......The Iliad is an epic poem, a long narrative work about
heroic exploits that is elevated in tone and highly formal in its
language. It was composed in ancient Greek and transmitted orally
before it was written down. Many modern translators present the
Iliad in prose, making it read like a novel.
Slide 4
The Iliad derives the first two syllables of its name from
Ilios or Ilion (Greek for Troy) or, alternately, from Ilium (Latin
for Troy). The suffix -ad means related to, concerning, having to
do with, or associated with. Thus, Iliad means a story concerning
Troy.
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Time of Action: About 3,200 years ago in recorded history's
infancy, when humankind's imagination peopled the known world with
great heroes and villains and nature reflected the mood of the gods
inhabiting the mountaintops, the seas, the forests, and the unseen
worlds above and below. Homer fashioned The Iliad, the story of the
Trojan War, about 600 years after the war ended. The story is a
mixture of fact, legend, and myth.
Slide 6
Place of Action: The walled city of Troy and the surrounding
plains in northwestern Anatolia, a region that is part of
modern-day Turkey. Anatolia is west of Greece (across the Aegean
Sea) and north of Egypt (across the Mediterranean Sea).
Slide 7
The Iliad ranks as one of the most important and most
influential works in world literature in that it established
literary standards and conventions that writers have imitated over
the centuries, down to the present day. It also created archetypes
that hundreds of great writersincluding Vergil, Dante, Shakespeare,
Stephen Crane, and James Joycealluded to when in need of an apt
metaphor or simile.archetypes
Slide 8
In addition, the Iliad provided a mother lode of information
about Greek customs and ideals and about Greek mythology. Even
though its author had no similar literary model on which to base
his work, he wrote a masterpiece that ranks with the greatest works
of all time. No student of literature can ignore Homer. No writer's
education is complete unless he has read Homer.
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The meter (rhythmic pattern of syllables) of Homers epic poems
is dactylic hexameter.dactylic hexameter A dactyl is a metrical
foot consisting of one accented syllable followed by two unaccented
syllables, as in the words technical (TEK nik l), allocate (AL oh
kate), and harbinger (HAR bin jer). Hexameter is a line containing
six metrical feet. Thus, dactylic hexameter is a scheme containing
six dactyls, as in the following line: MAKE me a BEAU ti ful GOWN
and a HAT fringed with TASS les of DOWN, good sir. For a full
detailed discussion and explanation of meter and its forms, click
here.click here
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One of the hallmarks of the Homeric style is the epithet, a
combination of a descriptive phrase and a noun. An epithet presents
a miniature portrait that identifies a person or thing by
highlighting a prominent characteristic of that person or thing. In
English, the Homeric epithet usually consists of a noun modified by
a compound adjective, such as the following: fleet-footed Achilles,
rosy-fingered dawn, wine-dark sea, earth-shaking Poseidon, and
gray-eyed Athena.
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Homer established literary practices, rules, or devices that
became commonplace in epic poetry written later. These rules or
devices are now known as epic conventions. They include the
following: 1. The invocation of the muse, a goddess. In Greek
mythology, there were nine muses, all sisters, who were believed to
inspire poets, historians, flutists, dancers, singers, astronomers,
philosophers, and other thinkers and artists. If one wanted to
write a great poem, play a musical instrument with bravado, or
develop a grand scientific or philosophical theory, he would ask
for help from a muse. When a poet asked for help, he was said to be
invoking the muse. The muse of epic poetry was named Calliope [kuh
LY uh pe].
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2. Telling a story with which readers or listeners are already
familiar; they know the characters, the plot, and the outcome. Most
of the great writers of the ancient worldas well as many great
writers in later times, including Shakespeare frequently told
stories already known to the public. Thus, in such stories, there
were no unexpected plot twists, no surprise endings. If this sounds
strange to you, the modern reader and theatergoer, consider that
many of the most popular motion pictures today are about stories
already known to the public. Examples are The Passion of the
Christ, Titanic, The Ten Commandments, Troy, Spartacus, Pearl
Harbor, and Gettysburg.
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3. Conflict in the celestial realm. Divine beings fight and
scheme against one another in the epics of Homer and Virgil, and
they do so in John Milton's Paradise Lost on a grand scale, with
Satan and his forces opposing God and his forces.
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4. Use of epithets. See "Homeric Epithet," above.Homeric
Epithet
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The here and now concerns the Greeks at Troy more than the
afterlife, for they generally believe that the abode of the dead is
dark and dismal. Consequently, their main purpose in life is to
achieve immediate rewards and to live for the moment. The idea of a
heaven that will requite them for good deeds, whether on or off the
battlefield, is of less importance to them. However, they generally
do revere the gods of Olympus, who take sides in the war. Offending
the gods could incur their wrath and affect the outcome of the
war.
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Theme 1:. The wrath of Achilles. The main focus of the Iliad is
the anger of the Greek warrior Achilles and the revenge he seeks
against those who wrong him, including the general of the Greek
armies, Agamemnon, and the Trojan warriors.
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Theme 2:. Glory and honor are everything. The war begins
because a Trojan offended Greek honor by absconding with the wife
of a Greek king. The war continuesfor fully 10 yearsin part because
the combatants seek glory on the battlefield. In this respect, the
combatants are like modern athletes, actors, and politicians who
compete for Heisman Trophies, Academy Awards, and votes. Achilles
withdraws from battle on a point of honor; King Priam reclaims his
son's body for the same reason.
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Theme 3:. Revenge. The Greeks seek revenge against the Trojans
because one of the latter has taken the wife of a Greek king.
Chryses and Apollo seek revenge because Agamemnon has defied them.
Achilles seeks revenge against Agamemnon because the latter has
insulted him. Later, after he reenters the battle, Achilles seeks
revenge against the Trojans in generaland Hector in particularfor
the death of Patroclus.
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Theme 4: .Persistence pays. For 10 years, the Greeks fight a
foreign war. Although they long for their families, although they
have lost many men, they refuse to abandon the battlefield.
Ultimately, their pertinacity enables them to gain the upper hand,
setting the stage for ultimate victory.
Slide 20
Theme 5:. Women play important roles in motivating action and
shaping the future. Helen is the immediate cause of the Trojan War.
Chryseis is the cause of the rift between Agamemnon and Apollo's
priest, Chryseis. Briseis is the cause of the rift between
Agamemnon and Achilles. Athena, Aphrodite, Hera, and the sea-nymph
mother of AchillesThetisall affect the action of The Iliad
significantly. Sometimes these goddesses get the better of their
male counterparts.
