iliad book summaries

book 1

• Agamemnon takes Chryseis as his prize. Chryses, Chryseis' father and priest of Apollo, supplicates to Agamemnon and asks for her to be returned. Agamemnon turns him down and makes him leave. Chryses begs Apollo to punish the Greeks if Chryseis is not returned 

• Apollo plagues the Greeks, killing them slowly. The Greeks ask the seer, Calchas, says it has been sent by Apollo, who is angry at the treatment of his priest. The plague can only be stopped once Agamemnon returns Chryseis to her father 

• Agamemnon agrees to return Chryseis but at the price of another's girl, choosing Achilles' prize, a girl called Briseis, as payment 

• Achilles, angered by the disrespect, gets angry at Agamemnon and nearly kills him, only being stopped by Athena who's been sent by Hera to calm him down. He calms down and instead refuses to fight, going back to his camp with his Myrmidons 

• Chryseis is returned to her father by Odysseus and Briseis is taken from Achilles' camp 

• Achilles talks to his mother, the sea nymph Thetis, and asks her to make Zeus side with the Trojans until Agamemnon learns his lesson and begs Achilles to return. 

• Thetis supplicates to Zeus, begging him to support the Trojans just as Achilles asked, reminding Zeus of the time she saved him from the Olympians' plot to assassinate him and saying he owes her 

• Zeus agrees to the plea despite his fear of his wife, Hera, who supports the Greeks after Paris chose Aphrodite over her  

• Zeus and Hera argue over his decision, Hephaestus resolves the fight and brings peace to Olympus by being a funny little cripple 

book 3

• The armies meet on the Trojan plain, ready to fight. Paris, the younger prince of Troy spots Menelaus, husband of Helen, and hides. Hector calls him a pretty pussy and he agrees :) 

• Paris suggests they end the war with a duel between him and Menelaus, naming the victor the husband of Helen. Everyone agrees. 

• Iris, the messenger goddess, calls Helen from her room to watch the fight, and she gets a father/(kidnapped) daughter bonding moment where she names the Greek generals to the old Trojan men 

• Priam offers sacrifices to the gods, blessing the duel, and lamenting over Paris' foreseeable loss 

• Neither Menelaus or Paris get hit by the spear throws, both shields are hit but only Menelaus' hit breaks through (symbolic of Paris' weak ass weeny). Menelaus hits Paris over the head with his sword, which then breaks on impact with Paris' insufferably large ego- I mean helmet. With the loss of his weapon, Menelaus goes beast mode and strangles Paris with his helmet strap. 

• Aphrodite sees Paris losing and whisks him away in a cloud of (I assume) pink dust, and bringing him to his flowery pink, perfumed bedroom 

• Aphrodite then goes to Helen, making her go to Paris and sleep with him. Helen refuses and gets her ass slut shamed, before finally going to Paris  

• Menelaus rages as he can't find Paris, so Agamemnon declares him the winner 

book 4

• The gods argue over the war. Zeus suggests they let Helen go and spare Troy from destruction as it's his favourite city. Hera says he can destroy her favourite cities as long as Troy ends up being destroyed 

• Zeus gives up the fight and sends Athena to start up the fight. She goes in the disguise of a Trojan soldier, to convince the archer Pandarus to shoot Menelaus. She deflects the arrow slightly so it only injures him lightly 

• Agamemnon rallies his men, praising or insulting them to get them to fight 

• The battle starts again, lots of people die :) 

book 6

• The Greeks are winning, pushing the Trojans back to their gate. Menelaus captures a Trojan charioteer who begs for his life. Menelaus tries to let the man go but Agamemnon comes over and tells him he wants all Trojans killed, so the brothers bond over killing him 

• A Trojan seer and other son of Priam advises Hector to rally the Trojans and make the Trojan women make offerings to Athena to stop Diomedes' rampage 

• Diomedes and a Trojan, Glaucus, meet on the plain and bond over their grandfathers' friendship. They exchange armour, the importance of XENIA (im looking at you ody) 

• Hector leaves the fight and goes into Troy, telling the women to make offerings to Athena before going to find Paris and insulting him until he fights. 

• Once Paris leaves for the battlefields (like a horse), Hector goes to find his wife, Andromache, finding her on the palace walls, where she shouldn't be because she's a woman. After she gives Hector battle advice, he takes off his helmet not to scare their baby son, Astyanax, and they laugh a bit 

• Once they finish talking, Hector leaves for the battlefields for the last time 

book 9

• The Greeks have lost the battle and Agamemnon is desperate, sobbing to the generals to do something or they should just go home, to which Diomedes verbally smacks him in the face and tells him to fuck off if he wants, which leads Nestor to calm them down and suggest an apology to Achilles to try and bring him back. 

