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| Plot Summary of The Iliad |
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"Helen, the wife of Agamemnon, King of Mycenae, has been kidnapped by Paris, the evil prince of Troy. In anger, Helen's son the almost invulnerable hero Achilles wages war on King Priam, Paris' father, and the city of Troy. All of Greece is swept into war with Troy, including some of the world's greatest warriors, kings, and holy men. Achilles and his friends fight to rescue Helen and destroy the Trojans, and after ten years, they succeed, but not without disaster."
Daniel, Resident Scholar
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"The Iliad is the first book in Western literature, told c.720BC, it is set during the Trojan War c.1200BC. The noble Achilles, most powerful of the Greeks, has been serving in the war against the Trojans for nearly ten years. Originally it may have been about rescuing the beautiful queen Helen who was stolen away, but now it is about the wounded pride and hot rage of Achilles. After being publicly insulted by his leader King Agamemnon, in fury he refuses to fight any further and withdraws his troops. He demands compensation for the insult or, unless the battle goes so badly against the Greeks that all their ships are in danger of being burnt, he will not lead his elite troops into battle.
The war does start to go against the Greeks. Although the cunning Odysseus leads a daring night-time commando raid into the heart of the enemy camp, the tide is turning and King Agamemnon sees that he must make amends with Achilles. But Achilles is now hardened in his anger and will not take the compensation. He calls the whole war a pointless sham and accuses the king of speaking with forked tongue. Unwisely he allows his best friend Patroclus to wear his magical armor and lead his troops into battle. Tragically, the Trojan hero Hector kills him and the armor is captured. Only now Achilles swings into action, not for the glory of the Greeks, but to avenge his friend's death. Inside the Trojan city we see scenes of family life and feel pity for the wives and children as they helplessly watch the men don armor and go out to battle for the last time. Outside is the mighty Achilles, for though it cost him everything, he will have his vengeance and win the undying glory of a hero of battle. And he is still remembered even to this day.
This is a long and complex book but the key chapters for the action are 1, 6, 9, 16, 18, 22, and 24. Good translations abound but Robert Fitzgerald's in the Oxford World Classics series is a good read with handy notes and maps. If you need to get serious Robert M. Willcock's, 'A companion to the Iliad' is the way to go."
Michael JR Jose, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Iliad |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- depressed
Time/era of story
- distant past/middle ages
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
War/Revolt/Disaster on civilians
Yes
Conflict:
- War, general
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- Prince/Nobleman/King
- infantry soldier
Age:
- 20's-30's
Has magical powers?
Yes
Magical/mental powers of main character:
- super strength
- is very quick
Eccentric/Mental
Yes
Eccentric:
- obsessed
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Greek
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- bulging muscles
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- Prince/Nobleman/King
- infantry soldier
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
- an average amount
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
- average physique
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 7 ()
Europe
Yes
European country:
- Greece
- Turkey
City?
Yes
City:
- dirty, grimy (like New York)
- wealthy
Misc setting
- fancy mansion
- fort/military installation
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
- very explicit references to deaths and torture
Weird Victorian/Shakespearean English?
Yes
Unusual Style:
- a lot of play on words
- a lot of flashback and forwards
- a lot of stream of consciousness
- No single main character?
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
- little dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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