Epic Grief: Personal Laments in Homer's Iliad (Untersuchungen zur antiken Literatur und Geschichte, 70)

As Tsagalis proclaims at the beginning of his study: `the Iliad begins with pain and suffering... and ends with pain and suffering'. Death is presented as a dynamic force and laments are an essential part of the narrative. This detailed study, which assumes a good knowledge of Greek, closely scrutinises selected passages from the Iliad to compare the style, language and dramatic devices of the laments and to discuss what they reveal about different approaches towards death. The personal laments of Agamemnon, Andromache, Thetis, Briseis, Achilles, Priam, Hecuba and Helen are discussed in particular detail. Extracts are presented in Greek and English but many individual quotes are not translated.