Homeric Variations on Lament by Briseis

An examination of the figure of Briseis, Achilles' concubine in the "Iliad", as an example of the traditional artistry enabled by the oral poetic system. It argues that Briseis' role in the "Iliad" is enormously compressed, both in relation to the "Iliad" and the tradition of the epic cycle.

Casey DuZ examines the figure of Briseis, the concubine of Achilles in theIliad, as an example of the traditional artistry enabled by a complex and self-contained oral poetic system. Briseis'' lament for Patroclus inIliad 19 hints at her role in the larger epic tradition. DuZ argues that Briseis'' role in theIliad is enormously compressed, both in relation to theIliad and the entire tradition of the epic cycle. Through a close reading of Homeric passages, Homeric Variations on a Lament by Briseis shows how theIliad refers to expanded and alternative traditions about Briseis even while asserting its own version of her story. It seems likely that there were at least two variations on the story of Briseis, because of the two-fold pattern she fulfills in ancient references. In one variation she is a wife whose husband is killed by Achilles in the sack of his city; in another she is an unmarried girl, the daughter of a king, whose father is killed when Achilles captures her town. OurIliad alludes to multiple variations on these two basic themes.