Book Cover of The Iliad

The Iliad

by Homer

A divinely beautiful woman who becomes the cause of a terrible war in which the gods themselves take sides. Valor and villainy, sacrifices and betrayals, triumphs and tragedies play their part in this three thousand year old saga. The Iliad throws us right into the thick of battle. It opens when the Trojan War has already been raging for nine long years. An uneasy truce has been declared between the Trojans and the Greeks (Achaeans as they're called in The Iliad.) In the Greek camp, Agamemnon the King of Mycenae and Achilles the proud and valiant warrior of Phthia are locked in a fierce contest to claim the spoils of war. The gods in Olympus watch horrified as the best of Greeks and Trojans are slain. However, Zeus has prohibited them from openly interfering. But finally, even the gods cannot stay neutral. The mighty Zeus steps in to prod the Trojans into breaching the truce. Achilles, who is sulking in his tent refuses to fight and the Greeks suffer terrible losses. Achilles, a demigod is the son of the sea nymph Thetis and the King of the Myrmidions Peleus. He has been rendered immortal like the gods except for one spot near his foot where his mother held him while she dipped him in the Styx. He is the greatest hero in The Iliad and known for his rage, impulsiveness and courage. He watches as his comrades fall one by one and finally puts his pride aside. He sends his beloved friend Patroclus into battle. But Apollo, the savior of the Trojans, dashes away Patroclus' armor and the Trojan prince Hector slays him. Maddened by anger and grief, Achilles vows revenge and resumes battle. And the epic goes on... The Iliad is purportedly written by the blind poet Homer some time during the eighth century BC. Its supreme importance in Greek literature slowly permeated to the rest of the Western world and in time to come, the two epic poems, The Iliad and The Odyssey became the reference points for thousands of works of art. European museums and art galleries are filled with works based on the themes, heroes and divinities from The Iliad. Contemporary films have portrayed the Trojan War, while tourists throng the sites mentioned in the poems. It was first translated into English in the sixteenth century and has since then, gripped the collective imagination for generations. As one of the defining myths of western literature, The Iliad is indeed a must read for anyone interested in an epic tale.

Book Details

Language

English

Original Language

Ancient Greek

Published In

Authors

Homer image

Homer

Greece

Homer (Ancient Greek: Ὅμηρος Greek pronunciation: , Hómēros; c. 800–c. 701 BC) was the presumed author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, two epic poems...

Books by Homer

Listen/Download Audiobook

Read by:
00:00
Playback Speed 1.0
00:00
  • Select Speed

Related books

Canzoniere (Rerum vulgarium fragmenta), vol 2 Cover image

Canzoniere (Rerum vulgarium fragmenta), vol 2 by Francesco Petrarca

Il Canzoniere di Francesco Petrarca, noto anche come Rerum vulgarium fragmenta, è una raccolta di poesie in volgare italiano che celebra l'amore di Pe...

Summer Storm Cover image

Summer Storm by Sara Teasdale

This collection of poems by Sara Teasdale explores the themes of summer storms, nature, and the passage of time. The poems are characterized by their...

Ilíada Cover image

Ilíada by Homer

La Ilíada es una epopeya griega que narra la parte final de la Guerra de Troya, centrándose en la cólera de Aquiles y sus consecuencias. La historia g...

Twelve Months Cover image

Twelve Months by George Ellis

George Ellis's *Twelve Months* is a collection of twelve poems, each dedicated to a specific month of the year. Through vivid imagery and lyrical lang...

Fidele Cover image

Fidele by William Shakespeare

Fidele, a character from Shakespeare's play *Cymbeline*, is a young woman disguised as a boy named Fidele. She is the daughter of the banished king, P...

Myszeis Cover image

Myszeis by Ignacy Krasicki

“Myszeis” is a satirical poem written by Ignacy Krasicki, a prominent Polish poet and bishop. It tells the story of a conflict between mice and rats o...

Jerusalem Delivered  Cover image

Jerusalem Delivered by Torquato Tasso

Jerusalem Delivered, also known as The Liberation of Jerusalem is an epic poem by the Italian poet Torquato Tasso, first published in 1581, that tells...

September Cover image

September by Dorothy Frances McCrae

September by Dorothy Frances McCrae is a collection of poems exploring themes of love, loss, and the passage of time. McCrae uses vivid imagery and a...

Translations & Imitations of German Ballads Cover image

Translations & Imitations of German Ballads by Sir Walter Scott

This collection presents Sir Walter Scott's translations and imitations of five German ballads. Each poem reworks a traditional ballad, weaving toget...

Fetch Cover image

Fetch by Dora Sigerson Shorter

LibriVox volunteers bring you 7 different recordings of The Fetch by Dora Sigerson Shorter.

Reviews for The Iliad

No reviews posted or approved, yet...