The main characters are Achilles and Odysseus. Romantic hero in J. Byron's poem "The Corsair". Analysis. Story line

George Gordon Lord Byron(1788-1824) was in the first quarter of the 19th century the “ruler of thoughts”, the living personification of romanticism. He, like no one else, embodied the romantic ideal of the complete merging of biography and creativity, when the artist lives by the same laws by which his heroes live, and the events of his life immediately turn into the material of his works. The "Byronic Legend" is still alive today, and it is important to separate myth from fact.

Byron was born into an aristocratic family, at the age of ten he inherited the title of lord and family estate in the north of England, and was educated at privileged educational institutions - at Harrow School and the University of Cambridge. He was preparing for a career as a statesman and for a long time did not regard poetry as the main work of his life. Despite belonging to the ruling elite, he was a rebel by nature, and his whole life was a challenge to the conventions accepted in society. He considered English society inert and hypocritical, did not want to make any concessions to public opinion, and after a short period of fame in his homeland (1812-1816), he left England forever, settling in Italy. His life ended in Greece, where he took part in the national liberation struggle of the Greeks against the Turks.

Byron's poetic heritage is great and varied. Recognition came to him with the publication of the poem "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage" (1812), where he created the first romantic hero in English literature and created the genre of romantic lyric-epic poem. Its forms were developed in the cycle of “Eastern Poems” (1813-1816), where romanticism reaches classical forms. With the move to Italy, his work is enriched in terms of genre (the drama “Manfred”, the mystery “Cain”, the poems “Beppo”, “Mazeppa”). The main work of Byron's last years of life remained unfinished - this is the novel in verse "Don Juan".

An example of Byron's romanticism can be poem "Corsair"(1814) from the cycle "Oriental Poems". In all six poems of the cycle, Byron draws on impressions of his southern journey, which he undertook through the Mediterranean countries in 1809-1811. For the first time, he presented pictures of southern nature to the reader in Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, and this was one of the components of the success of this poem; the public expected new exotic landscapes from the young poet, and in “The Corsair” Byron develops the Orientalist motifs so characteristic of romanticism in general. The East in romantic art is contrasted with European civilization as a world of free, natural passions playing out against the backdrop of beautiful, fertile nature. But for Byron, the East is more than a conventional romantic background: the action in “The Corsair” takes place on the islands of the Greek archipelago and in coastal Greece, which is under the rule of the Turks (Seyid Pasha in the poem), and the routes of the pirate raids of the protagonist Conrad are topographically accurate, maybe be traced on the map, and in the descriptions of Greece at the beginning of the third song of the poem, Byron directly relies on his own impressions four years ago. Thus, behind the romantic landscape of the poem, pictures of nature and morals taken from life appear; Byron often gave an accurate reproduction of the historical and ethnographic environment in his poems.

At the heart of "The Corsair", as in all other "Eastern poems", is the conflict of the hero with the world; The plot is reduced to one dramatic situation - the struggle for love.

The hero of "Corsair" is the leader of the pirates Conrad, his beloved is the meek Medora. The action in the poem begins with the receipt of some news on the pirate island, which forces Conrad to say goodbye to Medora and give the order to urgently raise the sails. Where the pirates are going and what Conrad's plan is becomes clear from the second song of the poem. The leader of the pirates decides to forestall the blow of his longtime enemy Seid Pasha and, in the guise of a dervish pilgrim, makes his way to a feast in the Pasha's palace. He must strike the enemy in his house, while his pirates set fire to Seid Pasha's fleet on the eve of going to sea, but the fire in the bay begins earlier than agreed, a hot battle breaks out, in which Conrad rescues Seid's beloved wife from the burning seraglio. Pasha, Gulnar. But military fortune is fickle, and now the pirates are fleeing, and Conrad is captured and thrown into prison. In the third song of the poem, Seyid Pasha delays the execution of Conrad, inventing the most painful death for him. Meanwhile, Gulnar, grateful to Conrad and falling in love with him, offers to arrange his escape. At first, Conrad rejects her proposal: he does not want to owe his freedom to a woman whose love he cannot respond to, because he loves only Medora. But when Gulnar sneaks into his dungeon again, he sees a bloody stain on her forehead - she herself killed Seid Pasha, and together they board a ship heading to the pirate island. Upon his return, Conrad learns of Medora's death. The beloved could not bear the news of his captivity, and, having lost the meaning of life with her, Conrad disappears:

Everything is in vain - day after day rolls on, Conrad is gone, and there is no news about him, And there is no trace of his fate anywhere: Did he die or disappeared forever? The pirates cried for him alone... They erected a stone for Medora. A monument to Conrad has not been erected: Who knows, maybe he did not die - the Corsair, whose name again resurrects the Darkness of crimes and one love.

