The Iliad

Summarized by me.

Book I

Nine years into the siege of Troy, Chryses, a priest of Apollo, has come to beg for the release of his daughter, Chryseis, taken as spoils of war by King Agamemnon, who insults and threatens Chryses.

Chryses prays to Apollo to make the Greeks suffer so long as Chryseis is in the hands of the Greeks. Apollo kills many Greeks with his arrows of disease.

At council, Achilles asks the seer Calchas what is causing these deaths. Calchas hesitates, only after Achilles promises to protect him from Agamemnon does Calchas explain the cause of the plague. Achilles tries to convince Agamemnon to return Chryseis to appease Apollo. Agamemnon will not be deprived of his trophy while the other men have theirs. When Nestor, the wise elder statesman, fails to convince the King, Achilles nearly draws his sword, intending to kill Agamemnon, only stopped by "Grey-Eyed Athena," sent by "White-Armed Hera" to preserve the coalition. She stops Achilles’ hand and grabs his hair, commanding him not to fight and to remember how he will gain his eternal glory in the short time that remains for him.

Agamemnon is eventually compelled to release Chryseis, but only in exchange for Achilles’ war prize, Briseis. Odysseus leads Chryseis back to her father. Dishonored Achilles refuses to fight for the Greeks until they painfully feel his absence and Agamemnon restores the status and honor Achilles deserves.

Thetis, Achilles' mother, after hearing his sobs of rage, despair and humiliation, begs Zeus, upon his return from Ethiopia, to intervene against the Greeks, such that Achilles' absence in battle is felt. Zeus agrees, but the promise deepens a rift among the Olympians, who are themselves invested and divided over the war between the Trojans and Greeks. The Olympians are only outwardly mollified by Hephaestus' attempts at making peace.

Book II

Into the sleeping camp, Zeus sends a dream to Agamemnon in the form of the trusted elder statesman, Nestor, to storm Troy, saying that Hera convinced the other gods to side with the Greeks and a man with such responsibility should not sleep so much.

At council he tells of the dream. Nestor says he would doubt any but Agamemnon who had such a dream. The King first tests the Greek soldier's dedication, telling them to make ready to return home in dishonor. In their readiness to leave, the armies reveal the weakness of their morale, greatly disturbing Hera, who is unwilling to leave Helen to the Trojans nor allow the Greeks to suffer such dishonor. She orders Athena to stir the men, which Athena accomplishes by asking Odysseus what he will do, prompting him into action. Odysseus grabs Agamemnon's scepter, a gift of the gods to his family and symbol of his authority, and reestablishes order by appealing calmly to the honor of the elite warriors to set an example for the common men not to fail Agamemnon's test and by beating the disordered common soldiers back into line.

Thersites, a loudmouth Greek soldier, criticizes Agamemnon for being a bad commander: selfish and spoiled, listing his faults, including the self-inflicted injury of the rupture with Achilles. Odysseus is compelled to maintain order and hierarchy, beating Thersites, to the relief of his fellow soldiers, whose darkest thoughts Thersites had voiced. Odysseus gives a rousing speech, reminding them of their noble cause, their oaths and their sacrifices for this war, as well as signs of the favors of the gods on their mission.

Nestor reprimands the council for a lack of faith, admonishes the Greeks never to give up until every soldier has taken a Trojan woman as a prize in vengeance for Helen and advises Agamemnon to organize the troops. Agamemnon praises Nestor and regrets his offense of Achilles, noting that he started their fight and how sorely Achilles will be missed in the coming battle. He then tells the council to prepare for battle and that every man who now fails to fight be threatened with the dishonor of being left unburied.

The men sacrificed to the gods in preparation for battle, as do Agamemnon and the council, but Zeus, though accepting the offering, does not relent in his plan to cause them pain.

Agamemnon orders the troops to be mustered and resplendent Athena with her divinely inspiring aegis joins the review, inspiring the men, whose tremendous numbers and diversity are then cataloged, and heroes and homes are praised. Menelaus, Helen’s husband, and King of Sparta, musters his own troops while Achilles sits and holds to his pledge not to aid the Greeks while his honor remains wounded and his status diminished.

