The Illiad

by Homer

Homer's The Iliad, an ancient epic of unparalleled significance, transports readers to the heart of the Trojan War, an epoch-defining conflict between gods and mortals. With eloquence and poetic prowess, Homer weaves a tapestry of heroism, tragedy, and the capricious whims of divine intervention. At its core, The Iliad delves into the essence of humanity, exploring the complexities of honour, love, and the inexorable march of destiny. The immortal characters—Achilles, Hector, and the vengeful gods—confront profound moral dilemmas and existential questions. A timeless narrative, The Iliad resonates across centuries, captivating modern readers with its timeless exploration of the human condition set against the backdrop of a war that echoes through eternity. This enduring classic stands as a testament to the enduring power of storytelling and the eternal truths embedded in the human experience.

Genres: Classics, Mythology, Fiction, Poetry, Fantasy, Greek Mythology, Literature

340 pages, Paperback

Published August 7, 2024

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

[Huw]

gay as fuck

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yeah, like it's very easy to see how this is one of the cornerstones of Western literature. The thing fuckin slaps, it's just a slog to read.

I also found it funny? Which I was surprised by. I didn't expect to be as invested as I was reading this and actually I learned a lot more from it than I was expecting too. Did I enjoy reading 200 plus pages of quite gory war imagery? No. Did I enjoy reading about how the Gods were consistently fucking about and causing chaos left, right and centre? Yes.

I also liked the humanness of the Illiad, which is kind of weird for a text that is so obviously old and so obviously plays with tropes such as immortality and magic and Gods. When characters died, they were truly grieved and death, though they often seemed to charge right at it, wasn't taken lightly or easily.

It was a slog at points but it also truly slaps.

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very gay but brought me to tears. God that was the most boring book I have ever read. Could have been shorter. Like a solid 100 pages shorter.

[Deshaun · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Iliad is an ancient Greek classic about the war between Greek city states and the city of Troy. The story begins with myths of the Greek gods starting the war over a golden apple. Three Goddesses all want the apple and they decide to let a mortal named Hector decide who gets the apple. Aphrodite promises him Helen of Troy if he picks her and he agrees. Helen was a princess of a different kingdom though and when she disappeared to troy it sparked the start of the Trojan war. The war introduced many characters including Odysseus, Agamemnon, Achilles, Paris and a lot of other soldiers and gods. The war ends with the Trojan defeat after the Greeks famously come up with the idea to feign retreat and leave a giant wooden horse, secretly filled with Greek soldiers as an offering. Once the horse was inside the city the soldiers opened the gates and destroyed Troy.
I enjoyed this classic because it was mainly just a series a different fights as each side tried to defeat each other. I enjoyed how the book incorporated the myths of Greek gods into this tale about a real war. It blended the culture of ancient Greece with the history of the area. Achilles and Odysseus were my favorite characters because the Iliad is set up as prequel for Odysseus' main story, the Odyssey. I enjoyed Achilles because he was set up as this divine fighter that could win the war for the Greeks but was brought down human emotions such as grief and hate.

[Ashley Mersereau · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s a classic and I’m glad I read it. I will never read it again.

[Teenenator · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is the epitome of toxic masculinity and lack of control of emotions. I am curious what traits people found of Achilles that made him a hero to be modeled after. I think this is an interesting study in history and perhaps in war mentality. And all over a woman.

[Eric Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fucking cool as fuck

[Shem Doupé · Rating 3 out of 5]

More unique kills than final destination.

[Ollie Botham · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's pretty long-winded and boring but an important archive of human history and a wonderful story that I cherish.
I definitely couldn't be bothered to finish it but know the story well.

[Scott W. Blankenship · Rating 5 out of 5]

The next time someone tells you that the God of the Old Testament is a ruthless, bloody tyrant, tell them to pick up a copy of the Iliad, because these characters make Yahweh look like a choir boy in comparison. This tale is both fierce and yet fascinating.

[meymar · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was interesting but all the characters fr dumb af i couldn’t even like one of them for more than 5 min

[Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Idk kinda complicated

[Shawn Meng · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 / 5. Overall, I enjoyed the Illiad, a centuries-old epic that weaves salient themes of pride and fate into a story that was pretty exciting to read. I did find certain sections a bit boring to read through due to as excess of repetitive battle scenes and long dialogues, but that was to be expected given the context of the story and the poetic nature of the book. I particularly enjoyed the build up to Achilles' entrance into the war; Although the build up seemed to last almost the whole book, it was definitely worth reading through because Achilles is extremely overpowered and merciless to begin with, so the events culminating to his much awaited entrance made his rage and actions much more meaningful and understandable.

