“Ransom” Page Annotations
Rohitpi
1
VCE English 2011
Please read first:
The following page annotations are based on the version of David Malouf’s Ransom that is shown on the
front cover of this document. Please only read these annotations after you have had an attempt at
annotating and exploring the novel for yourself. These annotations are only my interpretation; hence,
they are not the only view of the contents of this novel and should not be taken as the only
interpretation. Good luck!
~Rohitpi
Part I Annotations
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Pg. 3 - “The sea has many voices... rocked and comforted”: Vivid description stresses Achilles’
elemental nature
Pg. 3 - “this man”: He is introduced as a ‘man’, not as the ‘great warrior’ he is not as in the Iliad,
compare with Priam’s and Somax’s introductions
Pg. 3 - “his mother”: Thetis, an immortal sea nymph
Pg. 3 - general note: Language is very lyrical, poetic and elegiac, much like Homer’s Iliad, a more
classical style
Pg. 4 - “He is a child of earth... mother’s element”: Drawn to the immortal world, his inner conflict
of dual self
Pg. 5 - “he knew at once that something was different”: Contrasting land and sea, emphasising
inner conflict of being both of God and man
Pg. 5 - “He had grieved... he felt”: Achilles’ way of dealing with guilt, he hides his emotions. Contrast
with pg. 174.
Pg. 6 - “He had entered the rough world of men”: A men’s world, pg. 13 parallel
Pg. 6 - “where a man’s story... form of story”: Stories are immortal in a mortal world
Pg. 7 - “himself and his men, his Myrmidons, from Phthia”: General info on Achilles’ background
Pg. 7 - “of idleness, of restlessness... bragging and talk”: Life to Achilles, contrast with pg. 161
Pg. 7 - “sends a man back, refreshed... good farmer again”: Achilles believes that war is a form of
expression
Pg. 8 - “Neoptolemus”: Achilles’ son, he is a father. Neoptolemus is also known as ‘Pyrrhus’.
Pg. 9 - “But the sea is not... he has accepted this”: Achilles knows his fate
Pg. 10 - “ Patroclus, his... since childhood”: Strong bond and love between them
Pg. 10 - “Still half-wild”: Still partly in his mother’s element
Pg. 10 - general note (of second section): beginning of embedded tale of Achilles and Patroclus
Pg. 12 - “Two players”: Achilles and Amphidamus
Pg. 12 - “some higher agency... conjunction and accident”: Influence of the Gods
Pg. 13 - “be readmitted to the companionship of men”: Parallel with pg. 6, like Achilles
Pg. 14 - “From this moment... would not share in and approve”: Love
Pg. 15 - “he had been mated with Patroclus”: shows closeness of their relationship
Pg. 15 - “slaughtered on all sides” Also Achilles
Pg. 15 - general note: Patroclus is able to relate with the soldiers, whilst Achilles who cannot feel
pain, cannot relate to the pain and suffering felt by them
Rohitpi
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Pg. 16 - “was torn”: Torn between his love for Achilles and the disappointment at Achilles’ unheroic
sulking
Pg. 16 - “but would not allow himself to be swayed”: Stubborn, filled with too much pride
Pg. 16 - “His quarrel with... his pride was touched”: Stubbornness, he tries to justify his actions to
himself
Pg. 17 - “he had grown fond of her”: Did not want to compromise his love for display of human
emotions
Pg. 17 - “outrageous affront”: Insult to Achilles carries to his whole family and people
Pg. 17 - “‘you go and save the Greeks’”: His ego is more valued than Patroclus
Pg. 18 - “There were tears in his eyes”: Feels betrayed by Achilles
Pg. 18 - “who was half-himself”: Closeness of relationship
Pg. 19 - “Feeling hollow himself”: Feels as if he has lost Patroclus already
Pg. 20 - general note (on first section): Sees himself die in Patroclus, a foreshadowing of sorts
Pg. 20 - “He had wept... restraint”: Finally showing his emotions of grief
Pg. 22 - “confronting an enemy...” (battle scene): Truncated, unlike the Iliad
Pg. 22 - “And Hector’s death... of his own”: Hector’s death is a metaphorical suicide for Achilles, as
