The Iliad Compassion and Forgiveness Quotes Page 1

OK, so you might argue that this is less a case of compassion or forgiveness than of "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em." This wouldn't be wrong. On the other hand, it is true that, oftentimes, forgiveness comes about when you see another side of someone that you hadn't seen before – as, in this case, the king of Lykia sees that Bellerophontes is going to make easy work of any trap he sets for him. Also, you have to think about this from Bellerophontes's perspective. He could have easily said, "Forget you, I'm not marrying your daughter, not after all the times you tried to kill me." (Admittedly, his own family tried to kill him, so he doesn't have that many places to turn.) The fact that he's willing to become a member of the Lykian king's household shows that he, too, is willing to let bygones be bygones.

In these lines, Aias reminds Achilleus of the traditional ways in which people put aside their differences and learn to forgive. He cannot understand why Achilleus persists in being so hard-hearted, and encourages him to have a bit more sympathy with the other Achaeans. Unfortunately, things are bound to get worse before they get better.

This incident, like so many in the book, shows the breakdown or failure of compassion. Why do you think Agamemnon acts the way he does? What does that make you think of him?