Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Iliad
    The Iliad
    The Iliad
    Audiobook16 hours

    The Iliad

    Written by Homer

    Narrated by John Lescault

    4/5

    ()

    Switch to ebook

    About this audiobook

    The first of Homer's epic poems tells of the counsel of Nestor, Achilles' slaying of Hector, and the defeat of the Trojans by the Greeks.


    Little is known about the Ancient Greek oral poet, Homer, the supposed 8th century BC author of the world-read Iliad and his later masterpiece, The Odyssey. These classic epics provided the basis for Greek education and culture throughout the classical age and formed the backbone of humane education through the birth of the Roman Empire and the spread of Christianity. If Homer did in fact exist, this supposedly blind poet was from some region of Greek-controlled Asia-Minor and recited his poems at festivals and political assemblies. The Iliad, deriving its name from the Greek word for Troy, Ilium, recalls the events of the Trojan War and the uncontrolled wrath of the Greek commander Achilles that led to so much destruction.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSpotify Audiobooks
    Release dateJan 1, 2001
    ISBN9781467610735
    Author

    Homer

    Two epic poems are attributed to Homer, the Iliad and the Odyssey. They are composed in a literary type of Greek, Ionic in basis with Aeolic admixtures. Ranked among the great works of Western literature, these two poems together constitute the prototype for all subsequent Western epic poetry. Modern scholars are generally agreed that there was a poet named Homer who lived before 700 B.C., probably in Asia Minor.

    More audiobooks from Homer

    Related authors

    Related to The Iliad

    Related audiobooks

    Poetry For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Alex And The Oracle

      Aug 4, 2021

      Alex And The Oracle
      7 min read

    • Article

      MICHAEL KOHLHAAS Part Two

      Feb 26, 2019

      MICHAEL KOHLHAAS Part Two
      24 min read

    • Article

      The Island (catullus 64)

      Mar 1, 2022

      Back then the evergreens tumbled downriverfrom the glaze-white runoff to the boot-stirred puddlesof amber young men who fulfilled our destiny,who clambered into ships, on horses, and in wagonspainting the newfound landscapes ours.Our calling was nobl

      9 min read

    • Article

      Echo and Narcissus

      Mar 7, 2022

      Echo and Narcissus
      7 min read

    • Article

      On Grief

      Jul 29, 2019

      On Grief
      5 min read

    • Article

      Arachne the Spiderwoman

      Oct 9, 2019

      Arachne the Spiderwoman
      2 min read

    • Article

      The Trojan War Museum

      Jul 29, 2019

      The Trojan War Museum
      15 min read

    • Article

      Michael Kohlhaas

      Mar 28, 2019

      Michael Kohlhaas
      24 min read

    • Article

      Patricia Smith

      Mar 15, 2019

      but which verbs do you employ when it’s clear that you are tryingto side-eye murder your mother, when you are the chilling moral of every blazing honor thy Sunday sermon, when you are nothingless than blasphemy blown wide? How you do lift the bleatin

      1 min read

    • Article

      Jeremias Gotthelf

      Feb 28, 2020

      Jeremias Gotthelf
      27 min read

    • Article

      Toby Martinez De Las Rivas

      Dec 15, 2018

      III. Is belief, like love, first a touch, a feeling,an inclination toward rightness?But I have known—known—myself right somany times & been so, só wrong.Is it a mode of dying? Of benediction?Acceptance of suffering?It is benediction.I am ill. There i

      2 min read

    • Article

      Clytie the Sunflower A GREEK MYTH

      May 1, 2023

      Clytie the Sunflower A GREEK MYTH
      3 min read

    • Article

      THE BLACK SPIDER Part Two

      Oct 30, 2019

      THE BLACK SPIDER Part Two
      25 min read

    • Article

      Ilse Kleyn Prophetic Artist

      Jun 24, 2019

      Ilse Kleyn Prophetic Artist
      7 min read

    • Article

      Bringing In the Horse

      Sep 4, 2018

      Bringing In the Horse
      10 min read

    • Article

      The Old Man and Death

      Jul 29, 2019

      The Old Man and Death
      1 min read

    • Article

      Meet Your New Favorite Poet

      Feb 20, 2019

      Meet Your New Favorite Poet
      6 min read

    • Article

      Family

      Jan 27, 2020

      “A father would do well, as his son grows up, and is capable of it, to talk familiarly with him; nay, ask his advice, and consult with him about those things wherein he has any knowledge or understanding. By this, the father will gain two things, bot

