The Iliad (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)

By Homer and Bruce M. King

The Iliad, by Homer, is part of the Barnes & Noble Classics series, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of Barnes & Noble Classics:

• New introductions commissioned from todays top writers and scholars
• Biographies of the authors
• Chronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events
• Footnotes and endnotes
• Selective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work
• Comments by other famous authors
• Study questions to challenge the readers viewpoints and expectations
• Bibliographies for further reading
• Indices & Glossaries, when appropriate

All editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. Barnes & Noble Classics pulls together a constellation of influences—biographical, historical, and literary—to enrich each readers understanding of these enduring works.

The epic song of Ilion (an old name for Troy), TheIliad recreates a few dramatic weeks near the end of the fabled Trojan War, ending with the funeral of Hector, defender of the doomed city. Through its majestic verses stride the fabled heroes Priam, Hector, Paris, and Aeneas for Troy; Achilles, Ajax, Menelaus, Agamemnon, Patroclus, and Odysseus for the Greeks; and the beautiful Helen, over whom the longstanding war has been waged. Never far from the center of the story are the quarreling gods: Zeus, Poseidon, Apollo, Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite.

The Iliad is the oldest Greek poem and perhaps the best-known epic in Western literature, and has inspired countless works of art throughout its long history. An assemblage of stories and legends shaped into a compelling single narrative, The Iliad was probably recited orally by bards for generations before being written down in the eighth century B.C. A beloved fixture of early Greek culture, the poem found eager new audiences when it was translated into many languages during the Renaissance. Its themes of honor, power, status, heroism, and the whims of the gods have ensured its enduring popularity and immeasurable cultural influence.

Bruce M. King studied at the University of Chicago, and has taught classics and humanities at Columbia University, Reed College, and the University of Chicago. Recently a Fellow at the Center for Hellenic Studies, King focuses on archaic and classical Greek literature and philosophy. He is currently a Blegen Research Fellow at Vassar College.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Barnes & Noble Classics
• Release date: Jun 1, 2009
• ISBN: 9781411432376

Homer

Although recognized as one of the greatest ancient Greek poets, the life and figure of Homer remains shrouded in mystery. Credited with the authorship of the epic poems Iliad and Odyssey, Homer, if he existed, is believed to have lived during the ninth century BC, and has been identified variously as a Babylonian, an Ithacan, or an Ionian. Regardless of his citizenship, Homer’s poems and speeches played a key role in shaping Greek culture, and Homeric studies remains one of the oldest continuous areas of scholarship, reaching from antiquity through to modern times.

Book preview

BOOK I

The Quarrel

Sing, 0 Goddess, the ruinous wrath of Achilles,

Son of Peleus, the terrible curse that brought

Unnumbered woes upon the Achaeans and hurled

To Hades so many heroic souls, leaving

Their bodies the prey of dogs and carrion birds.

The will of Zeus was done from the moment they quarreled,

Agamemnon, son of Atreus, and godlike Achilles.¹

Which of the gods caused two such men to contend?

The son of Zeus and Leto. Deeply incensed

With King Agamemnon for failing to honor Chrysesa

His priest, Apollo sent a plague on the soldiers,

And many people were dying. Chryses had come

To the swift Achaean ships to ransom his daughter,

And the ransom he bore was boundless. In suppliant hands

On a staff of gold he held the sacred fillet

Of far-darting Apollo, and he made his plea to all

The Achaeans, especially to the two sons of Atreus,²

Marshalers of many:

"O Atreus’ sons and you other

Well-greaved Achaeans, may the gods who live on Olympus

Allow you to sack the city of Priam† and reach

Your homes in safety. But reverence the son of Zeus,

Apollo who strikes from afar—take this ransom

And return my precious daughter."

All the other Achaeans

Supported the priest and shouted to reverence him

And accept the splendid ransom. But Atreus’ son

Agamemnon was far from pleased. Roughly he sent him

Away with these harsh words:

"Don’t let me find you,

Old man, by the hollow ships, neither loitering now

Nor coming back later, or you will find small protection

In the sacred staff and fillet. The girl I will not

Let go! Before that she’ll grow old in Argos, far from

Her own native land, working at the loom and sharing

My bed. Now go, old man! and you’ll go much safer

If you don’t provoke me."

At this the old priest was afraid

And did as the King bade him do. Without a word

He walked off along the shore of the loud-booming sea,

But when he had gone some distance he fervently prayed

To his lord Apollo, whom lovely-haired Leto bore:

"Hear me, 0 god of the silver bow, you

That bestride in your power Chryse and sacred Cilla

And mightily rule in Tenedos—O Smintheus, if ever

I built a temple that pleased you, or made burnt-offering

To you of rich thigh-pieces from bulls or goats,

Fulfill this prayer of mine by using your arrows

To make the Danaansb pay for the tears I have shed."³

Thus he prayed, and Phoebus Apollo heard him.

Down from the peaks of Olympus he came with a heart

Full of wrath and his bow and closed quiver about his shoulders.

The arrows rattled on the back of the angry god

As he moved, and like night he arrived. Then he sat down

Some distance away from the ships and shot the first arrow,

And the silver bow’s twang was awesome and chilling indeed.

At first he shot at the mules and flashing-swift dogs,

But then he aimed his bitter shafts at the men

Themselves, and struck! And pyres of the dead were everywhere

Constantly burning.

For nine days the deadly shafts

Of the god sped through the army, but on the tenth day

The white-armed goddess Hera put into the heart

Of Achilles to call the men to the place of assembly,

For it distressed her to see the Danaans dying.

When they were assembled and seated, fleet-footed Achilles

Stood up in their midst, and spoke:

"Now, 0 son

Of Atreus, it seems that we shall be baffled and driven

Back home, if indeed we escape with our lives from the war

And pestilence too that plague the Achaeans. But come,

Let us consult some prophet or priest, or some reader

Of dreams—for even a dream is from Zeus—someone

Who may be able to tell us why Phoebus Apollo

Rages so fiercely. If it be because of a hecatombc

Or vow unperformed, perhaps the god will accept

The savor of sacrificed lambs and goats without blemish

And change his mind about plaguing us all this way."

When he had spoken and sat down again, up stood

Calchas, son of Thestor, he who was far

The best reader of ominous birds, who knew what was

And had been and things that were to be, and who had

By means of the keen prophetic vision given

To him by Apollo guided the Achaean ships

To Ilium. Now, with all good intentions, he addressed

The assembly:

"Zeus-loved Achilles, you bid me explain

The wrath of far-smiting Apollo. Therefore I will.

But first you must make up your mind and swear to defend me,

Swear that you’ll be both willing and quick with word

And hand. For I fear I am going to anger a man

Who rules with might over all the Argives, and from whom

The Achaeans take orders. A king, you know, is always

More lordly when angry at a low-ranking man. Even

If he swallows his wrath at the time, in his heart he nurses it

Still, till he has his revenge. So decide whether you

Will protect me."

Then swift Achilles answered him thus:

"Be bold, and tell us what you can of the god’s mind and will,

For by Zeus-loved Apollo I swear to you that so long

As I live on earth and have my sight, no one

Shall hurt you here by the hollow ships, no one

In the Danaan host, though you mean Agamemnon himself,

Who claims to be far the best of all the Achaeans."

At this the peerless prophet took heart, and spoke:

"It’s not for a hecatomb or broken vow that he blames us,

But because Agamemnon insulted his priest by not

Accepting the ransom and giving the man his daughter.

Thus the far-smiting god has given us woes,

And will continue to give them. He will not remove

This loathsome plague till we return to her father

His wide-eyed daughter—nor can we accept any ransom—

And we must carry to Chryse a holy hecatomb.

Only then can we hope to change the mind of Apollo."

When he had spoken and sat down again, the son

Of Atreus, the wide-ruling wager of war Agamemnon,

Stood up in a rage among them. His black heart boiled

With wrath and his eyes were like fire when it blazes. Fixing

Calchas with an evil scowl, he railed at him thus:

"Prophet of misery! you’ve still got your first good thing

To foretell for me. Unhappy events you always

Enjoy predicting, but never yet have you prophesied

Anything pleasant, much less brought it to pass.