Iris, messenger of the Gods, in the form of Priam's son, warns the Trojans of the Greek preparation for battle, and the Trojans respond in kind: their diverse allies and great heroes muster, their histories told, their heroes praised as both sides are ready for battle.

Book III

As the battle lines converge, the Trojans march, loudly and proudly, the Greeks, with quiet malice. Leading the Trojans is Paris, Helen's kidnapper, who issues a challenge to which ever Greek is bravest. When Helen's husband, King Menelaus of Sparta answers, Paris cowers back to the line of Trojan fighters, for which Hector condemns his failing manhood for causing this conflict. Paris accepts the criticism but says he cannot be blamed for accepting the gifts of the gods. He then suggests a duel with Menelaus to resolve the conflict.

Hector is pleased by this and proposes this resolution to the Greeks. Menelaus says it will only be accepted if sacred oaths are made with sacrifices, and by Priam himself, because his sons are faithless. As this is arranged, Iris alerts Helen of the duel, and fills her with longing for home. She runs to the King, where the Trojan council express understanding for those willing to commit to this long war for such a godlike woman as Helen.

With the council, Priam asks Helen of impressive warriors he sees whom she identifies for them. Of Agamemnon they are familiar and full of praise. Antenor recalls having met Odysseus during Menelaus’ diplomatic attempt to bring Helen back. Odysseus, though less imposing, is surprisingly authoritative, calm, and cunning. She also identifies the Greater Ajax, Idomeneus, and other leaders, but wonders why she does not see her brothers, Castor and Pollux, who she does not know to be dead and buried in Sparta. As the materials for sacrifice arrive, King Priam reluctantly heads to the battlefield to seal the agreement.

Outside, the sacrifice is made, and oaths are sworn to the Gods. Whomever wins, Menelaus or one of Priam's sons, his side will keep Helen and all the stolen wealth, those who fail to abide by the agreement and the trial by combat will be cursed. Zeus again does not agree to these mortals' conditions. Priam returns to the safety of the city, unable to watch the fight.

Just as Menelaus is about to vanquish Paris, Aphrodite rescues him in a mist, brings him to his bedroom and tries to convince Helen to join him there. Helen, recognizing the goddess, is tired of being a pawn to the whims of the immortals and resists until Aphrodite threatens her. When Helen and Paris meet in their bedroom, she is disgusted by his failure and flight from the battlefield. She scolds him, and compares Paris' initial claims of manliness to his true test against Menelaus and finds him wanting. She briefly wishes him to challenge Menelaus again, stopping only when she realizes it would certainly mean his death. Paris chides her not to scold him, admits his loss, blaming Athena, but claims he will not lose again. Under Aphrodite's influence, their mutual desire overcomes their shame and disgust as they take to bed.

Meanwhile, though frustrated by divine intervention, Menelaus declares victory outside; arguing that he has won the duel and therefore the war. The Greeks agree, the Trojans only fail to hand over Paris because they do not know where he is; they bear him no sympathy any longer.

Book IV

As the gods repose and drink, Zeus needles his wife. Hera and Athena, he notes, who are determined that the Greeks should defeat Troy, sit with the other gods, while Aphrodite is constantly assisting Paris and the Trojans. Hera objects to his interference in the quarrel. Zeus claims tremendous fondness for Troy but agrees to Hera's request, as his wife and eldest of the Olympians, to send Athena to cause the Trojans to break their oaths and truce with the Greeks.

Athena convinces a Trojan archer he will find glory if he breaks the truce and kills Menelaus, so he shoots the Spartan king, whom Athena then protects, diverting the arrow to create a gushing, but minor wound. Agamemnon begins prematurely eulogizing Menelaus and promising destruction on the oath-breaking Trojans when Menelaus reassures Agamemnon, he will be fine.

As Machaon, son of the divine healer Asclepius, is summoned and renders aid to Menelaus, the Trojans begin their war cries and their march; the Greeks scramble to prepare for battle. Agamemnon leads the army on foot, scolding and cajoling, rallying and encouraging, praising and honoring his soldiers and their commanders, assuring them divine help will ensure their victory. He briefly challenges as cowards those who have not begun to fight, not yet having heard that the Trojans have broken the truce. To a man, the warriors bristle at this undeserved challenge, cautiously responding as boldly as their position allows to Agamemnon’s contempt for their manliness.

