The Iliad

by Homer

683 pages

English language

Published Nov. 6, 1998

ISBN:: 978-0-14-027536-0
Goodreads:: 1371

(17 reviews)

The Iliad (; Ancient Greek: Ἰλιάς, romanized: Iliás, Attic Greek: [iː.li.ás]; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the Odyssey, the poem is divided into 24 books and contains 15,693 lines in its most widely accepted version, and was written in dactylic hexameter. Set towards the end of the Trojan War, a ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Mycenaean Greek states, the poem depicts significant events in the siege's final weeks. In particular, it depicts a fierce quarrel between King Agamemnon and a celebrated warrior, Achilles. It is a central part of the Epic Cycle. The Iliad is often regarded as the first substantial piece of European literature. The Iliad, and the Odyssey, were likely written down in Homeric Greek, a literary amalgam of Ionic Greek and other dialects, probably around the late 8th or early 7th century BCE. Homer's authorship was infrequently questioned in antiquity, but contemporary scholarship predominantly assumes that the Iliad and the Odyssey were composed independently and that the stories formed as part of a long oral tradition. Given widespread illiteracy, audiences were more likely to have heard the poem than read it; it was performed by professional reciters of Homer known as rhapsodes. Critical themes in the poem include kleos (glory), pride, fate and wrath. The poem is frequently described as a masculine or heroic epic, especially compared with the Odyssey. It contains detailed descriptions of ancient war instruments and battle tactics, and fewer female characters. The Olympian gods also play a major role in the poem, aiding their favoured warriors on the battlefield and intervening in personal disputes. Their characterisation in the poem humanised them for Ancient Greek audiences, giving a concrete sense of their cultural and religious tradition. In terms of formal style, the poem's repetitions, use of similes and epithets, are often explored by scholars.

32 editions

nicknicknicknick@bookwyrm.social reviewed Iliad by Homer

The Iliad

4 stars

1) '''Take me alive, son of Atreus, and accept A worthy ransom from the treasure stored In my father's palace, bronze, gold, wrought iron. My father would lavish it all on you if he heard I was still alive among the Achaean ships.'

The speech had its intended effect. Menelaus was about to hand him over To be led back to the ships, but Agamemnon Came running over to call him on it:

'Going soft, Menelaus? What does this man Mean to you? Have the Trojans ever shown you Any hospitality? Not one of them Escapes sheer death at our hands, not even The boy who is still in his mother's womb. Every Trojan dies, unmourned and unmarked.'''

2) ''His shout split the air: 'Move, Trojans! Let's tear down this Greek fence And make a bonfire out of their ships!'

They heard him, all right, and swarmed Right up the …

The speech had its intended effect. Menelaus was about to hand him over To be led back to the ships, but Agamemnon Came running over to call him on it:

2) ''His shout split the air: 'Move, Trojans! Let's tear down this Greek fence And make a bonfire out of their ships!'

They heard him, all right, and swarmed Right up the wall, climbing to its pickets With spears in their hands, while Hector Scooped up a stone that lay by the gates, A massive boulder tapering to a point. It would take two men to heave it onto a cart#- More than two as men are now#-but Hector Handled it easily alone. Zeus Lightened it for him, so that the stone Was no more to Hector than the fleece Of a ram is to a shepherd who carries it Easily in his free hand. This was how Hector carried it up to the gates, A set of heavy double doors, solidly built And bolted shut by interlocked inner bars. Standing close to these towering doors, Hector Spread his feet to get his weight behind the throw And smashed the stone right into the middle. The hinges broke off, and the stone's momentum Carried it through, exploding the doors And sending splintered wood in every direction. Hector jumped through, a spear in each hand.

His face was like sudden night, And a dark gold light played about the armor That encased his zealous bones. No one Could have stopped him, except the gods, In his immortal leap through the ruined gate, And his eyes glowed with fire. Wheeling around In the throng, Hector called to his Trojans, Who needed no persuasion, to scale the wall. Those who couldn't swarmed through the gate. And the Greeks? In rout to their hollow ships, With a noise like the damned stampeded into hell.''