      3 min read

    • Article

      Solving Riddles, Reading Poems

      Nov 28, 2017

      Solving Riddles, Reading Poems
      6 min read

    • Article

      Gaia The Earth Mother

      Sep 6, 2023

      Gaia The Earth Mother
      3 min read

    • Article

      Two Poems by Rowan Ricardo Phillips

      Jun 15, 2018

      And, after the explosion, made spheres sing,A pure expression of pure poetry,Like rising rain or a nation with noFlag—. Something that whispers as the airDoes just before the lightning comes. A pureExpression of the breaks in the blank lakesOn Neptun

      2 min read

    • Article

      There’s No Place Like Home

      Aug 17, 2022

      NÍL aon tinteán mar do thinteán fhéin,’ Rose says (it means: ‘There is no fireplace like your own’) every time we turn in through our gates and catch a glimpse of the house at the end of the drive. We have been leading such a peripatetic existence of

      2 min read

    • Article

      Press Ganged!

      May 1, 2020

      Press Ganged!
      3 min read

    • Article

      Come To The Party

      Nov 18, 2019

      King Xerxes, a wealthy and prominent king who ruled over 127 provinces, decided to give a banquet for all his nobles and officials. For a full 180 days, he displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom and the glory of his majesty. Then for seven days, he

      3 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Iliad

    4/5

    5,678 ratings152 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      It's a damn Greek tragedy!The Iliad takes us through the battle of Troy and the Greek invasion. We are able to Marvel at great warriors like Hector and Achilles. We are able to hear of their struggles and their woes and eventually their deaths.The Odyssey takes us through the 10-year struggle to return home after the Trojan War has ended. Odysseus battles mystical creatures and the Wrath of the Gods as he tries desperately to come back home to his throne.Homer is definitely a master of the Greek epic. His writing resembles that of a playwright of modern day and even harkens back to a bit of Shakespearean feeling in the emotion of the characters. This is definitely a classic for the ages and in my opinion one that should be read once by everyone.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      At the core of Western culture, there is ancient Rome and Greece, and at the core of the ancient Roman and Greek culture, there is Homer. When reading, I really did feel that the Iliad and Odyssey contain the basic building blocks of the Western way of thinking. For example, Achilles and Odysseus were arguing about what to do next, and each could make a case that sounded convincing. But the ideas were not equally good.

