A Book Review

Submitted to: Ms. Climacosa

Submitted by:

A Book Review
Title: The Iliad

Author: Homer

Publication:

the Iliad is the oldest piece of western literature that has survived into modern times. It
is presumed to date from the eighth century BCE, i.e. 750 BCE, and to have been
written by the poet, Homer. Modern translations of the Iliad are taken from the oldest
complete manuscripts in existence, which date from the tenth century CE but there are
papyri from the third century BCE that contain portions of the poem.

Introduction:

The name, Iliad, comes from one of the earliest names for Troy, Ilion. The poem
describes the final year of the ten-year siege of the city of Troy by the mainland Greeks,
who are referred to as Argives and Achaeans. The story ends abruptly before the final
victory of the Greeks and, contrary to popular belief, does not mention the famed Trojan
Horse, the murder of the Trojan men or the subjugation of the Trojan women.

The Iliad was the precursor to a series of poems appropriately called the Epic Cycle. An
unknown number of poems were written to complement the Iliad and dealt with the fall
of Troy from a variety of perspectives. Most of the Epic Cycle poems are lost and with
the exception of the Odyssey, the surviving poems exist only in fragments.

SUMMARY:
In the tenth year of the Trojan War, tensions are running high among the Achaians (a
super-ancient name for the Ancient Greeks). First, the priest Chryses comes to ask their
leader, King Agamemnon, to release his daughter, whom Agamemnon was holding
captive. When Agamemnon refuses, the priest prays to the god Apollo to send a plague
against the Achaians.

After nine days of plague, the Achaians assemble again and demand that Agamemnon
give the girl back. Agamemnon eventually agrees, but only if he gets to take Briseis, the
girlfriend of Achilleus, the greatest warrior of the Achaians. Even though Achilleus gives
her up, he becomes so enraged that he refuses to fight any more. That and he prays to
his mother, Thetis, who happens to be a goddess, to pull some strings with the other
gods so that the Achaians will start getting defeated in battle and realize how much they
depend on him.

Achilleus's mom definitely spoils him. She gets Zeus, the king of the gods, to agree to
Achilleus's request. Sure enough, the next day the Trojans makes a successful
counterattack, led by Hektor, their greatest warrior. Several days of violent fighting
follow, at the end of which the Trojans have the Achaians pinned against the beach, and
are threatening to burn their ships.

At this point, Achilleus's best friend Patroklos asks for permission to go into battle in
Achilleus's place. Achilleus grants Patroklos's request, and even lets him wear his
armor. Patroklos's gambit is successful when the Trojans see him, they think he must
be Achilleus and become absolutely terrified. The plan goes off the rails, however, when
Hektor kills Patrokloswith the help of the god Apollo and a minor Trojan warrior named
Euphorbos. Hektor then takes the armor off Patroklos's body.

When Achilleus learns of the death of his friend, he experiences terrible grief and
swears revenge. He sends his mother, Thetis, to get a new suit of armor made
especially for him by the fire-god, Hephaistos. The next day, Achilleus rejoins the battle
and kills many Trojans, including Hektor in a one-on-one battle.

But Achilleus isn't satisfied. For the next few days, he continually abuses Hektor's body
in gruesome ways, even after Patroklos has received a proper funeral. The gods don't
like this, and send a message down to Achilleus telling him to give up the body. When
the Trojan King PriamHektor's fathercomes unarmed, by night, to ask for his son's
body, Achilleus agrees. The two men eat together and experience a moment of shared
humanity. Achilleus grants the Trojans a grace period to perform their funeral rituals.
The poem ends with the funeral of Hektorthough we know that soon Achilleus will die
and Troy will be captured.