And now in the midst of this Danaan meeting you go on

Spouting your oracles, telling the men it’s because

Of me that the far-darting god is inflicting these woes

Upon them, because I refused the royal ransom

For the darling daughter of Chryses, since I much prefer

To have her at home with me. I would rather have her,

In fact, than Clytemnestra, my wife. For this girl is quite

Her equal, just as tall and good looking, just as

Smart and clever with her hands. Even so, I want

To give the girl back, if that is the thing to do.

I prefer the men safe and well, not sick and dying.

But you must prepare a prize for me at once.

For me to be the only Argive here

Without some gift of honor would hardly be right!

As you can see, my prize is going elsewhere."

Then Achilles, noble and strong, answered him thus:

"Renowned son of Atreus, most covetous of men, how

Can the gallant Achaeans give you a prize? If there

Is some large public treasure, we’ve yet to learn where it is,

And the plunder we took from the cities we sacked has already

Been divided. Nor can we rightly take these things back

From the people. But you, give up the girl as the god

Demands. We Achaeans will recompense you three

And four times over, if Zeus ever wills that we sack

The well-walled city of Troy."

And lordly Agamemnon

Spoke in reply: "Though you be, 0 godlike Achilles,

A man of great valor, don’t try to outwit me like that,

For I’ll not be persuaded or gotten the best of by you!

Do you tell me to give the girl back so that you can keep

What you’ve got while I sit here with nothing? If the gallant

Achaeans give me a prize to my liking, and equal

To the one I am losing, all right—but if they do not,

Then I myself will come and take your gift

Of honor, or that of Ajax, or I’ll seize and bear off

The prize of Odysseus. Wrathful indeed will be

The man to whom I make that visit! But this

We can think about later. Right now let us launch a black ship

On the sacred sea, get enough rowers together,

And put on board a hecatomb along with the girl,

The lovely Chryseis herself And let one of our leaders

Take charge, either Ajax, or Idomeneus, or godly Odysseus,

Or, son of Peleus, you yourself, most dreaded

Of men, that so you may offer gifts and appease

The far-working god."

Then swift Achilles, scowling

At him, replied: "You greedy-minded shamelessness

Incarnate! how can any decent Achaean want to

Take orders from you, to go where you tell him to go

Or battle his best with hostile men? I didn’t

Come here to fight because of the Trojan spearmen.⁴

They’ve never done me any harm, never rustled my cattle

Or horses, or plundered in fertile Phthia a harvest

Of mine, for between here and there lie a great many things—

Shadowy mountains and crashing sea. But we

Came here with you, the incredibly shameless, in an effort

To gratify you! to get satisfaction for Menelaus

And you! covetous cur that you are. All this

You turn your back on and choose to forget, and now

You threaten to take my prize of prestige, the gift

I got from the sons of Achaeans and for which I labored

So much. Whenever we warriors sack a populous

Trojan city, my share of the booty is never

Equal to yours. True, I get more, much more,

Than my share of chaotic battle, but when it comes

To dividing the loot, your portion is always far larger

Than mine. Worn out with fighting, I go back to my ships

And with me take some pitiful little prize

Allotted to me—little, but mine. Now, though,

I’ll go back to Phthia, for I would much rather take all

My beaked ships and go home than stay on here in disgrace

To heap up wealth for you!"

And the king of men

Agamemnon answered him thus: "Go on and run,

If you feel the urge so strongly. I do not beg you

To stay on my account. I’ve others here

Who honor and respect me, including the best of all counselors,

Zeus himself. Of all the god-nurtured leaders,

You are most hateful to me, for strife is always

Dear to your heart, and battles and fighting. And if

You’re so full of valor, that’s the gift of a god.

So take your ships and your men and go lord it over

The Myrmidons at home. I have no regard for you,

Nor do I care how angry you are. But see now

How you like this. Since Phoebus Apollo is taking

Chryseis from me, I’m returning her with a ship

And men of mine—but I myself will come

To your lodge and take your prize, the lovely Briseis,⁵

That once and for all you may know how greatly I

Exceed you in power and excellence, and another man

Will think twice before calling himself my equal and right

In my presence comparing himself with me!"

He spoke,

And the pain from his words went deep in the son of Peleus,

Rending the heart in his shaggy breast two ways

As to what he should do, whether to draw the sharp sword

By his thigh, break up the meeting, and kill the son

Of Atreus, or swallow his rage and control his temper,

While he was thus divided in mind and heart,

With that huge sword of his half drawn from the scabbard,

Pallas Athena came down from the sky, sent

By white-armed Hera, the goddess whose heart held equal

Love and concern for both of the angry men.

Standing behind him, she caught the son of Peleus

By a handful of tawny hair and made herself visible

To him alone, nor could any of the others see her.

Astonished, Achilles turned, and as he looked

In the blazing blue eyes of the goddess he knew her at once

For Pallas Athena, and his words came winged with surprise:

"Why, 0 daughter of aegis-bearing Zeus, do you come again

Now? Can it be that you wanted to witness the hubrisd

And gross overreaching of Atreus’ son Agamemnon?

Well let me say this, and believe me I mean what I say.

That arrogant pride of his may shortly cost him

His life!"

And the bright-eyed goddess Athena replied:

"I came down from the sky to help you control

Your wrath, if only you will obey, and the goddess

White-armed Hera sent me, for her heart holds equal

Love and concern for both of you. So come,

No fighting, and don’t draw your sword. Wound him with words

Instead, and tell him just how it will be. And now

I say this to you, and I too mean what I say.

On account of this arrogant insult, splendid gifts

Worth three times as much as what you may lose will one day

Be given to you. So hold yourself back, and obey us."

Then Achilles, swift of foot, answered her thus:

"No man, O goddess, can ignore the word of two

Such powers, no matter how wrathful his heart may be.

To obey is surely better. The gods hear all

The prayers of him who heeds them."

He spoke, and restrained

His mighty hand on the silver hilt. Then obeying

The word of Athena he thrust the long blade back into

The scabbard. And the goddess left for Olympus and the palace

Of aegis-bearing Zeus, to mingle with the other gods there.

And again Achilles, wrathful as ever, spoke violent

Words to the son of Atreus: "You drunken sot!

With the greedy eyes of a dog and the heart of a deer!

You never have courage enough to arm yourself

For battle along with the rest of us, or go

With the best Achaeans on a crafty ambush. You’d rather

Die than do either! You much prefer to go

Through this huge camp and seize for yourself the gift

Of anyone here who disagrees with you, you wretched

Devourer of what we win! And truly, the men

You rule are also worthless, or this, 0 son

Of Atreus, would be the last of your arrogant insults.

But I’ll make something clear right now, and swear a great oath.

I swear by this staff I hold—which no longer has bud

Or leaf since it left its stump in the mountains, nor ever

Grows green again and blooms since the sharp bronze stripped it

Of foliage and bark, but which now the sons of Achaeans

Bear in their hands, they who are judges among us

And uphold the laws of God—by this staff I swear

A great oath that surely someday a desperate need

For Achilles shall come upon all the sons of Achaeans,

Nor will you be able to help them at all, no matter

How grieved you are, when man-killing Hector is cutting them

Down by the dozen. Then, I say, you’ll rend

Your heart with wrath and remorse for failing to honor

The best Achaean of all!"

So saying, Achilles

Dashed to the ground the staff with its studs of bright gold,

And sat down, while opposite him the son of Atreus

Went on venting his rage. Then among them up stood

Nestor, the silver-tongued speaker of Pylos, from whose

Lips the words flowed sweeter than honey. Since he

First saw the light, two generations of mortal

Men had come and gone in sacred Pylos,

And now among the third he was the King.

In an effort to help, he addressed the assembly:

"For shame!