[Nikhil Mahadea · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring af. There are so much more productive things you can do with your life than read this book. This book won't give you an edge.

[Madison Weir · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could say the same thing about the Odyssey about this. It is compelling, the mythology is incredible, and everyone should read this once.

[Stella Humphrey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Actually the worst

[bookieview · Rating 5 out of 5]

Difficult, it’s necessary to read the history of the Trojan war before reading the book otherwise one would not understand it.

However, it’s a literary masterpiece.

[Hanna Thulin · Rating 3 out of 5]

jävligt jobbig att läsa men förvånansvärd underhållande

[Kinga · Rating 4 out of 5]

men yapping while patroklos and achilles are so lana del rey coded

[August · Rating 5 out of 5]

Achilles needs to stop crying 🤨

[Maddie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had to read for class it was quite boring I'll tell you that much

Characters
Achilles: by far my favorite he earned the second star single handily
Agamemnon: Didn't really care too much and I don't actually remember anything about him
Patroclus: died like right away but I think I would have liked him given more time with him
Priam: I don't remember
Paris: interesting but other than that he was kinda just there
Odysseys: I don't really care nor do I remember
Hector: he was fun I guess
Aphrodite: MOTHER was not mothering here I fear
Zeus: all my homies hate Zeus
Athena: see what I just said about Zeus but like double it
Hera: crucify me for this but she ate


Playlist
Achilles Come Down: Gang of Youths
Je Te Lassieri de mots: Patrick Watson
The Archer: Taylor Swift
I Bet On Losing Dogs: Mitski
Soldier, Poet, King: The Oh Hello's
The Fruits: Paris Paloma
Eat Your Young: Hozier
Girl With One Eye: Florence and the Machine
The History of Man: Maisie Peters
Greek God: Conan Gray
Glory and Gore: Lorde
Labour: Paris Paloma
Castles Crumbling: Taylor Swift
Gods & Monsters: Lana Del Rey
Things we Lost in the Fire: Bastille

Superlatives
Favorite character: Achillies
Favorite ship: Achillies & Patroculus
Rating: 2/5


all in all wouldn't recommend don't kill me

[Darren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book. I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish.

[Brian Pan · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the worst reads if I am to be honest.

I repeat - DO NOT READ THIS FOR PLOT.

The story itself is very basic and could be summarized quickly. I picked up this book for the main reason of learning about Homer's characters, as he is oft referenced in Plato's works. The book is simply a collection of fight scenes, interspersed with divine intervention and soldiers who can't get along. Homer however does a splendid job assigning detail to gore and depictions of violence. Definitely enjoyable for the mere pleasure of visuals if you are of that nature.

However, the only saving grace of this book is that it serves a backdrop to many characters if you were to read the Odyssey, Aeneid, or any other works the references Greek heroes.

---
P.S. Book above is not the version or translation that I read. However, the contents are still more or less the same.

[Ant · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really impressed by the story telling and overall quality of this. I was quite surprised by the gore in the detail of war (although I'm not sure why that would surprise me).I enjoyed the book and learned a little from looking up some of the things that seemed strange to me, for example, the early use of epithets as a writing device. I also found it an interesting from an anthropoligical point of view - the nature of war, pride and bereavement are all studied quite closely.
I'm very much looking forward to The Odyssey which I'll be reading shortly. The Illiad only gets 3 stars due to the amount of the story taken up by bit part players to little end other than to record the dead, which is less releavant today than it would have been at the time of writing.

[Isaac · Rating 3 out of 5]

6

[Terry Christodoulou · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a shame literature peaked over 2000 years ago

[sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

baby i am the illiad of course you couldn't read me

[Toasty S · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Iliad is a fun action packed book to read. It initially has trouble lifting off, with every enjoyable book being immediately slogged by a book that fills its pages with random people and the amount of ships they are bringing to Troy.
Within these early chapters I have to admit I largely looked forward to chapters featuring Gods on Olympus. Zeus, who I found to be almost comedic in the way he wields his power.

