The Iliad -

by Homer
1200 B.C
The Trojan War
 Homer 
• Greatest of the Greek poets
• 1,000 years B.C.
• Epic poems- 1st to make stories a unified whole
• Sung for entertainment
• Stories taught Greek ideals
 Homer wrote -
The Iliad The Odyssey
Ilium- Greek for Troy Follows the Trojan
War
Story of the Trojan
10 years
War
Odysseus’s journey to
10 years return to Greece
Fought over Helen of A metaphor for every
Troy person’s journey
through life.
The Judgment of Paris
The Judgement of Paris
Helen – wife to Menelaus, King of Sparta
(a half-mortal daughter of Zeus)
It is said that Helen was the face that
launched a thousand ships, for that is how
many eventually set sail for Troy.
 Paris visits Helen and Menelaus

• Welcomed as a guest
• Kidnaps Helen
• Menelaus - raises army
from suitors
• Agamemnon- Menelaus’s
brother leads expedition
• Achilles – greatest Greek
warrior
- son of Peleus and Thetis
- invulnerable, except for heel
Paris and Helen Love story
• The Greeks and the Trojans fought fiercely
on the coastal plain, and although the
Greeks won many battles they were unable
to penetrate the defences of the Trojan city.

• The Greeks were supported by the

goddesses Hera and Athena, and also
benefited from the services of a number of
mighty warriors within their ranks. The
greatest of these was undoubtedly Achilles,
whose mother had dipped him into the river
Styx when he was a baby, thereby causing
him to be virtually invincible in battle.
• The Greeks and the Trojans fought fiercely
on the coastal plain, and although the
Greeks won many battles they were unable
to penetrate the defences of the Trojan city.
Achilles the Greek Champion
 Who is Patroclus?
• Patroclus is Achilles's only
close friend in the story of
The Iliad. Achilles shares
his deepest thoughts and
concerns with Patroclus,
and Patroclus gives
Achilles the emotional
support that Achilles needs
to be a strong leader for the
Greek forces.
 Why is Patroclus Important?
• Though Achilles is
arrogant and dismissive of
other people, he is
extremely close with
Patroclus. The men share
an intimate friendship, and
Achilles is reluctant to let
Patroclus go to battle
because it is such a
dangerous, life-risking
mission.
Is Patroclus an Important
Character in the Iliad?
The Death Of Hector
The war reached its tenth year, and yet neither side could gain the
upper hand.
The Destruction of Troy
The once proud city of Troy was
The once proud city of Troy was reduced to a smoking ruin.

The Greeks were victorious was restored to

• The Greeks prepared to sail back to their
homelands – most completing the journey
in little time. However, many years were to
pass before Odysseus would see the shores
of Ithaca again.
• Did any Trojan survive the Greek
massacre? According to legend, prince
Aeneas escaped from the burning city with
his young family and his elderly father. The
Roman poet, Virgil, would have us believe
that Aeneas sailed to Italy and there
founded a new settlement. From this
settlement emerged the great city of Rome.
Odyssey Begins Here
• Greeks are scattered
around the
Mediterranean
• Odysseus’s 10 year
journey home begins