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Essay / Analysis of Imagery in Homer's Iliad and Euripides' Bacchae
Specifically in Bacchae, he does this to support his theme of the natural world as opposed to the world of man. For the audience, the application of imagery allows them to better understand the characters, the evolution of the plot, and to invest their emotions in the story to build a stronger connection. Homer constructs striking visual images to enrich the understanding of the setting and the character's overall personality so that the reader can get a logical idea of why his character does the actions he does. One of his main characters, Achilles, is central to his use of imagery. He uses various descriptive words and repetitions of rhetorical devices like similes to describe his impulsive and violent nature when fighting in war. On more than one occasion he uses a combination of the two, for example to illustrate Achilles' rage towards Agenor during their battle: "Achilles now, like inhuman fire, rages through the gorges of the dry shattered mountains, igniting large strands of wood, the wind swirled the huge ball of fire left and right - the chaos of fire - Achilles rushed with a brandished spear and the earth turned black with blood... the hooves of oxen” (Homer , Iliad 20.560). Here he uses three consecutive similes in order to compare Achilles to the characteristics of fire and oxen. From there, he wants the reader to understand Achilles' impetuous, ruthless, and passionate character; Allowing the reader to understand later why Achilles has tunnel vision when making decisions, which causes him to act so barbarically and impulsively. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Additionally, he enhances his similes with a lengthy description of the battlefield setting through phrases such as "his sharp-hoofed stallions trampled the shields and corpses" and "blood on the ramps sweeping the car" mixed with vivid adjectives such as “splashing,” “churning,” “swirling,” and “firing” (Homer, Iliad 20.560). This triggers a sense of danger and suspense in the reader, allowing them to see the text from a different perspective. It's almost as if they were on the battlefield themselves, smelling the blood and hearing the hooves of Achilles' stallion crushing the bodies. With this example, Homer achieves his goal by using imagery because it evokes a deeper sense of emotion and perception that emphasizes the complexity of Achilles' character and the grotesqueness of this plot. Additionally, Homer implements extended metaphors in combination with descriptive adjectives in order to intensify his similes and drive home his message to readers. A long metaphor he provided showed a truce between two armies disappearing and turning into a deadly battle: "Men's shouts and shouts of triumph breaking in a single breath... Wild as two winter torrents rolling down mountains…crash of war” (Homer, Iliad 4.517-527). Here he compares the armies to two violent winter torrents destroying each other and everything in their path. Homer uses imagery through an extended metaphor in order to demonstrate the extent of the tension and hostility, as well as the dissolving relationship between the two armies. Overall, it tries to convey its message about the extent of this feud between them and the intensity in which they are fighting, and foreshadows that such extreme animosity is bound to be repeated later with serious repercussions . Homer's use of imagery has the true ability to bring the readerin the book and make him feel like he's seeing the events unfold through a first-hand perspective. It incorporates sensations that allow them to feel almost all four senses through its vivid comparisons and memorable descriptions of events. Its audience holds its breath in the face of suspenseful events, devotes emotional attachments and marshals its intellect on the issues of each circumstance; Thus allowing them to foreshadow, reflect, and gain greater insight into the plot.Euripides creates complex and dynamic visual images in his readers, while portraying his underlying messages in connection with his theme. His use of visual imagery provides much support for the central conflict and theme of the natural world in comparison or harmony with the world of man. To clarify, it presents nature as an untamed, wild and disordered representation of rationality. On the other hand, it depicts the city of Thebes as an orderly and civilized representation of rationality. This notion is also reflected in its main characters. In one of the scenes of the play, Euripides contracts a visual image that shows a possible harmony between nature and man: "Some of them held young deer or wild wolf pups by their arms and offered them their milk white – all the women…..the infants behind them. » (Euripides, Bacchae 700). Through his use of detailed vocabulary and the unusual actions given to the characters, Euripides is able to construct in the reader's mind an image of women feeding the animals of nature and which allows the reader to infer this symbolic meaning of the 'union. The audience gains an overall understanding and progress through the plot and, from there, is able to infer and determine how the theme translates into other elements of his story, such as Dionysus and Pantheus. In addition to supporting the visual images in keeping with the theme, Euripides is able to teleport the reader into a setting through his fluid and descriptive word choices: “One of them took his thyrsus and crushed it against a rock , spouting a jet of pink water. Another… a current of white liquid scraped the earth… lively jets of milk…..sweet streams of honey” (Euripides, Bacchae 710). His use of words such as “dew,” “bright,” “dripping,” and “soft” bring the image to life and allow the reader to truly understand how tranquil and peaceful the setting is. This brings the audience into a state of wonder, almost as if they are watching and experiencing the calm themselves. However, Euripides creates this beautiful image in order to convey his underlying message to readers and allow them to foreshadow that the disruption of such a harmonious setting and people will only lead to serious and destructive consequences. In support of this foreshadowing, Euripides greatly affects the reader by immediately following a completely contrasting visual illustration of the once peaceful setting: “You might have seen ribs or cloven hooves thrown everywhere; and blood-stained pieces hung dripping from the pine branches…..your royal eyes” (Euripides, Bacchae 740). The 360' contrast that this visual image brought compared to the previous visual image, completely seduced and disgusted the public. Euripides wanted to give his readers a feeling of confusion and astonishment through his vivid vocabulary and abnormal actions. He wanted his readers to grasp the back-to-back visual image as a representation of the evolving relationship between man and nature. From the first harmonious and unified image to the second striking visual image, chaotic and blurring the boundary between the two concepts. Moreover,..