      This translation uses plain English, with no hexameter of rhymes, which helped me focus on the story.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Confrontation upon confrontation (with some love scenes thrown in) - between man and god, between man and man. A rather incestuous story about what seems to obssess us even to this day. I love Lattimore!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      It's a damn Greek tragedy!The Iliad takes us through the battle of Troy and the Greek invasion. We are able to Marvel at great warriors like Hector and Achilles. We are able to hear of their struggles and their woes and eventually their deaths.The Odyssey takes us through the 10-year struggle to return home after the Trojan War has ended. Odysseus battles mystical creatures and the Wrath of the Gods as he tries desperately to come back home to his throne.Homer is definitely a master of the Greek epic. His writing resembles that of a playwright of modern day and even harkens back to a bit of Shakespearean feeling in the emotion of the characters. This is definitely a classic for the ages and in my opinion one that should be read once by everyone.
    • 5/5
      What better way to understand 12th century Troy than Homer's epic poem the Iliad. Homer's epic poems are some of the oldest surviving works of Western Literature. They are extremely important to learning about the Western civilization. I read both of these poems in my A.P. English class and I would use these in my curriculum. Students learn about violence and the effects of war. It's important to learn about these topics because we can learn from their mistakes.
    • 5/5
      The actor in this version was astonishing Itlived
    • 4/5
      At long last! The Illiad by Homer DIfficult to rate a literary epic. However, the entire book takes place in the 10th and last year of the Trojan War. Achilles’ wrath at Agamemnon for taking his war prize, the maiden Briseis, forms the main subject of this book. It seemed as if there were a lot of introductions to characters we never hear from again. The word refulgent was used dozen of times. All in all I'm glad I slogged my way through this. The novelized from of Song of Achilles was more satisfactory to me than the Illiad. I read the translation by Caroline Alexander because that's the one the library had. 3 1/2 stars 604 pages
    • 3/5
      My rating isn't a reflection of the story, as it deserves five stars, but of the edition. Specifically the prose version of The Odyssey.
    • 3/5
      Important in the history of literature and classical Greek thought.
    • 4/5
      Was an alright book. The gods angered me at times with their petty squabbles
    • 4/5
      A classic's classic, these tales are like the ESPN of history. A long listing of who's who in ancient history. Interestingly, while they do contain some of the standard items attributed to the, others are not actually in these two stories. It pays to read them.
    • 4/5
      At long last! The Illiad by Homer DIfficult to rate a literary epic. However, the entire book takes place in the 10th and last year of the Trojan War. Achilles’ wrath at Agamemnon for taking his war prize, the maiden Briseis, forms the main subject of this book. It seemed as if there were a lot of introductions to characters we never hear from again. The word refulgent was used dozen of times. All in all I'm glad I slogged my way through this. The novelized from of Song of Achilles was more satisfactory to me than the Illiad. I read the translation by Caroline Alexander because that's the one the library had. 3 1/2 stars 604 pages
    • 4/5
      As much as I love the Greeks in general, the Illiad is never as good a read as the Odyssey mostly because it's 80% horrible violent fighting and despair at a neverending war and then 20% interesting characters, speeches, and god/mortal interaction. I'll admit, I always end up doing a fair bit of skimming. The emotional resonance and epic descriptions are still as strong as the Odyssey, it just doesn't have the same fluid narrative. And then there's the fact that hearing how hundreds of people die in excruciating detail over and over again might be a good lesson against glorifying war, but it's just depressing. Personally, Achilles is just less likable a character. The really enjoyable part of this book is the relations between the gods and the mortals and the question of the inevitability of Fate.
    • 5/5
      THE ILIADThe wrath of Achilles not only begins the oldest piece of Western literature, but is also its premise. The Iliad has been the basis of numerous clichés in literature, but at its root it is a story of a war that for centuries was told orally before being put down by Homer in which the great heroes of Greece fought for honor and glory that the men of Homer’s day could only imagine achieving.The story of the Trojan War is well known and most people who have not read The Iliad assume they know what happens, but in fact at the end of the poem the city of Troy still stands and a wooden horse has not been mentioned. The Iliad tells of several weeks in the last year of the war that revolve around the dishonorable actions of Agamemnon that leads to Achilles refusing to fight with the rest of the Greeks and the disaster it causes in the resulting engagements against the Trojans. But then Achilles allows his friend Patroclus to lead his men into battle to save the Greek ships from being put to the torch only for Patroclus to advance to the walls of Troy and be slain by Hector. The wrath of Achilles turns from Agamemnon to Hector and the Trojans, leading to the death of Troy’s greatest warrior and the poem ending with his funeral.Although the actions of Achilles and Hector take prominence, there are several other notable “storylines” one