Iliad Book 22

by Homer, Irene J.F. de Jong (Editor)

Book XXII recounts the climax of the Iliad: the fatal encounter between the main defender of Troy and the greatest warrior of the Greeks, which results in the death of Hector and Achilles' revenge for the death of his friend Patroclus. At the same time it adumbrates Achilles' own death and the fall of Troy. This edition will help students and scholars better appreciate this key part of the epic poem. The introduction summarises central debates in Homeric scholarship, such as the circumstances of composition and the literary interpretation of an oral poem, and offers synoptic discussions of the structure of the Iliad, the role of the narrator, similes and epithets. There is a separate section on language, which provides a compact list of the most frequent Homeric characteristics. The commentary offers up-to-date linguistic guidance, and elucidates narrative techniques, typical elements and central themes.

Genres: Poetry

220 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 12, 2012

About the author

Homer (Greek: Όμηρος born c. 8th century BC) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the most revered and influential authors in history.
Homer's Iliad centers on a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles during the last year of the Trojan War. The Odyssey chronicles the ten-year journey of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, back to his home after the fall of Troy. The poems are in Homeric Greek, also known as Epic Greek, a literary language which shows a mixture of features of the Ionic and Aeolic dialects from different centuries; the predominant influence is Eastern Ionic. Most researchers believe that the poems were originally transmitted orally. Despite being predominantly known for its tragic and serious themes, the Homeric poems also contain instances of comedy and laughter.
Homer's epic poems shaped aspects of ancient Greek culture and education, fostering ideals of heroism, glory, and honor. To Plato, Homer was simply the one who "has taught Greece" (τὴν Ἑλλάδα πεπαίδευκεν). In Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, Virgil refers to Homer as "Poet sovereign", king of all poets; in the preface to his translation of the Iliad, Alexander Pope acknowledges that Homer has always been considered the "greatest of poets". From antiquity to the present day, Homeric epics have inspired many famous works of literature, music, art, and film.
The question of by whom, when, where and under what circumstances the Iliad and Odyssey were composed continues to be debated. Scholars remain divided as to whether the two works are the product of a single author. It is thought that the poems were composed at some point around the late eighth or early seventh century BC. Many accounts of Homer's life circulated in classical antiquity; the most widespread account was that he was a blind bard from Ionia, a region of central coastal Anatolia in present-day Turkey. Modern scholars consider these accounts legendary.

French: Homère, Italian: Omero, Portuguese, Spanish: Homero.

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

read for *uni* - and copiously translated 1-213.
i have a soft-spot for the iliad and for greek in general, so this gets a high rating naturally. but it did almost make me cry once or twice with the weird conditionals, so i have to knock one star off. the speeches by priam and hecuba are heart-wrenching, and the snake simile / monologue by hector destroy me every time i read them. my boy knows he's outmatched and gonna die deep down if he stays and fights achilles - but, because of the shame-culture which atkins and others have discussed, he stays and is ultimately killed by a man who has become more of a lion than a human being.
if you want to read a translation, go for the lattimore for a sense of the actual greek, and for rieu if you want something easy to read.

[I-kai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Decided to read some Homer this semester with colleagues and students, and boy was I happy that we did this. Cambridge green-and-yellow always quite good with Homer volumes in my experience, and this one is no exception. I wish there were a little bit more explanation of meters and how they contribute to the overall sense, but de Jong is very good with explaining how Homer varies a typical pattern so that it's not normal anymore in arguably the climax of the poem. Plus it's offered in a reasonable price.

Homer is really simply one of the poets that can be a lifelong companion. Reading it at different stages in my life makes the poem resonate in different ways, but every time impactful and it never loses that freshness and truthfulness to life. Homer's humanity never ceases to move me.

[Daphne Dresselaers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dit was een heel interessant tekst om te lezen. Ik weet niet wie de vertaler was aangezien we gewoon een PDF bestand hebben gekregen, maar het las echt vlot en leuk.
Het verhaal van Achilles die Hektor dood, wetende dat hij zelf zal sterven gewoon om Patroclus te wreken (they're so gay) is echt mijn (voorlopige) favoriet van heel de Illias.
Ik wil zeker meer delen hiervan lezen wanneer ik eens tijd heb (volgende zomervakantie of zo lol)

[Sargun Saddhar · Rating 5 out of 5]

hurts like a bitch every time.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 🌟 The OG supplication scene is so good, the ending is beautiful, all good things.

[Liza · Rating 3 out of 5]

adding this book to my "read" pile is my reward for the exam I had about it.

definitely one of the more exciting parts of the illiad.

3/5☆

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Studied 50 lines from the original book for an Ancient Greek test. I must say that this was a remarkable read. Especially Achilles his motivation halfway through the book is quite fascinating (and well, it has quite a bizarre outcome). Not only language wise is this book very remarkable (or so at least I noticed while translating the text for myself before I read this one), but also the way the characters are portrayed. This is what makes book XXII one of my favourites.

[max]

The twenty second book of the Iliad is a masterpiece of narrative and dramatic brilliance. It is the climax of the poem and contains many memorable scenes, in particular, the killing of Hector, Troy’s foremost defender, by Achilles, the “best of the Achaeans.”

This is one of several single book commentaries on the Iliad published by Cambridge U. Press, and it is essential reading for a deeper understanding of Book 22.

[MKMKMK · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book got me through a dentist appointment and for that I'm truly grateful. I hate the shit out of the dentist. Homer's crazy killing craziness and the sexy goddess Athena on the other hand are quite nice.

[Logan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was cool. I'm not getting into the whole translators' debate, though.