The Iliad

For the Ancient Greeks the Iliad and the Odyssey told them how Greece had come to be the dominant power in the western Mediterranean, and also showed them what sort of people their gods were, and how those gods behaved.

The Iliad and the Odyssey (and possibly some other epics, which have now been lost) were what the Greeks had instead of history books, and also what they had instead of a Bible.

If you want to see just how important these poems were for Greeks during the Classical period, read Plato's dialogue Ion. This shows how the Greeks turned to the Iliad for advice on everything: what is the correct way to pray, which is the best way to bake bread, or mend your chariot (fix your car) - it is all in the Iliad (or the Odyssey).

It may seem funny to us these days that people would go to the Iliad to find out how to fix a broken chariot wheel - but things haven't changed so much. There are still people in America who think you can teach archaeology, and even genetics, from the Bible.

Are great works of literature that helps us understand life in ancient Greece.

There was a duel between Hector and Achilles , and Achilles was successful in killing Hector late in the day.

it wasnt really a duel, it was an unfair fight, athene helped Achilles overcome hector. Achilles was also wearing god's amour and was fed on ambrosia, Achilles had refused to eat and both Odysseus and Zeus realised that a starved Achilles would be no match for a well fed hector. Achilles killed hector by thrusting his spear into his neck, the only vulnerable spot on hector's body when he was wearing Achilles' armour. both heroes exchanged spear throws, Achilles missed but athene returned his spear, hector did not miss and hit Achilles' shield, however he was tricked by athene who disguised herself as hector's brother deiphoubus holdind another spear for him and then abandoned him. hector then charges Achilles, knowing he is going to die, with his sword and he is likened to a high flying eagle, noble and strong swooping down upon Achilles who is likened to a timid hare. Achilles with athene's help slays his enemy and then proceeds to maltreat hector, this act was deemed disgusting and wrong in homeric times and still today. Zeus grows enfuriated by this as hector was his favourite mortal, aswell as Apollo's and perhaps even ares. Achilles is not the true hero of the iliad and in my view is not even a hero at all. homer intends us to feel great pathos, sympathy, for hector the greatest hero for so many more reasons than just a talented warrior. he is the most noble and brave character in Homer's Iliad.

the only other topic is the figure of homer which is shrouded in mystery

Because it was a competition to see which goddess was the fairest. Aphrodite promised Paris that she would make Helen fall in love with him and that was his prize for choosing her as the most fair.

Maybe Paris is a little feckless and fickle, sort of silly. Paris was offered Kingdoms by Hera queen of the Gods, and wisdom by Athena, he turned them both down for the most beautifuk woman, and this led to the Trojan War where Paris may have been killed. On the other hand, Zeus does not randomly pick Paris, because Paris had a reputation for gracefully conceding defeat, as in the contest as to whose bull was greatest: Paris' or Ares, who incarnated himself as a divine bull, nothing better. Paris refuses to give Helen back to the Greeks as a way to avert the Trojan War. Even when he is pressed by his brother Hector and the Trojan elders (?).

He didn't. He gave the apple to Aphrodite.

He was incredibly smart and strong. He came up with the idea of the wooden horse that led to the conquer of Troy. He endured 10 years of hardships. He showed excellent self-control in out-smarting the cyclopes, he traveled to the underworld and came back, he heard the song of the beautiful sirens and was not killed, and he survived three encounters with monsters of the sea. He was an excellent archer that no one could surpass except Apolo. He defeated hundreds of suitors that had come to woo his wife.

Phthia, as he says in the first book of the Iliad in his rant to Agamemnon.

He was a famous BC Greek author- actually a poet, He is supposed to have been Blind. Homer is credited with the Iliad and the Odyssey but there is also a theory there may have been more than one author involved- partially because of his handicap.

I feel more sympathetic towards Priam, because he has to beg Achilles for his son's body back and kiss Achilles' hands, the hands by which the spear that killed his son was thrust into Hector's throat, killing him. He lowered down his standards by visiting Achilles, and showing him respect. He was ready to do anything to retrieve his son's body. Priam was a hurt father that lost his son. -Raneem Fares-

Menelaus was the king of Sparta in Greece. He was the husband of Helen whose abduction by Prince Paris of Troy was the cause of the Trojan War.

mochamocha

hector was a prince of troy, son of priam and hecuba, husband of andromache and brother of Paris, who initiated the Trojan war with Sparta after stealing Helen of troy from the spartan king menelaus.

he is widely acknowledged as being Troy's greatest warrior during this conflict.

according to homer's Iliad, hector did not support the war with the Spartans

he was killed by Achilles in revenge after he slew Achilles cousin patroclus.

the last lines of the Iliad are dedicated to hector's funeral

few things, it wasnt a war with Sparta but all Greece, over which agamemnon had gained most control. second patroclus wasnt Achilles' cousin, he was in fact a friend who was much older than Achilles', he was send to troy to prevent Achilles' anger and pride getting the better of him, patroclus failed in this respect because the whole book is about Achilles' pride and anger overcoming him.

hector was the best Trojan warrior and joint second best warrior in the whole book with ajax of telamon. he is however the most noble and bravest of the heroes in the iliad, homer defines hector as the real hero of the ilaid. he is an unusaual hero , in the sense that he fights for his country in a war he disapproves of, for a cowardly brother who has caused the war, he knows he will die if he fights in the Trojan war, yet he continues to do so because it is his duty and he cannot bear to see his fathe, wife, mother and his son disgraced. he fights for them and cares about his men, he is saddedned by the death of his trojans and allies. the other heores such as ajax, diomedes and oydesseus are all brave and skilled fighters but they donot have the same compassion and honour that hector has, they fight for their glory, they don't really care about the death's of others so long as they gain kudos. Achilles is the classic example of a typical homeric hero, uncaring, selfish, petty and ruthless. hector is a great warrior and much more he is a man, he has human qualities unlike Achilles, we can therefore sympathise with hector and respect him above all others. you must also remember that Achilles feared hector, and athene had to help Achilles on more than one occasion when the two heroes met

That captured and kept the audience's attention

The Iliad is an ancient Greek poem, attributed to Homer. It is said Iliad was the cause of the siege and the war.

because Nestor was so kind and loved him so that he would delay Telemachus' departure

The most natural way for a woman to manipulate a man is by having sexual intercourse or pleasing the man in a way he likes. This is the way that everyone thinks Hera manipulated Zeus.

Homer lived in approximately 850 BCE. He did not transcribe The Iliad but performed it orally. The oldest known copy of The Iliad dates to the 10th century CE.

'twas the ninth year of the war when Achilles gets enraged by agamemnon. It ends with the funerary games of patroclus, before the Greeks conquer the town.

death

After Achilles, the greatest two other warriors were Telamonian Ajax (Greater Ajax) and Odysseus. These two warriors competed to see who was the braver warrior.

I believe this answer can found in the odyessy by Homer.They angered him by killing and eating his immortal cattle.

Hector is a Trojan Prince, the son of King Priam of Troy. He was killed by Achilles, because he had killed Achilles' best friend Patroclus.

Apart from the fact that they are on different sides, Achilles is seen as a more ferocious warrior, and Hector as a more morally right character

The Iliad ended with the death of Hector, it never described the sacking of Troy yet.

athena did give him back his spear when he threw it at hector who successfully dodged it.

but the main help athena gave him was when hector, fearful of achilles's rage, fleed from achilles and ran around troy's wall three times. when they were running around troy for the 4th time, athena persuaded hector to stop the chase and face achilles in war