The Shield of Achillles
The shield of Achillles plays a major part in the Illiad. It portrays the story of the Achaeans and their fight against the Trojans in a microcosm of the larger story. Forged by the god Hephaestus, who was a crippled smith, it depicts the two cities and the happenings within , as well as Agamemnon’s kingly estate. To gain insight into the happenings within the shield, and the King’s Estate and other scenes which are a fair understanding of the importance of Achilles’ shield and the Iliad.
Hephaestus, the god of fire, is the smith whom forged Achilles’ shield. He begins with twenty hot bellows and fires bronze, tin, gold, and silver in his skin. He then proceeds to hammer the metals upon his anvil to create a massive shield for Achilles to wield. The shield itself is made of five layers of metal with a triple ply shield strap edging on the rim. On the shield are scenes showing the heavens and earth and sea, two noble......
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Approximate Word Count: 787
Approximate Pages: 4 (260 words per double-spaced page) |