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The Iliad
The Iliad is an epic poem written by Homer. In the poem, the Trojan War in Greece is being fought. The combatants of the war are the Greeks and the Trojans. Any questions regarding the Trojan Horse can also be place here.
984 Questions
During the Peloponnesian War? The Spartans.
Athens has a long history and at one point possessed a powerful empire. This situation automatically leads to a state having a LOT of enemies.
During the Peloponnesian War, Sparta was the leader of the Peloponnesian League, which included other city-states such as Corinth and Elis and was the opponent to the Athenian-dominated Delian League. The Great King of Persia was also an enemy of the Athenians at this time, but Persia had been an enemy of Athens (and Greeks in general) for centuries before and after this period. Athens had many other enemies, such as the city of Syracuse in Sicily, but these are the most famous.
What heroic abilities or traits do Achilles Hector and Odysseus share?
There are seven general characteristics that all epic heroes possess. They have a noble birth, they are capable of great strength and courage, they are great warriors, they travel over vast settings, national heroism, humility and they all generally either face supernatural foes or receive supernatural help.
What does Athena's intervention tell us about the role of the gods and goddesses in The Iliad?
Athena's motivation in the Iliad mainly came from a story that was not included in the Iliad. Eris, the goddess of discord, gave a golden apple at the wedding of Peleus and Thetis (Achilles's parents) to be awarded to the fairest goddess. The three goddesses in contention were Hera, Aphrodite, and of course Athena. Zeus, for once being smart, refused to pick the winner so the unlucky chooser ended up being Paris, a prince of Troy. Paris picked Aphrodite because she promised him Helen. Athena and Hera were both very mad and so helped the Achaeans or Greeks in the Trojan War. This is basically the motivation behind all of Athena's actions, to bring about the downfall of Troy.
Why does Achilles surrender hector to priam?
He drew on the universal themes of grief; his own for his son and Achilles' for Patroklos, and also asks Achilles to think of him as his own father, who has the hope that his son, Achilles will come back alive, yet Priam hasn't even got this. Priam also brings a large ransom with him.
Why might the account of the Trojan War in the Illiad be unreliable?
It was sung by the strolling bards for 400 years before it was written down. Each bard had his own version, so what came down had myriad variations. The written version by Homer was itself published over the years in many differing versions. Where facts lie is a guess. It is fairly well recognised that stories over three generations become so distorted that it is difficult to know what is fact and what is fiction. There is a game you can play today - sit 12 people around a room and whisper a story to one, and this story is passed around the participants. When it comes back to the originator, it is materially different. How much so after hundreds of years?
How does Agamemnon exhibit hubris?
Hubris, deriving from the greek hybris, refers to actions that in some way or another, humiliate the victim of the hubristic persona. now, I haven't read Homer's Odyssey in a looooong time, so I don't quite remember Odysseus's actions, but I do know that in ancient Greece it was an actual legal claim, and was a major crime to the Greeks. dunno if that helps you on your way. XD
What was the legacy of ancient Greek epics like the Odyssey continues to provide people with?
Real life stories about everyday people
How did Homer get the idea to write The Iliad and The Odyssey?
My answer is, We never knew much about anything at the times of homer because no one actually wrote anything, so we suspected that it was the Dark ages, because again very little writing was found, but then archeologist stumbled upon Homers writings and they were huge, and it had ancient writings of all the battles and events we know about today.
Why did Homer write The Iliad?
The Iliad records some important events during the final year of the Trojan War. The Odyssey concerns the journey of Odysseus after the war. Many scholars regard the purpose of the Odyssey as being to show that it is the journey (of life?) which is important rather than the destination. Related linkshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odyssey http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iliad
Is Achilles act of killing Hector justifiable?
They were both warriors and fought each other, so death was a natural outcome. Whether the was was justified is another matter. The Greeks were looting western Asia Minor and Troy was one of the targets. Work out what was 'justified' in that.
What did Achilles do to Hector's body after killing him?
Achilles tied Hector to the back of his chariot and dragged him around the city of Troy while shouting "I killed Hector".
