The Iliad of Homer
Read as part of the Core Curriculum at Columbia University. Page and verse references come from the Richmond Lattimore 2011 edition.
You can see some of my writing about the book with the navigation system above.
What struck me most was the ending of this epic. After all the battle, bloodshed, anger, disgust, treachery, and hopelessness of the fighting, we end with the Achaians and the Trojans both going through much effort and pain to honor and mourn those they have lost. Even knowing the future pain of the war, the Achaians burn and celebrate Patroklos while the Trojans strain to recover Hektor. What a reminder of how much *love* still conquers. We might see these figures as near savage in warfare. But life and love, I think, is what they truly value. The Iliad might just be a pacifist work.
Additional reading:
- Simone Weil: The Iliad or the Poem of Force
iliad characters
- Agamemnon: King and leader of the Achaians. Atreus' son. Respected by all the Achaians, except perhaps by Achilleus. Also known as Atreides.
- Menelaus: Brother of Agamemnon and son of Atreus. The husband of Helen, on whose behalf the Achaians go to war.
- Helen:
- Achilleus:
- Hektor:
iliad vocabulary
- Achaians: Collective name for the Greeks of the Iliad. Also known as the Argives, the Danaans, the Panhellenes, and the Hellenes.
- Trojans:
- Atreides: Descendant of Atreus. In the Iliad, either Agamemnon or Menelaus.
Last update on 20S06, edited 2 times. +4/10fh--+---