doesn’t know unless you’ve read epic. First and foremost is Diomedes, the second greatest fighter amongst the Greeks but oftentimes overlooked when it comes to adaptations especially to other important individuals like Odysseus, Menelaus, and the pivotal Patroclus. The second is how much the Olympians and other minor deities are thought to influence the events during this stretch of the war and how both mortals and immortals had to bow to Fate in all circumstances. The third is how ‘nationalistic’ the epic is in the Greek perspective because even though Hector is acknowledged the greatest mortal-born warrior in the war on both sides, as a Trojan he has to have moments of cowardice that none of the Greek heroes are allowed to exhibit and his most famous kill is enabled by Apollo instead of all by himself. And yet, even though Homer writes The Iliad as a triumphant Greek narrative the sections that have Hector’s flaws almost seem hollow as if Homer and his audience both subconsciously know that his epic is not the heroic wrath of Achilles but the tragic death of Hector.The Iliad is the ultimate classic literature and no matter your reading tastes one must read it to have a better appreciation for all of literature as a whole. Although the it was first written over 2500 years ago, it shows the duality of heroic feats and complete tragedy that is war.THE ODYSSEYThe crafty hero of The Iliad is in the last leg of his long ten year journey home, but it not only his story that Homer relates to the reader in this sequel to the first war epic in literature. The Odyssey describes the Odysseus’ return to Ithaca after twenty years along with the emergence of his son Telemachus as a new hero while his faithful wife Penelope staves off suitors who are crowding their home and eating their wealth daily.Although the poem is named after his father, Telemachus’ “arc” begins first as the reader learns about the situation on Ithaca around Odysseus’ home and the search he begins for information on his father’s whereabouts. Then we shift to Odysseus on a beach longing to return home when he is informed his long sojourn is about to end and he sets off on a raft and eventually arrives among the Phaeacians, who he relates the previous ten years of his life to before they take him back home. On Ithaca, Odysseus and his son eventually meet and begin planning their revenge on the Penelope’s suitors that results in slaughter and a long-awaited family reunion with Penelope.First and foremost The Odyssey is about coming home, in both Telemachus’ and Odysseus’ arcs there are tales of successful homecomings, unsuccessful homecomings, and homecoming that never happen of heroes from The Iliad. Going hand-in-hand with homecomings is the wanderings of other heroes whose adventures are not as exciting or as long as Odysseus’. Interwoven throughout the poem with homecomings and wanderings is the relationship between guests and hosts along with the difference between good and bad for both that has long reaching consequences. And finally throughout Odysseus’ long journey there are tests everywhere of all types for him to overcome or fail, but the most important are Penelope’s both physical and intimate.Even though it is a sequel, The Odyssey is in complete contrast to The Iliad as instead of epic battle this poem focuses on a hero overcoming everything even the gods to return home. Suddenly the poet who gave readers a first-hand account of war shows his readers the importance of returning from war from the perspective of warriors and their families. Although they are completely different, The Odyssey in fact compliments The Iliad as well as completing it which means if you read one you have to read the other.
    • 3/5
      Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey are the first books in Hutchins’ and Adler’s Great Books of the Western World series, and is the earliest writing included in Dr. Eliot’s Harvard Classics. This was the second book I read from a reading list I compiled from Adler, Eliot and several other sources. These stories are the foundation to the later writings by the great Greek play writes, and by extension to many of the Great Books throughout Western history into the present.This volume continues the trend of publishing houses taking old, copyright expired books, putting them in pretty packaging and selling them as new releases. For what it is, this edition is suburb—the binding is absolutely beautiful. The text of this book is the Samuel Butler translation, and is available at no cost through project Gutenberg and the kindle store as well. I read the digital on the bus and the codex at the home—very handy. The translation is done in prose, in what Butler assures us is as a close to word for word as was practical. Even in prose, Butler does an admirable job of letting the language flow while telling the story. Although at times awkwardly Victorian, the language doesn’t feel forced and after a short period of acclimation only occasionally caused this reader to stumble. In his forward, Butler writes how he resisted writing his translation in an Edwardian style for, in short, for what was a perfectly good Edwardianism, may not have had the same affect on the Victorian. Likewise, I make the same observation: what may have been a perfectly good Victorianism may not have the same affect on someone in 2012. One thing the reader will notice immediately is that in the Butler translation, the Odyssey has a completely difference voice than the Iliad. I am not sure if this is the case in the Greek, or even other translations, but it is very apparent in this translation. This really shouldn’t be a surprise; however, as Butler believed the two stories have different authors as he wrote in his forward to the 1898 edition. I can’t discern how much of the voice change is resultant from the form and style of the Greek, or the product of a translator interjecting his own beliefs into his own mind’s ear.Learning ancient Greek to read the originals would rock but really isn’t an option right now (or for the foreseeable future). If I had it to do over, I would have read a more contemporary translation such as that from Dr. Richmond Lattimore, formerly of Bryn Mawr College as my primary, with Butler as a secondary reference.
