ENGL220 Iliad Books I-IV

Homer’s Iliad

Homer’s poem covers a few weeks late in the 9th year of the war

Book IThe argument between Agamemnon and Achilles

Homer states his theme to be “the wrath of Achilles,” and begins his story

in media res

Apollo had caused a plague to strike the Greek forces

Alarmed for the safety of the troops, Achilles asked Agamemnon to consult the seer Calchas

Calchas is afraid to tell Agamemnon the reason for the plague until Achilles personally guarantees his safety.

Calchas reveals that the problem is due to Agamemnon’s captured girl

Agamemnon’s words to Calchas

Chryseis, a girl awarded to Agamemnon as a prize taken when Achilles sacked her homeland, is the daughter of Chryse, a priest of Apollo

Chryse had offered to ransom his daughter. When Agamemnon refused, Chryse asked Apollo for justice.

Thus, the plague.

Agamemnon agrees to give up Chryseis, who is

his concubine, but demands some other "prize" to replace her. Achilles answers that another prize will come later, when Troy is sacked. Agamemnon angrily threatens to take the captive woman of Achilles or of another of the Achaian chiefs, and Achilles responds to this slight by denouncing Agamemnon and threatening to go home to Phthia.

Odysseus returns Chryseis to her father

Agamemnon repeats his threat to take Achilles' prize, and Achilles is about to draw his sword when Athene appears to him and stops

him.

Instead of attacking Agamemnon, Achilles berates him some more, and swears an oath to stay out of the battle so that the Achaians can see how important he is. Nestor tries to reconcile the two chiefs, but without much success. Achilles agrees to surrender his captive woman, Briseis, without a fight. When the messengers from Agamemnon arrive, Achilles hands her over.

Briseis leaves Achilles’ tent

Achilles grieving for Briseis

Briseis

Briseis brought to Agamemnon

He then meets with his mother, Thetis the sea-nymph, and tells her the whole story of how he has been dishonored. He asks her to convince Zeus to make the Trojans win for a while, so the Greeks will realize how much they need Achilles.

Thetis supplicates Zeus, who agrees with her request

Achilles sulks in his tent

Hera, who favors the Greeks, expresses her displeasure over this plan, but Zeus asserts his authority and she is silenced. Hephaestus comforts his mother Hera, and soon all the gods are again at peace, and the day ends.

Book IIZeus sends Agamemnon a deceitful dream indicating that this is a good time for the Achaians to attack. Next morning, Agamemnon summons the chiefs to an assembly and tells them about the dream. Nestor approves, and the chiefs call an assembly of the whole army. Agamemnon takes the scepter and addresses the multitude, telling them that the time has come to give up the struggle (now in its ninth year) and go home. The Achaians are delighted by this and rush for the ships, but Hera sends Athene to intervene. On Athene's orders, Odysseus goes around stopping the flight. To noble men he recalls their duty as leaders, and to common soldiers he asserts the authority of the kings, backed by a blow from the staff.

The Greeks decide to stay. They assemble for battle.

Agamemnon

The Greeks decide to stay. They assemble for battle.

Zeus sends Iris to Priam to get the Trojans stirred up

Iris

Book II ends with a catalog of Greek and Trojan troops

Book III

As the battle begins, Paris sees Menelaus and shrinks back into the ranks in fear, earning a bitter reproach from Hektor. Chastised, Paris proposes a single combat between himself and Menelaus. Hektor is pleased and conveys this proposal to the Greeks, whereupon Menelaus quickly accepts the challenge

Helen’s guys

When Paris sees Menelaus, he hides

Hector scolds him, and Paris then offers to fight Menelaus one-on-one

A truce is prepared, with both armies swearing a great oath

Inside Troy, Iris summons Helen to the battlements

Helen describes Greek leaders to Priam

Paris fights Menelaus

When Paris is grazed by Menelaus’ javelin, Aphrodite rescues him

She takes Paris back to his bedroom

She brings the unwilling Helen to him

Book IV

Zeus would like the war to end right here, but Hera argues and sends Athene down to break the truce

Athene caused the Trojan Pandarus to break the truce. She convinced him to shoot an arrow at Menelaus.

PANDARUS, in Greek legend, son of Lycaon, a Lycian, one of the heroes of the Trojan war. He is not an important figure in Homer. He breaks the truce between the Trojans and the Greeks by treacherously wounding Menelaus with an arrow, and finally he is slain by Diomedes (Homer, Iliad, ii. 827, iv. 88, V. 290). In medieval romance he became a prominent figure in the tale of Troilus and Cressida. He encouraged the amour between the Trojan prince and his niece Cressida; and the word " pander " has passed into modern language as the common title of a lovers' go-between in the worst sense.

Battle resumes after Agamemnon gives pep talks to various groups of Greek warriors

Odysseus and Agamemnon plan strategy