Achilles and patroklos have a particularly close relationship, based partly upon the heroic code of warriorcompanion and partly upon patroklos role as an advisor to achilles. Achilles in vietnam combat trauma and the undoing of character jonathan shay, md, ph. Jan 29, 2007 achilles mothyer is thetis of the silver feet and a goddess and he was dipped inthe river styx not like the bandand he would be protected in battle but his weak spot is his heel an dparis, hectors brother kills achilles by shooting a n arrow through his heel and. Narratives from vietnam veterans, excerpts from homers iliad, and quotes from the bible are here used to compare combat during the vietnam war and the time of the iliad, providing a scholarly book about posttraumatic stress disorder ptsd. Title summary field provided by blackwell north america, inc. One of the most common representations more than 150 exist is a depiction of achilles and ajax dressed in their armour and casually playing a board game with dice during a respite in the trojan war. Litcharts makes it easy to find quotes by section, character, and theme.
Taking its cue from homers epic iliad, the analysis of the shield of achilles conjures an image of a meditative poem which seeks to draw a comment on how brutal and violent the world is. Achilles is the main character, and his inaction, or withdrawal from the fighting, is crucial to the plot. Combat trauma and the undoing of character is a 1994 work of. Among pelagian travelers, lost on their lewd conceited way to massachusetts, michigan, miami or l. The anger of achilles is at the center of the poem the opening line is an invocation of the muse to sing of the anger of peleus son achilles. Forget anything youve heard about achilleus being invulnerable except in his heel thats part of a later tradition, not mentioned in the iliad.
It is also significant that the river god is the only god to confront achilles with. Library journal a fresh take on a literary classic. The anger of achilles identify places and characters. Achilles in vietnam combat trauma and the undoing of character. One of the books i had been planning to read for several months is dr. Discussion guides 2019 commandants professional reading. There is no dramatic character development, but one does see patroklos as a character perpetrates dramatic events and provides a.
Oct 18, 2009 as caroline alexander argues in the war that killed achilles, her spirited and provocative reading of the worlds mightiest epic, the eternally anguished, all too mortal achilles shares. Even though patroklos is an important character in the iliad, homer gives little attention to him until the ninth book, and even then, the focus is not on patroklos himself, but on his relationship to achilles. He has all the marks of a great warrior, and indeed proves the mightiest man in the achaean army, but his deepseated character flaws constantly impede his ability to act with nobility and integrity. Jonathan shay, antheneum books, new york, 1994, 246 pages. While certain customs must be followed in such relationships, the spirit of the code is of greater importance to these two warriors. Audens the shield of achilles is a ninestanza poem that uses an episode from homers ancient greek epic iliad c. Achilles in vietnam should be required reading for all present and future government and military leaders. He is best known for his publications comparing the experiences of vietnam veterans with the descriptions of war and homecoming in homers iliad and odyssey. This book, a study of posttraumatic stress disorder victims among u. Although achilles possesses superhuman strength and has a close relationship with the gods, he may strike modern readers as less than heroic. We assign a color and icon like this one to each theme, making it easy to track which themes apply to each quote below. Achilles is the protagonist of the iliad, and the story centers on his rage and anger against agamemnon. An original and groundbreaking book that examines the psychological devastation of war by comparing the soldiers of homers iliad with vietnam veterans. Madeline miller has given us her own fresh take on the trojan war and its heroes.
I will not glorify vietnam combat veterans he writes by unkind them to a. Oct 14, 2009 caroline alexanders book is not a new translation of the iliad but an attempt at a fresh reading of it, one that focuses on what it has to say about the conduct and meaning of war. This documentary, developed as an undergraduate thesis film by charles berkowitz, is based on the groundbreaking book, achilles in vietnam. Achilles in vietnam is a study of the impact of ptsd on the human personality, using the iliad to illustrate the impact of this problem with emphasis on the reasons why vietnam was more traumatic for many veterans than other conflicts have been. Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work. He finds that the roots of their illness, like that of the ancient hero, lie in betrayal of duty by senior officers who failed to do. Vietnamerica has been compared to maus, and while thats to be expected, it would be unfortunate if people ignored it because they thought it was a copy of that august work. The war that killed achilles by caroline alexander book.
