"Night" in the Iliad: The Importance of Descriptive Effects Caimiao Liu 12th Grade

Homer's Iliad is full of epic battles and massive deaths, so, unsurprisingly, many audiences turn their main attention to the description of the direct combat between the Akhaians and Trojans. Even though the war mostly takes place during the day, the element of the night also plays a crucial role in the work because it enables Homer to approach the description of this epic war from a more complex, humane, and poetic perspective: under the setting of the night, he emphasizes the necessity of tactics, highlights the humanist side of these warriors’ lives, and renders the idea of death more poignant.

Although the time of the night sometimes is a continuation of the major war, it also displays a new aspect of the war where, other than power and courage, intelligence and tactics are also necessary. In Book X, both Akhaians and Trojans initiate night raids to infiltrate their enemy’s side to gather information and gain an advantage. When Diomedes and Odysseus set out to the Trojan side, “Grimly accoutered, / the two moved out into the darkness, leaving/ all their peers behind. Off to the right/ along their path, Pallas Athena sent/ a heron gliding down the night. They could not/ see it passing, but they heard its cry” (303-308)....