    • 3/5
      Of the epics I studied, the Iliad was my least favourite. My favourite character in Greek myth is Cassandra, but she barely appears in the Iliad. I ended up wanting to skip a lot of the fighting scenes.
    • 4/5
      Other than the gruesome, violent images often presented in magnificent detail (hey, it is a war!), I really enjoy reading Homer's epic poem. Where else are we given such insight into stubborn Agamemnon, noble Hector, intelligent and well-spoken Odysseus, lazy and spineless Paris, guilt-ridden Helen, the wrath of the warrior Achille's and how vain he can be? We can identify with Trojan and Greek alike, agonizing with both sides over the destructiveness of war. We get the inside story on all the Greek and Trojan heroes and what makes them tick. And best of all, we get a behind-the-scenes, humorous look at the Greek gods; their strengths, weaknesses and all the squabbles and fuss that take place between them. The Iliad is really incomplete without The Odyssey, so I will be reading and reviewing that book as well. I had read a synopsis of the adventures of Odysseus in high school, but it was nice to read the entire epic poem to get the full story. Odysseus is an intelligent, cunning hero and you are really rooting for him by the time he finally makes it home from his long journey and is ready to take action against the usurpers of his household. So many stories of this time period end in tragedy, it's nice that there is a satisfactory end to Odysseus's story after so many years of pain and heartache for him and his family. I enjoyed The Odyssey more than The Iliad because it seems a more intimate story overall. We really come to know the man Odysseus, his son Telemachus and wife, Penelope through their thoughts and interactions with others. The Iliad takes place during the Trojan war and focuses on the Greek and Trojan warriors and what takes place on the battlefield. The Odyssey is not quite a continuation of the Iliad, but takes place 10 years after the end of the Trojan war from which the great warrior Odysseus never returned. It seems he had some trouble on the high seas and on various islands along the way and has been unable to make it home. In the meantime, his home has been invaded by suitors who think he is dead and want to marry Penelope. Telemachus is not strong or powerful enough to throw them out and goes on a journey to find news of his father. With the help of the gods, Odysseus and Telemachus are finally able to defend their home. I would recommend reading both The Iliad and Odyssey together but if you're only going to pick up one, read The Odyssey.
    • 4/5
      Media and language have shifted innumerably before, and will in the future, I imagine... the smart phone is just a stone skip of time. Nevertheless, I find the idea of reading ancient greek literature on a kindle app on a smart phone really amusing. Homer basically accomplished what I imagine one of his goals was - to immortalize the heroics and feats of the warriors and document the destruction of Troy for all time. Yet for all that, the Iliad reads like a game of football with the line of scrimmage moving back and forth and the Greeks and Trojans alternating between offense and defense. At first the 'well greaved Greeks' were winning… but now Hector 'of the glancing helm' has turned the tide and most of the Greek heroes are wounded and stuck in sick bay…. and then the tide turns again at the whim of Zeus. There is quite a lot of 'this one killed that one, and another one bit the bloody dust'. There are more creative ways to kill someone with a spear than I ever imagined. Some of the details are actually fairly gory. What's confusing, I find, is that at the moment of each death Homer tells the life story of the slain, or at least the vital information such as where they were from, their lineage, and who their wife was. There's a lot of familiar names and it's interesting to see them all in one place here since they are somewhat more ingrained in my head from elsewhere. Like Laertes (thank you Shakespeare) or Hercules (thank you Kevin Sorbo) or Saturn (thank you GM). There are the other random lesser gods or immortals like Sleep (no thanks to you Starbucks) or Aurora (the borealis is on the bucket list).Homer barely mentions the scene or uses descriptions at all unless it directly relates to the battle. Apparently the only such things worth recording was when the battle was at the Greek ships or Trojan city wall or if the gods were yammering away on Mount Olympus. Descriptions are fairly short and uniform and there is a lot of repetition. I heard on RadioLab that Homer did not use any instance of the color blue and some thought he may have been color blind. I did find, however, two instances of blue - one as "dark blue" and one as "azure" -- though never "blue" by itself. RadioLab gets a bunch of details wrong frequently anyway, which is really neither here nor there. One thing I found interesting is the idea and extent of how involved the Greek gods/immortals were in the lives and fates of the mortals. To the point where there are teams of gods aligned loosely for or against the Trojans. This was completely excised in the movie Troy, which I watched as I neared finishing reading this. I had no interest in seeing the movie when it came out but, figured why not. I