The Iliad Study Guide
The “Iliad” is a great story of the battle of Troy written by Homer. It is a marvelous book and it doesn’t matter if Homer wrote it by himself or just collected the numerous poems and songs of vagarious artists of that time. It is often called the first work of world literature that talks about all problems of humanity.
Imagine a war between the Greeks (Achaians) and the Troyans that lasts for nine long years. The reason is a woman named Helena, who is a sister-in-law of the Achaians King Agamemnon. The Achaian troops are becoming weaker and weaker, they suffer from diseases and lack of resources. The nights are full of funeral fires.
Because of the quarrel with the King, Achaians best warrior named Achilles joins the other side. But when his army is getting close to being completely destroyed, he sends his companion Patroklos to the battlefield, dressed in Achilles’ armor. This trick inspires the Achaians and terrifies the Troyans, the course of the battle changes until the great warrior is killed.
Achilles decides to face sure death and calls for revenge. His rage leads his fellow soldiers to a victory and he manages to kill the best soldier of Troy, Hektor. He finds it in himself to allow his enemy a proper burial and returns Hektor’s body to his parents.
With lots of duels and godly interventions, death and love, the duty of family and the duty of the state, this poem can be truly called the story of a lifetime. It was repeated over and over in millions of other works and it continues to reveal numerous interpretation opportunities within the contemporary morals and standards.
One can say that “Iliad” is the kind of book that makes you proud of yourself after having finished reading the text. It isn’t the easiest to comprehend, but it's worth thinking it over, letting it into your heart and experience the spirit.
Author: Arnold Campbell
New Essays
The Gods Role in The Iliad The gods in The Iliad are very greedy, self-centered, vain, malicious, and two-faced. Homer does a very good job of showing us this throughout the entire epic poem, and he does it in such a way so that anyone who reads this can understand. All of the gods that get...
The period in which the events in The Iliad took place were different than the times of today. Back then, the most important aspect of life for a person was to be a hero and to be remembered. One's pride would come before everything else. In the present day, this concept would be thought of as...
In the poem Iliad by Homer, Homer begins the epic by asking the goddess to sing about the rage of Achilles. That is the main theme of the poem. The reason why there is so much anger and conflict in the Iliad is because the Homeric law of honor and respect is being insulted which results to rage...
In Homer's epic, The Iliad, there are many great characters, both mortal and immortal. However, no characters seem to match the greatness and importance of Achilles, the mightiest of the Greeks and Hector, Trojan prince and mightiest of the Trojans. Although they are the mightiest of their forces...