he already knows his fate
Pg. 22 - general note: Hector is an altruist (unselfish), unlike either of Priam or Achilles - who both
want a legacy for themselves
Pg. 23 - “were joined”: Metaphorically
Pg. 23 - “Hector gazed up... Achilles’ fist”: Sees their own fates in each other
Pg. 23 - “brotherly concern”: Metaphor, and Patroclus metaphor
Pg. 23 - “as men, both”: Both are men
Pg. 23 - “Man to man”: Both are men
Pg. 23 - “what replaced it was the voice of god”: Immortal interference
Pg. 23 - “‘You will not long outlive me, Achilles’”: Reminder of his fate
Pg. 24 - “He felt his soul change colour”: Metaphor of Hector as Achilles
Pg. 25 - “Himself like a dead man”: Repeated metaphor
Pg. 25 - “ankle to heel... Hector’s feet” Achilles’ weak area
Pg. 27 - “for the rage to fill him”: Wanting anger to balance his grief
Pg. 27 - “That would assuage... that man himself”: He tries to prove to himself that even without
Patroclus, he is emotionally human and not just a cipher
Pg. 28 - “and sheep whose... their women make”: Subtle role of women
Pg. 29 - “But when they look at... confounds them”: Not so sure who he is anymore, parallel with
pg. 32
Pg. 29 - “but he breaks... to live by”: Mad due to insult of stolen girl, and the death of his
companion
Pg. 29 - “Their only explanation... darkened his mind”: Using Gods to explain the unknown
Pg. 29 - “for eleven days”: Ritualistic
Pg. 30 - “Inwardly ranging”: Raging at himself, parallel to pg. 25
Rohitpi
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Pg. 30 - “But they know... and take care”: Fear
Pg. 30 - “Let him rage... do his looking”: Achilles wants any opportunity to release his rage, uses his
workers to clean while he tries to find their flaws
Pg. 31 - “Xanthus, the more... is Achilles’ favourite”: Parallel to Somax pg. 100, Achilles likes the
‘impulsive’ horse as it better reflects himself
Pg. 31 - “What’s he up to... darkly divided”: Achilles envies the animals the animals despite his own
animals-like characteristics
Pg. 31 - “Hector lies as if sleeping”: Gods mocking Achilles, he is cursed
Pg. 32 - “‘When he is finished with it’”: Confusion at Achilles, parallel with pg. 29
Pg. 32-3 - “Fat sheep... grief was still not consumed”: His crazed rage
Pg. 33 - “The tears he brings... cheeks dry”: He hides his emotions
Pg. 33 - “But it is never... what torments him”: Can’t quench his anger and remove his grief
Pg. 35 - “Achilles the Runner”: Almost inhuman in nature, parallel to pg. 197
Pg. 35 - “is an animal... native uplands”: Predator, parallel with pg. 58
Pg. 35 - “His runner spirit... earth-heaviness in him”: Transition from the sea to the earth, contrast
to pg. 211
Pg. 35 - “appear that will... that is on him”: The spell of rage and self-loathing
Pg. 35 - “Something new and... with the need”: Waiting for a chance, waiting for Priam to relieve or
‘ransom’ him of his grief
Pg. 36 - “calls silently on... and sleeps”: His mother
Part II Annotations
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Pg. 39 - general note: Longer sentence structures, make it seem ‘full of life’
Pg. 40 - “size of a baby’s... every stalk”: Metaphor, could refer to Priam, Achilles or Patroclus
Pg. 40 - “another man”: Priam’s introduction, much like Achilles pg. 3
Pg. 40 - “The grief that racks... for his son Hector”: Dual responsibility of his kingdom and self
Pg. 41 - “But something now is... teasing iridescence”: Description of silence
Pg. 42 - “his daughter Cassandra”: Prior connection with Apollo gives her her gift
Pg. 43 - “both a blessing... awful responsibility”: Connection to the Gods, responsibility as that they
can be capricious
Pg. 43 - “He is obliged... their living map”: Priam’s traditional role, he is a ‘metonym’, his name and
body have come to represent his role and country
Pg. 43 - “head all the roads... of his kingdom”: Obligations to the various parts of his kingdom
Pg. 44 - “But his more usual... naturally as one”: The division between the personal and political