The battle lines are formed and the Greeks march, with Athena at their side, in sullen silence, in fear of their leaders, in anger at the accusations hurled against them and at the Trojans for their breaking faith. The Trojans assemble, with Ares at their side, in a loud, polyglottal clamor. Terror, Panic, and Conflict run between them all.

Battle is commenced, the Greeks kill first, but there is blood and death everywhere, Odysseus is sent into a rage witnessing the death of a dear friend, chaos rules. From the Trojan citadel, Apollo encourages the Trojans by ensuring they notice Achilles’ absence, while Athena encourages the Greeks from among them on the battlefield.

Many Greeks and Trojans lay dead as the battle rages.

Book V

Athena fills Diomedes with energy, and manipulates Ares into leaving the field of battle, suggesting they let the mortals fight amongst themselves. Greeks kill Trojans in single combat and the victor and the vanquished are personalized, their stories told, and their families who will mourn are identified.

Pandarus, who shot Menelaus to break the truce, shoots Diomedes, injuring him, but not severely. Athena gives Diomedes strength, tells him to fight, and allows him to distinguish between men and god, warning him not to fight a god, unless it is Aphrodite, in which case, he should attack her with his spear.

Divinely-strengthened, Diomedes launches powerfully into the fray, killing many Trojans.

Aeneas sees this and asks Pandarus to shoot Diomedes again and end his Frenzy. Pandarus regrets his earlier shots, noting the failure to kill with those shots only inspired the Greeks to greater damage, disappointing, given how fine an archer he is, comparing himself even to Apollo.

Pandarus and Aeneas attack Diomedes by Chariot. Athena guides Diomedes' spear, smashing through Pandarus' eye and mouth, severing his boastful tongue, killing him. Diomedes severely injures Aeneas who is only rescued from certain death by his mother, Aphrodite, whom Diomedes, with Athena's sanction, attacks and injures.

Aphrodite flees the field of battle, lying to Ares, still on the sidelines, that Diomedes wants to kill even Zeus. Aphrodite flees to her mother, Dione, for comfort, who recounts the times humans have injured or nearly killed Gods, noting that anyone who does such a thing will surely meet their fate.

Athena sardonically suggests to Zeus that Aphrodite almost certainly injured herself while fawning over some Greek woman she convinced to leave for Troy.

Diomedes continues his pursuit of Aeneas, who was protected by Apollo when Aphrodite fled. Diomedes will not attack Apollo directly, but continues his attempts to kill Aeneas. Apollo warns Diomedes off, replacing Aeneas with an image of the warrior on the field of battle and spiriting the real son of Aphrodite to the Pergamum to heal.

From atop the walls of Troy, Apollo rouses the Trojan troops, especially encouraging Hector to not just be brave but to rally his own men to success.

The tide begins to turn. As Hector leaps from his chariot, Apollo returns the real Aeneas unharmed to battle, replacing his spectral substitute; Trojans kill Greeks and Greeks kill Trojans in equal measure.

Two descendants of Zeus fight in single combat: Sarpedon, a Lycian who fights for Troy, is badly wounded but protected from fatal injury by Zeus. Tlepolemus, son of Heracles, who fights with the Greeks, is killed outright. Athena distracts Odysseus from pursuing the injured Sarpedon, son of Zeus, as his comrades bring him back to the safety of the Trojan lines.

Hector engages in frenzied battle as the Trojans begin to rout the Greeks. Hera worries she and Athena will not be able to keep their promise to Menelaus if the Greeks are beaten here. Athena readies herself fully for war; she dons arms and Aegis and mounts her chariot while Hera appeals to Zeus to allow her to help the Greeks, to which he assents to both goddesses' intervention.

Hera approaches the champions of Greece, criticizing their failure as they are being pushed back, noting that when Achilles was with them, the Trojans had never been so bold. Athena the Tactician, bearing the Aegis, sword and helm, addresses Diomedes, saying he seems not to be the man his father was. Diomedes responds that he was only following her order not to fight another god as Ares has taken the field. She assures him she will be there to protect him and joins him on the Chariot; together they wound Ares, driving him from the field of battle.

