Achilles Shield
I recently read the Iliad and wrote about Achilles’ shield
Life is full of both joyous and unhappy events. We enjoy love, marriage and peace. However, we also often find ourselves entangled in bitter fighting and sometimes even oppression. In Homer’s Iliad, the armor built for Achilles to go into battle with includes a metal shield, with several of these events depicted in engravings on it. The enigmatic nature of the shield begs the question; “Ultimately, is life worth living?” Homer emphasizes the joyous moments over the bitter, demonstrating that the hardships of life are worth the fruits. However, in W.H. Auden’s poem The Shield of Achilles, the author argues the opposite.
Achilles’ shield not only symbolizes the cycle of life, but serves as a testament to the values of the Greek people. In the Iliad, Homer states that the shield is “the gift of [the god] Hephaestus” (page 363 line 244). Gods are often seen as ideal beings, so the fact that one crafted the shield, and provided it to Achilles as a gift, shows how Homer thought of the shield as a symbol of happiness. In spite of the hardships depicted on the shield, it is ultimately a gift from a god for his protection.
Society in Greece was greatly religious. In its culture, virtually every aspect of the universe was determined by the gods. Among these was fate, which plays a profound role in the Iliad. Thus, because it was a firm belief that good things would happen if one pleased the gods, Achilles accepts his fate, willingly going into battle knowing he may die. Nonetheless, after the pain, agony and fighting, Achilles drags Hektor’s corpse through the dirt around Troy. This is what makes life worth living for Achilles.
Fate though, is not at the center of Auden’s poem; rather, his poem emphasizes the stages of life as they are, without the idea that they are merely intermediate events leading up to destiny. When approaching the images “bare and brown” (Auden 9), he argues that they are just unfortunate events that humans have to go through as a result of their choices. In fact, Auden relates the shield to Achilles, stating that while it may appear that Achilles is attempting to fulfill his destiny in order to please the gods, he is only concerned with his own esteem and might: “Where the altar should have been; She saw by his flickering forge-light; Quite another scene” (Auden 28–30).
Thousands of years ago, humans began to live in groups and farm, exploiting natural resources. This overtime lead to civilization and social hierarchies. The poor worked the land of the wealthy. The oppression faced by billions of people in modern times resulted from this social structure. In the following passage, Auden describes the joys of life depicted on the shield. However, he then states that while those joys may seem like they make life worth living, most people are not able to enjoy life fully because they live in constant oppression. Whether that oppression is being forced to work a lord’s farmland or being denied the freedom of speech, Auden argues that many suffer this: “Athletes at their games; Men and women in a dance; Moving their sweet limbs … But there on the shining shield; His hands had set no dancing-floor; But a weed choked field” (Auden 46–52). Auden uses this to further support his negation of Homer’s claim that life is joyous.
While Homer and Auden both argue valid points about Achilles’ shield in two renowned works of literature, they are both wrong. No two people are alike. Hence, life cannot be defined as joyous or bitter for everyone. Whether or not someone chooses to enjoy life or suffer through is their choice. Achilles shield represents the joy experienced by those who resist greed and stay morally strong as well as the pain experienced by those who do not.
