The return of Greek mythology (Essay Sample)

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The return of Greek mythology
“The Knight’s Tale” has some similarities with the Iliad. In the explanations that have been offered, the heroic ideals are seen to repeat themselves, from time to time. These have been discussed in length, in the essay below.
First, the heroes who are witnessed in both cases are seen to have the favor of the Gods. In the Iliad, Achilles gains the favor of Apollo. When at war with the Trojans, Apollo is seen to protect Achilles in most of the situations. This is the same case that is observed for Palamon and Arcite. During their fight, Palamon prayed to Venus, so that he could have Emily as his wife. On the other hand Arcite prayed to Mars to grant him victory in this war. In the end both heroes receive what they wanted. Arcite won the war, but was unlucky enough to be killed by a horse. On the other hand, Palamon was left to marry Emily, as he had prayed. Therefore, the heroism of these characters is seen to be accompanied by the intervention of the Gods. That is the reason as to why they were able to withstand a lot of problems.
The heroes are also seen to be dying as a result of major wars. In the Iliad, It is clear that the Greeks suffered, a great deal. As it can be seen in the text, the King of Achilles was relieved to be back home, after Achilles had fallen; “whereon Agamemnon kissed his native soil, and shed tears of joy at finding himself in his own country” (Silva 28). This is proof that the battle in which Achilles was killed was a major one. Although he knew that he would die after killing Hector, he still died in this huge battle with the Trojans. In “The Knight’s Tale”, Theseus, who was the Duke of Athens, involved Creon in a war. This is the war in which, Arcite was captured, along with his cousin, Palamon. They were put in prisons and the escape of Palamon from this prison led to the death of Arcite; “That, shortly after midnight, Palamon, By helping of a friend, broke from prison” (Overton 750). These two were then engaged in a major war, against each other. This is where Arcite lost his life.
In both cases, internal conflicts can be witnessed to be affecting the heroes. In “The Knights Tale”, Arcite and Palamon are seen to start their hatred in the prisons. Later on, they are found by Theseus fighting; “And there saw Arcite and Palamon, Who furiously fought, as two boars do” (Overton 754). These conflicts were born from the rage that they had accumulated against each other. This is the same case as in the Iliad. King Agamemnon is seen to be in constant conflict with Achilles. At times, Achilles even refused to fight for him. There came a time when this king realized that he could not fight without Achilles. He, even, resulted to sending him gifts, in a bid to appease him; “Then Nestor answered, “Most noble son of Atreus, king of men, Agamemnon. The gifts you offer are no small ones, let us then send chosen messengers, who may go to the tent of Achilles son of Peleus without delay” (Silva 153). This shows the extent to which these heroes, often, developed internal conflicts, even before the real enemy stroke. In the end, it was these conflicts that contributed to their downfall.
The other similarity that cannot be ignored is the role that women played in the lives and deaths of these heroes. In the Iliad, Achilles loved a woman known as Briselis. However, Agamemnon, forcefully, took this woman for the sake of making an exchange that was to end the plaque that the gods had brought on them. This made Achilles sad, at first. Then, it made him extremely angry. As it is seen from the text, the messengers of the King could not get to Achilles; “Ulysses answered, “Most noble son of Atreus, king of men, Agamemnon, Achilles will not be calmed, but is more fiercely angry than ever, and spurns both you and your gifts” (Silva 159). This caused Achilles to fai...