The Iliad
The Iliad is one of the two great epic poems attributed to Homer. Widely
considered one of the great epic poems, it tells of the battles and events
during the few weeks in the final year of the conflict between Agamemnon's
forces, leaded by Achilles, and Priam's Trojans. In the main story, the Greek
hero Achilles a demigod who is also Greece's finest warrior learns that
Agamemnon, commander of Achaea and king of Argos, has stripped him of
his war prize Briseis. Achilles' decision to hold back his anger and stop
fighting in the war leads the steering opposing direction for what would have
happened in between this fight.
So, too, does the poem commence with Achilles' removal from conflict and
its grievous consequences for the Achaeans. Left with no Achilles, the trojan
champion Hector leads Greeks all the way back to their ships and nearly
burned down Greeks fleet. Ô By being the noblest and most courageous
defender of Troy, Hector. symbolizes properly these virtues in defence of his
city.
Patroclus, the most trusted associate of Achilles, rushes to save the Greeks
and engages in battle. Nonetheless, Hector murders Patroclus, making
Achilles return to war for revenge. Achilles in the battle wields havoc on the
Trojans, and at the peak of the action, he encounters Hector in duel at the
gates of Troy. Hector’s dead body is treated inappropriately by Achilles, who
turns the corpse with indignation and exploits it all over the city. In the end
however compassion replaces his rage and Hector’s corpse is returned to the
king Priam to be buried.
The Iliad does not cover the fall of Troy itself but instead emphasizes the
human emotions and themes of anger, honor, loss, and mortality. The epic
presents war as a devastating force but also one that highlights human
heroism and tragedy. The poem ends with Hector's funeral, symbolizing both
the temporary end of hostilities and the looming destruction of Troy, which
occurs after the events of The Iliad.
The Iliad is one of the two great epic poems attributed to Homer. Widely
considered one of the great epic poems, it tells of the battles and events
during the few weeks in the final year of the conflict between Agamemnon's
forces, leaded by Achilles, and Priam's Trojans. In the main story, the Greek
hero Achilles a demigod who is also Greece's finest warrior learns that
Agamemnon, commander of Achaea and king of Argos, has stripped him of
his war prize Briseis. Achilles' decision to hold back his anger and stop
fighting in the war leads the steering opposing direction for what would have
happened in between this fight.
So, too, does the poem commence with Achilles' removal from conflict and
its grievous consequences for the Achaeans. Left with no Achilles, the trojan
champion Hector leads Greeks all the way back to their ships and nearly
burned down Greeks fleet. Ô By being the noblest and most courageous
defender of Troy, Hector. symbolizes properly these virtues in defence of his
city.
Patroclus, the most trusted associate of Achilles, rushes to save the Greeks
and engages in battle. Nonetheless, Hector murders Patroclus, making
Achilles return to war for revenge. Achilles in the battle wields havoc on the
Trojans, and at the peak of the action, he encounters Hector in duel at the
gates of Troy. Hector’s dead body is treated inappropriately by Achilles, who
turns the corpse with indignation and exploits it all over the city. In the end
however compassion replaces his rage and Hector’s corpse is returned to the
king Priam to be buried.
The Iliad does not cover the fall of Troy itself but instead emphasizes the
human emotions and themes of anger, honor, loss, and mortality. The epic
presents war as a devastating force but also one that highlights human
heroism and tragedy. The poem ends with Hector's funeral, symbolizing both
the temporary end of hostilities and the looming destruction of Troy, which
occurs after the events of The Iliad.
