Iliad

The conflict between Achilles and Agamemnon over the sex slave Briseis may seem somewhat trivial on the face of it. But to both these men with big egos, this is a matter of honor. As far as...

Achilles is a Greek hero, and this means he has character flaws. Achilles is enraged when Agamemnon takes Briseis, and this action threatens his pride. Achilles is egotistical and craves glory and...

As we see in book 3 of the Iliad, Helen and Paris have mixed feelings for one another. Especially in Helen, lust and an extreme desire for Paris mix with a sense of sorrow and disgust at the...

The structure and themes of Homer's epic poem the Iliad have become the exemplar for many of the subsequent epic poems in the Western literary canon. For your assignment, consider the following...

In the Iliad, the gods and goddesses play a very important part. In order to answer your question, you might want to explain that this is because the ancient Greek faith believed that the gods were...

Even if one accepts that there really is such a thing as unconditional love between humans, it’s notable by its absence from the relationship between Helen and Paris. To a large extent, this is...

The scene in which Andromache bids farewell to Hector on the eve of battle is one of the most tender in the entire poem. Hector appears in body armor, a long plume emerging from his helmet, to say...

The gods and goddesses portrayed in Homer's Iliad are anthropomorphic, meaning that they take forms like those of human beings. Even though they are immortal and have great powers, the gods have...

It's not enough for the Trojans to fight bravely on the field of battle. If they're going to prevail against the Achaeans, they're going to need some divine assistance. That's one of the reasons...

First of all, The Iliad is extremely important as a historical document and a lens through which we can examine the ancient past. Through this epic, we can gain insights into the religious life of...

The gods have a complicated but important role in The Iliad. On the one hand, they are far more powerful than human beings and are depicted as having the ability to shape and manipulate human...

The gods and goddesses of ancient Greek mythology regularly intervene throughout the Iliad. They get involved at key points, invariably driving the action forward. In doing so, they show themselves...

Both versions appear in antiquity. Neither is "correct" or "incorrect". They are just two different versions of a story.

The Iliad reveals much about Greek culture as it existed before the Classical Age. As other contributors have already pointed out, we see within this poem the primacy of warfare in the era....

Achilles became angered by Hector when in Book 17 Hector killed Achilles' dear friend and half brother Patroclus. In Book 17, Achilles sends Patroclus to help defend the Achaian ships from the...

In Book 1 of the Iliad, Agamemnon is forced to return the girl Chryseis to her father, a priest of Apollo, in order to end a mysterious plague that has been afflicting the Greek army. Agamemnon is...

Achilles is the pre-eminent warrior among the Achaeans, and his status as such makes his rage the primary driver of events in the Iliad. Wherever his rage is directed, the action of the poem...

Homer's Iliad opens with thematic lines: Anger be now my song, immortal one, Akhileus' anger, doomed and ruinous, That causes the Akhaians loss on bitter loss And crowded brave souls into the...

Homer's The Iliad is one of the most famous examples of Classic Greek poetry. Epic poetry is characterized by lengthy narrative and themes of heroism or a journey. Many other genres have been...

Andromache is precious to Hector for the following three reasons. First, he knows she loves and cares about him. As she tells him, he is her everything: a husband, a beloved companion, and also,...

Achilles death is not described in the text of The Iliad. The story of his death is part of later Greek myths. However the death of Achilles is predicted by Hector in Book 22, as he is dying by...

As readerofbooks suggests, there may be many morals in a work of such length and complexity as Homer's Iliad. As his post also suggests, "the costs of pride" can be argued to be the central moral...

Answers will vary for this opinion-based question. It is important to provide reasons to back up and explain your answer. Zeus is reluctant to bestow the golden apple. He says Paris, a Trojan...

As noted by gcarden498, "in medias res" is a Latin phrase meaning "in the middle of things." With respect to Homer's Iliad, because other poems in the Greek epic cycle dealt with the events leading...

Achilles comes into the Iliad a glorious and prideful hero, demanding due respect and prizes for the acts of glory and talent he displays on the battlefield at Troy. This can be seen in Book One...

