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. Written by harvard students for students, since its. We all know of the horse, but how did it come together. Course heros video study guide provides indepth summary and analysis of book 2 of homers epic poem the iliad. When last we left the story at the end of book 2 of homers the iliad, the achaean forces, which had been camped outside the walls of troy for nine long years trying to defeat. What makes them distinctive is that they come from achilleus. The poem is commonly dated to the 8th or 7th century bc, and many scholars believe it is the oldest extant work of literature in the greek language, making it the first work of european literature. In this dream, agamemnon is led to believe that all the gods favor him. By the end of book 2, homer has introduced all of the iliad s major characters on the greek sidehis catalog of the trojan troops at the end of book 2 leads naturally into an introduction of the trojan leadership in book 3. Hector, paris, and aeneas all play significant roles in these two books. The iliad begins with the poet calling on the muse to sing of the wrath of achilleus and its consequences.
The dream went when it had heard its message, and soon reached. Do you think that this attitude is consistent with his character elsewhere in the iliad. The catalogue gives the names of the leaders of each contingent, lists the settlements in the kingdom represented by the contingent, sometimes with a descriptive epithet that. See the conflicts in book 1, first between mortals and then between the gods. It is a portrait of the warrior at home, war forgotten as he watches his son play and talks with his wife. The point is, now that you know what the things are, its high time we jumped into the middle of them. Homer builds parallels throughout the iliad in which an event in one group is mirrored in a scene of another group. Book two opens with zeus plan to aid achilleus in his revenge.
Check out our revolutionary sideby side summary and analysis. The iliad sparknotes literature guide by homer making the reading experience fun. The following are comments that occurred to me while reading english translations of book i of the iliad. Homers technique of repeating an earlier scene with a later one is used throughout the iliad. Orlando sparknotes literature guide by virginia woolf making the reading experience fun. The iliad sparknotes literature guide sparknotes literature. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in the iliad, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Homer achieves his effect largely through an exchange of narratives, which illuminate achilles upbringing and hint at his ultimate fate beyond the scope of the epic. Homers iliad books 1 2 provided by the internet classics archive.
By the time we reach the end of book 2, homer has introduced all of the poems major characters. In book 7, the desires and actions of achaeans and trojans mirror each other in many ways. The written version of the iliad presupposes a basic familiarity with the characters and mythological causes and effects of the. Oct, 2017 the iliad book summary in under five minutes. Book describes the continuing battle between the greeks and trojans. Book 8 of homers the iliad opens with zeus having a bit of a tantrum.
Theyre todays most popular study guideswith everything you need to succeed in school. Diomedes battles fiercely, and athena convinces ares that they both should stand aside and let the mortals battle it out on their own. Both stories were intended to be sung by an epic poet. When, therefore, minerva saw these men making havoc of the. The iliad sparknotes literature guides by sparknotes. Zeus has departed for the time being and poseidon is now involved. Iliad by homer book i classical wisdom weekly part 2. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Homers epic poem the iliad tells the story of the trojan war and the epic heroes and gods, including achilles, hector, odysseus, athena, ares.
Iliad book 12 study guide learn with flashcards, games, and more for free. Geared to what todays students need to know, sparknotes provides. The end of book vi is the famous scene between hector and andromache and their infant son, astyanax. Summary and analysis of book 2 of homers iliad, with a focus on the ancient greek gods and the christian god. The story told in the iliad figured prominently in greek culture long before the epic was ever written down. The scene opens on the last year of the trojan war. Read an overview of the entire poem or a line by line summary and analysis.
In the tenth year of the trojan war, tensions are running high among the achaians a superancient name for the ancient greeks. Zeus wakes up and sends a dream to agamemnon instructing him to attack troy full force. Argives, she darted down to ilius from the summits of olympus, and apollo, who was looking on from pergamus, went out to meet. This lesson will summarize book of homers the iliad. Homers epic poem the iliad tells the story of the trojan war and the epic heroes and gods. Along with the odyssey, the iliad is among the oldest extant works of western literature, and its written version is usually dated to around the eighth century bc.