spheres and the public and private self has collapsed, his civic function
Pg. 45 - “with howls that... filth his crown”: Again when as a child
Pg. 45 - “this ancient doll they had set up”: Priam is angry at the Gods because they have more
control over him than he has, they are mocking him
Pg. 46 - “goddess Iris”: God who links to humanity, messenger of the Gods
Rohitpi
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Pg. 46 - “‘Not a mockery... subject to chance’”: Gods do not believe in chance, they believe in fate,
contrary to what Priam has just been suggested. Suggests that:
o Humans cannot control their fate, but they can control the way they deal with it
o ‘Chance’ is simply another way of interpreting the will of the Gods
o Alternative legacies/stories are created through taking a ‘chance’ and viewing the world
differently
o The modernisation of Homer’s Iliad, means that Malouf has also modernised the concept of
fate allowing a ‘chance’ to be taken
Pg. 47 - “but in full sunlight”: The mortal world
Pg. 49 - “Yes, yes, he... unprecedented”: ‘Chance’
Pg. 50 - “It is no longer... veined and mortified”: An old hand, not just a Queen’s hand
Pg. 50 - “such a fearless... and its people”: The warrior spirit Hector, like Achilles
Pg. 51 - “But no grief... is still out there”: She is angry as a woman, not as a queen; also shows the
extent and peripheral view of women
Pg. 51 - “he has known... for so many years”: This is a different Hecuba, one that is acting out of
Priam’s ‘royal sphere’, parallel with the stories on pg. 52
Pg. 52 - “Troilus”: Was also killed by Achilles
Pg. 52 - “This kind of... not in his sphere”: Chooses to ignore the women’s world
Pg. 53 - “My role was to... be my arm”: His royal image
Pg. 53 - “To be seen... impermanent and weak”: Also Achilles, they are vulnerable
Pg. 54 - “Fixed and permanent... therefore unchanged”: A symbol of royalty
Pg. 54 - “I am what... - great Priam”: Contrast to pg. 209
Pg. 54 - “A ceremonial... stone or wood”: Just a symbol
Pg. 55 - “she is more... than she believes”: Can’t accept the message from the Gods, a traditionalist
Pg. 56 - “Hector, all his limbs... restored and ransomed”: Dual meaning, redemption or liberation
Pg. 56 - “not as a king... body of my son’”: To have humanity, one must have humility
Pg. 57 - “‘When Hector accepted...time-honoured way”: Makes Hector’s death seem more
honourable, he is noble pg. 83
Pg. 57 - “he let his henchmen... what reason?”: Frustration mixed with grief
Pg. 58 - “this wolf”: Contrast to pg. 35
Pg. 58 - “‘that the thing... something new’”: His plan comes from the connection he has with the
Gods
Pg. 59 - “‘But the gods might... I get there’”: True, as Hermes will aid them later on
Pg. 59 - “But what seems foolish... sensible sometimes”: His view
Pg. 59 - “It is possible because it is not possible”: It’s possible because it has previously not thought
of, it is ‘new’
Pg. 59 - “What I do is what any man might do”: Modesty, tries to separate himself from his role
Pg. 59 - “I feel a kind of freedom in that”: ‘Chance’, taking responsibility for his own actions
Pg. 59-60 - “the chance to break... king”: For Achilles too, ‘chance’ gives them freedom to be men,
contrast to pg. 189
Pg. 60 - “To take on the lighter... that is the ransom’”: Priam can rid Achilles of his grief
Rohitpi
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Pg. 61 - “Which offers a kind... a different course’”: What ‘chance’ provides
Pg. 61 - “Words are powerful... upon the world”: Shows the power of language
Pg. 63 - “‘Well, it’s a tale every...has heard”: Start of the story, another embedded narrative
Pg. 64 - “The beginning... the happy end”: His legacy is in his story, like Achilles
Pg. 68 - “To be at one moment Podacres... slave children”: His story, also details and names are
given here
Pg. 69 - “The smell of those... never rub off”: Shows he is human
Pg. 73 - “searched among them and chosen me”: Selfless act of love
Pg. 74 - “be Priam, the price paid... from the dead”: Renaming can be paralleled to the renaming of
