Reviews for The Iliad

The average rating for The Iliad based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2018-02-20 00:00:00 Marla Deese Reading the Iliad in Greek has been one of my life's goals. Now, after almost two years, I have completed the task! It has been an immensely rewarding experience. It will feel strange not to read my daily page each morning--the only remedy is to start re-reading the Odyssey! The second half of the Iliad is where the most familiar parts of the story take place. Achilles still refuses to fight, so his boon companion Patroclus borrows his armor to inspire the men. He is successful for a time, but eventually Hector catches up to him and kills him. Achilles is inspired to re-enter the fighting to revenge his friend's death, culminating in his pursuit and killing of Hector. As in the first half of the poem, the characterizations are vivid and feel true to life. Other highlights of this half of the poem include the description of the shield that Hephaestus makes for Achilles (to replace the one Hector took off Patroclus), which includes scenes of everyday Greek life; and Book 23, which comprises the funeral games for Patroclus, almost like a proto-Olympics. The opening lines of the Iliad announce that it will deal with the wrath of Achilles. For most of the poem, this wrath causes him to sulk in his tent, far from the battlefield. Then the wrath leads him to mow down Trojans mercilessly until he finally kills Hector himself. Even this is not enough to assuage Achilles, who vows to dishonor his enemy's corpse. But then King Priam comes to beg for Achilles to let him take his son's body back to Troy for proper mourning. Finally Achilles relents and lets mercy overcome his wrath. The last we hear of the great Greek hero is that he is at last able to sleep, and with Briseis no less--the woman whom Agamemnon had taken away from him just before the beginning of the poem, an injustice that was the first cause of his wrath. Homer has taken us full circle. Now bring on the Odyssey and more adventures!

Review # 2 was written on 2021-03-21 00:00:00 Gerald Miglik This book is a bit of a slog to get through but the translation flows well especially if read out aloud.