Reading Notes: Homer's Iliad, Part A
What you will see below are the notes I've compiled while reading the first part of Homer's Iliad. If you'd like a small crash course in the story, read on!
1: Of How the War with Troy Began
-the King of Sparta had a beautiful daughter named Helen; many Greek princes wanted to marry her, but his father made them all swear that once his daughter was married, if anyone tried to take Helen, they would all help her husband get her back
-Helen chose Menelaus (Agamemnon's brother); when her father died he became the King of Sparta
-Prince Paris of Troy came to Sparta one day and took Helen back to Troy with him
-Menelaus called upon the old oaths the princes of Greece made, so many princes came to their aid, went to Troy and started a war
-the Greeks sat outside the walls of Troy for 9 years trying to break in, but they never could; while they waited, they went around destroying other cities (which brings up the next part, The Quarrel)
2: The Quarrel
-the Greeks took a city called Chryse, and Agamemnon took a girl named Chryseis, a daughter of the priest of Apollo, as a spoil
-the priest came to the Greeks to try and get his daughter back; the other Greek chiefs wanted to give the girl back, but Agamemnon refused; the priest prayed to Apollo to help him; the Greeks made Apollo angry so he started killing off the Greeks' livestock, then horses, then the men; after 10 days, Achilles called an assembly
-Achilles wants to go home because so many have died, and he asks a prophet why Apollo is angry; the prophet, Calchas, said Apollo is angry because Agamemnon took the girl, so now they must give her back and sacrifice 100 beasts; Agamemnon gets angry, but agrees to send back the girl if the other chiefs give him his share of spoils in her place; Achilles is upset that Agamemnon wants "the lion's share" so he says he's going home; Agamemnon says Achilles can go home if he wants, but he has to leave his spoil, a girl named Briseis there for Agamemnon
-this makes Achilles really angry, and he goes to draw his sword; as he does, the goddess Athena appears, stopping him; she tells him not to do it, and he agrees; Achilles then decides to withdraw himself and his army from the Greeks, saying that he will no longer fight for them
3: The Quarrel (cont.)
-Nestor stands up and tells Agamemnon not to take Achilles' spoils, and tells Achilles to give Agamemnon respect; Agamemnon says that Achilles needs to learn that he isn't above the law and that there is someone there better than him; Achilles gets angry and says that if Agamemnon touches his spoils he will die
-Agamemnon sends some heralds to Achilles's tent to get Briseis; Achilles tells Patroclus to get Briseis from the tent and give her to the heralds; Achilles goes to the sea and cries; his mother, Thetis, emerges and asks him what's wrong; he tells her what happened, and asks her to go to Zeus and ask him to help the Trojans, so that Agamemnon learns how foolish he is; she says Zeus is gone right now, but she will see him in 12 days and she'll ask him them; she and Achilles agree that he won't fight until she talks to him
4: What Thetis Did for Her Son
-Thetis goes to Olympus after 12 days and asks Zeus to help the Trojans win so the Greeks will see how much they need Achilles; Zeus agrees and Thetis returns to the sea
-after Thetis leaves, Zeus goes to see the other gods; Hera gets angry about Zeus plotting with Thetis against the Greeks; Zeus basically threatens her to keep her mouth shut; she does
-later that night, Zeus sends a dream to Agamemnon, telling him that he can take Troy without Achilles; Agamemnon believes this dream
5: Hector and Andromache
-Hector, another prince of Troy, comes back to Troy from battling the Greeks; he sees his mother, Queen Hecuba, and tells her to go make offerings and sacrifices to Athena so they'll help them, while he looks for Paris; she does as he says and goes to the temple of Athena, asking her to kill Diomed; it turns out that Athena did not hear them, and she helped Diomed instead fight harder against the Trojans
-Hector goes to find Paris; Hector asks Paris why he ran from the battle; Paris says it is because he is ashamed of being beaten, but he'll try again because that's what Helen would want him to do
-Hector goes to see Andromache and his son; he can't find her, but one of the housekeepers says that Andromache went to the wall to see the battle
6: Hector and Andromache (cont.)