was actually impressed with how much Hollywood got right in Troy - but of course my expectations were low to begin, thinking it would be a mixed-up and mushy story. I think the biggest things they told differently was how they treated women characters (nicer than Homer) especially Briseus. Also, Patroclus' relationship with Achilles was changed, and as I mentioned, there was no depiction of the gods. Plotwise, the movie included the Trojan horse episode, which is not actually in The Iliad (it's related in The Aenid, by Virgil). Apparently my memory from elementary school did not serve me well because I was expecting to read about the Trojan Horse and didn't believe what I was reading in front of me when the book ended without it! Even went downloading a few other versions and snooping around online to verify. Just goes to show me that my preconceived notions are not always right! And that things get muddied up when stories and retellings merge. Nevertheless, a lot of the detail and direct actions and even dialogue of the characters in the movie did come straight out of the book, so someone clearly was familiar with it, which was a pleasant surprise.
    • 1/5
      An extremely clumsy translation by an otherwise capable poet. I cannot critique the scholarship. but the word choice is ugly.
    • 4/5
      It has been a long time since I read them, but the Odyssey made more of an impression when I was young. I do remember though, thinking that one scene in the Iliad and one in the Bible were quite similar, of Apollo in one case and God in the other sending arrows of plague into the enemy.
    • 3/5
      I have to admit that I was a little bit disappointed in this book. While it was very interesting and I learned A LOT about the pencil and now can't look at one without wondering about its history (in a good way), I got bored reading this book. Petroski states that he is using the pencil to show how awesome and ubiquitous engineering is in our lives. At certain points, the book becomes more a polemic on engineering than it does a pencil. About every other chapter is more focused on bridge building and product research and design than on the pencil. Having come to Petroski via "The Book on the Bookshelf", which is much more light hearted, funny and easy to read, I was let down by his writing style here. I would still recommend the book, but be prepared for the dry bits, and there are quite a few of them.
    • 4/5
      I remember when I was around fourteen or fifteen years old I decided I wanted to read the Iliad. I went to the public library and asked for it (they had to pull it out of their back room for me). And I remember opening the first page and seeing that it was in poem format. I was immediately put off. I had never liked poetry and at my age the few pages I did try to read went over my small head. Ever since I knew some day I would come back to the epic poem. This semester was the year in my literature class. I love literature and I love this class because it is finally getting me to pick up and read the epic stories that I have always wanted to read. I've read excerpts here and there and seen online summaries. I've even read a few children's books renditions. But nothing compares to the actual poem itself. This was my first read of the poem as a whole. Now my professor doesn't like how Lombardo has translated the epic, and says that it is too 'dumbed down' now. I can see where she is coming from because some phrases that Lombardo includes certainly takes away the image of the elegant language this would have been first told in. It did however give me a simple and very understandable rendition of the events to the epic. However, now I want to find another translation that doesn't do this. I want something that seems more authentic to the time period. I think it's a good translation for someone who hasn't come across the classical language in the time of the Greeks and Romans, but for those who have, it may not be exactly what you're looking for. (Above it says: Lombardo attempts to adapt the text to the needs of readers rather than the listeners for whom the work was originally intended.' Does that say something about the needs of readers now-a-days?) The other complaint I have is that in this translation, some Books are left out of the whole poem. I believe this is because the books included are the most important one when dealing with turning events in the epic, but there's bound to be some information that is lost that way. Anyways, I'm glad I finally got to the epic. It's a fantastic myth! Now I want a more complete translation. :) I'm going to go find an audio book translation, because really this epic was meant to be listened to, not read :)
    • 4/5
      Long book for children but excellent illustrations throughout. Binding and paper and very well made. Of course the story is a classic.
    • 3/5
      Stanley Lombardo's translation of Homer's Iliad is wonderful and very readable, better evoking the grittiness and rage of warfare than most other translations. I think of it as the "Vietnam War version of the Iliad." However, there are also parts where Homer's humor shines through, particularly when the Greek warriors are ribbing each other.Though the translation is excellent, I only got through about half of the book. The plot moves quite slowly, and the long lists of characters and backstory become tiresome. Also, there also is a lot of conversation between the various warriors, which illuminates Greek values (such as what makes for heroism or cowardice) but does not advance the storyline. Parts can get repetitious. I preferred the Odyssey, which I read in the Robert Fagles translation.
    • 5/5
