Book nine of the Iliad describes a
conversation between Odysseus, Ajax, Phoenix, and Achilles. As Odysseus and his companions attempt to
persuade godlike Achilles to rejoin the battle, Achilles is faced with a choice to
either rejoin the fighting and die young with honor and glory or return to his
home, get married and live a long life full of tranquility. So while we were
discussing the shield on Tuesday, I realized that in a way it represents
Achilles choices.
The text states that on the shield was
painted the cosmos, the heavens and the gods. Around the edges is the sea, and
with in were two cities. One city is at war, and one is at peace. In the city
at war, there were two forces of men decorated in their war gear. The fight was
a property dispute over the citadel and what it held. This city was filled with
hate, confusion and death. In the city at peace, however, the people were
cheerful. They danced and celebrated weddings and festivals.
The choice to go home is like the
city of peace, where as the choice to pursue glory and honor is like the city
at war. This was the most pivotal choice in the book and so I believe that it
was no mistake that Hephaestus decided to decorate his shield with the two
cities.
P.S. I commented on Rebekah Dye’s
Penelope’s Faithfulness
I agree with you on this,I believe it creates an emphasis on the choice that Achilles must make. I'm not sure which I'd choose personally,but I think it makes a wonderful design on a shield either way. As humans,we must all come to pivotal decisions in our life-times,and I'm glad Homer decides to put emphasis on this.
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