The poem that provides the title to the collection, ‘The Shield of Achilles', is
a powerful rejection of war-related violence
. In the poem, Auden questions the validity of traditional notions of honour and fair war in an age in which war has become mechanised and impersonal.
What is the theme of the poem The Shield of Achilles?
The poem that provides the title to the collection, ‘The Shield of Achilles', is
a powerful rejection of war-related violence
. In the poem, Auden questions the validity of traditional notions of honour and fair war in an age in which war has become mechanised and impersonal.
What is the major poetic device used in Shield of Achilles?
Literary Devices
While he was working on it, Thetis looked over his shoulder. Apart from that, the poet uses a
metaphor
in “untamed seas.” Here, the poet compares the sea to a wild creature. There is synecdoche in the phrase “shining metal.” Thereafter, one can find a use of simile in the last line of the first stanza.
What is the tone of the Shield of Achilles?
Tone- The tone of the poem is
bitterness and poignant
(evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret). The tone displays the disappointment in society, in the poem and in Auden's society.
Why is Achilles shield a circle?
The shield of Achilles represents Greek life, culture, joy, love, and family. The middle circle of the shield
represents birth, and a new beginning of life
. The first rim explains how war and peace must co-exist together, it is impossible for one to exist without the other.
What does The Shield of Achilles symbolize?
The Shield of Achilles
Depicting
normal life in peacetime
, it symbolizes the world beyond the battlefield, and implies that war constitutes only one aspect of existence. Life as a whole, the shield reminds us, includes feasts and dances and marketplaces and crops being harvested.
What was Achilles weakness?
She attempts to make the baby Achilles immortal, by dipping him in the River Styx (the river that runs through the underworld), while holding him by
his heel
. The one part of his body left untouched by the waters becomes his only point of weakness, hence the phrase ‘Achilles heel'.
What is the source of Auden's The Shield of Achilles?
H. Auden first published in 1952, and the title work of a collection of poems by Auden, published in 1955. It is Auden's response to the detailed description, or ekphrasis, of the shield borne by the hero Achilles in
Homer's epic poem the Iliad
.
What did Thetis expect on the armor of Achilles?
The goddess Thetis watched as Hephaestos made armor for her son, Achilles. Thetis expected the armor's surface to
feature images of lush greenery, dignified societies, and ships navigating free, wild waters
. Instead, Hephaestos forged onto the shining shield the image of a man-made wasteland and a gray, heavy sky.
Which one of these scenes is included in the description of the Shield of Achilles?
The passage describing the beautiful, ornate Shield of Achilles is sandwiched between two scenes of bloody violence:
the death of Patroclus by Hector, and Achilles taking his wrath out on the Trojans and eventually
killing Hector.
How does Auden use the myth of Achilles to comment on the modern world in his poem The Shield of Achilles?
It makes more sense for him to
carry a shield marked by death and disappointment than
by the rich life of Greece. A final way Auden's poem uses myth is to comment on our world. If the original shield showed Greek myths of joy and life, Auden is here giving us modern myths of emptiness.
What happened to Patroclus in Book xviii?
When
Achilles learns of the death of Patroklos, he bursts into tears, tearing his hair and throwing himself on the ground
. His sorrowful lament is heard by his mother, Thetis, and she comes to comfort him. She points out that if Achilles avenges Patroklos, he himself will be killed.
How does the poem The Shield of Achilles contrast the ancient and the modern?
In the poem “The Shield of Achilles,” W. H. Auden contrasts an idealized ancient world filled with honor, beauty, order, adventure, dignity, joy, and
pleasure with the modern
world of mindlessness, ugliness, despair, horror, and vulgarity.
Who was the ugliest god?
Hephaestus
was the Greek god of fire, blacksmiths, craftsmen, and volcanoes. He lived in his own palace on Mount Olympus where he crafted tools for the other gods. He was known as a kind and hardworking god, but also had a limp and was considered ugly by the other gods.
What God is Achilles?
Achilles became invulnerable everywhere but at his heel where his mother held him. Because Achilles was a
half-god
, he was very strong and soon became a great warrior. However, he was also half human and wasn't immortal like his mother.
What does The shield of Achilles tell you about Homeric heroes?
The description of Achilles' shield in the Iliad tells us
much about what Homer's views might have been on warfare and violence
. Patroclus had earlier confronted the Trojans wearing Achilles' armour. … After he was killed, Hector stripped him of Achilles' equipment and wore it himself.
