Reading Lists in Greek and Latin (June 1999 revision) These works constitute the recommended preparation for the Ph.D. translation examinations. Last Updated on May 5, 2015, by eNotes Editorial. The poem consists of twenty-four scrolls, containing 15,693 lines of dactylic hexameter verse. Our study guide has summaries, insightful analyses, and everything else you need to understand The Iliad. Keeping straight the name of places and people: 1. The Iliad focuses on events that take place in … When Agamemnon refuses and threatens to ransom the girl to her father, the offended Apollo plagues them with a pestilence. WEEK 5 Epic and Lament. 2001. New Characters Adrestos: a Trojan fighter who pleads with Menelaos to take him alive rather than kill him Menelaus almost spares the Trojan Adrestus ’ life in exchange for ransom, but Agamemnon convinces Menelaus to kill him. The conflict began when Paris, the son of Troy’s king Priam, seized a willing Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world, from the Achaean king Menelaus. Whether or not they were written down, we do know that Homer‘s poems (along with others in the “Epic Cycle”) were recited in later days at festivals and ceremonial occasions by professional singers called “rhapsodes“, who beat out the measure with rhythm staffs. 182-242. English Translation. Cultural … Ithaca and London 1992. The first epic stories were the Iliad and the Odyssey, both attributed to the blind poet Homer in the 8th century BC. But, with Achilles and his warriors out of battle, the tide appears to begin to turn in favour of the Trojans. The immortal gods and goddesses are portrayed as characters in “The Iliad”, displaying individuality and will in their actions, but they are also stock religious figures, sometimes allegorical, sometimes psychological, and their relation to humans is extremely complex. Burgess, J. Major Characters of the Book. Nagy, Greek Mythology and Poetics. However, it is by no means certain that Homer himself (if in fact such a man ever really existed) actually wrote down the verses. Homer’s address to the Muse begins the idea that the Iliad is a poem inspired by the gods, an epic undertaking that will retrace a myth already well known to Homer’s ancient Greek audience. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. It tells the story of the last year of the Trojan War fought between the city of Troy and the Greeks. Greeks and Trojans get ready for battle. As such the epic stands as a bridge between history and literature. Intoxicated by his success, Patroclus forgets Achilles‘ warning, and pursues the fleeing Trojans to the walls of Troy and would have taken the city were it not for the actions of Apollo. The Iliad Link. D. Elmer, The Poetics of Consent: Collective Decision Making in the Iliad… The Iliad begins with the Trojan War already in progress. Through its portayal of the epic subject matter of the Trojan War, the stirring scenes of bloody battle, the wrath of Achilles and the constant interventions of the gods, it explores themes of glory, wrath, homecoming and fate, and has provided subjects and stories for many other later Greek, Roman and Renaissance writings. The goddess Athena, however, who favours the Greeks, soon provokes a Trojan truce-breaking and battle begins anew. Written in the mid-8th Century BCE, “The Iliad” is usually considered to be the earliest work in the whole Western literary tradition, and … The Iliad is an epic poem, written by Homer, that covers the quarrels and fighting near the end of the Trojan War. The Iliad The Iliad is an Ancient Greek epic poem by Homer that was first published in 762 BC. Main Characters Greeks. A highly condensed summary: The Iliad is set three millennia ago, during the final year of the Trojan War, a conflict in which Greek warriors sailed the Aegean to what is now Turkey and besieged the citadel of Troy for ten years. Get free homework help on Homer's The Iliad: poem summary, summary and analysis, quotes, essays, and character analysis courtesy of CliffsNotes. The main theme of the poem is that of war and peace, and the whole poem is essentially a description of war and fighting. Distraught at the death of his companion, Achilles then reconciles with Agamemnon and rejoins the fray, despite knowing his deadly fate, and drives all the Trojans before him in his fury. The Iliad Summary In the tenth year of the Trojan War, tensions are running high among the Achaians (a super-ancient name for the Ancient Greeks). ILIAD 1 Plague. “The Odyssey”, a separate work also by Homer, narrates Odysseus‘ decade-long journey home to Ithaca after the end of the Trojan War. Back to Top of Page. Follow this link for a detailed summary of the Iliad (includes a capsule summary, and a summary of which sides the gods take in the Iliad) Introductory. Anger of Achilles. The battle continues between the Achaeans and the Trojans. Most students will find that Homer is easy to read (syntax in particular is more user-friendly than that of the Attic prose), but there is an initial period of getting used to the dialect. The Iliad recounts a brief but crucial period of the Trojan War, a conflict between the city of Troy and its allies against a confederation of Greek cities, collectively known as the Achaeans. The Greeks are quarrelling about whether or not to return Chryseis, a Trojan captive of King Agamemnon, to her father, Chryses, a priest of Apollo. Recommended Books: Menelaus and the Greeks manage to recover Patroclus’s corpse before Hector can inflict more damage. Maintain your own list of names that repeat themselves and seem important. Word Count: 1109. 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