The Illiad: Summary
The epic poem “The Illiad” by Homer, occurs in the 10th and last year of the Trojan War against Greece, this takes place in the middle of the VIII century BC, and what the Illiad narrates is only 51 days of this last year of conflict.
At the wedding between Thetis the sea nymph and the Greek hero, Peleus (Achilles’ parents), all the gods were invited except Eris, goddess of strife and discord.
Eris was furious so she showed up at the wedding and alluding to her title, placed an apple on the table that said: “For the most beautiful one”. Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite grabbed the apple at the same time since all three considered themselves the most beautiful. This created a huge argument so they went to Zeus.
Zeus had to make a decision, so he asked Hermes to find someone else. The chosen one was Paris, prince of Troy, the most beautiful man among men, that way he wouldn’t have problems with any of the goddesses.
When the 3 goddesses arrived, they undressed in front of Paris and offered him gifts if he chose them, he accepted Aphrodite’s gift, his gift was that the most beautiful woman in the world would marry him.
Aphrodite made the arrangements and Paris proceeded to kidnap the princess Helen of Sparta, wife of Menelaus, King of Sparta. This unleashed all the events of the Trojan War and therefore the events on The Illiad as well.
After 9 and a half years of intense battle, in the advance of the Greeks for Troy, the Greeks sacked and destroyed the village where Chryses (Apollo’s priest) lived. Agamemnon took as a slave the priest’s daughter, Chryseis, and Achilles took Briseis, Chryseis’ cousin.
Chryses, to recover his daughter, prays to Apollo for help. Apollo sent arrows that upon impact become indomitable plagues. Achilles goes to the seer to find out how to stop the plagues, and the solution was to return Chryseis. They did, and the plagues ceased.
Agamemnon wasn’t happy so he took Briseis from Achilles. Achilles was full of rage and resentment, so he took his army of Myrmidons and promised not to help the Greeks in battle again.
Agamemnon, inspired by a dream implied in him by Zeus in retaliation for his actions against Achilles, charges with his army against the Trojans.
In an attempt to stop the war, Paris challenged Menelaus to a duel, and whoever won the duel would claim Helen as his wife, and the war would come to an end. The fight ended quickly because Paris was weak and fearful, so aphrodite had to rescue him. The greeks were furious because the duel wasn’t accomplished, so they resume the war with much more rage than before.
It was a total massacre, Hector, the strongest of trojans, prince of Troy, brother to Paris, goes to the battlefield and launches a challenge to Ajax, the strongest Greek after Achilles. The duel was so even that ended in a draw, and so entertaining that they agreed to a ceasefire to collect the bodies of the fallen.
After that, Hector led the Trojan advance, supported by Zeus, in this advance almost all Greek soldiers were exterminated. Agamemnon and Odysseus beg Achilles to return to the battlefield with his Myrmidons, but Achilles refuses.
Patroclus (Achilles’ cousin/best friend/lover) takes Achilles’ armor and leads the Myrmidons into combat. The Trojans after seeing an Achilles-like figure, panic and retreat. On the other hand, Hector decides to confront him, he managed to beat him and kill him, but when they removed his helmet, they realize he is not Achilles. The trojans were aware of what was coming so they return to the city.
When the news of the death of Patroclus arrive, Achilles lets out a cry that made every Greek soldier shudder.
Achilles asks his mother Thetis to ask Hephaestus for a new armor for him, and when he gets it, he swears not to perform the funeral of Patroclus until he takes revenge.
Achilles goes alone to the Trojan walls and challenges Hector to a duel. Hector accepts on the condition that the corpse of the loser is delivered to receive an honorable funeral, but Achilles cries: “You will be eaten by dogs and crows”. The duel begins and Achilles ends up humiliating and killing Hector. Not satisfied he ties the corpse to his horses, drags it around the walls, and takes it to the greek camp.
After such humiliation, Hector’s father and Trojan King, Priam, protected by Hermes, he enters the greek camps and begs Achilles on his knees to return Hector’s corpse, so he can receive a proper funeral.
Achilles seeing such an act of paternal love forgets all rancor and kindly returns Hector’s body, agreeing to a truce of 11 days for Hector’s funeral and Patroclus’ funeral to take place.
The Illiad ends in this truce, but the war itself ends in the Odyssey with Achilles’ death, the trojan horse, etc.