Somax later on
Pg. 74 - ““Priam, the price paid”: The ‘ransom’
Pg. 74 - “‘It was all mockery, you see”: His accusation of the Gods
Pg. 74 - “Only half-god”: A demi-God
Pg. 74-5 - “I caught the... was delivered”: His rebirth
Pg. 75 - “What it means... ever be told”: Wanting a legacy, also the fate of Somax
Pg. 77 - “‘A king, as you know... in the world”: As a king, he must do as he is told
Pg. 77 - “But in my case the gift...way restored”: Prince to slave to ransomed prince to father
Pg. 77 - “this lack in me”: Emotional abstinence
Pg. 77 - “I have always... appear to be”: He knows his faults and can act on them
Pg. 77-8 - “‘All that belongs to the... inward view’”: Also Malouf, ‘inward view’ being Ransom and
the ‘outward view’ being the Iliad
Pg. 78 - “So long, I mean... dazzling eminence”: Metaphor, outside is a king, inside is a normal man
Pg. 78 - “I’ve played my part... empty shining”: Contrast to the ordinariness of Somax
Pg. 78-9 - “I did it out of... for them”: Same as Achilles, defiance yet respect
Pg. 79 - “they have chosen... as I am’”: Being his true self
Pg.79 - “Priam’s sons, his... by the novelty”: They represent Troy, the last vestige of an ancient
culture that is on the verge of disappearing into the past, and only known through stories
Pg. 81 - “The wives are afraid... small, straight-backed woman”: She is powerful among women and
Priam
Pg. 82 - “they have ever... who is their father”: Distant relationship
Pg. 83 - “the noblest hero... has known”: How Hector is seen by Troy, also represents his generosity
pg. 57
Pg. 83-4 - “You, my lord...matters to us”: He is the ‘price paid’
Pg. 84 - “Ordinary desires and... no part in them”: Suppresses his feelings to fulfil his duties as a king
Pg. 84 - “to those very feeling... to remain aloof from?”: Oppression of feelings
Pg. 84 - “‘I beg you, sir... as I do-”: Deiphobus is worried more about the image
Pg. 84 - general note: Priam is not physically heroic, but emotionally heroic instead
Pg. 85 - “You ask me to stand... am also a father”: Going as a father, not as a king
Pg. 86-7 - “who look to you...and just”: What they are afraid of losing
Pg. 87 - “A proper kingliness... ask of yourself”: His kingliness spirit is to be a man
Rohitpi
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Pg. 87-8 - “‘It is true that...and mortal”: As a father and a man, not as a king
Pg. 88 - “since only what we... sweet to us”: Life
Pg. 88 - “Because, in the end... also with consciousness”: Time leads to a known death
Pg. 88 - “It is what it... we accept it”: Mortals accept death
Pg. 88 - “An old man has... passive looker-on”: He has to become a different type of hero, a moral
hero
Pg. 89 - “When the dogs claw... at his entrails”: His future
Pg. 89-90 - “But I do not want... what I was”: Literal translation of Priam meaning ‘ransom’
Pg. 90 - “that even an old... dare perform”: Taking a ‘chance’
Pg. 92 - “I told you... this time listen”: They still have the royal image
Pg. 93 - “caught the eye of... plain charmer”: Beauty in the ordinary
Pg. 94 - general note: Beauty is a very normal animal in contrast to the surrounding royalty, a
symbol of what Priam could have been as a slave
Pg. 96 - “The man Somax”: Another man, like Achilles and Priam
Pg. 97 - “It is the office and... led to another”: Second change of name
Pg. 97 - “when I leave my place... a herald with me”: Can’t fully separate himself from royalty
Pg. 97 - “From now on your name is Idaeus’”: Change of name
Pg. 98 - “His name is Somax... rather well”: He prefers to remain a simple man
Pg. 100 - “Beauty the one... the other Shock”: Scared of remaining them too, compare to Achilles
pg. 31
Pg. 101 - “His nose begins to itch”: Brings back his ordinariness to the otherwise ceremonial
environment
Pg. 101 - “Mmm, the carter thinks, a chickenhawk”: We interpret what we want due to our differing
beliefs
Pg. 101 - “But prompted by his mother”: Peripheral role of women
Pg. 102 - “Clear for all to see, Jove’s emblem”: Clear for all the royals to see, Jove is Zeus.