Click anywhere in the line to jump to another position. The iliad is paired with something of a sequel, the odyssey, also attributed to homer. The iliad by homer share book recommendations with your. However, book i essentially sets up the tension for the rest of the poem. The dream then left him, and he thought of things that were, surely not to be accomplished. The iliad, together with the odyssey, is one of two ancient greek epic poems traditionally attributed to homer. Start your 48hour free trial to unlock this iliad study guide and. The iliad and the odyssey 2 books in 1 copy limited.
Zeus will does come to pass, but in the exact opposite way that agamemnon expects. Most commentators consider this scene to be the most moving in the iliad. King agamemnon, who leads the achaeans, has brought an illness upon the army by refusing to give up a woman, chryseis, whom he seized as a prize in a recent battle. 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. The quiz will test you on key characters and their. Joseph campbell condensed his understanding of story into a theory he called monomyth, also known as the heros journey or the. The poem has already established the characters of agamemnon, proud and headstrong, and achilles, mighty but temperamental, whose quarrel dominates the epic. Iliad by homer book i thus did he pray, and apollo heard his prayer. The iliad sparknotes literature guide volume 35 sparknotes literature guide series paperback february 4, 2014. Compare his remarks here with those of hektor in book 6, lines 488489, quoted in the section on fate and free will. The first scene of the iliad finds chryses, the priest of apollo god of the sun and a whole lot of other stuff, approaching the achaian camp to ask for his daughter back. The questions on this worksheet and quiz will test you on the events and characters in book 6 of homers the iliad. The wrath of achilles seems justified from book i to book ix. Zeus sends agamemnon the message that the gods are now on the achaian side, and that they will be victorious in their campaign against troy.
The embassy to achilles constitutes one of the most touching scenes in the iliad. 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. I hope they will be useful for people who are reading the iliad as their first introduction to ancient greek literature. Aeschylusoresteia nominated for a national book award and homers iliad winner of the 1991 harold morton landon translation award by the academy of american poets, an award from the translation center of columbia university, and the new jersey humanities book award are published in penguin classics. Achilleuss attitude here is not unique in the iliad. At the beginning of book 2, zeus dictates his message for agamemnon in a personified dream. Book 2 of homers the iliad includes the famous catalog of ships and introduces the shrewdness and levelheadedness of odysseus and nestor, which are needed to balance the headstrong leadership. He seems to be irritated that so many other gods have played a role in the battle between the greeks. The iliad sparknotes literature guide series by sparknotes. In fact, this structural technique is a basis for the entire work. The first part of book ii involves the false dream that zeus sends to agamemnon. Created by harvard students for students everywhere, sparknotes is a new breed of study guide. Find a summary of this and each chapter of the iliad.
This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of the iliad by homer. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of the iliad and what it means. The dream that zeus sends to agamemnon is a false omen, one that agamemnon takes as a sign of fate. The presence of these catalogues in the iliad is a good example of the way. 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. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. 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. 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. The battle is fierce, deaths reported by the speaker, as different trojans and greeks fight. Book 2 opens with zeus, king of the greek gods, who has allied himself with the trojans, opposing his wife hera, who favors the achaens.
When a paper is due, and dreaded exams loom, heres the litcrit help students need to succeed. Agamemnon rises newly inspired and dons his battle gear, even though it is not yet day. Iliad study guide contains a biography of homer, literature essays, a complete etext, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Athena temporarily gives diomedes, son of king tydeus of argos, unmatched battle prowess. The presence of these catalogues in the iliad is a good example of the way homer composed his poems on a foundation of historical and literary tradition. From a general summary to chapter summaries to explanations of famous quotes, the sparknotes the iliad study guide has everything you need to ace quizzes, tests, and essays. In the tenth year of the trojan war, achilles, the greatest fighter for the achaeans the greeks and their allies, is enraged.
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