The epic poem “The Illiad” by Homer, occurs in the 10th and last year of the Trojan War against Greece, this takes place in the middle of the VIII century BC, and what the Illiad narrates is only 51 days of this last year of conflict.
At the wedding between Thetis the sea nymph and the Greek hero, Peleus (Achilles’ parents), all the gods were invited except Eris, goddess of strife and discord.
Eris was furious so she showed up at the wedding and alluding to her title, placed an apple on the table that said: “For the most beautiful one”. Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite grabbed the apple at the same time since all three considered themselves the most beautiful. This created a huge argument so they went to Zeus.
Zeus had to make a decision, so he asked Hermes to find someone else. The chosen one was Paris, prince of Troy, the most beautiful man among men, that way he wouldn’t have problems with any of the goddesses.
When the 3 goddesses arrived, they undressed in front of Paris and offered him gifts if he chose them, he accepted Aphrodite’s gift, his gift was that the most beautiful woman in the world would marry him.
Aphrodite made the arrangements and Paris proceeded to kidnap the princess Helen of Sparta, wife of Menelaus, King of Sparta. This unleashed all the events of the Trojan War and therefore the events on The Illiad as well.
After 9 and a half years of intense battle, in the advance of the Greeks for Troy, the Greeks sacked and destroyed the village where Chryses (Apollo’s priest) lived. Agamemnon took as a slave the priest’s daughter, Chryseis, and Achilles took Briseis, Chryseis’ cousin.
Chryses, to recover his daughter, prays to Apollo for help. Apollo sent arrows that upon impact become indomitable plagues. Achilles goes to the seer to find out how to stop the plagues, and the solution was to return Chryseis. They did, and the plagues ceased.
Agamemnon wasn’t happy so he took Briseis from Achilles. Achilles was full of rage and resentment, so he took his army of Myrmidons and promised not to help the Greeks in battle again.
Agamemnon, inspired by a dream implied in him by Zeus in retaliation for his actions against Achilles, charges with his army against the Trojans.
In an attempt to stop the war, Paris challenged Menelaus to a duel, and whoever won the duel would claim Helen as his wife, and the war would come to an end. The fight ended quickly because Paris was weak and fearful, so aphrodite had to rescue him. The greeks were furious because the duel wasn’t accomplished, so they resume the war with much more rage than before.
It was a total massacre, Hector, the strongest of trojans, prince of Troy, brother to Paris, goes to the battlefield and launches a challenge to Ajax, the strongest Greek after Achilles. The duel was so even that ended in a draw, and so entertaining that they agreed to a ceasefire to collect the bodies of the fallen.
After that, Hector led the Trojan advance, supported by Zeus, in this advance almost all Greek soldiers were exterminated. Agamemnon and Odysseus beg Achilles to return to the battlefield with his Myrmidons, but Achilles refuses.
Patroclus (Achilles’ cousin/best friend/lover) takes Achilles’ armor and leads the Myrmidons into combat. The Trojans after seeing an Achilles-like figure, panic and retreat. On the other hand, Hector decides to confront him, he managed to beat him and kill him, but when they removed his helmet, they realize he is not Achilles. The trojans were aware of what was coming so they return to the city.
When the news of the death of Patroclus arrive, Achilles lets out a cry that made every Greek soldier shudder.
Achilles asks his mother Thetis to ask Hephaestus for a new armor for him, and when he gets it, he swears not to perform the funeral of Patroclus until he takes revenge.
Achilles goes alone to the Trojan walls and challenges Hector to a duel. Hector accepts on the condition that the corpse of the loser is delivered to receive an honorable funeral, but Achilles cries: “You will be eaten by dogs and crows”. The duel begins and Achilles ends up humiliating and killing Hector. Not satisfied he ties the corpse to his horses, drags it around the walls, and takes it to the greek camp.
After such humiliation, Hector’s father and Trojan King, Priam, protected by Hermes, he enters the greek camps and begs Achilles on his knees to return Hector’s corpse, so he can receive a proper funeral.
Achilles seeing such an act of paternal love forgets all rancor and kindly returns Hector’s body, agreeing to a truce of 11 days for Hector’s funeral and Patroclus’ funeral to take place.
The Illiad ends in this truce, but the war itself ends in the Odyssey with Achilles’ death, the trojan horse, etc.
