Sunday, November 16, 2014

Missing Themes in "Memorial"

Alice Oswald's Memorial is a very unique interpretation of The Iliad that focuses on the deaths of the majority of the characters. It's supposed to mimic a memorial service/funeral for the fallen soldiers, regardless of side or loyalty, and honor their deaths. Apparently, this version of The Iliad was supposed to encompass and condense the entire atmosphere of the epic. I don't think that Oswald's version does this because she leaves out one major theme. Rage is hardly mentioned at all in Memorial. There might be a few references to it in a simile or when mentioning a couple deaths but it is not at all proportionally represented as much in Memorial as it is in The Iliad. By my count, the word 'rage' or one of it's synonyms appears 88 times by the end of book 10. Not even half-way through The Iliad and rage has already been referenced 88 times, yet it's mentioned only once or twice in Memorial. How is it possible that Oswald provides an accurate overview of the atmosphere of The Iliad as a whole when she excludes one of the most important themes in the entire epic? I think her exclusion of the theme of rage is a clear oversight in her depiction of The Iliad.

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