Represents a justification from the heavens for the royals
Pg. 105 - “a simple carter, the son of Astrogon”: Details, and he is also a son and father
Pg. 106 - “Paris”: The cause of the war plays a minimal role in Ransom
Pg. 107 - “Whatever it was... has just begun”: Iconoclasm, everything he thought he knew is now
being created anew
Part III Annotations
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Pg. 111 - “begining”: The only spelling error in Ransom and it is bolded!
Pg. 113 - “he too was a father”: Paternal linkage
Pg. 113 - “He had acted on impulse”: Links them as human beings
Pg. 114 - “No one will spy us here”: No moral will
Pg. 115 - “such bits of experience as... set us high or low”: Sharing a common humanity
Pg. 116 - “Like an obedient... lip of sand”: Priam’s dual self
Pg. 117 - “He observed with... interest as the driver’s”: They are both human
Rohitpi
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Pg. 118 - “‘if you took a bite to eat, my lord”: Sharing food was of high significance in Ancient
Greece
Pg. 118 - “‘These little cakes... daughter-in-law”: The start of another embedded narrative shows
how much Priam has missed out on, also shows the role of women in Somax’s life as they do the
fundamental things
Pg. 120 - “and Idaeus”: Priam still partly royal
Pg. 120 - “a fellow like me... as the spirit”: Somax is ‘balanced’ unlike Achilles or Priam
Pg. 121 - “We’re children of nature... as of the gods”: Their lives are not truly run by the Gods,
‘chance’. Also, ‘of the earth’ refers to Achilles
Pg. 121 - “Abstemiousness was native of him”: Priam is very moderate
Pg. 122 - “But till now he... in the royal sphere”: Priam now outside his ‘royal sphere’
Pg. 124 - “His whole life... what seemed new”: Superficial
Pg. 125 - “but there would have... new Idaeus offered”: Priam finds the ordinary extraordinary
Pg. 126 - “Silence, not speech... one’s true intent”: Importance of silence amongst the power of
language
Pg. 127 - “What he had to... else. Interest”: Priam passes time with boredom
Pg. 128 - “It has never occurred... might have ingredients”: There is a lot more to Priam’s world, as
he is discovering
Pg. 129 - “And the desire to fill... how to deal with it”: Wants to know more of the world he takes
for granted
Pg. 130 - “my grand-daughter... a worry to me”: A symbol for Hector’s soul needing help in the
Greek camp
Pg. 130 - “It would be worth... them being taken”: Priam does not know, but is learning
Pg. 131 - “But the truth is... For all our losses”: Somax’s way of dealing with grief
Pg. 132 - “But I’d’ve been walking... a broken heart”: A philosophy that mirrors the ethic of
persistence that is driving Priam to Achilles’ camp
Pg. 135 - “Ah, there’s many things... comes up again”: There will always be a time of peace, links to
the end of the novel
Pg. 135 - “He knew too what it was like to lose a son”: Paternal linkage
Pg. 136 - “Their relationship to... ordeal of kingship”: His kingly self
Pg. 138 - “Nothing in the world... such a thing”: Restricted his emotions too
Pg. 138 - “saved”: Saved from real mourning by suppressing his emotions
Pg. 139 - general note: Lack of emotion acts as a protective barrier because he knows what is going
to happen
Pg. 140 - “As chance would have it”: Priam sees a ‘chance’ as an opportunity to change his future.
