Book 1 summary

How does book one start

Homer invokes the Muse, the goddess of memory, to ‘sing’ through him; he announces his theme as the anger of Achilles

What does Chryses offer Agamemnon for the return of his daughter?

A ransom

What happens when Agamemnon rejects Chryses the ransom

Apollo sends a plague on the greeks

What happens 9 days into the plague

9 days later, Hera prompts Achilles to call an assembly; he asks Calchas, the augur, to explain the plague; Achilles promises to protect Calchas if anyone is angry

What does Calchas explain

Calchas explains that Apollo is angry at Agamemnon for his insult

What does Agamemnon demand in return for chrysies

Agamemnon agrees to return Chryseis but demands an alternative prize in return

What was the dispute between achilles and agamemnon about

Achilles accuses Agamemnon of being a poor leader, as he gets the best prizes but stays in camp and doesn’t do most of the fighting

· Agamemnon says that Achilles is only a great warrior because a god made him one; he declares he will take Achilles’ own prize, a girl called Briseis

· Achilles is about to attack/kill Agamemnon but Athene, sent by Hera, prevents him

What does achilles do after the fight

Achilles threatens to abandon the fighting, along with all his men; he says that the Greeks will soon miss him when they are all dying

Achilles leaves with Patroclus and his army, the Myrmidons

Who tries to reconcile achilles and agamemnon

Nestor attempts to reconcile the two men, hoping they will listen to him because he is older and more experienced than them; but he fails

Who takes brysies away from achilles

Agamemnon’s heralds come and take Briseis away from Achilles

What does achilles do after leaving

Achilles weeps and calls on his mother Thetis to ask Zeus for help on his behalf; he wants Zeus to help the Trojans defeat the Greeks in battle and kill them

· Thetis weeps and mourns the fact that Achilles is destined to an early death

Who returns chrysies to chyrses

Odysseus and others return Chryseis along with an offering of cattle/oxen for sacrifice; they make sacrifices to Apollo and feast

What does Thetis do to help her son

The Olympians are away in Ethiopia for 12 days but when they return, Thetis goes to Zeus and supplicates him

· She requests that Zeus allow the Trojans to win the battles for a while so that the Greeks will realise how valuable Achilles is to them

· Zeus is reluctant to help but agrees; he and Hera argue as she supports the Greeks

What happens when zeus and hera argue

Zeus threatens to physically hurt Hera so that she stops arguing with him

· Hephaestus restores the peace by encouraging Hera to make peace with Zeus again; he reminds them of the time Zeus threw him off Mount Olympus

Who restors peace in olympia

Hephaestus serves wine to the gods and they all laugh at him bustling about; they enjoy drinking, feasting and music until night time when they retire to bed