      2. The Iliad by Homer, translated by Robert Fagleswith an introduction and notes by Bernard Knoxcomposition: arguable, but let's say ~750 bceformat: 689 page Kindle e-bookread: Jan 1-23acquired: Nov 2013, when I thought I might finish the Old Testament soonishRating: 5 stars sort ofIt's remarkably difficult for me to formulate a response to this classic, Homer's Iliad. It's a foundational text. But it's very unfoundational in feeling. A valid question is, is the Iliad great or just very old? And a typical answer will be that it has the whole essence of humanity within. But does it? And, if so, does Fagles' translation provide it? It's a bit early in my thinking process to be asking these unanswerable questions. But really my question is how to approach it. I can come at it from the angle of history and the migrations of and clashing of peoples, from heroic imagery (or if you like, hot muscular long-haired blond men in shining golden-ish colored bronze armor and weaponry), at the style (and it's clash with the biblical style), at it's construction (which I'm reading about in Adam Nicolson's Why Homer Matters). And there is the translation issues. And eventually my response. What is my response anyway? I can think separately of all these (overwhelming) different things, but I'm having a lot of trouble tying it together into something coherent. It's like the different parts of my brain not only refuse to align, which is normal, but refuse to concede. Each aspect is holding its ground, and a mental stalemate conjures up, uselessly.Adam Nicolson might like me to see this way. The Asian hordes rushed to the ends of the steppes an converted their nomadic culture to one that sea raiders with a home base. The combat hardened and ruthless pirates clash into the settled ancient cultures of the eastern Mediterranean, and made a living feeding off them. But the ancient cultures and their cities, with all their wealth and allies and mercenaries, with all their procured beauty, are at heart susceptible. At some point you can't buy off unreasonable and heroic passion. The bronze barbaric hordes will come even if we like to image them quite beautiful."As ravening fire rips through big stands of timber high on a mountain ridge and the blaze flares miles away, so from the marching troops the blaze of bronze armor, splendid and superhuman, flared across the earth, flashing into the air to hit the skies."Through time, as these cultures clashed, stories evolved in song, and they later began to standardize, acquired an author and authority, and become our Homeric epics. Or maybe there was a Homer. So, what is in these stories? Their origins date to one side of the Greek dark ages, the height of bronze age Mycenae culture circa 1250 bce. But their composition is dated to the other side, well into the iron age, to the dawn of the classical Greek world, around 750 bce. They preserve within what were otherwise long lost aspects of culture and warfare, including the bronze itself, as well as associations with an assortment of other largely lost stories. They create an oddly comedic mythology of quarreling gods who can charm, strengthen and lure humans, but also be hurt by them. And they create a heroic myth that is ultimately a tragedy, but also a blood and gore soaked work of entertainment. And that is one of the oddest things about the Iliad to me, that it is ultimately entertainment. And you can build it up as much as you like, but, well, doesn't that limit it? I mean is it ultimately an amusement, a distraction?I've probably lingered on long enough, and I still haven't mentioned Achilles, Hector, the woman who launched those thousand ships, or even a single god by name. There is plenty to into read in how Achilles, in slaying Hector who wears his armor, is symbolically killing himself, and at the same time suicidally walking into his prophesied doom. Really I haven't touched on the story. Achilles rage, Agamemnon's foolish bravado, Odysseus's practical cruelty, Hector's limitations, the women in Troy who are on the verge of become subhuman possessions of the barbarian conquerors. In book one Athena seizes Achilles by the hair to “to check your rage, if only you will yield". Of course, he won't really do that. The battles must be fought and civilization must fall to reality.
    • 5/5
      The Odyssey is a classic story typically studied by students in high school English classes. The story falls into the category of epic poetry. It relates the tale of Odysseus and his journey back to Ithica from his victory at Troy. The gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus play a great role in controlling Odysseus' fate, but ultimately his wit and determination bring him home. The use of figurative language, the difficult-to-pronounce names of characters and places, and the knowledge of Greek mythology required to understand the complexities of the plot make the Odyssey a difficult story for students to read alone. Students whose reading levels are above average often struggle with this text. On the other hand, the knowledge gained from having read a classic story such as this is well worth the trouble. It is an adventure story filled with supernatural beings, exotic locations, and raw human emotion. The book creates and defines the hero archetype.
    • 5/5
      Drags in places, but is the quintessential "manly men doing manly things" story. I can see why it's survived for so long. The moral of the story is: hubris. Or it could be: don't mess with the gods, or do, it doesn't matter because FATE!
    • 4/5
      War sucks. Its brutality and the dehumanization of its participants and victims cannot be exaggerated. What strikes me about the Iliad is its violence. The body count of this epic is huge; granted, it tells the story of the high tide of the Trojan War, culminating in Achilles' return to the fray after getting his knickers in a twist about a slave girl.

