Ancient Greece & Trojan War Characters: Homer, Sophocles, and Key Figures from The Iliad and Philoctetes

Homer

Civilization: Ancient Greece (Archaic Period);

Writing Period: ~750-500 BCE;

Associated Works: The Iliad, The Odyssey

Sophocles

Civilization: Ancient Greece (Archaic-Classical Period); Writing Period: ~497-406 BCE;

Associated Works: Philoctetes

Philoctetes

Work: Philoctetes;

Key Actions: Possesses the bow of Heracles, was abandoned on Lemnos by the Greeks, he refuses to help them win the Trojan War until persuaded by Neoptolemus and Heracles;

Behavior: Bitter, stubborn, and in constant pain, but principle;

Being: Mortal human

Neoptolemus

Work: Philoctetes;

Key Actions: Sent (by Odyssesus) to trick Philoctetes into giving up his bow, but his conscience and noble nature win out, and he befriends Philoctetes instead. Behavior: Honorable, compassionate, initially conflicted.

Being: Mortal human, son of Achilles

Odysseus

Work: The Iliad, Philoctetes;

Key Actions: A cunning Achaean leader known for his strategy, he devises the deceptive plan to retrieve Philoctetes' bow;

Behavior: Pragmatic, manipulative, eloquent, focused on the mission's success above all;

Being: Mortal human

Achilles

Work: The Iliad;

Key Actions: Withdraws from battle after Agamemnon dishonors him, returns to avenge the death of his companion Patroclus by killing Hector;

Behavior: The greatest Achaean warrior, defined by his immense pride and rage;

Being: demigod (mortal father - Peleus; goddess mother - Thetis)

Agamemnon

Work: The Iliad;

Key Actions: Commander of the Achaean forces, he seizes Achilles' war prize, Briseis, which ignites Achilles' rage and becomes the central conflict of the epic; Behavior: Arrogant, selifsh, and often a reckless leader; Being: Mortal human

Calchas

Work: The Iliad;

Key Actions: A powerful seer for the Achaean army who correctly identifies the cause of the plague sent by Apollo (Agamemnon's refusal to return Chryseis); Behavior: Wise but fearful of Agamemnon's wrath;

Being: Mortal human (seer)

Nestor

Work: The Iliad;

Key Actions: An elderly and resepcted counselor to the Achaens, he often gives long speeches full of advice drawng from his past experiences;

Behavior: Wise, persuasive, thought sometiems long-winded;

Being: Mortal human

Phoenix

Work: The Iliad;

Key Actions: A mentor and father figure to Achilles, he is part of the embassy that attempts to persuade Achilles to rejoin the battle;

Behavior: Paternal, emotional, and loyal to Achilles; Being: Mortal human

Hector

Work: The Iliad;

Key Actions: The greatest warrior and leader of the Trojan army, he kills patroclus, leading to his own death at the hands of Achilles;

Behavior: Brave, dutiful, and a loving family man who fights to protect his city;

Being: Mortal human

Priam

Work: The Iliad;

Key Actions: The elderly King of Troy, compassionate, pious, father of Hector and Paris;

Behavior: Dignified, courageous, and grief stricken;

Being: Mortal human

Paris

Work: The Iliad;

Key Actions: His abduction of Helen caused the Trojan War, he is an archer who tends to shy away from direct combat.

Behavior: Often seen as cowardly, selfish and more interested in love than war.

Being: Mortal human, favored and saved by Aphrodite

Andromache

Work: The Iliad;

Key Actions: The wife of Hector and mother of Astyanax, begs Hector not to fight, fearing for his life and the future of their family;

Behavior: Loving, devoted, fearful, loyal, good wife, sharp-eyed and tactical, opinionated (freedom to express);

Being: Mortal human

Helen

Work: The Iliad;

Key Actions: Her abduction by Paris is the cause of the war, she is filled with regret and self-loathing for the suffering she has caused;

Behavior: Conflicted, regretful, objectified by those around her ("evil beauty"), disregarded whenever she expresses her opinions

Briseis

Work: The Iliad;

Key Actions: A Trojan woman captured by Achilles as his war prize;

Agamemnon's seizue of her from Achilles is the catalyst for the epic's main conflict;

Behavior: A pawn in the conflict between heroes;

Being: Mortal human

Chryseis

Work: The Iliad;

Key Actions: Daughter of a priest of Apollo, her capture by Agamemnon and his refusal to ransom her causes Apollo to send a plague on the Achaean army;