To the greeks, though, a hero was someone who performed extraordinary feats. The iliad as illustration of epic struggle with post. Shay, a psychiatrist who specializes in posttraumatic stress disorder ptsd, juxtaposes the narrated memories of his patients who are vietnam veterans to the story of achilles in homers iliad. If you are the publisher or author of this book and. The book achilles in vietnam explores the ways that the experience of soldiers in the vietnam war can be understood through much of what achilles says in the iliad. In this strikingly original and groundbreaking book, dr.
It was first presented at the city dionysia of 415 bce, along with two other unconnected tragedies, alexandros and palamedes, and the comedic satyr play sisyphos, all of which have since been lost to antiquity it follows the fates of hecuba, andromache, cassandra and the. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. I highly recommend it for vets seeking a better understanding of what they went through and for the professional who works with combat related stress. Characters emerge as worthy or despicable based on their degree of competence and bravery in. Auden 19071973 she looked over his shoulder for vines and olive trees, marble wellgoverned cities and ships upon untamed seas, but there on the shining metal his hands had put instead an artificial wilderness and a sky like lead. Sep 29, 2012 achilles, when in armour, most often wears a corinthian helmet and a shield with a gorgon device. Jonathan shay born 1941 is a doctor and clinical psychiatrist.
One can make a strong argument that the iliad seems to celebrate war. Aristetai of american soldiers in vietnam the differences 94 naked berserkers and achilles invulnerability 97 clinical importance of the berserk state 98 part ii dishonoring the enemy the enemy as enemy. Achilles in vietnam book by jonathan shay official publisher. At once a scholars homage to the iliad and a startlingly original work of art by an incredibly talented new novelist. It should transform any and all future discussions of the vietnam war. May 11, 2010 an original and groundbreaking book that examines the psychological devastation of war by comparing the soldiers of homers iliad with vietnam veterans suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder. Conversely, the testimony of vietnam war combat soldiers can inform interpretation of the iliad.
Shay examines the psychological devastation of war by comparing the soldiers of homers iliad with vietnam veterans suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder. The play ends on a very bleak note with the death of the noble trojan hector and destruction of the love between troilus and cressida. The seagod asked apollo to help get rid of achilles, and so apollo directed paris arrow to achilles. Achilles is a nearexception to the rule of mortality. In it, shay examines the psychological devastation of war by. Beyond the symbiosis of these fields of investigation, shay is. Even the environmental ruin that modern warfare has invariably brought in its wake, so alexander suggests, is foreshadowed in the iliad. What achilleus does have is an unusual double fate. Ten years had passed since the trojan war began and neptune mourned his dead son, hector, killed by achilles. The poem begins with an unknown woman looking over the shoulder of another man whose identity is also unknown and is only revealed to the readers in the last stanza of the woman. The song of achilles, written by firsttime novelist madeline miller in 2012, is based on the events preceding the trojan war and homers the iliad.
The author is an mdphd whose ground breaking work in ptsd explores the historical and current effects of combat. Richard rhodes pulitzer prizewinning author of why they kill and the making of the atomic bomb a brilliant successor to shays groundbreaking achilles in vietnam. Mar 31, 2019 this documentary, developed as an undergraduate thesis film by charles berkowitz, is based on the groundbreaking book, achilles in vietnam. Although he has been very mindful of his honor in the past, when agamemnon offers achilles extravagant prizes in book 9 to replace the one he took, achilles makes a couple of statements, like this one, seeming to reject honor. In a brilliantly creative extended analogy, psychiatrist shay tufts medical school persuasively argues that the experiences and behavior of traumatized vietnam veterans echo those of achilles in homers iliad. Center for advanced study, university of illinois at urbanachampaign recommended for you. Achilles in vietnam book by jonathan shay official. It is a valuable and inspirational text for all citizens. Ptsd, juxtaposes the narrated memories of his patients who are vietnam veterans to the story of achilles in homers iliad. Achilles experience of betrayal of whats right, and his reactions to it, are identical to those of american soldiers in vietnam. Shay examines the psychological devastation of war by comparing the soldiers of homers iliad with vietnam veterans suffering from posttraumatic. Achilles in vietnam chapter 5 guided notes video youtube.