Surely now great grief comes on the land

Of Achaea. But think how glad it would make King Priam

And all of his sons along with the other Trojans

To learn of this wrangling between you—you that among

The Danaans stand first in counsel and warfare. But listen

To me. Both of you are younger than I,

And in other days I have campaigned with mightier

Men than you, nor did they ever belittle

Or disregard me. Never since have I seen such warriors,

Nor ever again shall I see such heroes as Peirithous

Was and Dryas, marshaler of men, and Caeneus

And Exadius and Polyphemus, godlike in his might, and that equal

Of the immortal gods, Theseus, son of Aegeus.

Of all men reared on earth, these were the strongest.

The strongest, I say, and with the strongest they fought—

With the monstrous mountain Centaurs, and the slaughter they there

Performed was terrible indeed.⁶ I came a long way

From distant Pylos and mingled with those very men,

For I came at their summons. And in the war I did

My personal share of the fighting. There are today

No mortals alive on earth who would be fit

To fight with those men. Still, they listened to me

And took my advice. And you too would do better to hearken

And heed. You, Agamemnon, are a man of great power,

But don’t try taking that girl away. Leave her

Alone, the prize of him to whom the Achaeans

Gave her. And you, 0 son of Peleus, do not

Presume to pit your might in strife against

A sceptered King, who derives his power from Zeus

And therefore has no common glory. You

Are the son of a goddess and valiant indeed, yet he

Is the mightier man, since he rules over more people.

Check your rage, Atrides—in fact, I beg you

To extinguish this wrath of yours against Achilles,

Who in the moil of horrible war is the mightiest

Mainstay we Achaeans have."

And ruling Agamemnon

Replied: "All that you say, 0 aged one,

Is just and wise enough, but this man wants

To be higher than anyone else. He wants to rule

Over all—to be King, I tell you, and give orders to all.

Well I know one, at least, who won’t take orders

From him! So the immortal gods made him

A mighty spearman—does that give him the right

To go around spouting insults?"

Then the gifted Achilles

Interrupted, saying: "Indeed, for if I yielded

To you in all things, no matter what you commanded,

I would be called a coward and good for nothing.

So boss the others about, but give no more orders

To me! I’m through with doing what you say. And here

Is something else that you will do well to remember.

I will not fight with you or anyone else

For the girl, since you do but take what you gave. But of all

That I’ll have left by that swift black ship of mine,

I warn you not to take away anything else!

Go on and try, if you like, so that all may learn

I mean business—and see how soon your black blood covers

My spear!"

When the violent words had all been spoken,

The two men arose and broke up the meeting beside

The Achaean ships. Achilles strode off to his shelters

And well-balanced ships along with Patroclus and all

The rest of his comrades. But the son of Atreus ordered

Others to drag a swift ship down into the sea

And he picked out twenty oarsmen. Then they drove on board

For the god the hecatomb of cattle and brought Chryseis

Of the lovely cheeks and put her aboard. And Odysseus,

Resourceful as ever, mounted the deck and took charge.

When all were embarked and sailing the foamy sea-lanes,

Atreus’ son commanded the army to wash,

And they purified themselves in the salt sea-water and offered

To Apollo appeasing hecatombs of bulls and goats

By the shore of the unresting sea. And the plentiful smoke

Curled up in the sky and eddying with it the savor.

While the men were busy with offerings throughout the camp,

Agamemnon proceeded to fulfill his threat to Achilles.

He called his heralds and nimble squires, Talthybius

And Eurybates, and spoke to them thus: "Go to the lodge

Of Peleus’ son Achilles, take the hand

Of the beautiful-cheeked Briseis, and bring her to me.

And if he refuses to give her, I myself will go

With more men and take her, which will be far more painful for

him."

With this harsh order he sent them away on their mission,

And they, reluctant, walked off along the beach

Of the desolate sea till they came to the shelters and ships

Of the Myrmidons.e They found Achilles sitting by his lodge

And black ship, nor was he glad to see them. Frozen

With fear and embarrassment, they stood in awe of the Prince,

Unable to speak a word or ask a question.

But he knew very well what they wanted, and spoke to them, saying:

"Come here, good heralds, and welcome. You bear the words

Of God and men, and my quarrel is not with you,

But Agamemnon, who sent you here for the girl Briseis.

So come, god-sprung Patroclus, bring out the girl

And give her to these men to take back with them. And in

That day when I shall be desperately needed to save

The Achaeans from shameful destruction these two shall witness

For me before blissful gods and mortal men

And the stupid King himself. For surely his rage

Will be the ruin of him yet. If he wants his Achaeans to fight

With both success and survivors, he had better try looking

Before as well as behind!"

He spoke, and Patroclus

Obeyed his dear friend. He led from the lodge Briseis,

Lovely of face, and gave her to go with the men.

And back they went down the line of Achaean ships

And with them the unwilling girl. Now Achilles, weeping,

Withdrew from his comrades, and sitting down by himself

On the beach by the silvery surf he looked out over

The wine-dark sea, stretched out his arms, and fervently

Prayed to his own dear mother:

"Since, 0 Mother,

You bore me, though only to live for a few short years,

Surely Olympian Zeus should have given me honor,

But now that high-thundering god has given me quite

The reverse. For truly the son of Atreus, imperial

Agamemnon, has grossly insulted me. He has robbed me

Of my gift of honor and now he keeps her himself!"

Thus in tears he spoke, and far down in the sea,

Sitting by her ancient father, his goddess mother

Heard him.⁷ And quickly she left the gray sea like a mist

And sank down in front of her weeping son, gently

Caressed him, called him by name, and said:

"My child,

Why are you crying? What sorrow has entered your heart?

Keep it in no longer. Speak out, and share it with me."

Then moaning, swift-footed Achilles spoke to her thus:

"You know. Why should I tell it to one who already

Knows all about it? We went out to Thebe, the sacred

City of Eëtion, destroyed and plundered it all,

And brought the booty back here. This the sons

Of Achaeans divided fairly among them, and they chose

For the son of Atreus the fair-cheeked daughter of Chryses.

But he, as a priest of far-smiting Apollo, came

To the speedy ships of the gallant bronze-clad Achaeans

To ransom his daughter, and the ransom he bore was boundless.

In suppliant hands on a staff of gold he carried

The fillets of far-darting Apollo, and he pleaded with all

The Achaeans, especially with the two sons of Atreus,

Marshalers of many:

"‘O sons of Atreus and you other

Well-greaved Achaeans, may the gods who live on Olympus

Allow you to sack the city of Priam and reach

Your homes in safety. But reverence the son of Zeus,

Apollo who strikes from afar—take this ransom

And return my precious daughter.’

"All the other Achaeans

Supported the priest and shouted to reverence him

And accept the splendid ransom. But Atreus’ son

Agamemnon was far from pleased. Roughly he sent him

Away, threatening him harshly. And back he went,

A very angry old man, and Apollo, who loves him dearly,

Sent a shaft of sickness against the Argives.

His arrows flew through the wide Achaean camp,

And more and more people were dying. Then a prophet whom we

Could depend on told us the mind and will of the god

Who smites from afar, and I was the first to suggest

That we try to appease him. At this a great rage gripped

Agamemnon, and he uttered a threat that has now been fulfilled.

For already the quick-eyed Achaeans are taking one girl

To Chryse aboard a swift ship along with gifts

For the god, and heralds have come to my lodge and taken

The other, Briseis, my gift from the sons of Achaeans.

But if you really have power, protect your own son.

If you ever did or said anything that gladdened

The heart of Zeus, go now to Olympus and plead

With him. Many times in the halls of my father I have heard you

Glory in telling how you were the only immortal

To help lord Zeus of the dark and lowering sky

And rescue him from shame when other Olympians—

Hera, Poseidon, and Pallas Athena—plotted

To bind him fast. Then, 0 goddess, you came

And untied him, but first with all speed you summoned to lofty

Olympus him of the hundred hands, known as

Briareus to the gods, but Aegaeon to all mankind,

A monster even more powerful than his father Poseidon.

He crouched by the side of Cronos’ son, exulting

In his reputation, and the blessed gods were afraid

Of him and made no attempt to bind Zeus again.

