Introduction to The Iliad By: Homer “The Iliad is a powerful, beautiful, and awe-inspiring work of ancient Greece. It combines the horridness and sometimes mundaneness of war into a epic poem filled with art, illustrious descriptions, and a myriad of wonderful literary images…”

Plot Summary It focuses on the end of the ten year Trojan War between the Greeks and the Trojans. The story is primarily about three things: Achilles’ wrath, war itself, and Xenia

Achilles – The Basic Plot This is the story of the anger of the Greek hero Achilles, who, insulted by his commander-in-chief, Agamemnon, withdraws from the war, leaving his fellow Greeks to suffer terrible defeats at the hands of the Trojans. Achilles rejects the attempts by the Greeks to reconcile, and instead, he allows his companion, Patroclus, to lead his troops in his place. Patroclus is slain, and Achilles eventually turns his anger against the Trojans.

The Wrath of Achilles Literary critics argue that the story is completely centered around the “wrath of Achilles”, rather than the Trojan War itself. It is often referred to as the ancient Saving Private Ryan tale, which tells us the raw details of war, leaving nothing to the imagination. Achilles often considered, an amazing man, warrior, and hero, who shows that true friends defend each other until the end.

The Mundaneness of War Although the focus of the tale is on the character Achilles, the harsh depiction of war is also quite evident. The fighting that takes place is often described without any regard to filtering violence: "He brought him down with a glinting jagged rock, massive, top of the heap behind the rampart's edge, no easy lift for a fighter even in prime strength, working with both hands, weak as men are now. Giant Ajax hoisted it high and hurled it down, crushed the rim of the fighter's four-horned helmet and cracked his skull to splinters, bloody pulp..."

Xenia Hospitality to strangers; a divine law, governed by Zeus himself, that says you must offer hospitality to traveling strangers Why does this matter? Laws only applied in the cities, outside cities was dangerous, guaranteed more travel How do both the traveler and host benefit? Story of Diomedes and Glaucus How did this impact the Trojan war?

Role of the gods "But the will of Zeus will always overpower the will of men." Another key element is the extraordinary role of the polytheistic beliefs of the Trojans and Achaeans. Many actions are taken or acted upon as a result of "theistic" beliefs -supposed "divine intervention". Different "gods" were interpreted as being for different armies Apollo for the Trojans Athena for the Achaeans Most of the people that are in the story all seem to believe that most or all of their actions are already predetermined or in the control of the "gods". Homer continues to stress the ability of the gods to control mortal lives, actions, and consequences.