Vietnam veterans which considers the iliadic achilles as a testcase, has a clear tripartite. Achilles in vietnam quotes showing of 69 melodramas of moral courage provide satisfaction through the comforting fantasy that our own character would hold steady under the most extreme pressure of dreadful events. Achilles in vietnam is a well written, easy to read examination of combat stress. I shall describe some of the many violations of what american soldiers understood to be right by holders of responsibility and trust. Winner of the orange prize for fiction, the novel draws from many sources to present a fresh take on the ancient story. Madeline millers brilliant first novel, the song of achilles, is the story of great, passionate love between achilles and patroclus, as tragic as that of shakespeares romeo and juliet. Ricks defense correspondent, the washington post should be read by anyone interested in the effects of combat on troops or in the meaning of homers works and by. A classic of war literature that has as much relevance as ever in the wake of the wars in iraq and afghanistan, it is a transcendent literary adventure the new york times and clearly one of the most original and most important scholarly works to have emerged from the vietnam war tim obrien, author of the things they carried. This documentary, developed as an undergraduate thesis film by director charles berkowitz, is based on the groundbreaking book, achilles in vietnam.
Shay is a physician and clinical psychiatrist who is recognized for his writings in which he compares the vietnam experience to war and homecoming as depicted. Achilles has overreached himself, and as he attempts to punish all the trojans for patroklos death and to deny them burial rites for hektor, so the river god now attempts to drown achilles, bury him in the mud, and deny him glory and proper burial rites. An original and groundbreaking book that examines the psychological devastation of war by comparing the soldiers of homers iliad with vietnam veterans suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder. Many years before the trojan war, zeus, king of the gods, developed a crush on thetis, a seagoddess. Caroline alexanders war that killed achilles explores the. The son of the immortal seanymph thetis and the phthian king peleus, achilles is by far the greatest warrior of the trojan war. Jonathan shay, a psychiatrist for the boston department of veterans affairs and a member of the faculty of tufts medical school, uses the iliad, and particularly. The iliad quotes explanations with page numbers litcharts. Achilles character analysis in the iliad litcharts. This book is at once erudite, eloquent and outspoken. Shay, a psychiatrist who specializes in posttraumatic stress disorder ptsd, juxtaposes the narrated memories of his patients who. Combat trauma and the undoing of character shay, jonathan.
Ann patchett, bestselling author of bel canto and state of wonder. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of achilles in vietnam by jonathan shay. Achilles actions in homers the iliad might be questioned as those of a hero in the modern day. Achilles in vietnam audiobook jonathan shay storytel. Caroline alexanders book is not a new translation of the iliad but an attempt at a fresh reading of it, one that focuses on what it has to say about the conduct and meaning of war. It is estimated that a quarter of a million vietnam veterans suffer from ptsd today. Images in common to vietnam and troy 104 image of the vietnamese enemy 105 vm. In fact, one rarely sees patroklos as an individual. Giabao tran ought to be a more major creator in the world of comics, and with vietnamerica, lets hope hes moved into that group. Achilles rage causes the deaths of many of his friends and fellow soldiers, including his beloved companion patroclus. Start your 48hour free trial to unlock this achilles in vietnam study guide and get instant access to the following analysis. This rage is invoked by pride, a theme of pivotal importance for the greeks.
Caroline alexanders war that killed achilles explores. Think of achilleus like an ancient greek arya stark wellborn, secretly sentimental, and totally fueled by rage to understand achilleus, youve got to start with his family tree. Even for a scholar of greek literature, which miller is, rewriting the western worlds first and greatest war novel is an awesome task to. Historians date the completion of the iliad to about 750 b. The trojan war epics little is known about the historical homer.
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