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Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov
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Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov
Afterwords
Did you miss the meeting? Or did we fail to discuss all the questions? Perhaps something slipped your mind, or only occurred to you later. If so, here's your chance to continue the conversation. For the time being, this blog is open for comment only to registered members of the book group. Other readers may contact me at hcrane@cambridgema.gov. Please, no flaming or cussing.
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- Does Agamemnon add a proviso (Bk. 3, p. 120) to th...
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1 comment:
The thesis was put forward in the meeting that the choice was an indication of Achilles individualism, that he was about to actually choose sailing home to a long life but that he met death (and hence glory)because of his manic rage (at himself?) at Patroclus's death (toward which Achilles had encouraged Patroclus).
That Achilles rage-induced actions were not in his own best interest are highlighted in Homer's Odyssey when Odysseus meets Achilles ghost during a Odysseus's fantastic trip to Hades.
(Lattimore translation)
"Odysseus: Achilleus, no man before has been more blessed than you, nor ever will be. Before, when you were alive, we Argives honored you as we did the gods, and now in this place you have great authority over the dead. Do not grieve, even in death, Achilleus.
Achilleus:O shining Odysseus, never try to console me for dying, I would rather follow the plow as thrall to another man, one with no land allotted him and not much to live on, than be a king over all the perished dead."
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