-Hector finds Andromache and his son at the wall; Andromache is upset because she thinks that Hector will die in the battle; she says he's all the has left, because her whole family was killed by Achilles in battle; she asks Hector to stay with her, and not go back to battle
-Hector says he can't stay away from the battle because if he asks his soldiers to fight and die, he should too; he says that he fights for her
-Hector cuddles his child and prays to the gods that they'll make him like Hector, a great warrior; Hector comforts Andromache for a bit and then goes back to battle; Paris and Hector meet at the gate and go back to fighting the Greeks
7: The Embassy to Achilles
-the Greek chiefs go to Achilles, hoping that he would agree to help them; Achilles and Patroclus serve them wine and food; Ulysses says that the Trojans came close to burning their ships today, and that it seems like Zeus is helping them, so the chiefs had come to ask for Achilles to rejoin the battle against Hector
-Ulysses tells Achilles that he has not honored his father by staying out of the battle, and that he should repent for what he's done; he tells Achilles they've brought him gifts from Agamemnon, including his daughter and seven Greek cities; he tells Achilles that even if he doesn't like Agamemnon, he should think about the Greeks he's leaving to die; he asks him to slay Hector because no one else can
8: The Embassy to Achilles (cont.)
-Achilles says he doesn't appreciate Ulysses' speech; he says that going into battle is thankless, and honor comes to the courageous just as it comes to the coward; he says that he has worked very hard in battles in the past, but gets nothing from it, and then has to give his spoils to Agamemnon, who doesn't fight at all; Achilles refuses to fight Hector and the Trojans, and says that he and his army are leaving tomorrow to go home, and he will never forgive Agamemnon
-Achilles says his mother told him that if he chooses to stay in Troy, he will die young but his name will live forever, but if he goes home, he will die old but his name will be forgotten; Achilles used to think that fame was everything, but now he sees that it isn't and he wants to go home because the Greeks are fighting for a lost cause
9: The Deeds and Death of Patroclus
-Patroclus is upset that Achilles won't help the Greeks, so he asks Achilles to let him put on his armor and let the Trojans think that Achilles has come back to battle, so the Greeks can have a break; Achilles agrees, saying that it's okay because it's not actually himself fighting, so he's not breaking his promise; Achilles tells Patroclus that after they see him, he shouldn't actually fight in the battle or go near the wall of Troy or he'll die
-Patroclus puts on Achilles' armor, and Achilles tells the Myrmidons to go into battle with Patroclus
10: The Deeds and Death of Patroclus (cont.)
-as the Myrmidons and Patroclus ride into battle, Achilles offers Zeus some wine and asks him to watch out for Patroclus and his people; Zeus heard his prayer, but only granted part of it
-when the Trojans, who had set fire to some Greek ships, saw Achilles's armor, they fled (including Hector); Patroclus was determined to kill Hector, and he had forgotten what Achilles had told him (not to fight or he'll die); Hector flees, so Patroclus fights Sarpedon instead (a son of Zeus); Patroclus kills Sarpedon
-Hector comes back to the battle and learns of what has happened; Glaucus, Sarpedon's kinsman, asks Hector if he'll let the Myrmidons take Sarpedon's body and dishonor it
11: The Deeds and Death of Patroclus (end)
-the Greeks drove the Trojans away from Sarpedon's body and took his arms as spoils; Apollo had Sleep and Death carry the rest of the body back to his country
-Patroclus continued to ignore Achilles's warning, and drives the Trojans back toward the wall; he starts to climb it, but Apollo pushed him back, telling him it is not his place to take the city of Troy; but Patroclus didn't listen, so Apollo put the desire to kill Patroclus in Hector's heart
-Patroclus continued to fight the Trojans, killing almost 36 of them, but Apollo slashed the back of his neck to blind him; Achilles' armor fell off him; one of the Trojans wounded him in the back, and Hector stabbed him with a spear in the hip; Hector stood over him, telling him that Achilles can't save him now, and that he's foolish; Patroclus answers that it was not Hector who has overcome him, it was Apollo who blinded him, and now Achilles will kill Hector; Patroclus then dies
I've always been very interested in ancient Greek history, so I find this story very fascinating. Growing up, I've always heard so many references to the people in this story, like Achilles and Helen of Troy. Plus, I did some reading about Achilles over the summer, and it was nice to read a story I was already familiar with.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
"The Iliad" by Homer, retold by A.J. Church. Web Source: UnTextbook.