But once the war starts, this book is a joy, what I assume to be the normal classical style, of introducing several dozen named characters just for them to die immediately goes from off putting to enjoyable as you progress further in the book.
It’s almost bad guy of the week in practice. Every new day of reading this book means you get to enjoy a new character to be killed by your favourites, as Gods bicker in the background while proclaiming the eventual showdown between the 2 big dogs of this story. Achilles and Hektor.

But before I can talk about the amazing end of the Iliad (really carried by Achilles) I have to say the work done by Homer, or whoever created this story in making me enjoy the Achaean side characters. Diomedes and Odysseus, a highlight of the early war was Diomedes and his brazen activities with the Gods.

Once Achilles joins the war, the Iliad becomes a novel that I couldn’t put down, to watch this man built up over the whole story finally show his strength is a well payed off reward.

Beyond the surface level enjoyment factor, the characters I feel were good representations of ideals of chivalry, of honour, of greed to be. Not necessarily representations to emulate, but of what I expect archetypes to act. The king withered by aged would be over sentimental and blind by war so far beyond him.
An inexperienced solider pleading for his life after getting ambushed, while the 2 experience ambushers lie to extract information.
Just a lot of little interactions I enjoyed. But the slow start and the occasional weird translation gets the score it gets. Overall a very good experience and I can’t wait to read the sequel and then the Roman addition!

[William Rumball · Rating 5 out of 5]

Generally considered the first 'classic', the Illiad excels in drama, characters and themes. Usually subtitled 'the rage of Achilles', Homer uses the setting of the Trojan War to demonstrate the folly of wrath and the greatness of glory. A point for those unfamiliar with the Illiad in particular, this book does not detail crucial Trojan War events such as the kidnap of Helen, the death of Achilles or the fall of Troy, although they are mentioned. Instead focusing on Achilles actions and reactions to loss in the fighting. Considering the Illiad posses' such thematic unity as opposed to a disjointed mess that a presentation of the entire Trojan war usually shows, it is disappointing that there has never been a faithful adaptation (or at least any noticeable one). One thing you may notice is the incredibly high amount of action (as in significantly higher than most modern action blockbusters). This is unsurprising given that the Illiad is meant to be listened to as dramatic poetry but does make certain parts quite difficult as you spend great periods of time where little happens plot-wise. With this in mind, I would recommend reading this aloud (if you want to go there, do it in a dramatic fashion), as it encapsulates the style of writing much more effectively than silence. Despite a large focus on action, Homer also succeeds in complexity and uniqueness in characterisation with the relentlessly virtuous Hector (which in itself sets up a greater tragedy than Homer's successors ever could), to the detestably effeminate Paris, and of course the complexity of Achilles character (and our reaction to him) is sufficient enough to drive the narrative: his anger and arrogance is dis-likeable but somewhat merited by his military brilliance and concern for his great friends like Patroclus which effectively culminates in a bettersweet ending which matches the overall tone of the Illiad (seeking the good in a fallen world). Overall for being a first of literature, the Illiad genuinely merits a title of great, being both edifying and enjoyable.

[Christopher Spiteri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe the best first “chapter” I’ve read. I really like this set up between Agamemnon and Achilles. They really just do not like each other and are mortal enemies who won’t back down against one another for anything. Later in the book Agamemnon was willing to give him a whole page worth of stuff just to be friends again and Achilles told him to fuck off, which was really funny.

There were so many funny descriptions that I wrote down while reading the book. There are so many genuinely funny sections and so many unintentionally funny sections. The metaphors are always really good but sometimes they are so outlandish that it is hard not to take them very seriously.

The descriptions of killing are really good. The battles can get a bit tedious when they cover many chapters but the descriptions of the small details of battle are always great. It was also a bit anticlimactic that most battles were stalemates until a god stepped in and settled it. It is more enjoyable when a person does something unbelievable to win the battle and someone would say “no man should be able to do that, such as men are right now”.

The chapters after the battle was over of the Achaeans competing for prizes was fun to read but so off topic it’s weird that it was included in the Iliad.

My favourite gods to read about were the sleep and night are gods. I have never seen those concepts portrayed with a physical body. Both are very powerful but are neutral. But,they can be swayed to do certain things such as Hera telling night to put Zeus to sleep.

It was not part of the story but the search for Troy and the history of the actual story was a cool introduction. The Illiad directly inspiring Alexander the Great is crazy.

8.5/10