The Iliad by Homer

Important  points to remember:

•  Also known as song of Ilium (Troy) 
• the greatest epic poem by Homer
• written in Greek in 15693 lines, 
• in 24 books in Dactylic hexameter (heroic hexameter) 
• written in 8^th century BC 
• dealing with few weeks battles and events in the last year of 10 years of Trojan war 
• Odyssey, as the sequel of Iliad

Major Characters into three categories:

•     the Greek:

1.       Agamemnon, leader of the Greek army

2.       Achilles, the Greek warrior, hero of Iliad and son of Thetis

3.       Odysseus, King of Ithaca

4.       Menelaus, king of Sparta,  brother of Agamemnon, husband of Helen whom Paris of Troy has stolen away

•          the Trojans:

1.       Priam, king of Troy

2.       Paris, prince of Troy whose love for Helen is the main cause of Trojan war

3.       Hector, brother of Paris and prince of Troy

4.       Pandarus, famous archer of Troy

5.       Aeneas, son of Aphrodite (Venus) and one of the important Trojan heroes

•          Gods and Goddesses:

1.       Zeus, king of the gods of Mount Olympus – god of sky and thunder, supporting the Trojans

2.       Hera, queen of the gods – goddess of marriage, family and childbirth, supporting the Greek

3.       Athena, goddess of wisdom, supporter of the Greek

4.       Apollo, god of music, dance, poetry and archery, supporter of Trojans

Short Summary:

The epic begins  in the middle. Agamemnon and Achilles share the two most beautiful captives Chryseis and Briseis respectively. But Chryseus, father of Chryseis is the priest of Apollo. So, threatened by a plague for 9 days on the Greek army, finally Agamemnon returns Chryseis to her father but takes over Briseis in compensation for this. Achilles, gravely insulted by this, asks his mother goddess Thetis to request Zeus to teach a lesson to the Greek so that they will realize his importance in the Trojan war. How much the Greek suffers in the war without Achilles is described from 2^nd book to 17^th book.  And only in the 18^th book, Achilles comes back to the battlefield at the death of his friend Patroclus.

 War is going on for more than 9 years and this is the 10^th year.  At one stage, both sides agree to end up the war with a duel between Paris and Menelaus because the former has taken away the wife of the latter who wants justice through the war. When Paris is about to be killed, Aphrodite, goddess of love rescues him and takes him away from the war without the knowledge of others. The Trojan war almost ends here at the victory of Menelaus but Pandraus from the Trojans side shoots an arrow at the Menelaus and restarts the war. Diomedes the Greek warrior not only  kills Pandraus but also wounds Aeneas and even the gods Aphrodite and Ares. Another Greek warrior Odysseus also kills a number of Trojans. But with the arrival of Hector, prince of Troy (book 7),  the Greek army is driven back to their camp.

The intervention of Gods from both sides is too much in the Trojan War. Some support the Greek and some others, the Trojans and the gods and goddess themselves fight in the war but suddenly disappear from the war and reappear again after sometime.  For example, Zeus, king of gods supports the Trojans whereas Hera, his wife, queen of gods supports the Greek.   Sometimes the Greek drive the Trojans upto the Troy wall and other times the Trojans drive the Greek up to their fortification and ships. This goes on happening book after the other with the astonishing fight of great warriors on both sides.

Paris is advised to return Helen to end up the war but he declares an offer to give everything looted from the Greek except Helen but the Greek refuses to accept this offer and so again the war continues.  Similarly Agamemnon comes forward to offer a lot of gifts to Achilles to make him return to the war but Achilles rejects it. (book 9).  The war continues. Agamemnon, Diamedes and Odysseus  are greatly wounded. (book 11). The Greek wall is attacked by the Trojans and Hector breaks in the gate.(book 12). With the help of Hera who makes Zeus to fall asleep and prevents him from helping the Trojans, the Greek takes back the upper hand in the war and drives the Trojans again to the plain. (book 14)But Zeus awakes and again the Greek loses their ground. The Trojans forces them to return to their ships and set fire to the ships of the Greek. At this time enters Patroclus, friend of Achilles who has been sent by Achilles to fight against the Trojans with his armor.

Patroclus drives the Trojans back to the wall of Troy and even kills Sarpedon, son of Zeus. This infuriates the Trojans. Hector kills Patroclus and takes away his armour however the body of Patroclus is recovered by Achilles by returning to the battlefield in rage. (book 18) A new set of armour and a magnificent shield are made by Thetis for his son Achilles. Now even Agamemnon is ready to return Briseis  but Achilles is indifferent to all worldly gifts. With his great spear, shield, new armour  and the immortal horse Xanthos, he rushes towards the Trojans in his chariot and starts slaughtering all on the Trojans on the way. He goes on cutting the heads and fills the river Skamandros with their heads.  Hector is warned by his parents  but he ignores it and encounters Achilles face to face only to be chased by him around the city of Troy. Finally after a brief duel, he stabs him at the neck and drags his dead body behind his chariot. (book 22) Hector’s father Priam begs him for his son’s body and Achilles moved by his tears returns the body that is buried in Troy and the Trojans mourn for the death of Hector.(book 24). Though the death of Achilles is also predicted by his immortal horse, and Hector before his death, Achilles does not die in this epic.

Themes in Iliad:

•      Fate determines everything
•     The intervention of immortal gods into the life of mortals
•     The battle for woman
•     The battle for body and armour
•     The illegal love and cowardice of Paris
•     The Wrath and Return of Achilles
•     The Fall of Troy