The Iliad is an epic poem that is thought to be written by Homer. However, there is a lot of mystery around who Homer is, or even whether or not he wrote this poem in the first place. Some people believe that Homer may have been more than one person, while others are unsure if the ideas were even his. Homer also is given credit for writing the Odyssey, which was written before the Iliad. A lot of Homer's Iliad talked about the dispute between Agamemnon and Achilles over the captured mistress, Briseis. His epic poems are some of the most important works of ancient Greek literature. "For the Greeks themselves, the Iliad and the Odyssey enshrined core cultural traditions, religious beliefs, genealogies, and social values" (Butler).
This monumental piece of Greek literature was written in the extremely early years of eighth century B.C. and was part of "The Epic Cycle". The Epic Cycle is a very old series of eight poems that narrates the deeds of gods and men during the era of the Trojan War (Berry). The Iliad has made the Trojan War very well known . . . even though it is unknown whether or not this war even happened (Valiunas). "In the Iliad, Homer focuses on several weeks of action during the tenth and last year of the war that the Greeks fought against the Trojans to recover Helen, the wife of the Lacedaemonian lord Menelaus and the most beautiful woman in the world, who had been seduced by and had absconded with the Trojan prince Paris. Above all the poem focuses on the consequences of the anger of the supreme Greek hero, Achilles; the opening lines invoke the Muse that will sing of this anger and the devastation it sows. Agamemnon, king of Mycenae and leader of the Achaeans (or Argives, or Danaans, as Homer calls the Greeks), had taken as a war prize the beautiful girl Chryseis, daughter of Chryses, a priest of Apollo. Chryses' attempt to ransom his daughter fails, but his prayers to Apollo bring down a plague upon the Greeks. Pressed by Achilles, who harangues him with brazen loathing, Agamemnon agrees to return Chryseis to her father; but he insists on having Achilles' choice slave girl, Briseis, as compensation for his sacrifice. Achilles concedes in turn, but the dishonor goads him to fury, and he vows to withdraw from the fighting. His mother, Thetis, an immortal Nereid, implores Zeus to give the advantage in battle to the Trojans until the Greeks see they cannot do without Achilles and do right by him. Should Zeus refuse her, Thetis says, she will know herself the most dishonored of the gods: like mother, like son. Zeus complains that his wife, Hera, will give him grief for helping the Trojans more than he already does, but he gives in to Thetis' entreaty." (Valiunas). In simpler terms, this poem consists mainly of war between gods; and also over dramatic actions from them. As you may have guessed, the Iliad contains a lot of deaths. For example, these are the people who died: Hector (as seen below), Achilles, and the destruction of the entire city of Troy.
The picture above is Hector being killed, as you can see, it has been painted onto a pot.
Works Cited
"Cover of The Iliad by Homer." Literary Movements for Students: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Literary Movements. Ed. Ira Mark Milne. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2009. U.S. History In Context. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.
"Briseis, concubine of Achilles." Image. Duruy, Victor, History of Greece and of the Greek People, vol. 1, sec. 2, 1890. World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.
"Homer: Iliad Book I, Achilles and Agamemnon quarrel (ca. 750 BCE)." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.
Berry, Jennifer E. "Warriors in black and red: scenes from the Trojan War were a popular pottery motif." MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History Spring 2014: 59+. General OneFile. Web. 29 Mar. 2014.
Valiunas, Algis. "Winged words." Claremont Review of Books Summer 2012: 78+. Academic OneFile. Web. 29 Mar. 2014.
"Briseis, concubine of Achilles." Image. Duruy, Victor, History of Greece and of the Greek People, vol. 1, sec. 2, 1890. World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.
"Homer: Iliad Book I, Achilles and Agamemnon quarrel (ca. 750 BCE)." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.
Berry, Jennifer E. "Warriors in black and red: scenes from the Trojan War were a popular pottery motif." MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History Spring 2014: 59+. General OneFile. Web. 29 Mar. 2014.
Valiunas, Algis. "Winged words." Claremont Review of Books Summer 2012: 78+. Academic OneFile. Web. 29 Mar. 2014.