As in all "Eastern Poems", Conrad is a loner rebel who professes extreme individualism. Byron does not show his past, the poem only says that his innate virtues were so high that the world was jealous of him and slandered him:

He was pure until he began his battles with people and the Almighty; He was wise, but the world considered him stupid and spoiled him with his training; He was too proud to drag out his life, humbled, And too firm to fall into the dirt before the strong. Inspiring fear, slandered from a young age, Became a friend of Malice, but not of Humility, Considered the call of wrath to be the call of the Divine To take revenge on the majority for the machinations of the minority.

Conrad is a strong, courageous nature, he rules the pirates with an iron fist, everyone respects and fears him for his unparalleled courage and success in business:

Around, on all the seas, the name alone sows fear in souls; He is stingy in speech - he knows only the order, The hand is firm, the eye is sharp and keen; He does not give their feasts any joy, But he is a favorite beyond reproaches.

Conrad's first appearance in the poem is typical of a romantic hero. He stands on the top of a cliff, leaning on a sword, looking at the waves, and his very position in space at this moment - he is higher than the others, pirates are rising up to him with a report - this spatial solution of the scene emphasizes the exclusivity of the hero. The same idea of ​​exclusivity is carried out in the portrait of Conrad (ninth stanza of the first canto). This is a detailed portrait based on a combination of opposites, where each external feature becomes an expression of the character properties of the hero. Byron creates such a vivid portrait of a romantic hero that some of his features will forever become part of the characteristic appearance of a romantic literary character:

A tanned cheek, a white forehead, A wave of curls - like a crow's wing; The curl of the lip involuntarily reveals a secret passage to an arrogant thought; Although his voice is quiet, and his appearance is straight and bold, there is something in him that he would like to hide. Seeing the sharp features of the faces, you will be both captivated and embarrassed. It’s as if in him, in his soul, where the darkness has frozen, the work of terrible, vague forces is in full swing.

Contempt for people, cruelty, and the habit of violence did not completely dry out Conrad’s soul. For the first time in the history of world literature, when creating his romantic hero, Byron justifies in him actions and feelings that are far from the Christian ideal, and a substitution of moral values ​​occurs - the author endows the criminal Conrad, who without hesitation sheds human blood, with irresistible charm. The only feeling connecting the hero with humanity, the last living string in his soul, which he therefore values ​​so much, is love.

In love, the character of the romantic hero is most fully revealed; love in romanticism is an uncompromising passion, the highest value of life, therefore the romantic hero fights for love against any hostile forces. The plot in all “Eastern Poems” is based on that episode in the hero’s life where he enters into the last, fatal battle for love. Only death separates the hero of "Eastern Poems" from his beloved, like Conrad and Medora. Both female images of the poem - the meek Medora, who is all devotion and adoration, and the ardent Gulnar, capable of committing a crime for the sake of love - are contrasted with each other.

As in other Byronian poems, the main way to create the character of the hero is through action. Conrad is an active nature, his ideal is anarchic personal freedom, and the plot of the poem is characterized by increased drama. The reader is presented with a series of colorful, spectacular scenes, contrasted with each other on the principle of contrast: the song of pirates glorifying the sea space and freedom opens the poem; the opposite is the sad song of the lonely Medora; the picture of a feast in the luxurious palace of Seyid Pasha is replaced by a picture of a bloody battle; the despondency of Conrad in prison during a night visit to Gulnar and the cheerful freshness of the sea during their flight. The poem amazes with its richness of moods and colors.

The words of V.G. are quite applicable to Conrad and other heroes of “Eastern Poems”. Belinsky, what he said about the poet himself: “This is a human personality, indignant against the common and, in its proud rebellion, relying on itself.” A.S. also speaks about the same extreme individualism of Byron’s heroes. Pushkin:

Lord Byron, by a lucky whim, clothed himself in dull romanticism and hopeless selfishness...

And although Pushkin’s “Prisoner of the Caucasus” contains many elements directly borrowed from Byron, Pushkin does not exalt, but condemns the individualism of the romantic hero.

Thus, “The Corsair” is a lyric-epic poem in which the lyrical principle in the depiction of the central character and the epic, narrative principle are fused together, which manifests itself in the richness and variety of action. Conrad is a hero who represents the purest example of a romantic worldview in all of Byron's work, and the poetics of "The Corsair" is the most characteristic example of the construction of a romantic poem. The plot is based on the culminating episode from the hero’s life, which decides his fate; neither his past nor the further development of his life are described, and in this sense the poem is fragmentary. In addition, the plot is built as a chain of bright paintings-fragments, the cause-and-effect relationships between which are not always clearly stated in the poem, and fragmentation becomes the structure-forming principle of a romantic poem. The hero is taken at the moment of the highest tension of vital forces, in circumstances that are exceptional even for his life as a robber. At such moments, a person’s character is revealed to the end, and Conrad’s demonic, gloomy, majestic character is created in the poem using a variety of artistic means: a portrait, author’s characteristics, the attitude of the women who love him towards him, but mainly through the description of his actions. One of the leitmotif images of the poem is the image of the sea, so characteristic of all of Byron’s poetry; The free sea element becomes a symbol of freedom for him. The pirate song that opens the poem contains these words:

In the midst of the jubilation of dark blue waters, the thought is boundless, the flight of the soul is free Above the foamy, endless wave - Here is our kingdom, here is our home!

The lyrical element that permeates the poem is most clearly revealed in the end-to-end image of the sea.

The images of warriors were varied. Homer did not yet have an idea of ​​\u200b\u200bcharacter, but, nevertheless, he does not have two identical warriors. It was believed that a person is already born with certain qualities, and nothing can change during his life.

The amazing moral integrity of Homeric man. They have no reflection or duality - this is in the spirit of Homer's time. Fate is a share. Therefore, there is no doom. The actions of the heroes are not related to divine influence. But there is a law of double motivation of events. How are feelings born? The easiest way to explain this is by divine intervention. Homer's talent: the scene with Achilles and Priam.

The image of Helen in the Iliad is demonic. In the Odyssey, she is a housewife. It is not her appearance that is being described. And the elders’ reaction to it. We know very little about her feelings. In "Odyssey" it is different - there is nothing mysterious.

Each warrior has the same set of qualities, but the images are unique. Each of the characters expresses one aspect of the national Greek spirit. There are types in the poem: elders, wives, etc. The central place is occupied by the image of Achilles. He is great, but mortal. Homer wanted to depict the poetic apotheosis of heroic Greece. Heroism is Achilles’ conscious choice. Epic Valor of Achilles: Brave, strong, fearless, war cry, fast running. In order for the heroes to be different, the number of different qualities is different - an individual characteristic. Achilles has impulsiveness and immensity. Homer's characteristics: he knows how to compose songs and sings them. The second most powerful warrior is Ajax the Great. He has too much ambition. Achilles is fleet-footed, Ajax is clumsy and slow. The third is Diomedes. The main thing is complete selflessness, which is why Diomedes is granted victory over the gods. Epithets: Achilles and Odysseus have more than 40. In battle, Diomedes does not forget about the economy. The leaders of the campaign are depicted in conflict with epic laws. The authors of the epic write objectively. But Homer has many epithets for his favorite heroes. The Atrides have few epithets. Diomedes reproaches Agamemnon: “Zeus did not give you valor.” A different attitude towards Nestor, Hector and Odysseus. Hector is one of Homer's favorite heroes; he is reasonable and peaceful. Hector and Odysseus do not rely on the gods, so Hector is inherent in fear, but this fear does not affect his actions, since Hector has epic valor, which includes epic shame. He feels responsible to the people he is protecting.

Celebration of wisdom. Elders: Priam and Nestor. Nestor survived three generations of people, thirty years each. New wisdom: the intelligence of Odysseus. This is not experience, but mental flexibility. Odysseus is also distinguished by: all the heroes strive for immortality - it is offered to him twice, but he exchanges it for his homeland.

Homer first gives us the experience of comparative characterization. Song 3 of the Iliad: Helen talks about the heroes. Menelaus and Odysseus are compared. + summary

In poems we see many images of heroes. Each of them has its own unique character, each of them is multifaceted. The characters’ experiences are not yet complex; they are revealed through external reactions, i.e. the hero blushes, gets angry, grabs his sword. All feelings come out, everything is childishly simple. Characters are not given in development, they are constantly static. But they are unfolding. Much of the characters’ behavior is explained by God’s intervention: sudden decisions and actions, sudden changes in mood. The author uses various techniques to characterize the characters. Helen's beauty is never described; it is revealed through the perception of the Trojan elders. With the help of Elena, character is given to the heroes. Sometimes the author knows how to show the characters’ experiences in the first line. All the images of the poems reflect the folk ideals of that era. Thus, the main idea of ​​the “Illiad” is the glorification of military valor, heroism, and patriotism. All heroes are revealed from a military point of view. Achilles is an ideal warrior - his courage, physical strength, courage, agility, and speed are limitless. His battle cry is terrifying. Loyalty in friendship: revenge for Patroclus. But although Achilles is an ideal warrior, he has many weaknesses, he is aware of them and condemns them. The paired image of Achilles is the image of Hector, the Trojan leader. Hector is an ideal warrior, a brave, talented commander, a patriot, who sacrifices his life for the sake of his homeland. Sense of duty and military honor. At the same time, Hector is a wonderful family man: a loving husband and father, a wonderful husband. The poet draws Hector with great sympathy. The image of Agamemnon is not entirely positive - the king is unjust, soulless. Achilles calls him “the king-devourer of the people.” He treats his enemies with amazing cruelty. In “O” the main ideological task is the glorification of worldly wisdom, experience, and important rules of everyday morality. The ideal hero is Odysseus, a multifaceted, bright character: smart, cunning, eloquent, long-suffering, has the ability to find a way out of any hopeless situation, find an approach to any person, optimism, perseverance, he never loses heart. These qualities are O. Typical for that era when a person breaks away from his tribe and goes on a journey. The author does not condemn O.’s cunning, because This is a white lie. In the tragedies of Euripides, O. turned into a negative hero. The wonderful quality of Odysseus is love for his homeland, patriotism, he refuses to exchange his homeland even for eternal youth and immortality. A wonderful family man, O. is pious. All images of the poem reflect the humanity of the author. The characteristic for all the heroes is a passionate love of life with the awareness of its hardships and brevity; each of them tries to live it with dignity and leave a mark. A sense of comradeship, mutual support, all heroes sacredly honor the law of hospitality.

8. The image of Odysseus and what is new in the concept of the hero compared to the Iliad

The image of Odysseus in the Homeric epic.

Odysseus is the most striking figure of the Ionian epic. This is not just a diplomat and practitioner, and certainly not just a cunning hypocrite. The practical and business inclination of his nature acquires its true significance only in connection with his selfless love for his native hearth and his waiting wife, as well as his constantly difficult fate, forcing him to continuously suffer and shed tears far from his homeland. Odysseus is primarily a sufferer. His constant epithet in the Odyssey is “long-suffering.” Athena speaks with great feeling to Zeus about his constant suffering. Poseidon is constantly angry with him, and he knows this very well. If not Poseidon, then Zeus and Helios break his ship and leave him alone in the middle of the sea. His nanny wonders why the gods are constantly indignant at him, given his constant piety and submission to the will of the gods. His grandfather gave him the name precisely as “the man of divine wrath.” The motive of love for the homeland. In the 10th song of the Iliad, Odysseus is glorified in war. In the Iliad, he fights bravely and is even wounded, but Diomedes tries to keep him from fleeing and reproaches him for cowardice. Cunning, fantasy of cunning. Either he gets out of the cave under the belly of a ram, grabbing its wool, and thereby deceives the vigilance of the blind Polyphemus. Then he intoxicates the Cyclops and the cannibal and gouges out his only eye. Either he slips past the sirens, where no one has ever passed alive and well, then he makes his way into his own palace and takes possession of it. He himself speaks of his subtle cunning, and Polyphemus guessed that it was not the strength, but the cunning of Odysseus that destroyed him. Odysseus is a complete adventure, resourcefulness. He lies even when there is no need for it, but his patronizing Athena praises him for this:

If you were very thieving and cunning, who could compete with you?

Could use all sorts of tricks; it would be difficult for God too.

Always the same: a cunning man, insatiable in deceit! Really,

Even when you find yourself in your native land, you cannot stop

False speeches and deceptions that you loved from childhood?

Introducing himself to Achilles, he announces himself: I am Odysseus Laertides. I am famous among all people for my cunning inventions. My glory reaches to heaven.

Everyone praises Odysseus's love for Penelope. He was both the husband of Calypso, and, moreover, for at least seven years, and the husband of Kirka, and according to other sources, he even had children from them. However, he prefers returning to his homeland to immortality. He spent his nights with Calypso, and during the day he cried on the seashore. Odysseus also likes to assume the appearance of a merchant and entrepreneur: he is a very prudent owner. Arriving in Ithaca, he first of all rushes to count the gifts that were left for him by the Phaeacians. Finally, let us add to all that has been said the brutal cruelty shown by this humane and sensitive person. Tracking down the suitors, he chooses an opportune moment to deal with them and their corpses fill the entire palace. The sacrificial fortuneteller Leod tries to ask him for mercy, but he blows his head off. Melantius was cut into pieces and given to dogs to eat; Telemachus, on the orders of his father, hanged his unfaithful servants on a rope. After this wild massacre, Odysseus, as if nothing had happened, hugs the maids and even sheds tears, and then has a happy meeting with his wife.

So, Homer’s Odysseus is the deepest patriot, the bravest warrior, sufferer, diplomat, merchant, entrepreneur, resourceful adventurer, woman lover, wonderful family man and cruel executioner.

Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin is a recognized and unsurpassed master of the Golden Age of Russian literature. His work “Poltava” is one of the most interesting and controversial examples of the classical lyric epic genre - poems. Surprisingly, this creation of Pushkin was not accepted by his contemporaries, and even current critics continue to have heated debates regarding the writer’s true views on the personalities of Peter I and Mazepa.

History of creation

Pushkin wrote his controversial poem during 1828. The title itself refers the reader to the Battle of Poltava, which took place in 1709. While working on the text, the author repeatedly turned to various historical documents, Moldavian legends, and Ukrainian folk songs. As a result, while studying the poem, one immediately feels the influence of song and fairy tale motifs, which largely help to reveal the personalities of the characters.

It is believed that “Poltava” has a personal dedication to the daughter of General Raevsky, Maria Volkonskaya. This woman is known for being one of those brave wives who went into exile after the Decembrists.

Initially, Pushkin called his work “Mazeppa”. The title was changed just a few days before the text went to print. The writer himself explained the reason for this change by saying that he was afraid that the poem would be perceived as plagiarism by Byron, who wrote a poem with the same name.

Analysis. Story line

The action of the poem takes place in the Ukrainian city of Poltava. According to compositional development, the work is divided into three songs:

• In the first song, the author talks about Maria, the daughter of Judge Kochubey and the goddaughter of Mazepa, the Ukrainian hetman. Ivan Mazepa wooes Maria, but the parents do not agree to this outcome of events, because they are not only relatives, but also people of different age categories. However, Maria herself is in love with the hetman and runs away to him. Her father wants revenge. This part of the poem also describes some parts of the Great Northern War.
• The second song tells about Kochubey’s attempt to eliminate Mazepa. Here the author touches on the fact that many Ukrainians wanted to go over to the side of Sweden and reject Russia. Mazepa was among these people. Having learned about the hetman's plans, Kochubey finds a potential informer and sends a message to Emperor Peter I. The ruler does not believe the denunciation, and Mazepa demands the execution of the slanderers. Kochubey ends up in prison and after some time he is executed, but Maria and her mother do not have time to prevent this sad event. The second part of the poem is based more than others on real materials, with the exception of the storyline with Mary herself.
• The third song opens the reader's eyes to Mazepa's agreement with the Swedes, which was perceived by the Russians as treason. Attention is also paid to the Poltava battle itself. The hetman understands that the forces with the enemy are not equal, but he does not want to return to Peter I, asking him for help. Having been defeated, Mazepa escapes, and after a while he encounters Maria, who has gone crazy. The hetman is sad, but moves on on his journey.

Main characters

The contradictory perception of “Poltava” by literary scholars is due to the fact that the presented images, the prototypes of which were real people, turned out to be quite one-sided. Mazepa is a villain and a traitor, and Peter I is a real hero. With all this, Pushkin’s own attitude towards the emperor was far from positive. Let's consider the psychological portraits of the main characters of the work:

Peter I

The Battle of Poltava is one of the most successful military campaigns during the reign of Peter the Great. According to the plot of the poem, the ruler’s actions are motivated solely by the interests of the state. The writer creates a great and clear image, while emphasizing the audacity and tension of the individual during hostilities. Throughout all the events, Peter maintains faith in victory and the inspiration given by his own country. Pushkin portrays the emperor as an intelligent commander and simply a noble man.

Considering the original title of the poem, it is logical to assume that the theme of national liberation is one of the dominant ones in the text. Mazepa is viewed in the work according to historical sources, that is, not as a patriot of his small homeland, but as a power-hungry person who actually fears real freedom. This is a traitor to the tsar, a selfish and cunning hetman, whose portrait is outlined by Pushkin literally from the first lines. Critics note that it was the image of Mazepa that was the first author’s character to be viewed exclusively from a negative point of view.

Maria Kochubey

Of all the main characters, it is this girl that Pushkin describes in as much detail as possible in his poems. He pays attention to her appearance, and also accurately conveys the heroine’s emotional experiences. Maria is a sensible and modest girl who is aware of her strength and always strives for the real truth. Maria is ready to do great things for the sake of her love, although at the same time she has great respect for her parents. The impossibility of choice, the immense suffering due to the difference in physical and mental feelings ends in tears for the heroine.

Kochubey

Maria's father acts as an antagonist to Mazepa. In the poem, Kochubey is not just a general judge, but also a father, whose actions are guided by strong emotions and a desire to achieve what he wants. Unable to cope with emotional experiences, Kochubey very quickly goes over to the dark side, constantly awaiting Mazepa's revenge. Despite this, the image of Kochubey evokes the reader’s sympathy and sympathy, because he experiences all his suffering nobly and humbly.

Charles XII - King of Sweden

Pushkin is shown as a brave man and an ambitious man who realizes his defeat in advance, but still strives to seize power. Essentially, he is a false hero who is irresponsible and cowardly.

Conclusion

The poem "Poltava" is considered one of Pushkin's most complex works from a stylistic, genre and linguistic point of view. In an original way, this text merges the epic and lyrical principles, romantic and state storylines. Alexander Sergeevich touches on such issues as the fate of the country and the relations of the people with Europeans in his text. It also touches on the problem of true patriotism, the unity of fraternal peoples. Being a brilliant master, Pushkin skillfully shows the war not as a political struggle for official territory, but also as a terrible event in the destinies of individuals.

Answers:

Achilles. Insulted that they want to take Briseis, whom he captured, away from him. Therefore, he does not enter the battlefield against the Trojans. But then his friend Patroclus is killed - and he still goes to battle with the Trojans, with the son of their king Hector, and wins. True, in the end Achilles himself dies. Achilles easily moves from calmness to violent impulses. He combines opposite principles - the divine and the human (he is the son of the goddess Thetis and a mere mortal). “Achilles, the most powerful and most beautiful warrior among the Greeks...” Odysseus. A brave warrior, an intelligent military leader, a skilled craftsman and an expert in many professions. He is a magnificent athlete, a brave sailor, a skilled carpenter, a clever hunter, a cunning and careful trader, a good master, a loving son, husband and even a poet. “But at the same time, another person lives in Odysseus, greedy, taking the best piece for himself at the feast, cruel to slaves, for the sake of profit, ready to lie, pretense and can take on various images. Like Achilles, Odysseus is all about contradictions.” Thanks to the cunning of Odysseus (Trojan Horse), the Greeks conquered the city of Troy. However, when Odysseus was already returning home to the island of Ithaca, to his wife Penelope and son Telemachus, the sea god Poseidon became angry with him and sent various disasters upon him so that he could not return home. For several years, Odysseus wandered across the ocean, but still made it home, but even there a test awaited him - a duel for his own wife...

