scholars have observed how characters in the odyssey can rely on similes. Helene Foley notes that Odysseus' figuring of Penelope as a prosperous ruler (Od. 19.108–14) “poses a question to Penelope” (1978: 11): is she working to preserve Odysseus' kingship? Emily Anhalt examines the thematic richness of Penelope's simile in which she describes herself as a nightingale (Od. 19.518–24) (2001–2). Following in the footsteps of these critics, I begin to explore in this chapter what the Iliad poet has his characters do with similes. Subsequent chapters examine the interactions between similes in successive speeches and between similes in pairs and series in which the last one is spoken by a character. As a starting point, I focus here on similes in the character-text that do not interact with the simile(s) of another character or of the narrator.

This chapter has three sections. The first and briefest part charts how, through the production of meaningful metaphors and similes, a performer can distinguish himself in a competitive linguistic arena. Because Homer's heroes operate as performers in just such an environment, we should look to the similes they speak. The second portion of the chapter traces how the Iliad's characters use similes in their arguments or make arguments with them. Their production of meaningful similes emerges as a mechanism of verbal competition. The third section of the chapter argues that the characters' use of simile should not be viewed in isolation.