Disclaimer: I am not an ancient Greek scholar. For the full disclaimer, read here.
“Bury me with all speed that I may pass the gates of Hades.”
Iliad, Book 23; Samuel Butler translation
Book 23 Summary
The Achaeans mourn the death of Patroclus and hold a funeral for him. Achilles has the twelve Trojans he captured earlier sacrificed for Patroclus’ funeral pyre. Afterward, Achilles holds funeral games in honor of Patroclus, putting up prizes for different Achaeans to compete for in events like chariot racing, boxing, wrestling, and archery.
For a list of the major characters, with Greek and Latin names, go here.
Not A Lot Happens
Book 23 is one of the longer books in the Iliad, but not a lot happens. There’s the funeral for Patroclus, the funeral games consisting of eight contests, and that’s it. Only the first contest, the chariot races, is focused on in any meaningful way.
Book 24, the final book, however, is an iconic book in the Iliad. It is powerfully moving and I can’t wait to write about it.
Anyway, since not much happens in Book 23, I will have shorter sections and a bit more variety of topics.
Another Glimpse Into The Homeric Worldview
I wrote for Book 22 that the little moments throughout the Iliad that gives the reader a peek into the Greeks’ worldview in the time of Homer to be fascinating. Here in Book 23, we get another peek. When Patroclus’ soul visits Achilles in a dream, he says:
“The ghosts, vain shadows of men that can labour no more, drive me away from them; they will not yet suffer me to join those that are beyond the river, and I wander all desolate by the wide gates of the house of Hades.”
Iliad, Book 23; Samuel Butler translation
Patroclus is not allowed to move on until he has had a proper funeral. The implications are frightening. Does that mean your soul is doomed to wander without a final rest if your body is not buried properly? What does that mean for corpses that lay rotting on the battlefield? Or people who drown at sea? What about those twelve Trojans whom Achilles sacrificed?
Does it mean that, when one army takes their enemies’ corpses and strips them of their armor, and not give the corpses back, they are denying their enemies the ability to rest in the afterlife?
Or, is it a matter of individual souls refusing to rest until they are properly honored with a funeral? If they aren’t, they will become restless spirits and haunt those responsible for their restlessness?
Agamemnon Becomes Irrelevant
You may have noticed that after Agamemnon and Achilles reconcile, Achilles takes charge of the army and Agamemnon is phased out. Here in Book 23, Agamemnon appears, but has no speaking lines, and he follows all of Achilles’ orders. Is this because Agamemnon is deferring to Achilles since it was his revenge and now the funeral for his best friend? Or is Agamemnon humbled because Achilles did what he couldn’t do—kill Hector, the Trojans’ strongest warrior, and leave the Trojans cowering inside the gates of Troy?
And then we see what’s possibly what we would call a “troll move” today. At the end of Book 23, Agamemnon joins in on the final funeral game—the javelin throw. But, before anything can happen, Achilles declares he’s probably going to win and gives him part of the first place prize while giving the other part to the other participant. Agamemnon just accepts it and Book 23 abruptly ends.
Perhaps Achilles hasn’t totally forgiven Agamemnon for what he did?
Agamemnon doesn’t appear for the remainder of the poem. I think it’s fitting. Agamemnon’s poor leadership and bad decisions brought a lot of troubles on the Achaeans. And while Achilles’ decisions in the beginning were bad, and they ultimately led to his best friend’s death (and the deaths of many others), he proved he could get the job done. Agamemnon couldn’t.
Why is it that the men who are least fit to lead end up being in charge? May I never be like that.
Still, The Gods Can’t Help Themselves
First off, we get another scene of some of the gods sitting around feasting and making merry. This is in stark contrast to the Achaeans who are holding a funeral for Patroclus and the Trojans who have locked themselves up inside Troy after being terrorized by Achilles. This shows yet again how disconnected and aloof the gods are concerning the mortals.
And then, Athena and Apollo intervene in the funeral games. What it mostly comes down to though, is Athena or Apollo robbing people they don’t like of victory while making sure their favorites win. For example, Apollo causes Diomedes to drop his whip in the chariot races. Remember, that in Book 5 Diomedes had attacked Aphrodite after she tried to shield Aeneas. When Apollo took over, Diomedes went after him until Apollo told him to back off or suffer the consequences.
Apparently, Apollo never got over that and now pettily tries to make Diomedes lose the race. However, since Athena favors him (as we also saw in Book 5), she gets him his whip back, energizes his horses, and breaks the chariot of the guy going neck-in-neck with him out of anger. Diomedes ends up winning the race.
It wasn’t enough that the gods interfered in the war. They have to interfere with the Achaeans’ fun too.
Are We Seeing Some Foreshadowing?
The Iliad ends before the end of the Trojan War. The death of Achilles, the famous Trojan Horse, and the sacking of Troy, for example, are all found in other sources. The poets Sophocles and Euripides will have plays about different episodes of the Trojan War that aren’t in the Iliad, and we get bits and pieces about what happened after the events of the Iliad in Homer’s other epic poem the Odyssey.
However, I have to wonder if Homer is intentionally foreshadowing future events?
Homer’s audience would have already been familiar with these events. If you haven’t read the Odyssey, or any of the plays of Sophocles and Euripides, some of what I write may be spoilers. I won’t come right out and say what happened, but I will be hinting at them.
In the chariot races, Antilochus the son of Nestor pulls a trick on Menelaus which causes him to lose second place. Menelaus angrily confronts Antilochus, Antilochus apologizes and offers him the second place prize, and Menelaus is mollified by the apology and allows Antilochus to keep the prize.
First of all, I want to point out that it seems to be hinted throughout the Iliad that Menelaus and Antilochus are not just comrades in arms, but friends. It’s Antilochus that prevents Menelaus from confront Aeneas in Book 5. In Book 17, It’s Antilochus that Menelaus seeks out to deliver the bad news to Achilles that Patroclus is dead.
Now, onto the foreshadowing. Menelaus says this to Antilochus after he apologizes:
“No one else could have brought me round so easily, but your good father, your brother, and yourself have all of you had infinite trouble on my behalf…”
Iliad, Book 23; Samuel Butler translation
There’s Menelaus’ guilt for dragging everyone into his feud with Paris again. However, does it mean something more when Menelaus says it to Antilochus?
In the wrestling contest, Odysseus and Telamonian Ajax face off against each other. It ends in a draw ultimately, but not before Odysseus pulls off a sneaky move and briefly gets the upper hand over Ajax. This event is interesting if you know what happens between these two after the events of the Iliad.
In the running contest, Athena causes Little Ajax (Ajax the son of Oileus) to slip on cow manure and lose the race while giving Odysseus the strength to win the contest. Ajax then says this:
“Alas, the goddess has spoiled my running; she watches over Ulysses and stands by him as though she were his own mother.”
Iliad, Book 23; Samuel Butler translation
This statement, as well as Athena’s hostility to one and favor to the other, is interesting if you know what happens after the events of the Iliad.
That’s all for Book 23 of the Iliad.
May your days be filled with grace.
-Andronikos
The booklist I am going through can be found here.
If you want to learn a little more about the Iliad, I have a page devoted to it.
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Thumbnail: Games in Honor of Patroclus During His Funeral by Antoine Charles Horace Vernet (Carle Vernet). Created 1790. Public domain.