Episode 18 | Iliad, Books 21–24

In this episode Colton discusses this final section Homer’s Iliad. He reconsiders the question he posed in Episode 2, “Is the purpose of Achilles’ rage to set up the reader for something beautiful in Book 24?” Achilles’ rage does not cease until Priam secretly comes to him by night to offer a ransom for the body of Hector. Why is this? How is it that Priam can still Achilles’ rage once and for all? Could vice serve virtue in any capacity—meaning, does sin ever play a specifically-designed role in bringing about something wonderful that otherwise would not have occurred without sin? Colton considers all these questions in this final episode.