1: Of How the War with Troy Began
-the King of Sparta had a beautiful daughter named Helen; many Greek princes wanted to marry her, but his father made them all swear that once his daughter was married, if anyone tried to take Helen, they would all help her husband get her back
-Helen chose Menelaus (Agamemnon's brother); when her father died he became the King of Sparta
-Prince Paris of Troy came to Sparta one day and took Helen back to Troy with him
-Menelaus called upon the old oaths the princes of Greece made, so many princes came to their aid, went to Troy and started a war
-the Greeks sat outside the walls of Troy for 9 years trying to break in, but they never could; while they waited, they went around destroying other cities (which brings up the next part, The Quarrel)
2: The Quarrel
-the Greeks took a city called Chryse, and Agamemnon took a girl named Chryseis, a daughter of the priest of Apollo, as a spoil
-the priest came to the Greeks to try and get his daughter back; the other Greek chiefs wanted to give the girl back, but Agamemnon refused; the priest prayed to Apollo to help him; the Greeks made Apollo angry so he started killing off the Greeks' livestock, then horses, then the men; after 10 days, Achilles called an assembly
-Achilles wants to go home because so many have died, and he asks a prophet why Apollo is angry; the prophet, Calchas, said Apollo is angry because Agamemnon took the girl, so now they must give her back and sacrifice 100 beasts; Agamemnon gets angry, but agrees to send back the girl if the other chiefs give him his share of spoils in her place; Achilles is upset that Agamemnon wants "the lion's share" so he says he's going home; Agamemnon says Achilles can go home if he wants, but he has to leave his spoil, a girl named Briseis there for Agamemnon
-this makes Achilles really angry, and he goes to draw his sword; as he does, the goddess Athena appears, stopping him; she tells him not to do it, and he agrees; Achilles then decides to withdraw himself and his army from the Greeks, saying that he will no longer fight for them
3: The Quarrel (cont.)
-Nestor stands up and tells Agamemnon not to take Achilles' spoils, and tells Achilles to give Agamemnon respect; Agamemnon says that Achilles needs to learn that he isn't above the law and that there is someone there better than him; Achilles gets angry and says that if Agamemnon touches his spoils he will die
-Agamemnon sends some heralds to Achilles's tent to get Briseis; Achilles tells Patroclus to get Briseis from the tent and give her to the heralds; Achilles goes to the sea and cries; his mother, Thetis, emerges and asks him what's wrong; he tells her what happened, and asks her to go to Zeus and ask him to help the Trojans, so that Agamemnon learns how foolish he is; she says Zeus is gone right now, but she will see him in 12 days and she'll ask him them; she and Achilles agree that he won't fight until she talks to him
4: What Thetis Did for Her Son
-Thetis goes to Olympus after 12 days and asks Zeus to help the Trojans win so the Greeks will see how much they need Achilles; Zeus agrees and Thetis returns to the sea
-after Thetis leaves, Zeus goes to see the other gods; Hera gets angry about Zeus plotting with Thetis against the Greeks; Zeus basically threatens her to keep her mouth shut; she does
-later that night, Zeus sends a dream to Agamemnon, telling him that he can take Troy without Achilles; Agamemnon believes this dream
5: Hector and Andromache
-Hector, another prince of Troy, comes back to Troy from battling the Greeks; he sees his mother, Queen Hecuba, and tells her to go make offerings and sacrifices to Athena so they'll help them, while he looks for Paris; she does as he says and goes to the temple of Athena, asking her to kill Diomed; it turns out that Athena did not hear them, and she helped Diomed instead fight harder against the Trojans
-Hector goes to find Paris; Hector asks Paris why he ran from the battle; Paris says it is because he is ashamed of being beaten, but he'll try again because that's what Helen would want him to do
-Hector goes to see Andromache and his son; he can't find her, but one of the housekeepers says that Andromache went to the wall to see the battle
6: Hector and Andromache (cont.)