Go sit by his side and remind him of this, and embrace

His knees in earnest prayer for him to support

The Trojans, but as for their foes, the Achaeans, may he trap them

Between the sterns of their ships and litter the beach

With dead and dying men, that all may share

The reward of their King, and that Atreus’ son, imperial

Agamemnon, may know how blind he was to give

No honor at all to the bravest and best of Achaeans! "

Then Thetis, weeping, replied: "My child, my child,

Why did I raise you to all this misery? I only

Wish that you might have stayed by your ships and escaped

All grief and tears, for the life allotted to you

Is short, not long at all. And now not only

Will you die young, but you have to suffer as well,

And more than anyone else. Hence, back home

In our halls, I bore you to a fate most miserable. But I

Will go in person to snowy Olympus and tell

This grievance of yours to Zeus, the lover of lightning,

In hope of his help. Meanwhile, you remain

By the swift seagoing ships, and go on in your wrath

Against the Achaeans and your utter refusal to fight.

For yesterday Zeus departed for the stream of Oceanusf

To attend a feast of the excellent Ethiopians, and all

The other gods went with him. In twelve days he

Will be back on Olympus, and then to the brazen-floored palace

Of Zeus I will go, and embrace his knees in prayer.

I believe I shall win him over."

With this she left him

There on the beach, resentful and brooding on account of

The fair-gowned woman they had forcefully, spitefully

Taken from him. But Odysseus came to Chryse

With the holy hecatomb. Once they were in the deep harbor

They furled the sail and stowed it within the black ship

And lowered the mast by the forestays till quickly they brought it

To rest in the crutch. Then with oars they went on and backed her

Into the moorings, threw the anchor-stones from the bow,

Tied her up from the stern, and stepped out themselves

On the shore of the sea. And out of the ship they led

Far-smiting Apollo’s hecatomb, and also out

Of the seagoing ship stepped the beautiful daughter of Chryses.

Then able Odysseus led her to the altar

And into the arms of her dear father, saying:

"O Chryses,

Agamemnon, king of men, sent me to bring you

Your daughter, and to offer to Phoebus in behalf of the Danaans

A sacred hecatomb, that we may appease the god

Who has brought upon the Argives great wailing and sorrow."

With these words he placed her in the arms of her father, and he

With much rejoicing embraced his dear child. For the god

They quickly stood the holy hecatomb in order

About the well-built altar, washed their hands,

And took up the grains of barley. Then Chryses raised

His arms and prayed aloud this prayer for them:

"Hear me, 0 god of the silver bow, you

That bestride in your power Chryse and sacred Cilla

And mightily rule in Tenedos—hear as you heard me

Before when I prayed. You honored me then, and woefully

Smote the Achaean host. Grant me now

Another prayer and dispel the deadly disease

That plagues the Danaans."

Thus he earnestly prayed

And Phoebus Apollo heard him. Then, when all

Had prayed, they sprinkled the grains of barley, drew back

The heads of the victims, cut their throats, flayed them,

And sliced out the thigh-pieces. These they wrapped in thick layers

Of fat and on them laid still more raw meat.

All this the old priest burned on the flaming wood,

And over the meat he sprinkled the sparkling wine,

While around him the young men held their forks of five tines.

Now when the thigh-pieces were wholly consumed and all

Had tasted of the vital parts, they cut up the rest,

Spitted and roasted it well, and drew it all

From the spits. Having eaten and drunk as much as they wanted,

The young men filled the bowls brimful of wine,

And then the goblets, first pouring libation drops

In the goblets of all. Then, for the rest of the day,

They sang to the god in melodious propitiation,

The sons of Achaeans hymning far-working Apollo

With a beautiful paean of praise, and he heard their singing

With a heart full of joy.

When the sun went down and darkness

Came on, they lay down to sleep by the hawsers at the stern

Of the ship, but as soon as Dawn of the rosy fingers

Arrived they put out to sea for the huge Achaean

Camp. Apollo sent a fast-following wind,

And when they had set up the mast and spread the white sail,

The sheet soon bellied before that wind, and the dark waves

Moaned and hissed about the bow, as the ship

Cut swiftly through them ever closer to her destination.

When they came to the huge encampment, they dragged the black ship

Well up on the beach, forced the large props beneath her,

And scattered for shelters and ships of their own.

Meanwhile,

Fast Achilles, the god-sprung son of Peleus,

Remained as wrathful as ever beside his swift ships

Without once going to the man-enhancing place

Of assembly or into the fighting. He stayed where he was,

Eating his heart out with longing for the battle and war-cry.

When the twelfth dawn came, the gods everlasting returned

To Olympus, all together with Zeus in the lead.

Nor did Thetis forget the plea of her son. In the early

Morning she rose from the waves, into the great sky,

And up to Olympus, where she found far-seeing Zeus,

Sitting apart from the others on the highest peak

Of the craggy mountain. She sank down before him and took hold

Of his knees with her left hand while with her right she held

His chin, and spoke in supplication to her lord God,

The son of Cronos:

"O Father Zeus, if ever

Among the immortals any word or deed of mine

Was helpful to you, grant this prayer for me:

Honor my son, who is doomed beyond all others

To an early death. But now the commander-in-chief

Agamemnon has insulted him grossly by taking and keeping

His prize of prestige—an act of arrogant pride!

You at least, 0 lord of all wisdom, Olympian Zeus,

Give him honor and glory. Increase the might

Of the Trojans and give them the upper hand until

The Achaeans honor my son and glorify him

With repayment."

She spoke, but Zeus the cloud-gatherer sat

A long time without one word of reply, while Thetis

Kept on as before, clinging close to his knees, and again

She put her plea: "Tell me now that you’ll do this

For me, and promise with a nod of your head, or else,

Since you have nothing to fear, go on and say no.

Then I will be sure how much among all the immortals

I am respected the least."

Then greatly disturbed,

Cloud-gathering Zeus replied: "Sorry stuff

When you do anything to cause trouble between Hera and me

And start her to nagging and making me lose my temper.

Already she is constantly making reproaches

In the presence of the other immortals and accusing me

Of helping the Trojans in battle. But now you’d better

Go, before Hera gets suspicious, and I

Will think these things over and bring them to pass. Therefore

I will nod my head to you, that you may be certain,

For of all immortal pledges a nod from me

Is the surest. No word of mine to which I bow

My head may be recalled, or false, or unaccomplished."

So spoke the son of Cronos, and the King’s ambrosial

Locks fell forward as he nodded, bowing

His iron-dark brows, and huge Olympus quaked.

When these two had made their plans, they parted. The goddess

Sprang from gleaming Olympus into the depths

Of the sea, and Zeus went to his palace. When they saw

The face of their Father, the other gods rose from their seats,

Nor was there one who dared to wait in his chair,

But all stood up before him. Thus there he sat down

On his throne. Then Hera took one look and knew

That he and a goddess had had their heads together—

He and silver-shod Thetis, daughter of the briny

Old man of the sea. So at once she spoke these words,

Taunting and sharp, to Zeus, the son of Cronos:

"Now which of the gods, my trickster, has again been plotting

With you? You always enjoy keeping things from me,

Pondering matters in secret and pronouncing upon them,

And you never willingly tell me what you’re planning."

Then the Father of gods and men answered her thus:

"Hera, don’t ever hope to know all my thoughts.

Many of them you would find very hard and unpleasant,

Even though you are my wife. What it is right

For you to hear, no god or man shall know

Before you. But what I plan apart from the gods—

About all such matters you are not to ask or inquire!"

To which the heifer-eyed queenly Hera: "Most dreadful

Son of Cronos, what kind of talk is that!

Truly too often in time gone by I have failed

To ask or inquire, while you went on at your leisure

Plotting whatever you pleased. Now, though, I

Am awfully afraid that the briny old sea-ancient’s daughter,

Thetis of the silver feet, has taken you in.

For right early this morning she sat with you and embraced

Your knees. And to her, I think, you nodded your head

In a solemn promise to honor Achilles and to slaughter

Many Achaeans beside their ships."

Then Zeus,

God of the storm clouds, replied: "Mysterious goddess!

