THE RAGE OF ACHILLES

BOOK 1
The Iliad Book 1
Translated by Ian Johnston
TH E BEGINNING O F T H E EPIC
 Homer begins the Iliad powerfully with an
epic convention by stating the epic's
theme and invoking one of the Muses.
 The Muses are nine goddesses in Greek
mythology who were believed to preside
over all forms of art and science.
 The poet calls on the Muse to inspire him
with the material he needs to tell the
story.
 This type of opening is one of the defining
features of a Homeric epic.
•
Chryses, a Trojan priest of Apollo, comes to the Greek camp to ransom
his daughter, Chryseis, held captive by Agamemnon. He is insulted
and sent away. Chryses prays for Apollo’s help, and Apollo sends a
plague on the Greeks.
After nine days of plague, Achilles, leader of the Myrmidons, was
inspired by the goddess Hera to call assembly to deal with the plague.
The prophet, Calchas, reveals that Apollo was angered by
Agamemnon's refusal to return the daughter of his priest.
Agamemnon reluctantly agrees to give Chryseis back, but demands
compensation. This provokes Achilles' anger, and, after they exchange
threats and angry words, Agamemnon decides to take Achilles' "prize",
the captive woman, Briseis.

The goddess Athena prevents Achilles from killing Agamemnon by

promising that he will one day be compensated with three times as
many prizes. Nestor's efforts to make peace fail.
Agamemnon's men take Briseis from Achilles, and Achilles prays to his
divine mother, Thetis, for help. He says he will not fight, and he asks her
to persuade Zeus to make the battle go badly for the Greeks so they
will see that they should not have dishonored him.
Odysseus leads a group of Greeks to Chryse (the place!) to return
Chryseis (the daughter!) to Chryses (the priest!). Meanwhile, Achilles
isolates himself from the other Greeks.
Thetis begs Zeus to honor her son, Achilles, by turning the battle
against the Greeks so they will see that they need him. Zeus agrees.
Afterwards, Zeus' wife, Hera, bickers with him over his plan, and the
lame god, Hephaestus , tries to make peace among them.

BOOK 2: The Great Gathering of Armies

■ Zeus begins to fulfill his promise to Thetis to bring honor to
Achilles. First, he deceives Agamemnon with a dream that promises
victory. Agamemnon calls the Greek leaders together to tell them
his dream. He proposes to test the soldiers by saying that they are
going home. When he does this, the soldiers run for the ships; only
Odysseus is able to rally them and shame them into staying. A
common soldier, Thersites, protests and urges his fellow Greeks to go
home, but Odysseus beats him down and reminds the Greeks that
they had been promised victory when they set out. The troops
assemble. The Trojans arm to meet the Greeks.

BOOK 3: Helen Reviews the Champions

■ The armies approach each other, but before they meet, Paris offers
to end the war by fighting a duel with Menelaus, urged by his
 brother and head of the Trojan army, Hector. While Helen tells Priam
about the Greek commanders from the walls of Troy, both sides
swear a truce and promise to abide by the outcome of the duel.
Paris is beaten, but Aphrodite rescues him and leads him to bed
with Helen before Menelaus can kill him.

BOOK 4: The Truce Erupts in War

■ At a council of the gods on Mount Olympos, Zeus considers bringing
the Trojan War to an end and sparing the city of Troy. Hera angrily
objects, and Zeus sends Athena to break the truce. Athena
persuades Pandaros, a Trojan, to shoot an arrow at
Menelaus. Menelaus is wounded, the truce is broken and, as
Agamemnon rallies the troops, fighting breaks out.

BOOK 5: Diomedes Fights the Gods

■ In the fighting, Diomedes kills many Trojans, including Pandaros, and
defeats Aeneas, whom Aphrodite rescues, but Diomedes attacks
and wounds the goddess. Apollo faces Diomedes and warns him
against warring with gods. After he wounds Aphrodite, Ares, the god
of war, intervenes to help the Trojans. The goddesses Hera and
Athena join in on the Greek side.
■ Many heroes and commanders join in, including Hector, and the
gods supporting each side try to influence the battle. Emboldened
by Athena, Diomedes wounds Ares and puts him out of action.

BOOK 6: Hector Returns to Troy

■ Diomedes and Glaucos , an ally of the Trojans, meet, but do not
fight because they discover that their ancestors had established a
bond of xenia. Realizing that they are bound to uphold the
ancestral bond, the two warriors vow not to fight each other and
exchange armor as a gesture of friendship.
■ Hector returns to Troy to ask the Trojan women to make a sacrifice
to Athene to win her pity. He visits Helen and scolds his brother,
Paris, for abandoning the battlefield. In a moving scene, Hector
explains his duty to fight, and says an emotional good-bye to his
wife, Andromache , and their baby, Astyanax, before returning to
battle.
XENIA

Throughout the Iliad, reciprocity, hospitality, and exchange are the

glue that holds a society together, mending the cracks that would split
it apart. Exchanging gifts and services is the way "xenia" works, the
guest-host relationship in ancient Greece that binds together people
not related by blood or clan.
Refusing to take part in the system threatens to shake the foundations
of civilized community. Likewise, Greeks who would withhold hospitality
to other Greeks or traveling strangers risked angering the gods and
goddesses, who often traveled in disguise and would be offended if
hospitality were not given.
In ancient Greece, oaths were sworn to solemnize promises or threats
and to formalize official relationships between individuals, clans, or
states. The gods were called on to witness the intentions of the
speaker; if the speaker violated his oath, the gods would punish him.