For Somax, ‘chance’ has always existed
Pg. 141 - “I felt like punching her... brought him back”: Somax accepts this and understands death,
unlike Priam and Achilles. Furthermore, this is a contrast to Achilles, as Somax knows the limits of
violence
Pg. 141 - “She’s all I’ve got... the little girl”: All Somax has are his beloved female family
Pg. 142 - “Priam looked about. It was true”: Becoming more in-tune with the world
Rohitpi
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Pg. 144 - general note: Hermes is described as a ‘man’
Pg. 145 - “Orchilus”: ‘The ear’
Pg. 148 - “than mere beauty”: Beauty is in the most ordinary of things
Pg. 149 - “There was an unusual scent”: Scent of gillyflowers
Pg. 150 - “He was furious... empty fellow’s charms”: Hermes is the Greek God of breeding horses
and mules (amongst other things) and hence the connection with Beauty
Pg. 153 - “He was enjoying it”: Priam enjoys indulging in the ordinary
Pg. 156 - “He would have to begin... she was pretty”: Still attached to royalty a little
Pg. 157 - “and a storyteller and spinner of tales”: Another side of Somax, also of Malouf
Pg. 158 - “‘a man like the rest of us’”:Somax sees through the disguise
Pg. 158 - “I’ve got good ears, you know”: Parallel with ‘Orchilus’ pg. 145
Pg. 158 - “‘My lord’, he... lord Hermes!’”: Hermes was sent by Zeus in the Iliad. His disguise
highlights ‘appearance vs. true nature’:
o Priam’s simple robes
o Patroclus and Hector wearing Achilles’ armour
Pg. 159 - “and proper too”: His place above mortals
Pg. 159 - “what I told you is true, I was sent”: Sent by Zeus
Pg. 159 - “‘Sent, yes, but not... is intended”: Their journey is blessed by Zeus
Pg. 160 - “though you can see me well enough”: Reminder of Priam’s gift
Pg. 160 - “Idaeus, who seemed... ordinary occurrence”: Unintimidated by the presence of Hermes
Pg. 161 - “in a world of endless surprise and accident”: Contrast to pg. 7
Pg. 161 - “he was to represent... and blessing”: Priam is the ‘father’ Achilles is metaphorically the
son, compare with pg. 173
Pg. 162 - “Only Achilles... manage it alone”: Doesn’t belong in a mortal or immortal worlds
Pg. 163 - “two old men”: Again in pg. 181
Part IV Annotations
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Pg. 167 - general note: The scene is not inviting, the ‘rough world of men’ pg. 6
Pg. 169 - “He admires the... as Patroclus was”: Jealousy
Pg. 170 - “Him, not me - and it rankles”: His pride again
Pg. 172 - “He has moved into... sees things”: His dual-self
Pg. 172 - “Patroclus, he breathes. You! At last, at last!”: Brings the rowdiness of Achilles with the
purity of Patroclus
Pg. 173 - “Father?” - Praim is ‘the father’, pg. 161
Pg. 174 - “The great Achilles, eyes aswarm, is weeping”: Contrast to pg. 5, undermines women as he
grieves more for men. What is ‘great’ about Achilles is his ability to step down from his role and
kneel in front of his enemy
Pg. 175 - “He has come... kneeling to him”: He does kneel in the end pg. 187
Pg. 175 - “‘I have come to... him home’”: Paternal link established
Pg. 176 - “the warrior within... been subdues”: Pressure of his mother still exists
Rohitpi
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Pg. 176 - “He does not kneel.... does not take place”: Does take place pg. 187
Pg. 177 - “All of which gives... a dreamlike quality” Still in his mother’s element
Pg. 179 - “He isn’t - of course he isn’t, he’s Somax”: Priam can be a king and a father, Achilles can be
a warrior and a father, Somax can only be a ‘man’
Pg. 179 - “just happened”: ‘chance’
Pg. 179-80 - “that this king...just as helpless?”: Priam’s position
Pg. 181 - “the two old men... awkward shyness of the other”: Again in pg. 163
Pg. 181 - “The unfamiliarity... It amuses him”: He too, enjoys the unfamiliar ordinary