• Nestor suggests they send Phoenix, Ajax (big) and Odysseus with gifts. They find him singing to Patroclus on the beach about heroes and their deeds. He welcomes them into his hut (house?? idfk) and makes Patroclus cook them dinner 

• Odysseus starts talking (bad idea) and does a speech in 5 parts: informing Achilles of what's happened in battle that day; setting Hector up as a great rival for Achilles (time/honour); quoting Peleus, Achilles' father (aidos/shame); offering Agamemnon's gifts (geras); hints at the glory Achilles could win (kleos). Achilles turns down the offer, disillusioned with the idea of heroics and saying Agamemnon's doing fine without him (then he proceeds to talk for a page about how not fine Agamemnon is doing without him), and tells Odysseus to tell the Greeks that Achilles intends to leave for Pthia 

• Phoenix goes on a Nestor-level speech about the time Peleus saved him from exile, giving him a home and a job, before talking about the story of the litae (I don't actually get this one :/), and then of Meleager and his wife Cleopatra, who do very Achilles and Patroclus things after pissing off Artemis. Achilles tells Phoenix to cut the sob story and pick a side, saying if he's on Achilles' side he can stay and they'll decide whether to go home in the morning after resting properly 

• Ajax gets annoyed and yells at Achilles, telling him he's dumb for refusing to fight like this over a girl (ironic huh), and that he's a coward if he leaves. Achilles finally agrees to stay, but says he still won't fight until Hector gets to Achilles' part of the camp 

• Everyone goes home, Achilles and Patroclus go to sleep (TOGETHER!! HOMER IS LYING TO US!!)  

• Odysseus tells everyone what happened, Diomedes calls Achilles selfish, they all go to sleep. 

book 10

• Agamemnon and Menelaus can't sleep because the Trojans are camped right outside of the Achaean camps so they call a council of kings to work out what to do. Nestor suggests they send men to spy on them and find out the Trojans' next plan of attack. Diomedes volunteers and takes Odysseus with him. They dress in their armour and Athena watches over them as they head off 

• The Trojans have a similar plan and Hector sends a man to spy on the Greeks. Dolon volunteers, saying he will go up to Agamemnon's ships themselves if Hector gives him Achilles' chariot and horses once they win. 

• Odysseus and Diomedes quickly spot Dolon, chasing and capturing him before interrogating him. Dolon tells them everything in hopes of saving his own life and gets quickly killed and stripped of armour by Diomedes.  

• Using Dolon's information on the positions of the Trojans and their allies, OdyDio decide to attack the newly arrived Thracians who have not set up yet and are vulnerable to attack. They kill 12 Thracians and their King, Rhesus. 

• Athena warns them to leave before another god wakes the other soldiers and they steal Rhesus' chariot and horses, Odysseus uses his bow to whip them and they ride back to the Achaean camps just as Apollo wakes the Thracian soldiers. They return to camp in success and clean themselves of the blood and dirt from the mission. 

book 16

• Patroclus sees the battles going on and begs Achilles to rejoin the fight and save their friends. He scolds Achilles for letting his rage rule him and says he should let the Myrmidons rejoin battle if Achilles himself refuses. Achilles agrees and lets Patroclus go back into battle, dressed in Achilles' armour, and drive the Trojans back from the Achaean camps and leave it at that. Just as the Trojans manage to set fire to a Greek ship, Patroclus and the Myrmidons rejoin the battle. Achilles prays to Zeus for Patroclus' safe return 

• The new fighters and the sight of 'Achilles' drives Hector and the Trojans back. Patroclus fights his way through the retreating Trojans, killing 12 Trojans. Sarpedon, a son of Zeus, turns to fight Patroclus and Zeus considers saving him. Hera tells him off, saying if he does so, the other gods will follow his lead and save whoever they want, so Zeus refrains, letting Patroclus kill Sarpedon. Zeus cries over his dead kid, boo hoo 

• Hector and the Trojans fight over Sarpedon's body, wanting to give him the proper burial rights he deserves. Zeus decided to glorify Patroclus out of respect (of which he has very little) and lets him push the Trojans back to the Trojan walls. The Greeks take Sarpedon's armour and Apollo takes his body back to be buried.  

• Patroclus tries to push the Trojans through their gates and Apollo stops him, Patroclus ignores Apollo's warning and kills Hector's charioteer, displaying hubris. Apollo says enough is enough and, takes his armour and pushing him around to make him dizzy. Once he's been handicapped, Euphorbus, a Trojan soldier stabs him in the back with his spear. Once he's too weak to fight back, Hector appears. Patroclus tries to fight back, eventually losing and dying to a spear to the gut. As he dies, he warns Hector of Achilles' coming rage

book 17

• Euphorbus, tries to strip Patroclus of his armour. Menelaus kills him and tries to take Patroclus' body back. Hector sees this and tries to fight back, Menelaus and big Ajax try to pull Pat back, stopping Hector's efforts. Hector manages to get the armour, putting it on and promising the Trojan who gets Patroclus' body half of the war's spoils.  