BOOK 7: Ajax Duels with Hector

■ Hector proposes a duel with one of the Greeks. Ajax (the greater) is
chosen by lot, but the duel ends in a draw as night falls. The Greeks
agree to burn their dead, and build a wall to protect their ships and
camp, while the Trojans quarrel about returning Helen. Paris offers to
return the treasure he took and give further wealth as
compensation, but not Helen, and the offer is refused.
 ■ A day's truce is agreed for burning the dead, during which the
Greeks also build their wall and a trench.

BOOK 8: The Tide of Battle Turns

■ The battle resumes. Zeus orders the gods to stay out, and the Trojans
gain the advantage. Hera and Athena try to help the Greeks, but
are stopped by Zeus who foretells Patroclus ' death and Achilles'
return to the fighting. At nightfall, Hector persuades the Trojans to
camp outside of the city in the hope of decisively defeating the
Greeks the next day.

BOOK 9: The Embassy to Achilles

■ Meanwhile, the Greeks are desperate. Agamemnon admits his
error, and sends an embassy composed of Odysseus, Ajax, Phoenix,
and two heralds to offer Briseis and extensive gifts to Achilles, who
has been camped next to his ships throughout, if only he will return
to the fighting.
■ Achilles and his companion Patroclus receive the embassy well, but
Achilles angrily refuses Agamemnon's offer and declares that he
would only return to battle if the Trojans reached his ships and
threatened them with fire. The embassy returns empty-handed.

BOOK 10: Marauding Through the

Night
■ Diomedes and Odysseus volunteer to spy on the Trojan camp. They
meet Dolon, a Trojan spy, and kill him, after he gives them
information. They sneak into the Trojan camp, brutally murder
Rhesos and twelve of his warriors, allies of the Trojans, and lead off
their horses as spoils.

BOOK 11: Agamemnon's Day of Glory

■ In the morning, the fighting is fierce, and Agamemnon, Diomedes,
and Odysseus are all wounded. Achilles sends Patroclus from his
camp to inquire about the Greek casualties. Nestor urges him to
persuade Achilles to return to battle or at least let Patroclus and his
men fight for the Greeks.

BOOK 12: The Trojans Storm the

Rampart
■ The Trojans attack the Greek wall on foot. Hector, ignoring an omen,
leads the terrible fighting. The Greeks are overwhelmed and routed,
the wall's gate is broken, and Hector charges in.

BOOK 13: Battling for the Ships

■ The sea-god, Poseidon , rallies the Greeks, and Telamonian Ajas (the
greater) and Ajas Oileus (the lesser) defend the Greek ships. The
wounded Greek warriors go back to the fighting.
■ Many fall on both sides. The Trojan seer Polydamas urges Hector to
fall back and warns him about Achilles, but is ignored.

BOOK 14: Hera outflanks Zeus

■ Hera seduces Zeus and lures him to sleep, allowing Poseidon to help
the Greeks, and the Trojans are driven back onto the plain.

BOOK 15: The Achaean Armies at Bay

■ Hera seduces her husband, Zeus , to distract him and allow
Poseidon to continue helping the Greeks. As the Greeks rally,
Hector is wounded. Zeus wakes up and threatens the other gods,
forcing them to stop helping the Greeks. Then, Zeus outlines the
future course of the battle and sends Apollo to revive Hector.
■ Hector returns to the battle, drives the Greeks back to their ships,
 and tries to set the ships on fire.

BOOK 16: Patroclus Fights and Dies

■ Patroclus cannot stand to watch any longer and begs Achilles to be
allowed to defend the ships. Achilles relents and lends Patroclus his
armor, but sends him off with a stern admonition not to pursue the
Trojans, lest he take Achilles' glory.
■ Patroclus leads the Myrmidons into battle and arrives as the Trojans
set fire to the first ships. The Trojans are routed by the sudden
onslaught, and Patroclus begins his assault by killing Zeus's son
Sarpedon, a leading ally of the Trojans. Patroclus, ignoring Achilles'
command, pursues and reaches the gates of Troy, where Apollo
himself stops him. Patroclus is set upon by Apollo and Euphorbos,
and is finally killed by Hector.