Being: Mortal human

Chryses

Work: The Iliad;

Key Actions: A priest of Apollo who offers a ransom for his daughter, Chryseis. When Agamemnon refuses, he prays to Apollo for vengeance;

Behavior: Devout and determined;

Being: Mortal human

Patroclus

Work: The Iliad;

Key Actions: Achilles' most beloved companion, he wears Achilles' armor to save the Achaeans but is killed by Hector, prompting Achilles' return to the war;

Behavior: Kind, loyal, and brave;

Being: Mortal human

Zeus

Work: The Iliad;

Key Actions: King of the gods who acts as an arbiter of fate, he is officially neutral but helps the Trojans at Thetis's request;

Behavior: The ulimate authority, powerful but susceptible to the schemes of other gods;

Being: god

Athena

Work: The Iliad;

Key Actions: A fierce supporter of the Achaeans, she frequently intervenes in battle to help heroes like Diomedes and Odysseus;

Behavior: Wise, strategic, and warlike;

Being: goddess

Ares

Work: The Iliad; Key Actions: God of war who fights on the side of the Trojans; Behavior: Violent, impulsive, and generally subordinate to the schemes of other gods; Being: god

Poseidon

Work: The Iliad; Key Actions: God of the sea who supports the Achaeans; he aids the Greeks in battle while Zeus is distracted; Being: god

Thetis

Work: The Iliad; Key Actions: A sea nymph and the immortal mother of Achilles. She persuades Zeus to help the Trojans for a time to honor Achilles; Being: goddess (Nereid)

Hera

Work: The Iliad; Key Actions: Queen of the gods, wife and sister of Zeus, and a fierce supporter of the Achaeans. She often schemes to distract or deceive Zeus; Being: goddess

Hephaestus

Work: The Iliad; Key Actions: The god of the forge, he creates the magnificent armor for Achilles at Thetis' request; Behavior: Lame, skilled craftsman, son of Zeus and Hera; Being: god

Apollo

Work: The Iliad; Key Actions: Supports the Trojans. He sends a plague on the Achaean army and often helps Hector; Being: god

Menelaus

Work: The Iliad; Key Actions: King of Sparta, husband of Helen, and brother of Agamemnon. The Trojan War is fought to get his wife back; Behavior: A competent but not outstanding warrior; Being: Mortal human

Ajax Greater and Younger

Work: The Iliad; Key Actions: Great Ajax is a powerful Achaean warrior, often second only to Achilles. Little Ajax is a swift Achaean warrior; Being: Mortal humans

Iris

Work: The Iliad; Key Actions: Messenger of the gods, often carrying messages between Olympus and the mortal world; Being: goddess

Aphrodite

Work: The Iliad; Key Actions: Goddess of love and beauty, she supports the Trojans and rescues Paris from a duel with Menelaus; Being: goddess

Asclepius

Work: The Iliad (his son Machaon is a healer); Key Actions: Though not a main character, he is the legendary son of Apollo and a hero known as the god of medicine and healing; Being: god (or demigod/hero, later deified)

Heracles

Work: Philoctetes (appears as a divine figure); Key Actions: The greatest Greek hero. His powerful bow is integral to the plot of Philoctetes; Being: demigod (later deified)

Diomedes

Work: The Iliad; Key Actions: Achaean hero who has an aristeia (period of battlefield dominance) where he wounds two gods, Aphrodite and Ares; Behavior: Brave and skilled, often referred to as "master of the war-cry"; Being: Mortal human

Glaucus

Work: The Iliad; Key Actions: A powerful Lycian (Trojan ally) hero who famously exchanges his gold armor for Diomedes' bronze armor (gold for bronze) during a truce based on ancestral xenia; Being: Mortal human

Hecuba

Work: The Iliad; Key Actions: Wife of Priam, Queen of Troy, and mother of Hector, Paris, and Cassandra; Behavior: A loving mother, later grief-stricken by the deaths of her sons and the fall of her city; Being: Mortal human

Astyanax

Work: The Iliad; Key Actions: Infant son of Hector and Andromache, a symbol of the future of Troy; Being: Mortal human

Thersites

Work: The Iliad; Key Actions: A common Achaean soldier who criticizes Agamemnon and the war effort in Book 2; he is publicly beaten by Odysseus for his insolence; Behavior: Subversive, ugly, and loud-mouthed; Being: Mortal human