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Homer, The Iliad
The Iliad Translated by Robert Fagle Introduction and notes by Bernard Knox [Paperback] Homer
Hardcover
Published January 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 16, 2025
We read excerpts of this in high school; reread in its entirety before I read the Odyssey in advance of the Christopher Nolan adaption. The portions about the gods were much more interesting to me than the repetitive battle passages (who killed whom etc). They bear more than a passing resemblance to politicians making decisions in the interest of the “gods” that rule over us (money, oil, sovereignty, etc). I’m sure there’s a more eloquent way all of this has been said before
July 4, 2024
Phenomenal. The story surges in Fagles' translation. Along with Fitzgerald, this is my favorite translation of Homer. And Fagles has the simpler versions of the names - Fitzgerald uses the more complex forms - and that helps make "The Iliad" even smoother to the modern reader.
Fagles has a great way of describing Menelaus's desire for vengeance early, which gives the reader an idea of how supple much of the translation will be, and he, like Fitzgerald, strives to find different ways here and there to describe Hector "of the flashing helm," or how a warrior's "armor clashed about him" when he falls in combat.. He packs in the action and violence, too, such as when Pandarus and Aeneas attack Diomedes in Book 5:
"Shaft poised, he hurled and its long shadow flew
and it struck Tydides' shield, the brazen spearhead
winging, drilling right on through to the breastplate,
Pandarus yelling over him wildly now, "You're hit -
clean through the side! You won't last long, I'd say -
now, the glory's mine!"
But never shaken,
staunch Diomedes shot back, "No hit - you missed!
But the two of you will never quit this fight, I'd say
till one of you drops and dies and gluts with blood
Ares who hacks at men behind their rawhide shield!"
With that he hurled and Athena drove the shaft
and it split the archer's nose between the eyes -
it cracked his glistening teeth, the tough bronze
cut off his tongue at the roots, smashed his jaw
and the point came ripping out beneath his chin.
He pitched from this car, armor clanged against him,
a glimmering blaze of metal dazzling around his back -"
It's hard to choose my favorite translation of Hector's challenge to Ajax in Book 7, but Fagles is great:
"But now
seeing the best of the Achaeans fill your ranks
let one whose nerve impels him to fight with me
come striding from your lines, a lone champion
pitted against Prince Hector. Here are the terms
that I set forth - let Zeus look down, my witness!
If that man takes my life with his sharp bronze blade,
he will strip my gear and haul it back to his ships.
But give my body to friends who will carry it home again,
so Trojan men and Trojan women can do me honor
with fitting rites of fire once I am dead.
But if I kill *him* and Apollo grants me glory,
I'll strip his gear and haul it back to sacred Troy
and hang it high on the deadly Archer's temple walls.
But not his body: I'll hand it back to the decked ships,
so the long-haired Achaeans can give him full rites
and heap his barrow high by the broad Hellespont.
And someday one will say, one of the men to come,
steering his oar-swept ship across the wine-dark sea,
'There's the mound of a man who died in the old days,
one of the brave whom glorious Hector killed.'
So they will say, someday, and my fame will never die."
This captures and foreshadows so much of the plot, and the glamour, and the language of Homer and "The Iliad," and Fagles invariably delivers on these moment.
In Book 8, here we see how the moderns (Fitzgerald, Fagles) deal with Hera, especially, in the spats with Zeus. After he stops Hera and Athena in their tracks as they try to disobey his order against the Gods taking active part in the combat, Fagles has Zeus thus:
"You and your anger -
rage away! I care nothing for that...
Not if you ventured down as far as the black abyss itself -
I care nothing for you, you and your snarling anger,
none in the world a meaner bitch than you."
And it's an odd point, this bickering between Zeus and Hera, and then some actual fighting between Gods who favor Greeks and those who favor Trojans. Despite this sort of thing happening over and over, we always get the catch phrase, "who live in bliss forever." Bliss?!
The end to Book 8, when Hector takes his final leave of Andromache inside Troy, after she, holding their newborn son, begs him to stay behind the city's walls - the whole scene is so touching, and so noble, so dooming for the whole family; it's one of the best, most poignant parts of Homer, for my money. Fagles is wonderful in this giant moment.