You think altogether too much! Nor does anything I do

Escape you. But let me assure you there is nothing at all

You can do, except put even more distance between us,

And that will make your existence colder than ever,

Believe me! If what you say is so, then that

Must be my will. So quietly take your seat

And do as I tell you, or all the gods on Olympus

Will not be able to help you when I come up

And lay hold of you with my irresistible hands!"

He spoke, and heifer-eyed queenly Hera sat down,

Quietly controlling her temper. But all the heavenly

Gods in the palace of Zeus were troubled. Hephaestus,

The famous artificer, was the first to speak, hoping

To please his mother, Hera of the lovely white arms:

"Truly we’ll have a sorry, unbearable life here

If you two are going to quarrel on account of mortals

And cause a disturbance among us. There can be no joy

In the splendid feast when such bad things prevail.

So I hereby advise my mother, wise though she is

To try to please our dear Father Zeus, that he

May not rebuke her again and create more chaos

Here at our feast. Why what if the mighty Olympian,

Hurler of lightning, the mightiest god by far,

Should take a notion to strike us all from our seats!

But meekly ask his pardon, and soon the Olympian

Will be gracious to us again."

With this he sprang up

And placing the two-handled cup in his dear mother’s hand

He spoke to her thus: "Bear up, my mother, and swallow

Your grief, or dear though you are to me I may

Have to watch you beaten and be completely unable,

In spite of my sorrow, to help or console you. For it

Is hard indeed to oppose the Olympian. Once

Before, when I was anxious to help you, he snatched me

Up by the foot and flung me headlong down

From the heavenly threshold. All day long I fell

And sank with the setting sun—what little was left

Of me—in Lemnos, where the Sintian people were quick

To come to my aid and take care of me after my fall."⁸

At this the goddess, white-armed Hera, smiled,

And smiling received the cup from her son. Then

He went on from left to right, dipping sweet nectar

From the mixing bowl and pouring for all the others.

And unquenchable laughter broke out mid the blessed gods

As they watched Hephaestus puffing his way through the palace.

Thus all day long till the sun went down they feasted,

Nor was there any lack of delight in the banquet

Before them, nor in the gorgeous lyre that Apollo

Played, nor yet in the dulcet Muses, who

Entertained them all with sweet antiphonal song.

But when the bright sun was gone, they all went home

And to bed, for famous Hephaestus, the great ambidextrous

God, had built with all of his knowledge and art

A palace for each of them. But Olympian Zeus,

Lord of the lightning, went up to bed where he always

Lay when delicious sleep was approaching. He lay down

And slept, and beside him Hera of the golden throne.

BOOK II

Trial of the Army and the Catalogue of Ships

All other gods and mortal wearers of helmets

Plumed with horsehair slept soundly all through the night,

But sweet sleep could not hold Zeus, for in his heart

He was pondering how he might honor Achilles and destroy

Beside the swift ships many other Achaeans. Then

He thought of a plan he preferred, to send a false Dreamg

To Atreus’ son Agamemnon. So he addressed him

With these winged words:

"Go quickly, baneful Dream,

To the swift Achaean ships, and when you reach

The lodge of Atreus’ son Agamemnon tell him

Exactly what I tell you. Tell him to hurry

And arm the long-haired Achaeans, since now he may take

The city of Troy and fill the wide streets with his soldiers.

The immortals who live on Olympus no longer take sides,

For with her pleading Hera has bent them all

To her way of thinking, and now disaster is hanging

Over the Trojans."

He spoke, the Dream listened, then left

And quickly arrived at the swift Achaean ships.

He found Agamemnon, son of Atreus, asleep

In his lodge, deep in ambrosial slumber. The Dream

Stood over his head in the form of Neleus’ son Nestor,

Whom Agamemnon respected above all the other

Leading elders. Then, in the likeness of him,

The Dream from heaven spoke thus:

"You’re asleep, 0 son

Of fiery Atreus, breaker of horses. But to sleep

All night is not good for a man in charge of an

Reviews for The Iliad (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)

[donhazelwood · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I started this in March and spring sprung then summer came and I just didn't pick it up. But when I moved I was w/o a washer & dryer and picked back up while at the laundromat. Then hurricane Irene came along and I finished it.

[endrey-187836 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Legend has it that Alexander the Great held Achilles as his role-model and slept with the Illiad under his pillow. I find that hard to believe: who'd ever look at Homer's Achilles -- this superhuman prima donna holding the entire Aechean faction hostage, leading hundreds of allies and enemies alike to the steps of Hades over his diva behaviour 'cause he's the deadliest thing since sliced caesium -- and find him inspiring? What kind of psychopathic, egocentric, megalomaniacal... oh, never mind.Thing is that -- at least through a contemporary lens -- Homer doesn't appear to commend anything that happens here: proud Achilles is irreparably left a shell of his former self due to an easily avoidable unfolding of events that he himself orchestrated; the four days' battle decimated the belligerents with no gains to either side; the war itself is in its tenth year due to sunk cost fallacy. And Homer goes to great pains to show just how awful the resulting loss of life is: every man slayed -- and there are many mans slayed -- brings with him a small biography, where he's from, who are his parents, what was his profession until just now... Imagine an RTS where the game pauses for a one-minute wake after every unit killed: that's the Illiad. And mind you, we have it "better" nowadays: we can skim. Imagine Ancient Greece, you're being told for hours on end: "then Ajax thrust his spear into Peneleus, son of this guy and from this place, he did these thing and that at that place and wanted this, but now he descends to Hades instead. Then Ajax sliced Promachus's neck with his sword, Promachus was this and that and this. Then Hector killed etc. etc". The tedium can't possibly be an accident. With my 2021 vision, that reads like Homer making a point of how dehumanizing battle is. Parallels with covid btw: first death, shocking, incredible how it can come and take literally anyone. And oh my god they're holding their own intestines in their hands, feck, this is horrible stuff. Where are we? Page 56. Oh, there goes another one. Gee. Zus. Ouch. And to think of what his wife will go through now... By the middle of the Illiad, you read them like statistics: okay, so here Hector kills one, two... five people, right. Aaaaaand Diomedes took out, let's see, four. Toward the end, you're doing triage with your attention: who killed who? Whatever, just take out Patroclus already, then we can talk.And the final bitter note Homer puts in: the ellipsis ending, promising that these four days' meaningless carnage were just the start, that future skirmishes would be even more cruel, to avenge what transpired. If the Illiad came out today, it would have been considered an anti-war novel, I'm sure of it. Then again, exchange Achilles for Steve Jobs and the siege of Troy for shady business dealings and wannabe entrepreneurs the world over would sleep with the outcome under _their_ pillows, so maybe I read this the wrong way. Homer's dead so he can't correct me, but centuries of Classics research likely can. Reading the Illiad for myself, I was surprised at the Classical philosophers' protests at its inclusion in the at-the-time curriculum. It doesn't seem to present anyone as an example to follow: the major characters are all flawed, and their flaws leave them suffering / dead. Even the proto-sophist Odysseus gets beaten up and out of the story. However while characters display actions more in tune with the philosophic virtues, they suffer less. For example, the cowardly / lazy prince Paris is ridiculed and his death foreshadowed severely, _until_ he gets his act together. Then, once he assumes his role in service of his people, the story becomes more benign toward him, and the character you initially most assumed would be gruesomely killed is alive by the end. Another example, Hector. While his behavior was virtuous he was basically indestructible: in his bravery he'd get mortally wounded but live to get mortally wounded again. But when his bravery turned to hubris, awakening the beast-diva Achilles in the process, that's when his luck changed. You may accuse me of making here too secular a reading of the story beats, seeing the important role played by fate, but for the philosophers I imagine it would be these pragmatic concerns that mattered most re the curriculum. Then again, they could have had a stock of wannabe Alexanders to contend with, and I know from experience the efficiency with which a megalomaniac will miss the point of a story to suit his warped view of the world.

[emabbott-206119 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It's a classic. C'mon people. Read it.

