The Illiad Play
Zahiah Hammad
An Iliad Essay Response
Honors British Literature
Mr. Jason Then
3/24/14
“War is Hell”
Adventurers seeking for a live blood fest should be cautioned, however, that all this riotous violence is induced through the words of a sole actor, played by James Devitta, in An Iliad. James Devitta tells the story of the Trojan War as he is living and referring to all wars that were fought since. "Every time I sing this song, I hope it's the last time," the Poet tells his audience. But it never is because wars keep happening all over the world. An Iliad evokes the message of futility of war, with war, everyone loses and in the end there is no resolution.
The message the production of an Iliad is trying to make is that war is foolish as every war. Andrew Boyce’s destructed setting portrays the lost and ruined lives in the story. The informal, chatty tone echoes Homer’s use of simile, and makes parallels between modern life to the desires that irritated the Trojans and Greeks. Devita gets his message across by his conventional, balletic movements which express the ritual of war. Including the standout scene where the Poet loses it, representing the mindless killing of warriors.
The poet gives every person being killed a backstory. As he describes a spear being plunged down someone’s throat, he’ll say, “He was a married man with a 3-year-old-son”. Or “he was an incredible warrior from the fields of Argo, and he was a good potter, known to produce beautiful things.” The poet values each life until the end of it. He glorifies the bravery, loyalty, and strength of the soldiers by giving each a positive quality. The scene where Priam the King chastens himself by putting his life at risk to beg for hi son’s dead body, thinking that they will kill him and surprisingly they don’t. He begs and Achilles agrees to give it back. Achilles is king enough to say “Yes, I’ll do this”, and is patient enough to warn Priam not to yell so he doesn’t kill him. This
An Iliad Essay Response
Honors British Literature
Mr. Jason Then
3/24/14
“War is Hell”
Adventurers seeking for a live blood fest should be cautioned, however, that all this riotous violence is induced through the words of a sole actor, played by James Devitta, in An Iliad. James Devitta tells the story of the Trojan War as he is living and referring to all wars that were fought since. "Every time I sing this song, I hope it's the last time," the Poet tells his audience. But it never is because wars keep happening all over the world. An Iliad evokes the message of futility of war, with war, everyone loses and in the end there is no resolution.
The message the production of an Iliad is trying to make is that war is foolish as every war. Andrew Boyce’s destructed setting portrays the lost and ruined lives in the story. The informal, chatty tone echoes Homer’s use of simile, and makes parallels between modern life to the desires that irritated the Trojans and Greeks. Devita gets his message across by his conventional, balletic movements which express the ritual of war. Including the standout scene where the Poet loses it, representing the mindless killing of warriors.
The poet gives every person being killed a backstory. As he describes a spear being plunged down someone’s throat, he’ll say, “He was a married man with a 3-year-old-son”. Or “he was an incredible warrior from the fields of Argo, and he was a good potter, known to produce beautiful things.” The poet values each life until the end of it. He glorifies the bravery, loyalty, and strength of the soldiers by giving each a positive quality. The scene where Priam the King chastens himself by putting his life at risk to beg for hi son’s dead body, thinking that they will kill him and surprisingly they don’t. He begs and Achilles agrees to give it back. Achilles is king enough to say “Yes, I’ll do this”, and is patient enough to warn Priam not to yell so he doesn’t kill him. This