Fagles also has a touch in Book 9 that shows why Agememnon's plea to get Achilles to return to battle will fail, even with Odysseus and other wily ambassadors to bring it.
"Let him bow down to me! I am the greater king.
I am the elder born, I claim - the greater man."
Well, obviously that kind of end won't seal the deal with Achilles!
Fagles repeatedly gets at one the beating hearts of "The Iliad," a dark one that probably scares off a lot of modern readers. That is that these men are all cold-blooded killers (I feel Hector, my favorite, the least here - the Greeks are uniformly brutal, in my opinion). They revel in their lethality; gloat about their victories and even their criminal acts. It seems in Homer that if you get away with it, even robbery and the like, you win glory. And no dead Greek or Trojan ever seems to bring a moment's pause to the killer. This is true even before Achilles returns and goes berserk, even against the river. This all seems especially true of Odysseus and Diomedes on their night spy trip into Trojan lines in Book 10.
The poetic attention to gear is big in Fagles - when Agamemnon straps his on at the beginning of Book 11, or the more famous example of the Vulcan's special armor he forges for Achilles.
I think Fagles is a bit unfair when he has Poseidon compare Trojans to "jackals, leopards, wolves." Did Homer even know about leopards and jackals? But he, Fagles, has another triumph in Book 13 when Hector and Paris rally the Trojans around the Greek ships. But here there's this oddity I see in most translations: this day, or day and a half, when Zeus is giving all the "glory" to Hector, he really doesn't kill that many Greeks, and certainly not any great number of prominent Greek chiefs.
I think that goes to the fact Homer is Greek, writing for a Greek audience. Zeus seems particularly galled by Hector donning Achilles armor, which he has stripped from Patroclus. But this armor-stripping is standard fare, it's a key thing in all the combat. Plus, Hector's doom is already foretold, so why should Zeus get so bent out of shape in this one case? Because it's Hector/Achilles, viewed through Greek poetic lens.
But in Book 20, Fagles minces no words in showing readers an Achilles - *the* hero, mind - as just slavering after blood and remorseless killing, recalling his days as a pitiless slaver. He brags about all this even to Aeneas just before their brief tussle, which ends with Aeneas saved by the Gods - including Poseidon, who hated them so much a couple of books earlier!
This is probably more than most people need. Just took a lot of notes reading Fagles' Homer over the years and it's a wonderful achievement, a powerful poem and highly - highly - recommended to any reader who loves literature.
Fagles has a great way of describing Menelaus's desire for vengeance early, which gives the reader an idea of how supple much of the translation will be, and he, like Fitzgerald, strives to find different ways here and there to describe Hector "of the flashing helm," or how a warrior's "armor clashed about him" when he falls in combat.. He packs in the action and violence, too, such as when Pandarus and Aeneas attack Diomedes in Book 5:
"Shaft poised, he hurled and its long shadow flew
and it struck Tydides' shield, the brazen spearhead
winging, drilling right on through to the breastplate,
Pandarus yelling over him wildly now, "You're hit -
clean through the side! You won't last long, I'd say -
now, the glory's mine!"
But never shaken,
staunch Diomedes shot back, "No hit - you missed!
But the two of you will never quit this fight, I'd say
till one of you drops and dies and gluts with blood
Ares who hacks at men behind their rawhide shield!"
With that he hurled and Athena drove the shaft
and it split the archer's nose between the eyes -
it cracked his glistening teeth, the tough bronze
cut off his tongue at the roots, smashed his jaw
and the point came ripping out beneath his chin.
He pitched from this car, armor clanged against him,
a glimmering blaze of metal dazzling around his back -"
It's hard to choose my favorite translation of Hector's challenge to Ajax in Book 7, but Fagles is great:
"But now
seeing the best of the Achaeans fill your ranks
let one whose nerve impels him to fight with me
come striding from your lines, a lone champion
pitted against Prince Hector. Here are the terms
that I set forth - let Zeus look down, my witness!
If that man takes my life with his sharp bronze blade,
he will strip my gear and haul it back to his ships.
