THE ILIAD By Homer HOMER The legendary ancient

THE ILIAD By Homer

HOMER - The legendary ancient Greek epic poet - Said to be the author of The Iliad and the Odyssey - Is supposed to be blind, guided by a young boy throughout his life - He is portrayed as a wandering minstrel who begs and hangs out with poor folks while singing his stories. - Some also say that there is no REAL Homer – that Homer is a name given to embody the compilation of Greek literature.

THE ILIAD - Epic poem in dactylic hexameters - Set in the Trojan war; tells of the battles and events between King Agamemnon and Achilles. - Along with the Odyssey, it is considered one of the oldest existing works of Western literature.

Main Characters: Agamemnon – King of Mycenae; leader of the Greeks Achilles – Leader of the Myrmidons; Half god war hero Odysseus – King of Ithaca; the wiliest of all Greek commanders Patroclus – closest companion of Achilles Menelaus – King of Sparta; wife of Helen Hector – son of King Priam; the foremost Trojan warrior Priam – aged King of Troy Helen – wife of Menelaus; espoused to Paris – her abduction precipitated the war. Thetis – goddess mother of Achilles

How did it start? After an invocation to the Muses, the story begins in medias res towards the end of the Trojan War between the Trojans and the besieging Greeks. Chryses, a Trojan priest of Apollo, offers the Greeks wealth for the return of his daughter Chryseis, a captive of Agamemnon, Greek leader. Although most of the Greek army is in favor of the offer, Agamemnon refuses. Chryses prays for Apollo's help, and Apollo causes a plague throughout the Greek army. After nine days of plague, Achilles, the leader of the Myrmidon contingent, calls an assembly to solve the plague problem. Under pressure, Agamemnon agrees to return Chryseis to her father, but also decides to take Achilles's captive, Briseis, as compensation. Angered, Achilles declares that he and his men will no longer fight for Agamemnon, but will go home. Odysseus takes a ship and brings Chryseis to her father, whereupon Apollo ends the plague.

How did it start? In the meantime, Agamemnon's messengers take Briseis away, and Achilles asks his mother, Thetis, to ask Zeus that the Greeks be brought to the breaking point by the Trojans, so Agamemnon will realize how much the Greeks need Achilles. Thetis does so, Zeus agrees, and sends a dream to Agamemnon, urging him to attack the city. Agamemnon heeds the dream but decides to first test the morale of the Greek army by telling them to go home. The plan backfires, and only the intervention of Odysseus, inspired by Athena, stops the rout. Odysseus confronts and beats Thersites, a common soldier who voices discontent at fighting Agamemnon's war. After a meal, the Greeks deploy in companies upon the Trojan plain. When news of the Greek deployment reaches king Priam, the Trojans too sortie upon the plain. The armies approach each other on the plain, but before they met, Paris offers to end the war by fighting a duel with Menelaus. While Helen tells Priam about the Greek commanders from the walls of Troy, both sides swear a truce and promise to abide by the outcome of the duel. Paris is beaten, but Aphrodite rescues him and leads him to bed with Helen before Menelaus could kill him.

THE ILIAD

ACTIVITY FOR THE DAY: ROLE PLAY DIRECTIONS: Act out the scenes (to be given by line number) of the ILIAD. It is important that you are wearing a NAMETAG of your character so that you can always be identified. A NARRATOR is also important. Group 1: lines 5 - 75 Group 2: 80 – 190 Group 3: 195 - 300 Group 4: 305 – 415 Group 5: 420 - 530 Group 6: 535 – 640 Group 7: 645 - 755

HOW DID IT END?

VALUE POINTS: What does the Iliad and its events teach us? Do these matter to our society today? What are some realizations that you have about the story?