• Zeus, knowing Hector's fate, empowers him temporarily, driving the Greeks closer to their ships. Menelaus and Ajax get help from more Greeks, maintaining their hold on Patroclus. Automedon, Achilles' charioteer joins the battle as he can't get Achilles' horses to move as they are too busy crying over Patroclus' death. Hector tries to kill Automedon and fails, Automedon manages to kill a Trojan and strip his armour, saying it eased Patroclus' soul 

• Athena, disguised as Phoenix, revitalises Menelaus, while Apollo, disguised as a Trojan soldier, spurs Hector on to fight more. Menelaus sends Antilochus as a messenger to Achilles, telling him of the circumstances and asking for his help  

• Ajax holds back the Trojans as Menelaus and Meriones manage to carry Patroclus to the ships 

book 18

• Achilles cries + shield 

• Antilochus reaches Achilles and tells him about Patroclus' death and the loss of his armour. Achilles cries and mourns, crying loud enough for Thetis and her sisters to hear at the bottom of the ocean. She comes up to console her son, asking him what's wrong and why he's crying when all Zeus has done is do what he asked, support the Trojans and make the Greeks pay. He tells her of what happens and says he will avenge Patroclus and kill Hector no matter what, even if it kills him. Thetis says she will bring new armour for Achilles, forged by Hephaestus himself, as Hector now wears Achilles' old armour 

• Thetis leaves to go to Hephaestus, and Hera sends Iris to convince Achilles to scare the Trojans away from the Greek ships. Achilles and Athena scare the Trojans away with a yell (and some divine magic) 

• The armies hold their own meetings, discussing what to do next. Polydamas (Trojan) suggests they retreat into the walls for the night and decide what to do in the morning since Achilles has decided to rejoin the battle. Hector, calls him a coward and says they'll camp out again and repeat their attack from today, this gets support from the Trojans as Athena makes them stupid. Meanwhile, in the Greek camp, they mourn Patroclus. Achilles sends men to clean his body and prepare him for burial, but refuses to bury him until he has managed to kill Hector and gotten revenge 

• Thetis goes to Hephaestus, asking him for help and taking about the times she's helped him before. He agrees and makes Achilles his armour (include description of shield here :)) 

book 19

• Thetis brings Achilles' new armour and promises to preserve Patroclus' body for Achilles while he fights. Achilles summons all of his men and the Kings, calling a council to apologises for his rage and says he will be returning to battle. Agamemnon blames his actions on delusion, returning Briseis and giving all of the gifts he promised to Achilles 

• Achilles tries to return to battle at once but Odysseus stops him, telling him his men needed to eat and prepare after resting so long. Achilles refuses to eat but lets the others eat, Athena fills him with energy for the battle. He mourns Patroclus, with Briseis joining his cries as he was the only one who treated her with kindness after being taken from her homeland. 

• Achilles puts his armour on and prepares to go into battle. He gets onto his chariot, telling his horses off for allowing Patroclus to die. The horse responds that it was not himself but the gods, who fated Patroclus to die and Achilles to follow after him. Achilles says he doesn't need to be reminded of his fate and charges into battle. 

book 22

• Death of hector 

• Hector is the last one left outside of the walls, as all the other Trojans ran back inside to safety. Apollo brags about tricking Achilles into letting the Trojans run away. Achilles gets pissy and yells at Apollo for tricking him, before running back to Troy like a death star.  

• Priam and Hecuba beg Hector to come inside and not fight Achilles but he refuses to retreat. When Achilles faces him, he gets scared and gets chased around the city walls 3 times. Apollo gives him the strength to keep running but after Zeus declares the hopelessness of fighting for him, Apollo pulls back and abandons him. 

• Athena appears to Hector in disguise of his brother, Deiphobus, saying they should turn and fight Achilles together. This gives Hector the confidence to fight Achilles, suggesting a pact between them that the winner doesn't desecrate the loser's body. Achilles, fuelled with rage, refuses, throwing his spear and missing Hector completely. Athena returns Achilles' spear to him and Hector throws his spear. He turns to ask Deiphobus for his spear, seeing him gone and realising he has been abandoned by the gods. Hector charges at Achilles with his sword, still wearing Achilles' old armour, Achilles aims his spear at the weak spot in the armour, the throat, killing Hector  

• Dying, Hector begs Achilles to return his body to his parents for burial. Achilles refuses, saying his body will be left for the dogs, before taking back the armour and letting the Greeks stab him. Priam and Hecuba see this and cry, watching Achilles drag him back to the Achaean ships. Andromache hears everyone mourning and passes out 

book 23

• Funeral games 

• Achilles cries a lot again and then decides to destroy Hector's corpse, leaving it head first in the dirt. The corpse is protected by Aphrodite and refuses to rot.  

• The Greeks hold a funeral feast and Achilles refuses to eat until they bury Patroclus.  

• Achilles sleeps and had a dream that the ghost of Patroclus tells him to stop neglecting him and burn his body so he can go to Hades, then asks for their ashes to be combined in a single urn (GAY!!) 

• The next day they send out men to fetch wood and Achilles plans a great funeral for Patroclus. The pyre won't burn so Achilles prays to the winds and Iris goes to the four winds to give his message to them. The pyre lights on fire.  

• LET THE GAMES COMMENCE!! 

• Chariot race: Idomeneus and Little Ajax fight about who will win. Diomedes comes 1^st with definitely no help from Athena (who totally doesn't chuck Ajax off his chariot nooooo). Antilochus comes 2^nd after skeeving Menelaus, who gets mad and they squabble. Menelaus gets 3^rd, Meriones comes 4^th and Eumelus comes 5^th. Achilles feels bad and gives Eumelus the 2^nd place prize, which annoys Antilochus, so Achilles gives Eumelus a bronze plate instead. Antilochus offers the 2^nd place prize to Menelaus after feeling bad about skeeving him and Menelaus accepts. The unclaimed 5^th place prize goes to Nestor for being old or smth idfk. Moral of the story Menelaus and Antilochus aren't piss babies like Achilles and Agamemnon so they can settle disputes like normal people. 

• The boxing match: Epeius wins the fight and gets a 6year old broken in mule, Euryalus loses an gets a two handled drinking cup (honestly I think this fight is useless might as well not be in here) 

• Wrestling: Big Ajax vs Odysseus. They both get equal prizes (also kinda useless, but funny foreshadowing) 

• Footrace: Odysseus gets 1^st (once again with totally no help from Athena), Little Ajax gets 2^nd and Antilochus gets 3^rd. Antilochus praises Odysseus for his age and Achilles gives him another half talent of gold (playing favourites hm). Moral of the story be Athena's favourite, cheat, and respect your elders. 

• Armed combat: Diomedes wins because he's a violent bitch who needs to be muzzled (by me ;)) 

• Throwing competition: Polypoetes won and got a pig-iron that can last 5 years. 

• Archery: Teucer (my bbg) forgot to promise a sacrifice to Apollo so he hit the string tying the pigeon to the stick(??). Meriones prays to Apollo and hits the pigeon. Moral of the story pray to the gods. 

• Javelin: Achilles just gives the gift to Agamemnon because everyone knows Agsmemnon is goated at javelin. Meriones gets the 2^nd place spear and there is no javelin competition 

book 24

• Achilles cries again. At dawn he connects Hector's body to his chariot and drags him around Patroclus' mound 3 times. Apollo protects the corpse. 

• The gods argue about the treatment of the body by Achilles, urging Hermes to steal the corpse, but Hera, Poseidon, and Athena disagree. After 11 days of this, Apollo talks about how pious Hector was and how many people loved him, making the treatment wrong. Hera argues that Hector was a mortal and Achilles is a demi god, making him better and more important to the gods. Zeus warns her about her lowkey eugenic thinking (jk it's her anger) and agrees that they cannot be honoured equally. He says he will talk to Thetis about what to do. 

• Iris summons Thetis for Zeus and she welcomes him warmly. He tells her to go tell Achilles that he has to accept a ransom for Hector's body. Thetis obeys and goes to him immediately, and Achilles agrees to the idea.  

• Zeus sends Iris to Troy, and she tells Priam to go and pay the ransom for Hector's body. Priam tells Hecuba, who tells him it’s a bad idea, but he refuses to listen to her. He takes 12 robes, 12 single sided cloaks, coverlets, white mantle, tunics, 10 talents of gold, 2 bright tripods, 4 cauldrons, and a beautiful cup. He yells at his sons and calls them useless, saying all of his good sons have been taken from him. 

• Priam's sons set up his travel and they make a libation to Zeus, asking for a sign. Zeus sends them a black eagle, a strong positive omen, and Hermes, to guide them safely into the Greek camps. 

• They reach Achilles' hut and Hermes advises Priam to supplicate to Achilles. Priam does so and talks to Achilles about his father, Peleus. They cry together about their daddy/son issues (and Achilles' dead boyfriend issues too). 

• Achilles releases Hector's corpse but offers Priam to stay for a feast, where he declares a truce for Hector's funeral.  

• As Priam sleeps, Hermes wakes him and urges him to leave the camp before the Greeks wake up. There is a lament for Hector and the funeral is held.