The plots of the famous works “Iliad” and “Odyssey” are taken from a general collection of epic tales about the Trojan War. And each of these two poems represents a small sketch from a larger cycle. The main element in which the characters of the work “Iliad” operate is war, which is depicted not as a clash of the masses, but as the actions of individual characters.

Achilles

The main character of the Iliad is Achilles, a young hero, the son of Peleus and the goddess of the sea, Thetis. The word "Achilles" is translated as "swift-footed, like a god." Achilles is the central character of the work. He has an integral and noble character, which personifies real valor, as the Greeks then understood it. For Achilles there is nothing higher than duty and honor. He is ready to avenge the death of his friend by sacrificing his own life. At the same time, duplicity and cunning are alien to Achilles. Despite his honesty and sincerity, he acts as an impatient and very hot-tempered hero. He is sensitive in matters of honor - despite the serious consequences for the army, he refuses to continue the battle because of the insult caused to him. In the life of Achilles, the dictates of heaven and the passions of his own existence coincide. The hero dreams of fame, and for this he is also ready to sacrifice his own life.

Confrontation in the soul of the main character

Achilles, the main character of the Iliad, is used to commanding and managing, as he is aware of his strength. He is ready to destroy Agamemnon on the spot, who dared to insult him. And Achilles' anger manifests itself in a variety of forms. When he takes revenge on his enemies for Patroclus, he turns into a real demon-destroyer. Having filled the entire bank of the river with the corpses of his enemies, Achilles enters into battle with the god of this river himself. However, it is very interesting to see how Achilles' heart softens when he sees his father asking for his son's body. The old man reminds him of his own father, and the cruel warrior softens. Achilles also bitterly misses his friend and sobs at his mother. Nobility and the desire for revenge fight in the heart of Achilles.

Hector

Continuing to characterize the main characters of Homer's Iliad, it is worth dwelling in particular detail on the figure of Hector. The bravery and courage of this hero are the result of the good will prevailing in his consciousness. He knows the feeling of fear, like any other warrior. However, despite this, Hector learned to show courage in battles and overcome cowardice. With sadness in his heart, he leaves his parents, son and wife, as he is faithful to his duty - to protect the city of Troy.

Hector is deprived of the help of the gods, so he is forced to give his own life for his city. He is also depicted as humane - he never reproaches Elena and forgives his brother. Hector does not hate them, despite the fact that they were the ones responsible for the outbreak of the Trojan War. There is no disdain for other people in the hero’s words; he does not express his superiority. The main difference between Hector and Achilles is humanity. This quality is contrasted with the excessive aggressiveness of the protagonist of the poem.

Achilles and Hector: comparison

A frequent task is also a comparative description of the main characters of the Iliad - Achilles and Hector. Homer gives the son of Priam more positive, humane traits than the main character. Hector knows what social responsibility is. He does not put his experiences above the lives of other people. In contrast, Achilles is the true personification of individualism. He elevates his conflict with Agamemnon to truly cosmic proportions. In Hector, the reader does not observe the bloodthirstiness that is inherent in Achilles. He is an opponent of war, he understands what a terrible disaster it turns out to be for people. The whole disgusting and terrible side of the war is clear to Hector. It is this hero who proposes not to fight with whole troops, but to field separate representatives from each side.

Hector is helped by the gods Apollo and Artemis. However, he is very different from Achilles, who is the son of the goddess Thetis. Achilles is not exposed to weapons; his only weak point is the heel. In fact, he is a half-demon. When preparing for battle, he puts on the armor of Hephaestus himself. And Hector is a simple man who faces a terrible test. He realizes that he can only answer the challenge, because the goddess Athena is helping his enemy. the characters are very different. The Iliad begins with the name of Achilles, and ends with the name of Hector.

