Lindsey Jeanne Kennedy
Homer’s Iliad, Book 16
Homer’s Iliad, Book 16
Homer’s rich use of similes in Book 16 of the Iliad serve an important role in not only
emphasizing but also dramatizing specific scenes with meaning. Dissimilar to the figure of speech that is
familiar today, Homer’s elaborated form of comparison suggests a whole new meaning to the common
simile. Throughout the highly structured assortment of examples in Book 16, there are quite a few that
are worthy of both note and discussion.
The first simile within Book 16 can be found in line three, “…like a spring dark-running that
down the face of a rock impassible drips its dim water…” (3-4). While the actual comparison lies in
Patroklos’ warm tears to that of a spring, the purpose of the simple simile is to specifically emphasize the
emotion that overcame Patroklos when he approached Achilleus. Upon further observation, it can also be
sensed that there is comparison being drawn between the opposite emotions being expressed. As
Patroklos is hysterically crying, Achilleus is looking upon him with pity, and mocking his behavior. This
is an important simile to start the Book in the sense that it sets the tone while sharing a certain
understanding of the importance of character and power.
Another creative comparison made by Homer is when he describes the Myrmidons as a solid
wall, “And as a man builds a solid wall with stones set close together for the rampart of a high house
keeping out the force of the winds, so close together were the helms and shields massive in the middle.”
(212-214) This straightforward simile paints a picture of the physical power behind the
Myrmidons. Furthermore, the simile suggests a symbol of both strength and unity while allowing the
imagination to interpret.
A longer, stronger simile on line 352, Homer compares the dangerous Danaans to wild wolves,
“They as wolves make havoc among lambs or young goats in their fury, catching them out of the flocks,
when the sheep separate in the mountains through the thoughtlessness of the shepherd, and the wolves
seeing them suddenly snatch them away, and they have no heart for fighting, so the Danaans ravaged the
Trojans, and these remembered the bitter sound of terror, and forgot their furious valour” (352-357). In
this example, Homer’s over-exaggerated technique stresses the significance of strength and
superiority. The descriptive language and action words set a scene of high-intensity and energy.
As with essentially every significant scene in Book 16, it is no surprise that Homer chose a simile
to describe and compare the horses of Troy. On line 384, Homer offers yet another elaborate comparison
between the loud noise in result of Zeus’ destructive power and the noise from the horses of Troy in their
running. With a simile nearly nine lines long, it is evident how important, and more importantly, how
loud this scene is intended to be.
Not long after this example comes another, more simplified simile in describing Patroklos’ killing
of Thestor, “Patroklos coming close up to him stabbed with a spear-thrust at the right side of the jaw and
drove it on through the teeth, then hooked and dragged him with the spear over the rail, as a fisherman
who sits out on the jut of a rock with line and glittering bronze hook drags a fish, who is thus doomed, out
of the water” (404-408). This is a graphic example and offers a vivid description of the scene. The
Lindsey Jeanne Kennedy
Homer’s Iliad, Book 16
comparison is between Patroklos stabbing Thestor in the jaw and dragging him over the rail to that of a
fisherman hooking and dragging a doomed fish out of the water. The reason I chose this example was to
recognize how Homer turned this otherwise unimportant detail into a glorification of gory imagery. Since
the Iliad is as an oral epic, it is a clever technique to keep the audience awake and involved.
The last couple examples I will discuss are both at the end of Book 16. The two are different in
subject but the same in their style. In an attempt to capture the tension and emotion between Sarpedon
and Patroklos, Homer compares them to two vultures, “They as two hook-clawed beak-bent vultures
above a tall rock face, high-screaming, go for each other, so now these two, crying aloud, encountered
together” (428-430). The animalistic traits given to two conflicted humans emphasize the intensity of
their encounter. As a result of their quarrel, the other simile describes the physical fall of Sarpedon before
Patroklos: “He fell, as when an oak goes down or a white poplar, or like a towering pine tree which in the
mountains the carpenters have hewn down with their whetted axes to make a ship-timber” (482484). This simile compares Sarpedon’s fall to that of an oak or pine tree, pointing out the importance of
the defeat.
Homer’s similes are an important part of the structure of Book 16. His ability to not only
compare but also describe significant scenes and climactic conflicts through a familiar figure of speech
help to make his old literature easier to read. In addition, they are an efficient way for him to imply and
signify the reader of an important event without having to announce it otherwise. Overall, Homer’s use
of similes is a very effective technique.