Llt 121 Classical Mythology Lecture 36 Good Morning
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
LLT 121 CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY LECTURE 36 GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME TO LLT 121 CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY IN WHICH WE TAKE UP PROBABLY THE SECOND OLDEST STORY IN THE BOOK, THE SECOND OLDEST GREAT EPIC IN WESTERN LITERATURE, THE ILIAD OF HOMER. THE GILGAMESH EPIC OF THE VARIOUS MESOPOTAMIAN PEOPLE IS OLDER. THIS IS NUMBER TWO. IT TRIES HARDER. WHEN LAST WE LEFT OFF ACHILLES WAS STILL POUTING BY THE SIDE OF HIS SWIFT, BLACK SHIPS WITH HIS FRIEND PATROCLUS. YOU WILL REMEMBER THAT ACHILLES HAS ALREADY TURNED DOWN ONE OFFER FROM AGAMEMNON FOR A COMPLETE APOLOGY, BRISEIS BACK, VALUABLE PRIZES, THE WHOLE NINE YARDS. JUST COME BACK TO US ACHILLES. WE NEED YOU. ACHILLES SAYS I'VE GOT TWO POSSIBLE FATES. ONE, I CAN DIE IN BATTLE, WIN LOTS OF GLORY, AND BE FAMOUS FOREVER AFTER. OR B, I COULD LIVE TO A LONG, GREAT OLD AGE, BE REAL HAPPY AND LEAVE BEHIND NO ARITAE OR VIRTUE AND HAVE NO KLEOS OR FAME AFTER MY DEATH. I MIGHT SAY NUMBER TWO IS LOOKING BETTER. SO THE GREEKS GET THEIR BUTTS KICKED FOR ANOTHER THREE OR FOUR BOOKS. FINALLY, NESTOR THE 300 YEAR OLD GUY WHO TALKS JUST ABOUT FOREVER COMES UP WITH AN IDEA FOR PATROCLUS. PATROCLUS, I'M GOING TO TRY TO PERSUADE YOU TO PUT ON THE ARMOR OF ACHILLES AND GO INTO BATTLE. PATROCLUS FINALLY AGREES TO GET NESTOR TO SHUT UP AND ALSO MAYBE IT'S NOT EASY TO BE GILLIGAN, SCOTTIE PIPPIN, OR ED MCMAHON, THE NUMBER TWO BANANA. YOU WANT TO.STAND IN THE LIMELIGHT AND DO A FEW OF THOSE ON PUBLISHERS CLEARINGHOUSE SWEEPSTAKES COMMERCIALS OF YOUR OWN. ACHILLES SAID I DON'T THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA PATROCLUS BUT IF YOU REALLY WANT TO DO IT, GO AHEAD. SO PATROCLUS BUCKLES HIMSELF IN THE ARMOR OF ACHILLES. HE CHARGES INTO BATTLE CRYING OUT ACHILLES WAR CRY, WHICH IS I AM ACHILLES DAMMIT. I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS. HE'S JUST SHOUTING AND YELLING I'M ACHILLES. THE TROJANS WHO HAVE BEEN HAVING IT PRETTY SOFT FOR THE LAST FEW BOOKS THINK OH MY GOD IT'S ACHILLES. PATROCLUS ALL BY HIMSELF DRIVES A WHOLE BLEEPING TROJAN ARMY BACK TO THE CITY WALLS OF THE CITY OF TROY, WHICH LOOKED LIKE THIS. WE ALSO HAVE A DRAWBRIDGE AND A MOAT. IT'S A KIND OF MEDIEVAL LOOKING. THEY PULL UP THE DOOR. THE TROJANS ALL RUN IN AND THEY PULL UP THE DOOR. PATROCLUS IS REALLY FEELING HIS OATS. THREE TIMES HE CLIMBS TO THE TOP OF THE WALL AND SAYS I'M GOING TO GET INTO THE CITY AND SACK THE CITY. THREE TIMES HECTOR BUT IS IT REALLY HECTOR PUSHES HIM OFF. THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF HOMER MAKING A CHARACTER SEEM PRETTY SYMPATHETIC. PATROCLUS IS NO ACHILLES. I NEW ACHILLES AND PATROCLUS FRANKLY IS NO ACHILLES. HE IS A SYMBOL MORE OR LESS OF EVERYBODY WHO WANTED TO ACCOMPLISH A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN THEY WERE CUT OUT FOR. WE'D ALL LIKE TO TRY TO COVER MICHAEL JORDAN OR DRIVE A FERRARI AT 199 MILES AN HOUR.DOWN GLENSTONE AVENUE DOWN SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI. VERY MANY OF US WOULD CRASH AND KILL. THAT IS HOW LIFE IS. WELL, AT ANY RATE HOMER SAYS IT REALLY WASN'T HECTOR. IT WAS APOLLO IN HECTOR'S BODY STOPPING HIM. DOES ANYBODY WANT TO GUESS HERE WHAT IT SAID AS THE CAUSE OF DEATH ON PATROCLUS' DEATH CERTIFICATE? COME ON. IT SAID HUBRIS. IT WAS HUBRIS. NOW I KNOW ACHILLES ISN'T A GOD BUT HIS MOM WAS. PATROCLUS WAS PRETENDING HE WAS ACHILLES. HE WAS DOING A PRETTY GOOD JOB HE WAS ACHILLES. IN THE LONG RUN HE WAS DESTINED NOT TO BE ACHILLES AND HE GOT KILLED MUCH AS IF I WERE TO TACKLE EMMETT SMITH ONE ON ONE. I COULD PUT ON DERRICK THOMAS' UNIFORM. I COULD STUFF SOME SOCKS AND TOWELS IN THERE UNTIL I WAS BULKED UP LIKE DERRICK THOMAS. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN OLD NUMBER 22 FROM THE SOUTH AMERICAN TEAM BARGES INTO ME? SQUASH THANK YOU FOR THE SOUND EFFECT PHIL. I GET SQUASHED. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN WELL ENOUGH IF THEY WOULD HAVE JUST LEFT IT THERE BUT PATROCLUS IS STARTING TO DIE. HECTOR AND HIS GUYS COME TRAIPSING BACK OUT THROUGH THE GANGPLANK AND HECTOR JUST TOTALLY DISRESPECTS POOR OLD PATROCLUS. HE SAID HA, YOU'RE GOING TO BE DEAD SOON JERK. I TELL YOU WHAT YOU CAN GO TO YOUR GRAVE SAYING THE GREAT HECTOR HAS KILLED YOU. FOLKS, ANNOUNCED TO PATROCLUS OLD DADDY LIVING BACK IN GREECE THAT HECTOR THE GREAT HAS JUST TURNED HIS KID INTO ROAD KILL YOU.SWINE. REMEMBER IT'S AN IMPORTANT PART OF ARITAE THAT ALL OF THE ARITAE IN THE WORLD, THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE YOU'VE KILLED OR MESSED WITH FOR MESSING WITH YOU. ALL THE ARITAE IN THE WORLD DOESN'T COUNT UNLESS SOMEBODY KNOWS ABOUT IT. ALL THE WONDERFUL DEEDS GO OUT. YOU GET NO KLEOS IN THE LONG RUN IF YOU DON'T ADVERTISE WHAT YOU'VE DONE. SO HECTOR BOASTS TERRIBLY OVER THE BODY OF DECEASED PATROCLUS. THEN HE STRIPS OFF THE ARMOR OF ACHILLES. THEN HE PUTS IT ON BECAUSE HE HAS KILLED ACHILLES. HE REALLY HASN'T. HE'S SYMBOLICALLY KILLED ACHILLES. DON'T THEY NOTICE WHEN THEY TAKE IT OFF IT'S NOT HIM? DID THEY NOT KNOW WHAT HE LOOKS LIKE? YEAH THEY KNOW IT'S PATROCLUS IN THERE BECAUSE HECTOR IS YELLING YO, PATROCLUS I KILLED YOU. WELL, LET'S SAY THAT YOUR DAD OWNS A BITCHIN CAMARO THAT GOES 200 MILES AN HOUR. YOU ASK HIM CAN I DRIVE IT DAD? HE DOESN'T REALLY WANT TO BUT HE FIGURES YOU'RE HIS DAUGHTER. YOU'VE GOT THE OLD GENES IN YOU. YOU WERE BORN TO RUN TOO. YOU TAKE IT OUT AND DRAG RACE ME OUT ON GLENSTONE. I'M DRIVING MY WIFE'S TERCEL. I BEAT YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT THAT GOOD OF A DRIVER. SEE WHAT I MEAN BUT I WON YOUR CAR. WHAT AM I GOING TO DRIVE AROUND IN? A, THE 1980 TERCEL OR B, THE BITCHIN CAMARO FROM HELL WITH THE REALLY COOL TUNES IN THE BACK. I SEND YOUR CORPSE BACK HOME. HOW IS YOUR DAD GOING TO FEEL? YEAH, HE'S GOING TO BE.MEGA-PISSED. WHY? I SET YOU UP FOR THAT DIDN'T I? NUMBER ONE, I'M DRIVING AROUND IN HIS EXCELLENT CAMARO THAT ONLY HE CAN DRIVE. WHY ELSE? BECAUSE I KILLED HIS LITTLE BABY GIRL. YEAH, I BOASTED ABOUT IT. HA, HA THAT WOMAN DRIVER, ETC. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT GOES ON IN VERY HUMAN TERMS IN THE AWARD WINNING ILIAD OF HOMER BECAUSE ACHILLES IS UPSET. ACHILLES IS JUST NUMBER ONE; THERE'S PAIN BECAUSE HIS BEST FRIEND PATROCLUS HAS DIED. HE SHOULD HAVE SAID NO PATROCLUS. YOU CAN'T WEAR MY ARMOR. HE'D STILL BE ALIVE THEN. OKAY, NUMBER TWO HE MISSES HIS SUIT OF ARMOR. THE MIGHTY ARMOR OF AWARD WINNING ACHILLES, IT WASN'T SOMETHING HE PICKED UP OVER AT WAL-MART OR K-MART OF A BLUE LIGHT SPECIAL. THIS WAS GOOD STUFF AND NOW ALL THAT'S GONE TOO. NOT ONLY THAT, EVERYBODY KNOWS IT. EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT ACHILLES' BEST FRIEND HAS GOTTEN KILLED AND THAT YAHOO YOUR DAD KNOWS IS DRIVING UP AND DOWN THE STREETS OF SPRINGFIELD IN HIS BITCHIN CAMARO. RIGHT, AS IF IT IS MINE, WHICH IT IS. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? MATT. HE KNEW IT WOULD REALLY MAKE ACHILLES MAD. NO, I LIKED THAT STORY. IT WAS PRETTY GOOD. SO ACHILLES THINKS WELL, I'VE GOT TWO POSSIBLE FATES. I COULD DIE YOUNG, BE FAMOUS. I COULD LIVE JUST ABOUT FOREVER WITH NO FAME WHATSOEVER. HE DECIDES TO GO KILL HECTOR. HE MAKES THIS DECISION IN THE FULL KNOWLEDGE THAT IT'S GOING TO.MEAN HIS DEATH. WHY DOES HE DO IT? IT IS NOT FOR THE HONOR OF THE GREEK WAR EFFORT. HE COULDN'T CARE LESS. HE'S PROVEN THAT TIME AND AGAIN. HE DOESN'T CARE WHETHER AGAMEMNON AND HIS TEAM PRODUCE A WINNER. HE DOESN'T CARE WHETHER MENELAUS GETS HIS WIFE BACK. HE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT AJAX THE GREATER. HE ONLY CARES ABOUT HIS OWN BAD SELF, HIS OWN REPUTATION AND AS IT TURNS OUT PATROCLUS. HE WANTS TO KILL HECTOR BECAUSE HE'S MAD AT HECTOR. HE'S WANTED TO KILL HECTOR FOR A LONG TIME. I MEAN THAT COMES WITH THE JOB. IT'S JUST THAT THE ONE THING THAT TIPPED HIM OFF THE DEEP END IS THE LOSS OF PATROCLUS, HIS FRIEND HIS BUDDY. THERE'S THIS REALLY TOUCHING SCENE IN WHICH IS MOM THETIS REALIZES THAT HER SON HAS MADE HIS DECISION TO GO OFF AND FIGHT HECTOR. IT MEANS HER SON WHO USED TO BE HER LITTLE BABY THAT SHE DIPPED IN THE RIVER STYX IS GOING TO GO OFF, FIGHT AND GET KILLED. HAVE YOU EVER HAD THE JOY OF SAYING GOODBYE TO SOMEBODY YOU KNEW YOU WOULD NEVER SEE AGAIN? YOU KNEW FOR A FACT. WELL, THAT IS WHAT HAPPENS HERE. SHE GOES TO HEPHAESTUS THE GOD OF METAL AND SAYS PLEASE MAKE FOR ACHILLES A NEW SUIT OF ARMOR. HEPHAESTUS MAKES THIS REALLY COOL, SPIFFY SUIT OF ARMOR COMPLETE WITH A SHIELD. I SHOULD TALK ABOUT A MINUTE HERE ABOUT THE SHIELD. THE SHIELD IS NO ORDINARY SHIELD. IT HAS EMBOSSED ON IT ALL SORTS OF SEEDS..WELL, ONE SIDE IS PEOPLE ENGAGING IN CATTLE RAIDS AND SLAUGHTERING EACH OTHER AND SPLITTING EACH OTHER'S HEADS OPEN FROM EAR TO EAR.