Element of heroes

A description of the main characters of Homer's poem "Iliad" would be incomplete without characterizing the environment in which the action of the poem takes place. As already indicated, such an environment is war. In many places in the poem, the exploits of individual characters are mentioned: Menelaus, Diomedes. However, the most significant feat is still the victory of Achilles over his opponent Hector.

The warrior also wants to know for sure who exactly he is dealing with. In some cases, the confrontation stops for a while, and to ensure freedom for the warriors, as well as non-interference by outsiders, the truce is consecrated with sacrifices. Homer, who lived in an environment of war and constant murder, expressively depicts the dying torment of the dying. The cruelty of the victors is no less vividly depicted in the poem.

Menelaus and Agamemnon

One of the main characters of the Iliad is the Mycenaean and Spartan ruler Menelaus. Homer portrays both as not the most attractive characters - both do not miss the opportunity to abuse their position, especially Agamemnon. It was his selfishness that caused the death of Achilles. And Menelaus’s interest in the attack was the reason that the war broke out.

Menelaus, whom the Achaeans supported in battles, was supposed to take the place of the Mycenaean ruler. However, he turns out to be unsuitable for this role, and this place turns out to be occupied by Agamemnon. Fighting with Paris, he gives vent to his anger, which has accumulated against his offender. However, as a warrior he is significantly inferior to the other heroes of the poem. His actions prove significant only in the process of saving the body of Patroclus.

Other heroes

One of the most charming main characters of the Iliad is the old man Nestor, who loves to constantly remember the years of his youth and give his instructions to young warriors. Also attractive is Ajax, who with his courage and strength surpasses everyone except Achilles. Patroclus, Achilles’s closest friend, who was raised with him under the same roof, also evokes admiration. While performing his exploits, he became too carried away by the dream of capturing Troy and died at the merciless hand of Hector.

An elderly Trojan ruler named Priam is not the main character of Homer's Iliad, but he has attractive features. He is a true patriarch who is surrounded by a large family. Having grown old, Priam cedes the right to command the army to his son, Hector. On behalf of all his people, the elder makes sacrifices to the gods. Priam is distinguished by such character traits as gentleness and courtesy. He even treats Elena, whom everyone hates, well. However, the old man is haunted by misfortune. All his sons die in battle at the hands of Achilles.

Andromache

The main characters of the poem “Iliad” are warriors, but in the work you can also find many female characters. This is named Andromache, his mother Hecuba, as well as Helen and the captive Briseis. The reader first meets Andromache in the sixth canto, which tells of her meeting with her husband, who returned from the battlefield. Already at that moment, she intuitively senses Hector’s death and persuades him not to leave the city. But Hector does not heed her words.

Andromache is a faithful and loving wife who is forced to live in constant worry for her husband. The fate of this woman is filled with tragedy. When her hometown of Thebes was sacked, Andromache's mother and brothers were killed by enemies. After this event, her mother also dies, leaving Andromache alone. Now the whole meaning of her existence is in her beloved husband. After she says goodbye to him, she mourns him along with the maids as if he had already died. After this, Andromache does not appear on the pages of the poem until the death of the hero. Sorrow is the main mood of the heroine. She foresees her bitter lot in advance. When Andromache hears screams on the wall and runs to find out what happened, she sees: Achilles dragging Hector’s body along the ground. She falls unconscious.

Heroes of the Odyssey

A common question that students are asked in literature classes is to name the main characters of the Iliad and the Odyssey. The poem "The Odyssey", along with the "Iliad", is considered to be the most important monument of the entire era of transition from the communal clan to the slave system.

The Odyssey describes even more mythological creatures than the Iliad. Gods, people, fairy-tale creatures - Homer's Iliad and Odyssey are full of a variety of characters. The main characters of the works are both people and gods. Moreover, the gods take an active part in the lives of mere mortals, helping them or taking away their power. The main character of the Odyssey is the Greek king Odysseus, who returns home after a battle. Among other characters, his patron, the goddess of wisdom Athena, stands out. Opposing the main character is the sea god Poseidon. An important figure is the faithful Penelope, the wife of Odysseus.