Examples Of Similes In The Iliad

In Homer’s book, The Iliad, epic similes are used throughout the book, by exploring one of these similes, Homer reveals ,in the simile, that men of war can transform into an animal and take on their characteristics. Homer uses the epic simile to reveal how men of war are akin to a predator attacking its prey. In the epic simile, as Homer describes Aeantes and Little Ajax as lions, he uses the word “seize” as another way to say pounce. That these Achaeans have taken on the form of a predator, the lion. This is also the case when Homer indicates that Imbrius, a.k.a the goat, is amid the “circling rip-tooth hounds”. That the two Achaeans must stalk and pounce at Imbrius, when Homer states how the lions seized their prey “from under the guard’ of the Trojans. The indication that Aeantes and Little Ajax had to stealthy get past the “rip-tooth hounds”, proves that they have the quality of that of a predator which stalks and pounces on its prey. In accordance, when Homer describes Aeantes and Little Ajax to the lions and Imbrius to the goat, it can be said that the goat is the lions food. Which is then seen as the food, a.k.a the goat, being the honor for Aeantes and Little Ajax
As the Achaeans and the Trojans are fighting Homer states the rage of Little Ajax ,which is caused by the death Amphimachus, and causes him to help viciously kill Imbrius, the newly-headless soldier. This shows how passion through the emotions of rage can bring the Achaeans, like Little Ajax, to continue to fight. In accordance, this is also seen when Aeantes is killing Imbrius and Homer indicates how his likeness to a lion, with “grinding jaws” and “ramping” associates with rage. That his violent way of killing gives off the sense of rage which allows him to continue to fight. This shows how Homer uses passion through rage to allow the Achaeans to continue to