The ancients believed it was a bard called homer, although they disagreed about biographical details. Hearing the sounds of battle, nestor gathers the wounded achaean commanders. At the start of book 12 of the iliad, the trojans decide to charge the achaean walls and defenses. Book 12 book book 14 book 15 book 16 book 17 book 18 book 19. The main theme of the iliad is stated in the first line, as homer asks the muse to sing of the wrath of achilles. Because there have already been nine years of war, all of this is going to happen pretty soon.
In fact, in book 20, hades, god of the underworld, is terrified that poseidon will crack open a hole in the earth, and then everyone will see how gross it is down. Even though moments like this may seem repetitive and gross, they are important to the poem as a whole. Agamemnon fears losing and proposes sailing away while the army still fights. Seeing the horses will not cross the trench, polydamas advises that the chariots be dismissed. Book x deals with a totally different aspect of war espionage. Odysseus contemptuously rejects the idea, and diomedes offers a better plan. This wrath, all its permutations, transformations, influences, and consequences, makes up the themes of the iliad. Idomeneus kills various opponentsincluding asios, the guy who charged his chariot at the achaian gates in book 12. In essence, the wrath of achilles allows homer to present and develop, within the cultural framework of heroic. Home english literature classic books the iliad book xxii navigate here note book i book ii book iii book iv book v book vi book vii book viii book ix book x book xi book xii book xiii book xiv book xv book xvi book xvii book xviii book xix book xx book xxi book xxii book xxiii book. In response, idomeneus kills a trojan soldier named alkathoos. The odyssey rendered into english prose for the use of those who cannot read the original.
They had built the wall and dug the moat to defend the ships and their vast spoils, but had failed in ritual sacrifice to the gods. It has both sexually provocative pictures and words, one of the few references in the iliad to. Find a summary of this and each chapter of the iliad. Chapter summary for homers the iliad, book 9 summary. This study guide consists of approximately 114 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the iliad. This is the first of many, many scenes like it in the iliad. Book i opens with the words, rage goddess, sing the rage of peleus son achilles. Not only is death in battle depicted as extremely painful and gruesome, there isnt any rosy afterlife to look forward to. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of the iliad and what it means. The trench before the wall blocks their chariots, so hector and his troops attack on foot.
Outline and timeline of homers iliad this website provides a timeline of the major events of the iliad, showing what days they happen on, and. Remember that hector rejected polydamass advice back in book 12 and was wrong. O goddess, the anger of achilles son of peleus, that brought countless ills upon the achaeans. The iliad doesnt pull any punches in its portrayal of mortality.
When youre fighting a dude in a battle and he gets swept away by a vengeful god. Poseidon notices his inattention and decides to assist the achaeans. Homer invokes the muse goddess of epic poetry to aid him in telling the story of achilles anger and the great war for helen and troy. See the analysis on book ix for a discussion of these terms. Critical essays the hero and homeric culture themes in the iliad study. The iliad deals with only a small portion of the trojan war. He further introduces in the word rage one of the human qualities, along with pride and honor, that will make up a. In the first paragraph of book twelve, we learn that the trojans will be defeated in the tenth year of the war, and that all the leading trojan men will be killed. Hector and other trojans return to fight a fierce battle to protect his body. Many a brave soul did it send hurrying down to hades, and many a hero did it yield a prey to dogs and vultures, for so were the counsels of jove fulfilled.
Poseidon comes down to the battlefield and takes the form of calchas the seer. He throws a spear at idomeneus, misses, and kills an achaian guy called hypselon. Never once have you taken courage in your heart to arm with your people. In the tenth year of the trojan war, tensions are running high among the achaians a superancient name for the ancient greeks. Brave menelaus son of atreus now came to know that patroclus hadfallen and made his way through the front ranks clad in full armourto bestride him. But homer tells us at the end of book 8 that the gods do not accept the sacrifice of the trojans.
Zeus, pleased with the trojan dominance, takes his eyes off of the battlefield, not suspecting than other gods might interfere with his plan. Meanwhile, patroclus goes to achilles tent and begs to be allowed to wear achilles armor if achilles still refuses to rejoin the battle himself. The ancient greek audience, however, would have been familiar with all the events leading up to this tenth year, and during the course of the iliad, homer makes many references to. Summary book 1 book 2 book 3 book 4 book 5 book 6 book 7 book 8 book 9. Taking the form of calchas, poseidon gives courage to the two aeantes, telling them that if they hold fast, their men will follow suit. A classical oratory consisted of prescribed sections. Book x, often called the doloneia, provides a bridge between the speeches of book ix and the extended battle scenes in books xixviii. All the commanders should go to the front, not to fight because they are wounded, but to inspire their army.
Chapter summary for homers the iliad, book summary. If youre into the novel as a piece of literature, this isnt too exciting, but if the science excites you, then this is for you. While the violent battle continues, old nestor seeks out agamemnon. Death comes to brave fighters on both sides while hector rampages, glorified by zeus with only a little time left.
Homers epic poem the iliad tells the story of the trojan war and the epic heroes and gods, including achilles, hector, odysseus, athena, ares. While patroklos assists eurypylos, the battle continues. Crossreferences in general dictionaries to this page 1. With many war cries, the armies clash again before the ships. Joseph campbell condensed his understanding of story into a theory he called monomyth, also known as the heros journey or the. The city is wellprotected, and the achaeans, who are really the greeks, even dug a ditch around. One captain and his men race ahead toward the stillopen gates, but they.
Little ajax knows then that some god has spoken to them, and the aeantes spirits rise. While brave patroclus was tending wounded eurypylus in his hut, the greeks and trojans milled together fighting, and it seemed the danaans trench and the thick wall behind it would not long protect them. Even as the trojans reach their high tide, we are reminded of their certain destruction. Chapter summary for homers the iliad, book 15 summary. So the son of menoetius was attending to the hurt of eurypyluswithin the tent but the argives and trojans still fought desperatelynor were the trench. First, the priest chryses comes to ask their leader, king agamemnon, to release his daughter, whom agamemnon was holding captive. As the trojans advance on the achaean wall, the poet reveals that the gods will destroy it as soon as they depart. Brave menelaus son of atreus now came to know that patroclus had fallen, and made his way through the front ranks clad in full armour to bestride him. The identity of the composer of the iliad is a matter of some speculation. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in the iliad, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Hector responds, promising to kill ajax and the achaeans. Theoi greek mythology extensive information on gods and heroes of greek mythology. Great ajax is not intimidated, making a brave speech.
Homers iliad books 1 2 provided by the internet classics archive. It was commonly thought that he lived on chios, an island off the west coast of turkey, some time between 1100 and 700 bc, probably closer to the latter. The city is wellprotected, and the achaeans, who are really the greeks, even dug a. Thus disguised, he encourages the two aeantes great ajax and little ajax, when they are named as a pair and gives them new strength before he flies away.
532 977 508 392 1550 1202 239 424 671 451 1553 1239 185 719 1089 905 437 352 1289 605 272 75 1494 858 659 106 1386 53 1026 1426 971 1402 997 363 1142 200 484 226