[grlopez-99457 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I know the story well, through years of younger/abridged versions, but I did not enjoy this translated version, which was my first time reading as an "adult" version. It could be the timing, or it could be the story itself. Not sure. But it was just ok for me. That's all. It was difficult to endure the infantile bickering of the gods. The Greek and the Trojan warriors were the playthings - their puppets - and they manipulated them to work out their own selfish pride and jealousies. It was cruel and contentious, and very annoying.

[books9n9pickles · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's amazing how such beautiful language and imagery, such bloody and exciting action and adventure...can also draaaaag through the middle. I blame my fits of boredom on aborted action (Paris vs. Melelaus duel cut off when Aphrodite whisks Paris to his bedroom, Hera and Athena prep for war only to stop while riding off to battle in they're chariots because they've suddenly remembered they're afraid of Zeus) and repetitive incidents of people being introduced and then immediately dying. Seriously, almost no one we know or care about dies until the very end. Oh, and being a chariot driver sounds a lot like being a Star Trek redshirt--how many times does someone throw a spear only for it to miss the target and kill the driver?

All joking aside, the language and metaphors really were beautiful, even if Caroline Alexander does lean into the repetition more than Emily Wilson did with her translation of The Odyssey. (I ended up just opting to read translations by women because they're some of the newest and, with such a flooded field, why the heck not?)

And The Iliad itself is a fascinating historical document--even if the historicity of the Trojan war itself isn't a sure thing, the cultural details that almost certainly came from ancient Greek society were well worth the read: that grabbing someone's knees was a sign of begging for mercy, that the upper levels of society rested from battle to nosh on what sounds like wine-soaked oatmeal, that funerals could be incredibly elaborate, that ships were pulled all the way up onto the beach, and of course the whole relationship with the gods. It was interesting to see when gods were credited with great deeds and with failures; it almost seemed like blaming the gods was a way to abdicate responsibility for major mistakes...though, admittedly, the gods make a lot of mistakes, seeming pettier even than the humans, and that's saying a lot considering this war started because a husband decided he needed whole armies to go after his runaway wife.

Given all the action and the high, bloody death count, it's hard to understand how the Trojan war dragged out for ten years. The action came thick and fast, with thrilling cinematic moments that, for some reason, Troy ignored instead of, um, great balls of fire. There's the Achean wall, a powerful counterpart to the walls of Troy; sneaky spy missions by night; eyes popping out of their sockets; brains spattered inside helmets; angry river gods; leaping from beached ship to beached ship while stabbing people below with long spears; seriously, why isn't Netflix or HBO adapting this into a miniseries?

It was also notable to me how many "best of the Acheans" there were. So much is made of Achilles from the very outset ("sing of the wrath of Achilles") but we've also got the Ajax pair, Menelaus and Agamemnon, Diomedes, Petroclus, Odysseus, and a fantastic archer; and on the Trojan side it isn't just Hector, there's a Zeus-beloved demigod, Aeneas, and others whose names I now forget because, hey, there are a lot of names.

I'm talking a lot about the action in part because I'm sure much has already been made of the commentary about war, about how many lives it senselessly cuts short. Even the language used to describe death--knees cut out, biting and clenching the earth--is often gritty and real, the occasional metaphor of a great tree falling in the forest reminding readers of the pyres that will, hopefully, consume the dead and release their spirits. After the first truce to tend to the dead, I kept thinking of that every so often: whether all the many dead left on the battlefield would be left to rot, or whether they would manage to get their final rites.

I do regret that this "review" focuses so much on the action rather than the language, but alas, my copy of The Iliad is a library book and there was no way to mark the passages. Despite my efforts to avoid acquiring more books, I kind of wish I'd bought this one so I could mark it up.

Some other random thoughts that I need to jot down so I can finish this review before it's time to go to work:
> Why the heck does anyone worship these self-centered, careless gods? Perhaps the cruelties of ancient life are reflected in the changing whims of indifferent, selfish beings.
> One of my favorite moments was when Hector goes to visit his wife and baby; his baby cries when he doesn't recognize his father all dressed up in armor, and Hector and wife share a laugh and a moment of levity. It's easy to imagine it as nervous, sad laughter, and it's one of the few times when there seemed to be genuine love between a man and a woman rather than just playing politics (no matter what Achilles protests about Breisis (sp?)).
> How disturbing, to modern eyes, that rape of all Trojan woman is repeatedly thrown around as a goal.
> I found it amusing how people really ribbed Paris for causing this whole catastrophe, including getting on his case about how his major attribute is beauty, gifted by Aphrodite ("I can't help it that I'm beautiful!"). For all that, he still has some moments in battle to redeem himself.
> At the same time, I loved that Aphrodite had her moment in battle. Maybe it didn't work out the way she wanted and she didn't end up getting an Eowyn moment, but I felt that her effort and failure were very poignant.
> Um, what the heck was with a) Zeus giving away the entire plot with Patroclus wearing Achilles' armor; and b) everyone, including the Trojans, knowing it was Patroclus? What was the point if everyone knew it wasn't Achilles?
> At one point, Zeus invites Hera to bed by naming all the women he has slept with and all the demigods that had come from those unions. If Hera's goal hadn't been to distract him in the first place, I hope she'd have raged at him for that. Seriously Zeus, is that your idea of a smooth move?
> Patroclus only falls in battle because Apollo undoes Achilles' armor, which is totally cheating.
> I've heard so much made of the Achilles/Patroclus relationship that I was kind of surprised there wasn't more evidence of a romantic relationship between the two. I hate to be *that person*, but in a society where women basically counted for nothing and male friendship was the only friendship, there doesn't seem to be much to support more. Of course, I'm totally at the mercy of translator interpretation...
> Speaking of translations, while it was definitely a shock to move from Wilson's iambic pentameter in her Odyssey to Alexander's long lines of blank verse, I can't imagine how any translator could fit all the words into such rigid rules.

Okay, I'm out of time. On to the Aeneid!

(No quotes because, again, library book.)

[tobinelliott · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Well damn. That was fun!

The last time I read this novel was in Mr. MacNamee's Grade 12 English class around 1979/1980 (if memory—that elusive bitch—serves), which means I'm running on memories five decades past.

I remembered—or at least, I thought I remembered—the main story points and I was mostly right. It taking place in the dying days of the tenth year of the ongoing war. Menelaus coming after Paris whole stole Helen—she of the "face that launched a thousand ships" fame. Agamemnon pissing off Achilles by stealing his woman, and Achilles sitting most of the story out on the sidelines. Big battles with Achilles' soul brother Patroclus and Hector. Achilles finally getting pissed enough to come back into the fray and literally wipe the floor with Hector.

Yup, remembered it all. But...

I also firmly remember the death of Achilles, and the Trojan Horse. But, as I got closer and closer to the 24th and final book of The Iliad, neither were in sight. Could those things really have been in The Odyssey? Really?

Apparently, because we only get the prediction of Achilles' demise, and there ain't a Trojan Horse to be found. Huh. So much for fifty year old memory.

Still, I have to say, Lombardo's more "plain English" translation made it a breeze to run through (though I still may go back to the more prosaic dactylic hexameter version soon, just to compare). But like I said, overall, this was fun as hell. The battles were crazy and bloody and over-the-top with a lot of popped eyeballs and swords and spears through either nipples or tongues, and lopped off heads. Even crazier were the capricious gods who just couldn't stop themselves from interfering for one side or the other. And seriously, did every damn god get it on with a human at some point or another? There's an awful lot of god-spawn kids on these battlefields.

Finally one note about something I found more and more amusing the more it came up. Rarely were the characters' inner thoughts shown, but without exception, every time we were treated to them, each character always did the same thing: they'd ruminate about what they should do, then in the middle of it, suddenly think, why am I talking to myself like this? then carry on talking to themselves like that until they decided what they needed to do, and then get on with it.

Every time I got that why am I talking to myself like this? I just had to laugh.

Overall though, I found myself eagerly anticipating the next dive into the story, and now I'm quite pumped for The Odyssey.

[arthur_kenned-102747 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is excellent.I found it fast paced and thoroughly enjoyable from beginning to finish.A worthy addition to your bookshelf.

