Omeros Books 1-2

Walcott's choice in names for his primary characters seems intentional. It cannot be accidental that Achille, Hector, and Helen appear in Walcott's epics. His use of similes is a departure from many of the Homeric similes found in other epics. Most of these similes are short, and do not carry on like Homer's or Milton's. Early on a man compares himself to a horse. This horse is not the majestic stallion or a strong, valiant steed. Instead, this horse is patient and "rattling its mane or swishing its tail as flies keep circling its sores" occupies its time (22). This is not the image of a predator that most epics would record. Also Achille feels "like a dog that is left to nose the scraps of her footsteps" (38). These are images of the conquered, those that are defeated. Rage, honor, and shame still play a prominent role in this epic like in The Iliad. When Helen considers her current situation and realizes that "Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away" (38), I couldn't help but think of Helen in The Iliad. In one of the scenes when she was with Paris, she remembered her past life with Menelaus and how happy she was. She wished she could go back and live like that.