Book 20 while the achaeans and trojans prepare for battle, zeus summons the gods to mount olympus. While the first two books introduce the commanders of the achaean forces, the next two introduce the trojan forces. Poseidon is the first to speak and he asks zeus why they have been assembled. Murray 1 now when they were marshalled, the several companies with their captains, the trojans came on with clamour and with a cry like birds, even as the clamour of cranes ariseth before the face of heaven, when they flee from wintry storms and measureless rain, and with clamour fly toward the streams of ocean, bearing slaughter and death to pigmy men. Homers the iliad starts after the achaians have been at war with the trojans for nine years, trying to retrieve helen of troy, the wife of menelaos who was kidnapped by paris. Crossreferences in notes to this page 1 apollodorus, epitome, apollod. The iliad is an ancient greek epic poem by homer that was first published in 762 bc. Rage goddess, sing the rage of peleus son achilles, murderous, doomed, that cost the achaeans countless losses hurling down to the house of death so many sturdy souls, great fighters souls, but made their bodies carrion feats for the dogs and birds and the will of zeus was moving towards its end. Though the story is told from the greek perspective, it doesnt demonize the trojans. As the achaeans prepare for battle, zeus summons the gods to a council. First, the priest chryses comes to ask their leader, king agamemnon, to release his daughter, whom agamemnon was holding captive.
The iliad summary in the tenth year of the trojan war, tensions are running high among the achaians a superancient name for the ancient greeks. Check out our revolutionary sidebyside summary and analysis. Crossreferences in general dictionaries to this page 3. The iliad is an epic poem by homer that tells the story of several weeks in the last year of the decadelong trojan war in the greek camp, agamemnon and achilles, the greeks. Zeus says these mortals do concern me, dying as they are. Summary read an overview of the entire poem or a line by line summary and analysis. Murray 1 now when they were marshalled, the several companies with their captains, the trojans came on with clamour and with a. The troops pray for the oath to be kept, but homer notes that zeus would not fulfill their prayers. Structurally, book iii follows a pattern that homer uses many times in the iliad one scene is followed by a second that reflects the first and reinforces ideas within it. Priam, hector, paris, and helen of troy formerly, of course, queen of sparta all make their first appearances in book 3, and their personalities begin to emerge. While the achaeans and trojans prepare for battle, zeus summons the gods to mount olympus.
Book 5 book 6 book 7 book 8 book 9 book 10 book 11 book 12 book book 14 book 15 book 16 book 17 book 18 book 19 book 20 book 21 book 22 book 23 book 24 themes. In fact, in wars that occurred before the start of the poem, such as the struggle against the amazons that priam mentions, the trojans allied with the achaeans. The greeks line up for battle and zeus calls all the gods to an assembly. Homers epic poem the iliad tells the story of the trojan war and the epic heroes and gods, including achilles, hector, odysseus, athena, ares, paris. In particular, pariss glibness throws him into stark contrast with hector and many of the achaean leaders whom the audience has already encountered. In book iii the war between the greeks and the trojans is personified in the handtohand duel between menelaos and paris the two men whose dispute over helen is the. He knows that if achilles enters the battlefield unchecked, he will decimate the trojans and maybe even bring the city down before its fated time. Paris, the trojan prince who precipitated the war by. After marching from the city gates, the trojan army proceeds to meet the achaeans. Paris is the trojan prince whose action of stealing.