But give my body to friends who will carry it home again,
so Trojan men and Trojan women can do me honor
with fitting rites of fire once I am dead.
But if I kill *him* and Apollo grants me glory,
I'll strip his gear and haul it back to sacred Troy
and hang it high on the deadly Archer's temple walls.
But not his body: I'll hand it back to the decked ships,
so the long-haired Achaeans can give him full rites
and heap his barrow high by the broad Hellespont.
And someday one will say, one of the men to come,
steering his oar-swept ship across the wine-dark sea,
'There's the mound of a man who died in the old days,
one of the brave whom glorious Hector killed.'
So they will say, someday, and my fame will never die."
This captures and foreshadows so much of the plot, and the glamour, and the language of Homer and "The Iliad," and Fagles invariably delivers on these moment.
In Book 8, here we see how the moderns (Fitzgerald, Fagles) deal with Hera, especially, in the spats with Zeus. After he stops Hera and Athena in their tracks as they try to disobey his order against the Gods taking active part in the combat, Fagles has Zeus thus:
"You and your anger -
rage away! I care nothing for that...
Not if you ventured down as far as the black abyss itself -
I care nothing for you, you and your snarling anger,
none in the world a meaner bitch than you."
And it's an odd point, this bickering between Zeus and Hera, and then some actual fighting between Gods who favor Greeks and those who favor Trojans. Despite this sort of thing happening over and over, we always get the catch phrase, "who live in bliss forever." Bliss?!
The end to Book 8, when Hector takes his final leave of Andromache inside Troy, after she, holding their newborn son, begs him to stay behind the city's walls - the whole scene is so touching, and so noble, so dooming for the whole family; it's one of the best, most poignant parts of Homer, for my money. Fagles is wonderful in this giant moment.
Fagles also has a touch in Book 9 that shows why Agememnon's plea to get Achilles to return to battle will fail, even with Odysseus and other wily ambassadors to bring it.
"Let him bow down to me! I am the greater king.
I am the elder born, I claim - the greater man."
Well, obviously that kind of end won't seal the deal with Achilles!
Fagles repeatedly gets at one the beating hearts of "The Iliad," a dark one that probably scares off a lot of modern readers. That is that these men are all cold-blooded killers (I feel Hector, my favorite, the least here - the Greeks are uniformly brutal, in my opinion). They revel in their lethality; gloat about their victories and even their criminal acts. It seems in Homer that if you get away with it, even robbery and the like, you win glory. And no dead Greek or Trojan ever seems to bring a moment's pause to the killer. This is true even before Achilles returns and goes berserk, even against the river. This all seems especially true of Odysseus and Diomedes on their night spy trip into Trojan lines in Book 10.
The poetic attention to gear is big in Fagles - when Agamemnon straps his on at the beginning of Book 11, or the more famous example of the Vulcan's special armor he forges for Achilles.
I think Fagles is a bit unfair when he has Poseidon compare Trojans to "jackals, leopards, wolves." Did Homer even know about leopards and jackals? But he, Fagles, has another triumph in Book 13 when Hector and Paris rally the Trojans around the Greek ships. But here there's this oddity I see in most translations: this day, or day and a half, when Zeus is giving all the "glory" to Hector, he really doesn't kill that many Greeks, and certainly not any great number of prominent Greek chiefs.
I think that goes to the fact Homer is Greek, writing for a Greek audience. Zeus seems particularly galled by Hector donning Achilles armor, which he has stripped from Patroclus. But this armor-stripping is standard fare, it's a key thing in all the combat. Plus, Hector's doom is already foretold, so why should Zeus get so bent out of shape in this one case? Because it's Hector/Achilles, viewed through Greek poetic lens.
But in Book 20, Fagles minces no words in showing readers an Achilles - *the* hero, mind - as just slavering after blood and remorseless killing, recalling his days as a pitiless slaver. He brags about all this even to Aeneas just before their brief tussle, which ends with Aeneas saved by the Gods - including Poseidon, who hated them so much a couple of books earlier!
This is probably more than most people need. Just took a lot of notes reading Fagles' Homer over the years and it's a wonderful achievement, a powerful poem and highly - highly - recommended to any reader who loves literature.