-Hector finds Andromache and his son at the wall; Andromache is upset because she thinks that Hector will die in the battle; she says he's all the has left, because her whole family was killed by Achilles in battle; she asks Hector to stay with her, and not go back to battle
-Hector says he can't stay away from the battle because if he asks his soldiers to fight and die, he should too; he says that he fights for her
-Hector cuddles his child and prays to the gods that they'll make him like Hector, a great warrior; Hector comforts Andromache for a bit and then goes back to battle; Paris and Hector meet at the gate and go back to fighting the Greeks
7: The Embassy to Achilles
-the Greek chiefs go to Achilles, hoping that he would agree to help them; Achilles and Patroclus serve them wine and food; Ulysses says that the Trojans came close to burning their ships today, and that it seems like Zeus is helping them, so the chiefs had come to ask for Achilles to rejoin the battle against Hector
-Ulysses tells Achilles that he has not honored his father by staying out of the battle, and that he should repent for what he's done; he tells Achilles they've brought him gifts from Agamemnon, including his daughter and seven Greek cities; he tells Achilles that even if he doesn't like Agamemnon, he should think about the Greeks he's leaving to die; he asks him to slay Hector because no one else can
8: The Embassy to Achilles (cont.)
-Achilles says he doesn't appreciate Ulysses' speech; he says that going into battle is thankless, and honor comes to the courageous just as it comes to the coward; he says that he has worked very hard in battles in the past, but gets nothing from it, and then has to give his spoils to Agamemnon, who doesn't fight at all; Achilles refuses to fight Hector and the Trojans, and says that he and his army are leaving tomorrow to go home, and he will never forgive Agamemnon
-Achilles says his mother told him that if he chooses to stay in Troy, he will die young but his name will live forever, but if he goes home, he will die old but his name will be forgotten; Achilles used to think that fame was everything, but now he sees that it isn't and he wants to go home because the Greeks are fighting for a lost cause
9: The Deeds and Death of Patroclus
-Patroclus is upset that Achilles won't help the Greeks, so he asks Achilles to let him put on his armor and let the Trojans think that Achilles has come back to battle, so the Greeks can have a break; Achilles agrees, saying that it's okay because it's not actually himself fighting, so he's not breaking his promise; Achilles tells Patroclus that after they see him, he shouldn't actually fight in the battle or go near the wall of Troy or he'll die
-Patroclus puts on Achilles' armor, and Achilles tells the Myrmidons to go into battle with Patroclus
10: The Deeds and Death of Patroclus (cont.)
-as the Myrmidons and Patroclus ride into battle, Achilles offers Zeus some wine and asks him to watch out for Patroclus and his people; Zeus heard his prayer, but only granted part of it
-when the Trojans, who had set fire to some Greek ships, saw Achilles's armor, they fled (including Hector); Patroclus was determined to kill Hector, and he had forgotten what Achilles had told him (not to fight or he'll die); Hector flees, so Patroclus fights Sarpedon instead (a son of Zeus); Patroclus kills Sarpedon
-Hector comes back to the battle and learns of what has happened; Glaucus, Sarpedon's kinsman, asks Hector if he'll let the Myrmidons take Sarpedon's body and dishonor it
11: The Deeds and Death of Patroclus (end)
-the Greeks drove the Trojans away from Sarpedon's body and took his arms as spoils; Apollo had Sleep and Death carry the rest of the body back to his country
-Patroclus continued to ignore Achilles's warning, and drives the Trojans back toward the wall; he starts to climb it, but Apollo pushed him back, telling him it is not his place to take the city of Troy; but Patroclus didn't listen, so Apollo put the desire to kill Patroclus in Hector's heart
-Patroclus continued to fight the Trojans, killing almost 36 of them, but Apollo slashed the back of his neck to blind him; Achilles' armor fell off him; one of the Trojans wounded him in the back, and Hector stabbed him with a spear in the hip; Hector stood over him, telling him that Achilles can't save him now, and that he's foolish; Patroclus answers that it was not Hector who has overcome him, it was Apollo who blinded him, and now Achilles will kill Hector; Patroclus then dies
Bust of Helen of Troy by Antonio Canova at Victoria and Albert Museum. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
I've always been very interested in ancient Greek history, so I find this story very fascinating. Growing up, I've always heard so many references to the people in this story, like Achilles and Helen of Troy. Plus, I did some reading about Achilles over the summer, and it was nice to read a story I was already familiar with.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
"The Iliad" by Homer, retold by A.J. Church. Web Source: UnTextbook.
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