or, in other, other words, what universal message concerning human existence, or at least human nature and the human experience, do these epic heroes attempt to teach us?   What other epic heroes can you think of – including those in modern/contemporary epics – that attempt to convey this same message?

Achilles and Priam

What is the common ground binding these men together?  What affect does Priam's plea have on Achilles?

What is the larger message about the nature of war conveyed through this meeting of these enemies?

Can you think of other, contemporary literature, stories, films etc. with meetings like this one?

Note: if you can find better relevant questions driving toward the same ideas, answer them instead of these:  At the end of any war, the two sides must find a way to reconcile their differences and move on -- imagine, for example, how the United States and Japan, or America and Germany, reconciled after the second world war, and how the United States helped both former enemies recover and even thrive from the war.  In other contexts, maybe this never happens, and the wounds simply fester....  What does this section of the Iliad teach us about how to reconcile differences so vast both sides willingly slaughter the other? In our own Civil War, how have we, and how have we failed, to reach this type of reconciliation?  Imagine that you returned from Afghanistan or Iraq (or Vietnam or Syria or...) disabled from the war and having lost many loved ones: how would you find a way to make peace with your former enemies?