Pg. 182 - “‘Achilles,’ he ... a father-’”: One to another
Pg. 182 - “To stand, as I... body of my son”: The literal ‘ransom’
Pg. 182-3 - “But because it... not ravening beats”: Contrast to warriors pg. 167
Pg. 183 - “has touched a sore... long suppressed”: Shows hidden love for his son
Pg. 184 - “‘Achilles,’ he says... life makes with us”: Man to man
Pg. 185 - “he sees beyond... will never be”: Realisations of his mortal place in an immortal world
Pg. 187 - “So the scene is acted after all”: Contrast to pg. 175
Pg. 189 - “Something in him has... him is subtly changed”: Loss of most of the guilt, contrast with
pg. 59
Pg. 190 - “of the true Achilles... this way to find”: An honourable and empathetic Achilles
Pg. 191 - “At his feet,... of his own”: Continuing metaphor
Pg. 191 - “Their part in the long war is at an end”: His mind is at peace
Pg. 192 - “in the hands of women”: As the Battle of Troy did, life also revolves around women
Pg. 193 - “This is the first world... Unheroic thoughts”: The role of women unsettles Achilles
Pg. 193 - “But this is the... their world”: Unsettling again, a separate and distant world
Pg. 194 - “Naked as he began”: Cyclic in the ‘hands of women’
Pg. 197 - “just feet away... a terrible potential”: Almost not human pg. 35
Pg. 197 - “hidden and contrary”: His mother again
Pg. 197 - “this boldest, most ferocious, most unpredictable of the Greeks”: Character summary of
Achilles
Pg. 199 - “Priam had seen... talk was of peace”: Only for a moment
Pg. 199 - “allowing the practice... what he feels”: He can still hide his emotions
Pg. 200 - “and the cruelty of... surprises him”: The Gods answer for Priam here
Pg. 201 - general note: They are ruled by fate, it determines their roles
Part V Annotations
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Pg. 205 - general note: Contrast with pg. 3: sea to sun, mother to father, immortality to mortality
Pg. 208 - “It is only a provisional... you favour”: Gods still have supreme control
Pg. 208 - “And what sort of... stories are told”: He has got a legacy
Pg. 208 - “He has stepped... a way to fill it”: Priam discovers curiosity, humility and a sense of his
own humanity
Pg. 209 - “old role as king”: Accepts his new role as a ‘man’
Rohitpi
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Pg. 209 - “He has done that... as a man remade”: Like Achilles, he has been ‘ransomed’
Pg. 209 - “Look, he wants... I is different”: Realisation of the revelation, Priam’s moment of
iconoclasm, the triumph of his transformation. Contrast to pg. 54
Pg. 209 - “but I come... was never attempted”: Somewhat selfish thought
Pg. 211 - “In his hut... and a return”: Everything is new
Pg. 211 - “His heels glow”: His weak area, shows the return of his mortality and ‘runner spirit’
Pg. 212 - “A child of time... belong to him”: He knows his fate
Pg. 212 - “But the moment... at all like that”: Not heroic after all
Pg. 213 - “he cries out like a child”: Not a ‘man’, he is almost pathetic
Pg. 214 - “At least there is no one here to see it”: They can make up whatever stories they want
Pg. 214 - “However the story... his last breath”: Like Malouf, only revisits, not retells
Pg. 216 - “half folktale, half an old man’s empty bragging”: Could also be Malouf
Pg. 217 - “So many stories!”: He has become a custodian of collective memory and formative
experience
Pg. 218 - “This old fellow... of other men’s tales”: Like Malouf to an extent
Pg. 219 - “ Beauty - ... not always the case”: The Beauty is in the ordinary, the ordinary that can
mend the souls of others
Afterword Annotations
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Pg. 223 - “It re-enters the world... to the Greek camp”: Revisits, not retells
Pg. 223 - “‘untold tales’ found only in the margins if earlier writers”: Draws from Homer’s Iliad and
Apollodurus’ The Library
Rohitpi