BOOK 17: Menelaus' Finest Hour

■ Menelaus attempts to protect the body of Patroclus from the
enemy, but finally he is driven off by Hector. The Trojan commander
strips Achilles' beautiful armor from the corpse and puts it on in
place of his own. Then almost immediately, a battle develops over
Patroclus' naked corpse. The Trojans hope to take it to Troy to
mutilate it as a warning to all the Achaeans, and the Achaeans
want to give it a proper funeral ceremony.
■ The leading warriors on both sides engage in this fight, and two
gods, Apollo and Athena, also join. While this is going on, Hector
attempts to capture Achilles' horses, but they escape back to the
Achaean camp. Finally, the body of Patroclus is rescued and is
safely carried back to the Achaean camp.
WARFARE
As warfare is presented in the Iliad, there are several options in
dealing with a dead opponent. The winner might strip the
armor of the vanquished warrior and then return the body.
The returning of the vanquished hero to his homeland was
important to the ancient Greeks, and warriors would often go
to great lengths to retrieve the bodies of their fallen comrades.
The Greeks placed such importance upon burying the dead
that they believed departed souls would return to haunt the
living if, in death, they did not receive a proper burial. In the
context of formal mourning, only women sang funeral dirges
(songs). The men would play "funeral games" - games of skill
and chance to honor the fallen warrior.

THE SHIELD OF ACHILLES BOOK 18

Achilles is mad with grief when he hears of Patroclus'
death and vows to take vengeance on Hector; his
mother Thetis grieves, too, knowing that Achilles is
fated to die young if he kills Hector.
Achilles is urged to help retrieve Patroclus' body but
has no armor. Made brilliant by Athena, Achilles
stands next to the Greek wall and roars in rage. The
Trojans are dismayed by his appearance, and the
Greeks manage to bear Patroclus' body away.
Polydamas urges Hector again to withdraw into the
city; again Hector refuses, and the Trojans camp on
the plain at nightfall. Patroclus is mourned.
Meanwhile, at Thetis' request, Hephaestus fashions a
new set of armor for Achilles, including a
magnificently wrought shield.

BOOK 19: The Champion Arms for

Battle
 ■ Achilles calls an assembly, puts aside his quarrel with Agamemnon,
and announces his return to battle. Agamemnon blames Zeus for
their quarrel, presents gifts to Achilles, and returns Briseis to him but
Achilles is indifferent to them. Achilles fasts while the Greeks take
their meal, straps on his new armor, and heaves his great spear. His
horse Xanthos prophesies to Achilles his death. Achilles drives his
chariot into battle.

BOOK 20: Olympian Gods in Arms

■ Zeus lifts the ban on the gods' interference, and urges the gods to
join in the day's fighting to prevent Achilles from storming Troy
"against destiny". Achilles, burning with rage and grief, slays many.

BOOK 21: Achilles Fights the River

■ Driving the Trojans before him, Achilles cuts off half their number in
the river Skamandros (Xanthos) and proceeds to slaughter them,
filling the river with the dead. The river, angry at the killing, confronts
Achilles but is beaten back by Hephaestus' firestorm. The gods fight
among themselves. The great gates of the city are opened to
receive the fleeing Trojans, and Apollo leads Achilles away from the
city by pretending to be a Trojan.

BOOK 22: The Death of Hector

■ When Apollo reveals himself to Achilles, the Trojans have retreated into
the city, all except for Hector, who, having twice ignored the counsels of
Polydamas, feels the shame of the rout and resolves to face Achilles,
despite the pleas of his parents, Priam and Hecuba.
■ When Achilles approaches, Hector panics and Achilles chases him
around the walls of Troy. He makes a stand when Athene tricks him into
thinking that one of his brothers, Deiphobos, is with him. After a brief
duel, Achilles stabs Hector through the neck.
■ Before dying, Hector reminds Achilles that he, too, is fated to die in the
war. Achilles takes Hector's body and dishonors it by dragging it behind
his chariot. Hector's parents and wife look on and mourn his death and
the inevitable destruction of Troy.

BOOK 23: Funeral Games for

Patroclus
■ Patroclus appears to Achilles in a dream and urges him to hold a
funeral for him so that his shade can enter Hades, the realm of the
dead. Achilles hosts splendid funeral games in Patroclus' honor and
distributes prizes to the competitors in the different athletic events.

ACHILLES AND PRIAM BOOK 24

• The
gods are outraged that Achilles continues to mistreat
the body of Hector by dragging it around the Greek
camp every day. Zeus decides that Priam must be
allowed to ransom the body of his son.
by Hermes, Priam takes a wagon out of Troy, across
the plains, and into the Greek camp unnoticed. He
clasps Achilles by the knees and begs for his son's body.
is moved to tears, and the two lament their losses
in the war. After a meal, Priam carries Hector's body
back into Troy. Hector is buried, and the city mourns.
• Led
• Achilles