THE SCENE: This short passage from the Iliad neatly demonstrates how the poem emphasizes violence over all other human actions.
THE TEXT: Meges killed Pedraeus, a bastard boy – but lovely Theano nursed him with loving care like her own children, just to please her husband. Closing, Meges gave him some close attention too: the famous spearman struck behind his skull, just at the neck-cord, the razor spear slicing straight up through the jaws, cutting away the tongue. He sank in the dust, teeth clenching the cold bronze.
– The Iliad, Homer, 8th BC