After persuasion from Priam he agrees to return the body for its weight in Trojan gold.
Who are Menelaus and Agamemnon?
Menelaus and Agamemnon were brothers. Menelaus was the king of Sparta, and Agamemnon was the commander of the Achaeans in the Trojan war. Menelaus was married to Helen, and Agamemnon was married to Clytemnestra.
What does achillies do with hectors body?
Achilles drags Hector's body to show off that he killed him, as an act of revenge and to make himself feel better about the death of Patroclus, but the God's restored Hector's body, which infuriated Achilles even more. He later on realizes that revenge and violence is not the answer.
What are some black ships before troy Helen quotes?
the metaphor isn't compatible with the book. so for that i will not answer
The ancient Greeks read The Iliad and Odyssey in order to know?
It was a written version of the stories the bards used to sing of the legendary looting of Asia Minor by the Greeks, the capture of Troy, and the travels and travails of Odysseus' return to his home in Ithaca.
Which central character in the Iliad which focuses on his rage?
The Iliad centers around Achilles, and his anger at having his prize Briseis taken away from him.
How is Helen in The Iliad dramatic?
Helen is the daughter of Queen Leda of Sparta and Zeus, her brother by Zeus was Polydeuces who was considered the 'twin' of Caster; her sister by Leda and King Tyndareus was Clytaimnestra. She was married to Menelaus and kidnapped by her lover
Paris.
What is free will in 'Oedipus Rex' and 'The Iliad'?
The choice between actions that nevertheless lead to the same outcome or that produce the same result is what free will is in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.) and "The Iliad" by Homer (fl. 8th B.C.E.).
Specifically, each individual has a customized destiny in ancient Greece. The particular paths by which individualized fates are fulfilled may be variable. But the range of choices and deeds results in all mortals ending exactly where the Furies of fate prophecy that they will be.
What is the Roman version of The Iliad?
Since the stories of The Iliad (the Trojan War) and The Odyssey (the travels of King Odysseus) were written by Homer, a Greek writer, there is no 'roman' version. Odysseus was a Greek hero, so the Romans presumably no interest in hearing about his exploits as such: in other words, they would be more interested in tales of ROMAN heroes.
Another View:
I Disagree with the above but not entirely.
The correct answer to this question would be Virgil's "The Aeneid". Though the above answer is accurate in that there is no Roman Homer's The Illiad. Virgil's first six books of The Aeneid are Rome's attempt at not only revisionist history but their first attempt at the Greek tradition in epic poetic literature. So while it is true that Romans would be much more interested in hearing about Roman heroes they had none with the tradition set forth by the Greeks so Virgil in effect plagiarized the greatest work of literature at the time, arguably of all time, and created Roman heroes within the context of The Aeneid.
Further View:
Aeneid is not a version of the Iliad. It is a sequel to it which tries to portray Rome as being in the lineage of the heroes of a thousand years before. Iliad ws an early written version of the many version which had been sung by the itinerant bards for hundreds of years before cursive writing was invented and the story written down. We don't know if it was the best of these versions, just that it was popular at the time.
The attempt to have a Roman story was late, in Augustus' time, and literature had moved on. Aficionados of this genre may swoon over the epics but later literature, prose, verse and theatre has not only matched but surpassed them in its content, style, art and relevance. Those early works should be given their due as outstanding in their time, but most people would regard later works as surpassing these fascinating relics of an age of early and primitive literature.
There will be hot disagreement on this from the devotees of the classical epics, but this is a legitimate alternative view from the majority who are able to put literary works in their true place and perspective.
Are the anead Iliad and the oddesy the same story?
No. Both epic poems were written by Homer (Greek). The Iliad tells the story of the Trojan War, about the last year of the war. The chief protagonists are Achilles, Agamemnon, Patroclus, Hector, Paris. The Odyssey is about a Greek hero, Odysseus. After the Trojan War, he started his 10 year long journey home (to Itacha), where everybody thought he was dead. Only his wife Penelpoe believed that he would come home. On his journey he had many adventures (the one-eyed Polyphemus, the Sirens, Circe, etc) and finally he got home.