Achilles' stallions were named Balios and Xanthos, born of a union between the harpy Podarge and Zephyros (the West Wind). The horses, who were immortal, were given by Poseidon as a gift to...

Historians have now dug up enough facts to believe that something like the Trojan War may have really occurred. However, the story of how it began and what started it is part of Ancient Greek...

To offer supplications to a god is to pray to them and ask for favors. The Trojan women are terrified and turning to Athena, the goddess of wisdom, for protection against the invading Greeks. In...

In a story full of heroic characters it can be hard to identify the central hero. The other educator answer here makes a good case for Hector. He does seem to be the most heroic hero in the epic...

Andromache is called Hector's precious wife quite simply because she is precious to him. The entire war is caused by Paris's love for Helen, and the squabble between Agamemnon and Achilles which...

Arete is honor and excellence. Males achieved arete in the Ancient Greek world by becoming valiant warriors. War was the chief source of male honor in life and after death, for courageous fighters...

The narrator of Homer's Illiad speaks from a third-person omniscient point of view. Specifically, the narrator is the poet himself. Homer appears to know the gist of the historical events that he...

Apollo helps Hector and the Trojans because the god is angry at the Greeks for dishonoring his priest. According to Homer: And which of the gods was it that set them on to quarrel? It was the son...

Homer's poem The Iliad is a classic example of an epic poem because it adheres to the traditional epic form in so many ways. For instance, the story takes place over a wide area. Specifically, The...

There are two ways in which to answer this. Let me give you two types of answers. One from a human point of view, and another from a divine point of view. From a human point of view, Hector died...

Plato called Homer the teacher of Greece and Homer has continued to be widely read, referred to, and imitated throughout subsequent western literature, from Virgil's Aeneid to Walcott's Omeros. As...

The Iliad reveals the loyalty and devotion which are integral parts of Hector's and Andromache's characterization. Hector and Andromache are two of the most loyal characters in the Iliad. They...

One of the most poignant aspects of Homer's Iliad is his development of the ancient definition of tragedy. Homer is able to display characters who are poised between equally desirable, but...

Homer's world is very different than our world. This might be an obvious statement, but it is a necessary point to make. In Homer's world, certain characteristics were valued like courage, honor,...

The most famous description of Hector's death occurs in Book 22 of Homer's Iliad. In this book, Achilles, having reconciled his quarrel with Agamemnon, returns to the fighting and is intent on...

Homer's poem The Iliad is consistently described as an epic poem, but does it meet those criteria? An epic is typically a very long narrative piece that follows a single hero or group of heroes,...

You could argue that before the story began, the Trojans had already received the help of Poseidon in building their wall, but thanks to their lack of tribute he had withdrawn his protection, so...

Although she has a small role in Homer's epic poem The Iliad, Helen has a profound impact on the action of the plot. She is, after all, the primary cause of the Trojan War, during which the poem is...

This is a complex question. The title of the poem does not give us any guidance, either. The Aeneid, for example, is named after Aeneas, literally the story of Aeneas, which helps us to understand...

The word "climax" is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as: The culmination, peak, or apex of something; the most important or exciting part of a film, contest, etc., usually happening near...

Odysseus is a prominent figure in the story about his journey home after the Trojan War, The Odyssey; however, he is merely a supporting character in the Iliad by Homer. When we do see him, he is...

It was dangerous for King Priam to claim the body of his son Hector because he had to go into the Greek camp all by himself. He might have been killed or taken prisoner before he ever reached...

The gods and goddesses in The Iliad act out of self-interest and sometimes pettiness, which makes them very much like mortal humans. With a few exceptions such as Zeus, the deities take sides in...

I think it is a common mistake of students to take on subjects that are too big. Unless you are specifically required to write about Homer's Iliad as a whole, you ought to choose a single character...

Of the many realities shown about the Greek culture, I think Homer does a good job of showing how savage the society truly is. There is much in way of glory that is displayed, and much more in way...