      Reading this after having taught the Odyssey for many years, the theory that Odysseus suffers from PTSD could be supported by the scale of bloodshed he experiences in Asia Minor. Of course, he isn't really able to return to a peaceful domestic life, because he ends up killing 50 suitors at the end of his eponymous epic.

      One other point about the Greek pantheon of gods, goddesses, nymphs, and half-gods; most religious systems construct a moral code to tighten the bonds of the community. Homer's attitude towards the gods seems to be that they are entirely capricious, and that any human disaster can be blamed on divine whim. The gods are literally choosing sides in the Trojan War, mainly to gain retribution for old grievances.

      The ending of the Iliad feels tragic (maybe elegiac) - Hector's funeral foreshadows the death of Achilles as well as the fall of Troy. I found Hector to be more sympathetic than Achilles, if only because he shows a more human side towards his wife and son. Achilles is portrayed as a hotheaded ultimate warrior, indestructible, a whirling killing machine. To put it in more modern terms, Achilles is Superman, Hector is Batman. Which hero do you find more interesting?

      Finally, I heard a debate a while back between Boris Johnson and Mary Beard in which Boris posited that what makes the Iliad brilliant is that it is the first recorded story that promotes meritocracy. Agamemnon outranks Achilles - he is royalty, while Achilles is just the world's greatest warrior and demigod. Ultimately, Agamemnon must concede to Achilles if he ever hopes to sack Troy. In this case, talent outranks status.
    • 3/5
      So. It's a classic. It's historical. It's arguably one of the most influential books in history. And it's boring as hell. I mean, I guess it reflects the values of the time--there's a lot of tragedy and irony, especially how everyone vaunts heroism and battle but really it's just a bunch of guys getting their eyes poked out. And heroism doesn't count for much when the heroes are a bunch of divas who cry when someone insults them. So maybe that was Homer's intent, to point out the bitter ironies of the culture. But holy moly, I can only read so many incidents of random dudes murdering each other before my eyes glaze over.
    • 2/5
      This wasn't the story I thought it was. I enjoyed the Odyssey and knew the Illiad was about the Trojan War. When I think Trojan War, I think of the beauty of Helen and the Trojan Horse. The Illiad is about neither. It takes place 10 years into the war, but before it ends. It is mostly a long list of who killed who in what gruesome manner, and a bit of godly and human intrigue sprinkled throughout. Knowing that I probably wouldn't have read it, as battle scenes aren't something that typically appeals to me. However, I do think this translation by Fagles is good. It is in verse and reads smoothly.