Ares cries out and flees to Zeus, where he pitifully complains of Athena causing conflict among the gods. Zeus replies with disgust, calling warlike Ares a hypocrite for whining about the very conflict he thrives on. Declaring his behavior unworthy of his rank, Zeus nevertheless has Ares healed, and reclines as Hera and Athena return, pleased with their machinations on the battlefield from which they have also driven Ares.

Book VI

The Gods have left battle and mortals now control the Field.

The Greek warriors surge, killing Trojans and allies in an onslaught. The narrator eulogizes several, contrasting their gruesome deaths in heated battle with their friendly pastoral home lives far away. Menelaus spares the life of a Trojan who promises a great ransom, until Agamemnon chastises him, reminding the Spartan that the Trojans were not so hospitable and that when the Greeks are through with this war, they will not spare a single Trojan, not even the unborn.

Seeing the Greek successes, and especially that of Diomedes, Helenus, another son of King Priam, implores Hector and Aeneas to rally the Trojans and Lycians and for Hector to instruct his mother to rally the women of Troy to make a great sacrifice to Athena to spare the city.

Diomedes and Glaucus confront each other on the battlefield. Diomedes is impressed with Glaucus, asking whether Glaucus is an Immortal, explaining that he does not wish to quarrel with any more immortals as he knows what happens to the men who do. Glaucus says that lineage is not the most important thing, likening the passing generations as leaves falling from a tree, only to nourish the whole tree. Glaucus, ironically then proceeds to proudly boast of his own lineage. He explains that he is the grandson through Hippolochus of Bellerophon, himself the grandson of Sisyphus. He thus knows the dangers of angering the gods, and also what it is to be a mighty man.

Diomedes responds that because their families have been friendly, that his had hosted Glaucus' family, there is a divine obligation of guest-friendship between the two families. Thus the two will not fight, there are plenty of enemies for each other to kill without directly sparring. They will instead exchange armor, though Zeus makes Glaucus lose his wits and trade too valuable armor for that which Diomedes trades: Glaucus' gold for Diomedes' bronze.

Aeneas and Hector rally their men before Hector returns to the safety of the city walls to ask his mother to ready the sacrifice to Athena. Hecuba is glad to see Hector return from the battle, noticing Hector's state, moves to comfort him. Hector refuses to be comforted, telling her he will not risk the effects of wine while the battle rages and he will not sacrifice to Zeus with such unclean hands, covered, as he is, with the dust and gore of battle. He lashes out against his brother telling his mother he will not find comfort until Paris is dead, for the trouble he has caused. He has no time to wash and instructs Hecuba on the great sacrifice she needs to organize with all the women of Troy so that Athena will grant their prayers and save them from the battle, which Athena declines to grant.

Hector finds Paris with Helen, telling him that allowing his rage to get the best of him, causing him to leave the battlefield was a choice Paris would himself condemn. Hector does not know it was Aphrodite that rescued Paris from Menelaus. Helen joins the criticism of Paris lamenting Paris' unmanliness, and asks Hector to stay, Hector instead leaves to find his wife and son. Hector finds his wife Andromache and their son, Astyanax, overlooking the field of battle from the walls of Troy. She tries to comfort Hector and hopes he will stay back and direct the warriors from a place of safety and towards a weakness in the walls she has noticed. Hector refuses. He knows his place is on the field of battle, that even if he could direct the battle from afar, his honor requires he, the greatest of the Trojan warriors belongs on the plain of battle. Hector is certain that Troy will fall and that his wife will be enslaved. Andromache pleads to him to stay. Because of Achilles sack of her home, he is all she has left, and her only protection. He says he hopes that he will be dead and buried, unable to hear her wails of slavery. Hector prays to Zeus that his infant son will be a mightier warrior than he, bringing spoils to make his mother proud. The family share a laugh at the irony of Astyanax flinching from Hector's appearance and armor following the martial prayer.

Hector leaves Andromache and his son to be comforted by their slave women for what Andromache knows will be the last time. He meets Paris, rejuvenated, his bravery returned, and they exchange kind words and Hector is gentler in his rebukes of Paris, saying he is a brave warrior when he does fight, but he does sometimes, have an unmanly way of hesitating to enter the fray.