What is Homers Iliad?

Homer ’ s Iliad is possibly one of the most famous books of all time. Everyone has heard about it and everyone knows about the book ’ s hero, Achilles, who is considered the greatest warrior who ever lived.

The Iliad is 24 books long. It begins in year ten of the Trojan War. Achilles is dishonored by King Agamemnon, the commander of the Achaean forces who started the Trojan War. Agamemnon orders that Achilles ’ battle prize, Briseis, replace a woman that Achilles help free from Agamemnon ’ s clutches. Achilles, who is in love with Briseis, becomes so angered at the slight that he orders all of his troops to stay out of future battles of the War. Achilles ’ decision turns the tide of the War, and the Achaeans begin losing. Agamemnon sends the wily king Odysseus to persuade Achilles to rejoin the battle but Achilles refuses and orders his men to sail home. Achilles ’ cousin Patroclus pretends to be Achilles and goes into battle, where he is killed by Hector, who thinks he is Achilles.

Hearing the news of his cousin ’ s death, Achilles becomes enraged. He rejoins the war and spends his days trying to find Hector. Achilles manages to find and kill Hector and he ties his body to his chariot, dragging it around the Troy for nine days. When Hector ’ s father, Priam, begs Achilles to allow him bury his son, Achilles agrees, and the book ends with Hector ’ s funeral.

Iliad touches on a number of themes. One of them is the glory of war. In the book, a person ’ s worth is directly tied to how good a warrior he is – Achilles is the best because nobody can match his prowess. Everybody condones his arrogance and blind anger. The book also examines the cost of pride. Ancient Greeks held pride to be a two-edged sword: it brings both greatness and ruin. Achilles walks that fine line; his pride is what wins him the glory he craves but it is also what causes his cousin ’ s death.

Translated Iliad : Has the entire Iliad translation from Greek into English.

The Iliad : Another translation of Homer ’ s classic.

Character Summaries : Has summaries about every character that appears in Iliad. The characters are broken up by book for easy reference.

Cast of Characters : Highlights the story ’ s main characters.

Book Outline : Has short summaries of what happens in each book of the story.

Iliad Summary : Offers longer book summaries.

Iliad Themes : Goes into great detail about the themes presented in the book.

Sparknotes : Provides an alternate take on the themes.

Book Discussion : Discusses interesting aspects of the book, like the role religion plays in the story and other such matters.

Enotes Page on Iliad : Has many sections that discuss everything about the story.

Iliad Summary and Analysis : There are lots of sections that break down the book, and this one has some as well.

Iliad Quotes: Has lots of quotes broken down by what book they come from.

Homer Quotations : More Homer quotes.

Iliad Page : Has both a short summary and a book-by-book breakdown of Iliad.

Everybody should make it a point to read the Iliad at least once in their lifetime. It is a classic which touches on important themes which are still relevant in this day and age.

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