[mitchanderson · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

If I were rating this on its historical significance and undeniable influence on the structure of modern narrative, I’d have been more generous in my rating. However, I’m rating this on aspects of its readability as a work of fiction first, poetry second.

Translation was great. The sheer number of classical names and lineages is a bit daunting in the first few books (chapters). The overall story is a bit...primitive, though I think this is to be expected with all things considered. Similar to novels compiled from a series of short stories, the books of The Illiad are similar in that assemblage and, perhaps due to the posterity of the work, makes for a few jarring transitions (eg. Book 22 -> 23).

From a poetic perspective, all I can really say (in this translation at least) is that the line is relatively transparent throughout the reading. At least a couple times per-book there’s a few verses that come off a little ditty, but (from what I can remember) the words are chosen well. A few verses were quite illustrious and could stand alone (indeed, a few of them I jotted down), particularly during the thick of the siege (books 8 -> 17).

If you’ve been meaning to read this but find you’re always hesitant pick it up next, I’ll tell you the read may not be worth it.

[charlie68_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not an easy read or a pleasant one. The brutalities of war aren't shied away from, but the poetry does manage to reach the heights of sublime beauty. Gives a pretty comprehensive look at that era.

[eas7788 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I don't know enough to compare this translation to any other, of course, but it seemed excellent to me! I knew bits of the story but not the whole of it -- I kept expecting things to be in there that were not and vice versa. Pretty amazing how the endless descriptions of armor translate perfectly to the focus on acquiring new armor in current video games. The intertwining of the gods' action and the humans' actions was striking. (And know I can appreciate Song of Achilles even more...)

[christopherswann · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great translation--liked it better than Fagles'.

[katherinegregg · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Iliad takes place in the ninth year of the Trojan War. Achilles avenges the death of his loyal companion Patroclus by killing Hector, son of King Priam.

[floratina · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

READ IN DUTCH/GREEK

Also by Homer, but less well known than The Odyssey. I translated this book in my Greek class. But I'm still planning to read the whole book (as a book rather than translating)

[renardkitsune · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

First, I was cheated, since the only thing I know about the Trojan war is that it was won by the Greeks using the "Trojan Horse" and that Achilles was killed by being shot by Paris through the ankle. Neither of these episodes are in the Iliad! I was surprised that it was just a snapshot (about a month) of the ten-year long war. It seemed to end somewhat abruptly, but I read somewhere that the Iliad is focusing on Achilles, and his fall (and the struggle of the Greeks) through his pride. If I remember right, this is a common Greek theme, the hero’s tragic flaw that ruins him. Through this lens, the timespan of the Iliad makes more sense though I wish it would have at least continued to the death of Achilles for some closure.Another common Greek theme is that of our fate being fixed, which is evident for many characters throughout the book. Sometimes it may take the form of Zeus forbidding the gods to interfere so that the predestined fate is not tampered with, and sometimes it is much more literal, where the gods do interfere, creating a fog or whisking someone off the battlefield. I always knew that the gods quarreled along with mortals in the Iliad, but I didn’t realize that they would be quite so vindictive—or also quite so physically involved, getting out on the battlefield and getting wounded!I read the translation by Pope, which I thought was very good. I can’t verify its authenticity, but Pope did justice to the Iliad in his word choice. I noticed another review mentioned that the word “refulgent” was used over and over in the Caroline Alexander translation—it’s used continuously in Pope’s! Pope did mention in his introduction that the Iliad can be repetitive at times, and that he chose to keep the repetition in for authenticity’s sake. I think I like that better. I guess I am the kind of person that, if I had to choose, I would prefer more authentic to easier-to-read. Some of the most tedious parts for me were the listing of all the characters, where they came from and who their parents were. All to promptly kill them off in the next paragraph. I admit I did some skimming over the lists of people. Some of the best parts, however, were the myriad ways that Homer came up with to describe someone dying and their body giving up the ghost. He was most creative. Some even made me laugh out loud. What I don’t want to admit is that the most valuable thing about reading the Iliad is that know I understand the references that other authors make to the Iliad. Just started reading Anna Karenina and they references specific scenes from the Iliad -twice- in the introduction. Now I know what they are talking about! And I can (sort of) understand what they mean when they are comparing Tolstoy to Homer.

[sashame-485567 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Important in the history of literature and classical Greek thought.

[drardavis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Better than the movie! Once you get the rhythm it sucks you in like a time machine. Amazing.

[traumleben_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Iliad beings in the ninth year of the Trojan war and the Greeks laying siege to Troy's capital. The 24 book story covers about a seven week period that sees the Greeks beaten back to where their ships are laid up, enduring slaughter at Trojan hands because their hero Achilles refuses to fight; he's angry that Agamemnon took the Trojan woman he'd selected as his prize. Not until Achilles' battle buddy Patroclus is killed (in Achilles' armor) by the Trojan hero Hector does Achilles rise to fight. When Hector dies, we have a good sense that Troy won't be long either.Homer's Iliad and the Odyssey are oft referenced as a pair, but it's always the Odyssey that ends up assigned reading in American junior high and middle schools. They're both long (epic!) but I assume teachers pass on the Iliad due to the amount of violence and perhaps fewer "teachable moments." The Iliad is probably one of those 'must reads' in the profession of arms, especially for infantry. I would assign it to any elected official overseeing or directing military activity. The war between Greeks and Trojans isn't just a human affair, rather the gods of Olympus are ever meddling, sometimes influencing and at other times outright spiriting their favorites out of the field of battle to spare their lives. The gods are capricious, given to their own passions, and prone to change their minds, so they frankly bear strong resemblance to politicians if one wants to relate it to real life. It's a reminder that there are always two conflicts going on, one on the battle field and one back in the halls of government; they don't always combine well.I'm unable to vouch for the quality of the translation in terms of remaining true to the Greek, but Robert Fagles deserves much credit for turning it into beautiful, modern English epic poem. The usual complaints against the Iliad are the instances of repetition and a fathomless well of detail when it comes to describing mortal combat with spear, sword, and the occasional rock stoving a skull in. As much as the Iliad glorifies manly virtues in war (like courage, bravery, camaraderie) it also showcases its horrors (the violence, fear, and waste) to the same degree. One comes away with the feeling at the end: why did we bother with all of this? What did we gain? Can we even quantify what we lost, or is it immeasurable? Overall, a long read, but worth the epic journey from page to page, book to book.

[comfypants · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A king offends his strongest ally in the middle of a war.Good. It's very repetitive, but its interesting.

[madepercy-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This version was quite the tome and I suffered from RSI just from holding the book. I have embarked upon the Great Books series as set out by Hutchins and Adler at the University of Chicago and this great tale is number 1. This is no small task but it is essential. Time and again I have seen movies about Achilles and the fall of Troy but there is something to be said about the various translations and notes that direct the reader to a long history of debates, arguments, and disagreements over Homer (or whether it was Homers), and then the translations that incorporate the Latin amendments (such as Samuel Butler's), and then how the "folk tradition" has twisted and turned this nation-building epic to suit different times. The movies have it that Hector was simply out-classed, not that he ran three laps around the walls of Troy trying to escape Achilles, not that the gods intervened time and again, even helping to kill other soldiers and so on. I like the introduction's idea of Hector as a complete man, husband, father, prince, warrior; whereas Achilles is the unbalanced warrior, hell-bent on death and glory. I have now started on The Odyssey and I did not know that the Trojan horse was not of the first book, I had suspicions but I did not know that Ulysses was the Latin name, and so on. Even the unpacking of these issues helps with my reading of Plato and Aristotle. I felt I had arrived at a place where reading more of the classic scholars made no sense unless I had at least a working grasp of Homer. But the manly ideal that has been bastardised by Hollywood and others has set me thinking deeply. Honour didn't mean masculine aggression at all costs, or that any man could do anything, or that class could not hold one back and so on. In the translation (rather than bastardisation) of the original, an entirely different view of masculinity emerges. These people were all fallible, all helped or thwarted by fortune, the gods played a major role in the plot (religion is all but excluded from the Brad Pitt version of the story), and Paris, a snivelling coward, is not helped out by Hector. Hector hates him! So much to unlearn from reading one of the oldest "western" texts. I shirk at this title - much like the re-writing of Greek ideas about masculinity, all of a sudden the Eastern Europeans get a guernsey in the Great Race Race because they were so brilliant. But it really does set me at ease to now see the portrayals of the Greek ideal and be able to see it for what it was meant to be. This does not help me to feel more secure in the world, but it does help me to see the world differently, and, maybe, more accurately.

