“Suddenly War Became Sweeter”: A Hybrid Approach to War and Memory in Homer’s Iliad

Lecture Center 15

A two-part hybrid, the thesis begins with a critical examination of Homer’s Iliad in relationship to memory, poetry, and remembrance of war and concludes with a creative continuation set in the last decade. The critical essay focuses on book four and five of the epic poem, highlighting the social and cultural analysis of wartime’s effects. I argue that the centrality of Athena’s machinations suggest that war at its best is a matter of protocol and codes of honor, while the ubiquity of Ares’ presence despite his apparent displacement underscores the reality of war’s difficulty: it is brutal for all involved. The creative spoken-word piece serves as both a response to and a continuation of the Iliad, where the Poet recounts the aftermath of Ilion in concert with the sibling deities. They comment on several pivotal points in global history, from the collapse of the Roman Empire, World War I and II, to the War on Terror, all of which unfolds from the perspective of embattled immortals weary of their obligations and all the problems that come with it.