Transcript The Iliad - bYTEBoss

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?