Odysseus journeys into the land of the dead in Book 11 of the Odyssey. This episode, known as the Nekuia, is a dark and somber catalog of fallen heroes. However, no encounter is more haunting than his conversation with the shade of Achilles. Here, the greatest warrior of the Achaeans delivers a speech that completely upends the heroic code he once embodied. These few lines contain one of the most profound and tragic statements in all of Western literature.
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. Homer’s Odyssey: Achilles in t…
The Fateful Exchange: Text and Translation
Odysseus, seeing the great hero, tries to comfort him. He suggests that Achilles, once a king among men, must now be a mighty ruler among the dead. Achilles’ response is swift and devastating. He cuts through the pleasantries with a raw, desperate honesty. Let’s look at the original Greek before diving into its meaning.
Original Greek Text (Homer, Odyssey 11.488-491):. Homer’s Odyssey: A Translation…
μὴ δή μοι θάνατόν γε παραύδα, φαίδιμ᾽ Ὀδυσσεῦ. βουλοίμην κ᾽ ἐπάρουρος ἐὼν θητευέμεν ἄλλῳ, ἀνδρὶ παρ᾽ ἀκλήρῳ, ᾧ μὴ βίοτος πολὺς εἴη, ἢ πᾶσιν νεκύεσσι καταφθιμένοισιν ἀνάσσειν.
A Standard English Translation:
“Don’t try to sell me on death, glorious Odysseus. I would rather be a servant on the land for another man, a man with no land of his own, with little to live on, than be king over all the perished dead.”
This exchange is the heart of the matter. Consequently, it forces readers to reconsider everything they know about the pursuit of glory, or kleos, which was the central motivation for heroes in the ancient world.
A Line-by-Line Deconstruction
To truly grasp the weight of Achilles’ words, we must analyze them piece by piece. Each line builds upon the last, creating a powerful crescendo of despair. This careful construction reveals the depth of his disillusionment.
Line 489: Rejecting Consolation
Achilles begins by immediately shutting down Odysseus’s attempt at comfort. The Greek verb he uses, paramythaomai, is particularly telling. It doesn’t just mean “to console”; it carries the sense of