August 1, 2024
This poem must’ve been in the clearance section of the Library of Alexandria. (Lol I’m kidding, it’s not that bad)
I appreciate Homer’s efforts and recognize that this would probably be a great tale recited in some bathhouse late night party, but it kind of misses the mark for me.
For starters, I definitely feel this needs to be orally recited and reading it in silence really doesn’t give it justice, which probably contributed to my disinterest.
The story itself is also really disappointing and I had a hard time staying engaged. It starts and ends in the middle of a greater conflict, so it feels like little progress is made. I know that this is a shallow way of viewing the poem, but it really was disappointing when I realized I had reached the final book and they still hadn’t wrapped up the war. I know there are more collections that continue on with this story, but I feel a little betrayed that I sat through 24 books to not really get a sense of completion.
The characters themselves are pretty interesting, and I love the interactions and interventions by the Greek gods, but I feel like there isnt enough of this. Some of the fight scenes are epic, but, I don’t know, I feel like some more godlike superpowers and brawls would’ve made it more interesting, but that’s just me. (There was a lot of this in the end, which I loved, but it was too little too late)
The Iliad is a pretty boring, but necessary part of greater Greek mythology. I wasn’t really a fan, but it’s a necessary evil for the absolute peak story that is the Odyssey.
In short, The Iliad walked so The Odyssey could run.
But that’s just my opinion in terms of actual engagement and entertainment value. The Iliad is filled with symbolism and concepts to dive into, and it’s super fascinating to see so many universal traits, tropes, and conditions in this incredibly old story.
I appreciate Homer’s efforts and recognize that this would probably be a great tale recited in some bathhouse late night party, but it kind of misses the mark for me.
For starters, I definitely feel this needs to be orally recited and reading it in silence really doesn’t give it justice, which probably contributed to my disinterest.
The story itself is also really disappointing and I had a hard time staying engaged. It starts and ends in the middle of a greater conflict, so it feels like little progress is made. I know that this is a shallow way of viewing the poem, but it really was disappointing when I realized I had reached the final book and they still hadn’t wrapped up the war. I know there are more collections that continue on with this story, but I feel a little betrayed that I sat through 24 books to not really get a sense of completion.
The characters themselves are pretty interesting, and I love the interactions and interventions by the Greek gods, but I feel like there isnt enough of this. Some of the fight scenes are epic, but, I don’t know, I feel like some more godlike superpowers and brawls would’ve made it more interesting, but that’s just me. (There was a lot of this in the end, which I loved, but it was too little too late)
The Iliad is a pretty boring, but necessary part of greater Greek mythology. I wasn’t really a fan, but it’s a necessary evil for the absolute peak story that is the Odyssey.
In short, The Iliad walked so The Odyssey could run.
But that’s just my opinion in terms of actual engagement and entertainment value. The Iliad is filled with symbolism and concepts to dive into, and it’s super fascinating to see so many universal traits, tropes, and conditions in this incredibly old story.
July 30, 2023
I have heard about the Iliad, but never had read it. The translation was pretty well done. It is an epic poem about the Greeks fighting withe the Trojans in what is now western Turkey. VERY gory and lengthy descriptions of war battles. I was tired of it by the end. I am going to take a break before giving the Odyssey a try.
October 5, 2025
basically just war and adultery. I did not enjoy:/ also Achilles is such a wimp!! also i love Patroclus.
the second star was the funny and interesting discussions I had with our class. it was actually pretty fun to discuss, but when you read alone, its a fight to stay awake.
the second star was the funny and interesting discussions I had with our class. it was actually pretty fun to discuss, but when you read alone, its a fight to stay awake.
December 12, 2025
An astounding, sweeping, and brilliant feat of poetry and epic storytelling that leaves you satisfied and devastated all at the same time.
Reading this in full reinvigorated my love for the classics, and I can't wait to see what I pick up the next time I read it. A beautiful masterpiece
Reading this in full reinvigorated my love for the classics, and I can't wait to see what I pick up the next time I read it. A beautiful masterpiece
November 20, 2024
This was a very gruesome story and was surprising to me on how much the gods were battling right along with the mortals.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews