Iliad: What Thetis Did for Her Son

Iliad: What Thetis Did for Her Son

Story source: The Iliad retold by Alfred J. Church (1907).

One of the first aspects of this part of the Iliad that i noticed was the style or writing and grammar. As it was most likely translated from ancient Greek, there were a few grammar mistakes. This was interesting because it reflects some aspects of when and where it was written. This may be a useful strategy when writing because it infers a time and setting without explicitly stating these two aspects of the story. With regards to the characters, the story uses a hierarchy of power. Rather than having the hierarchy range from peasants to kings, it adds another level above royalty with the introduction of the gods. Furthermore, many of the aspects of the setting are implied with the use of gods and ideas of heaven being above the clouds. This use of implications is an elegant way to construct a story without explicitly stating these aspects of the story. When viewing the conflict in the story, it was centered around the Greeks and Trojans. This war between two opposing groups for a common prize (being Helen in this story) is a very common theme found in stories. This would make a great structure for my own story, granted I change the setting and time period to something more relevant.

Photo of Achilles by Wikipedia