[helenliz_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

So I don't much like flying. Like really, I do not like flying. And I had to fly to the US for work. In which case the coping mechanism is tranquilisers and a book I have to concentrate on - it serves to distract me. Having read [The Odyssey] earlier in the year, I figured I'd go all classical and try [The Illiad] this time. It's one of those occasions when you know what's going to happen, this is all about how you arrive at the ending. It's quite intense, being set over a limited number of weeks towards the end of the 10 year siege of Troy. Despite the intervention of the gods, the entire thing is very human, with the whole gamut of emotions present, from the great and heroic to the petty. It's all very sad, and there's no sense of resolution at the end of the book, the war continues without seeming to have resolved anything, despite the bloodshed. I found the introductory notes interesting and informative and it was worth wading through them initially.

[serogers02-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

And so the Trojans buried Hector breaker of horses.

[thefirstdark · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Always, one of the most Epic of the EPICS! From childhood to current day, I've always been obsessed with legends and myths. 5 stars all the way!


Always, one of the most Epic of the EPICS! From childhood to current day, I've always been obsessed with legends and myths. 5 stars all the way!

[jerenda-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'm reading this for English, but it's really good. I've got a background in Greek mythology, though, which helps me understand a lot of the stuff going on, and I've got a really out-there vocabulary. Only read this if you can keep up with Old English and if you've got at least basic knowledge of the Greek myths. Once you get into it, it's really interesting. The worst part of it is the way Homer stops in the middle of a battle and tells somebody's life story, just to kill him in the next stanza. That really aggravates me. Homer's a little long-winded, and I reall don't think this'd ever get published if it wasn't valuable for it's historical importance. It's just not that interesting.

[janerawoof · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Finally reading one of the cornerstones of Western literature! I was surprised to find the story circumscribed from what I had thought; it only covered the last month and a half of the war: anger of Achilles through burial of Hector. Massively boring until Book 9. Descriptions of fighting and killing were more gruesome and graphic than many modern novels. It was difficult to tell who is speaking, since the speaker used very long dialogue and spoke in paragraphs. I know it's a poem and originally meant to be recited, but I wish it were divided like a novel. I discovered some incidents I didn't realized happened since I had read summaries or retellings. At Book 19 began the really familiar incidents--death of Patroclos, entry of Achilleus into the war, his killing of Hector in revenge for the death of Patroclos, Priam's pleading for Hector's body. The death of Patroclos seemed to influence and overshadow subsequent action. I never realized the importance of Aias [Ajax?] and he was the only one not given divine help as the other characters. The chariot race and funeral games section was fantastic. Fascinating how human the gods and goddesses were; how they took sides and tried to manipulate the action, often with shape-shifting. I can see where Virgil chose Aeneas as HIS hero, since Aeneas was one of the few Trojans left alive or not carried off into slavery. I certainly did appreciate the glossary [subject index]. I referred to it often while reading. I read Lattimore's translation, which I didn't like much at first but it grew on me. I'm eager to try Fagles, since I liked his Aeneid.

[cecrow · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

{Review of E.V. Rieu's prose translation, Penguin Classics} Reading a prose version of The Iliad is like having your learned friend read the poem silently to himself and occasionally pausing to explain to you what's going on. This is a very thorough translation of the action, but you won't grasp why Homer is called a master bard or find his genius. For all the translator's efforts this reads almost like a comic book version minus the pictures. That makes it simple to breeze through and there's no question you'll know the whole story by the end, but you'll not have been swept up by it as you would if you've any ear for poetry. Since I don't, I judge little harm was done in my case. Like the Bible and Shakespeare this tale of men and gods permeates Western culture, but if you've no familiarity with it at all then you might want some context. The Iliad only covers two months of the Greeks' decade-long seige of Troy, and is neither the beginning nor the end of that event. The warriors are larger-than-life, there are powerful interferring gods supporting either side, violent combat is graphically described, and every death gets its eulogy. I always sympathize with the Trojans, which is remarkable in light of the Greek author. A number of the differently spelled names in this edition threw me off. Hera becomes "Here" (leading to many initial misreads of a sentence where I mistook the noun), and Athena is similarly rendered "Athene". Where I expected a Greek named Ajax, here he is "Aias". Prose emphasizes (introduces?) flaws, at least by modern standards: characters bursting into speeches at the most inopportune times, curious repetitions/echoes, lengthy descriptive asides. The battles are mostly an unlikely sequence of staged set pieces that don't transmit the chaos and bewilderment of an actual field of battle. At the conclusion there is a miniature Olympics I wasn't expecting that has some farcical moments. The story is still epic and entertaining no matter how it's told. It's something you'll want familiarity with if you're a student of Western literature, but read a poetic version if you can.

[claytond.g1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Iliad is about a prince, Paris who loves this princess from the Achaean empire. He loved this goddess so much and she him he snuck away with her. Zeus saw this and helped out the Achaeans but not for their sake but for Odysseus’s. Odysseus the son of a goddess met with her a beach and said his plight to her that he needed help to defeat the Trojans. With over a thousand ships sailing at the Trojans known for their walls they defeated all the smaller states along the way to the Trojans just for king Agamemnon’s prize, Helen. Eventually after Paris challenged their best warrior and being saved by a goddess who flew him away from his emanate doom. He recovered just to see that the Trojans have been defeated and he dies along with Odysseus, but Helena makes it away. I would recommend this book since it is a classic. It has a lot of unneeded information but it still is a great book. Unless you like ancient Greek mythology you will love this. It is, in a way, educational. So overall I would recommend this book.

[lukerik-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I read Homer in my teens and finding I didn't much like him, thought it might be down to the translator. Having just read this version (it's Robert Fagles') I think I must conclude that Homer and I are not made for each other. There is some good stuff in here, like the argument over Briseis mirroring the taking Helen and the cause of the war. The poem is essentially about the folly of mankind and everything feeds through to that theme (the incompetent prosecution of the war, war itself, the petty squabbles etc) but it's not enough to justify the mindless battle scenes that dominate most of the book and the loss of the thread of the narrative. I did appreciate it more than last time though as since my first reading I've read the Greek tragedies. There's a brief altercation between Agamemnon and the high priest. If you're reading it cold it means nothing but if you've read a bit of Euripides you know that Agamemnon has murdered his own daughter at the instigation of the priest.As to the translation itself I notice that the English line count is much greater than the Greek. I think Fagles may have expanded the action. It's certainly much easier to understand what is physically happening than it was in the other translation. Unfortunately Fagles is a poor poet. What he's written is not poetry at all but prose with line breaks. The sentence structure is amateurish. Perhaps you think me very old fashioned, expecting the translator of a classic work of poetry to be a good poet, but there you are. The introduction on the other hand is superb.Anyway, I hope you enjoy it more than me. As this book has been preserved so carefully down the centuries my opinion would appear to be in the minority.

[dham340 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The back cover of lombardo's translation of the Iliad boldly states "this is as good as Homer gets in English". I don't doubt it. The language is clearly more modern than other translations I have sampled and its pace is gripping.

Obviously, the are tons if ink spilled in reviewing the Iliad, so I will not even attempt to add to it in describing Homer's story.

But, I will say it is, at essence a war story and Lombardo has captured it in English incredibly well. The average reader may dread the suggestion of reading Homer as it has a reputation as dense ancient poetry. Not so with Lombardo.

Highly recommended.

[amelia_smith-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I listened to the audio version of this and I will have to listen to it again, probably more than once. It's a rambling story, but a great window onto another time and place, and perhaps more importantly, a pre-modern, oral mode of storytelling which I could stand some more of.

[viking2917_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What a great translation.....