The Tears of Achilles

Warrior, hero, super-male—Achilles, by the protocols of Western culture, should never cry. And yet Homeric epic if full of his tears and those of his companions at Troy. This path-blazing study by Hélène Monsacré shows how later ideals of stoically inexpressive manhood run contrary to the poetic vision presented in the Iliad and Odyssey. The epic protagonists, as larger-than-life figures who transcend gender categories, are precisely the men most likely to weep. In a rich series of lucid and detailed close readings, pursuing the paradox of the tearful fighter, Monsacré examines all aspects of the interactions between men and women in the Homeric poems. Her illuminating analysis, first published in French three decades ago, remains bold, fresh, and compelling for anyone touched—like Achilles—by a world of grief.