ENDURING LITERATURE ILLUMINATED BY PRACTICAL SCHOLARSHIP The story of the Trojan War, an epic tale of men and gods, of the heroes and horrors of war. THIS ENRICHED CLASSIC EDITION INCLUDES: A concise introduction that gives readers important background information A timeline of significant events that provides the book’s historical context An outline of key themes and plot points to help … context
Enriched Classics offer readers affordable editions of great works of literature enhanced by helpful notes and insightful commentary. The scholarship provided in Enriched Classics enables readers to appreciate, understand, and enjoy the world’s finest books to their full potential.
SERIES EDITED BY CYNTHIA BRANTLEY JOHNSONmore
The Iliad is a large epic tale centered on war and paramilitary activities.
Plot. Rating 5
The book has a varied and voluminous plot. Although the main storyline is dedicated to the siege of Troy, the plot is full of various unexpected situations, small plot lines, and memories of the characters in the events of their past. The war which takes place at the gates of Troy is shown quite realistically for one of the first monuments of world literature. For example, both sides of the conflict are carrying out reconnaissance activities. Also well shown are the strifes in the Greek camp, which are inevitable when a multi-tribal army participates in the campaign. Despite the fact that the show of battles is concentrated on single combats and individual fights, the book contains tactical decisions and some general leadership of military operations. For example, I liked Hector’s harsh ban on his soldiers to refrain from removing armor from the bodies of fallen opponents until the enemy was completely defeated.
The gods of Olympus bring a great deal of surprise and chaos to the plot. It was interesting for me to watch how some of the Greek gods oppose Zeus, and how persistently Apollo, Hera and Athena participate in events.
There is also a dramatic plot in the book, mainly in the second half, as the main plot conflict grows towards the plot climax.
Characters. Rating 5
The Iliad contains a large number of characters. However, many of them are extras needed to die in battles with stronger and more valiant heroes. But for these episodic characters, in most cases, a short story is given, which brings the story to life somewhat compared to the faceless opponents of the main characters in many books.
There are also a lot of main and significant secondary characters. The characters are shown naturally, with their own shortcomings. For example, due to his decision at the beginning of the book, Achilles is absent from most of the pages of the poem. He is replaced by other Greek characters. Agamemnon, Odysseus, Menelaus, Ajax, Diomedes, Nestor, Patroclus. These characters behave naturally – even powerful warriors are shown with their fears and weaknesses.
Of the Trojans, Hector, Glaukos, Paris, Priam, Aeneas, Sarpedon and some other characters are reliably described.
In the middle of the poem there is a very long battle in which the heroism and perseverance of the heroes are perfectly shown, both in the offensive and defensive positions.
In some places, the decisions of the heroes lead them to death, but the characters are fatalistic about this. However, the book also contains deep dramatic scenes and cynical jokes. For example, such a dramatic character as Patroclus takes the time to joke aptly about the dead enemy.
In general, many characters in the poem appear more complex and interesting than in retellings and films.
Dialogues. Rating 5.
Dialogues are conditioned by the sublime style of the poem. However, the content of the dialogues is excellent. In most cases, people and gods make different arguments to convince their opponents. Characters have personality traits in their dialogues. For example, the cunning Hera successfully opposes Zeus in their dialogues and manipulates him.
Writing style. Rating 4
The sublime and eloquent style of the poem makes it difficult to read, forcing you to reread some of the sentences. There are also many monotonous situations and expressions. Considering the need for ancient singers to talk about the great war of antiquity in a pompous and exciting way, as well as the forced absence (due to oral tradition and undeveloped theory of literature) of a permanent and picky editor, modern readers need to enjoy this great poem in its original form.
Worldbuilding. Rating 4
The narrative focuses on the plot, actions and emotions of the characters. Various details of everyday life, beliefs, clothing, military equipment, local traditions and legends are well woven into the history. These details tell the reader about the setting of the Greek Dark Ages. The score at this point is lowered due to the constant repetition of some rituals, for example, the obsessive desire of many characters to quickly remove the armor from defeated opponents.
Conclusion. Overall rating 5
It seems to me that this is the first known European book. Its creator Homer and his unknown co-authors had great talent, as they wrote a multifaceted and fascinating work.
What can you say? This is the great-grandparent of Western Literature. Without Homer, there would be nothing else. Kudos to Fagles for giving an up-to-date English translation using modern language that makes the story jump off the pages more so ever than the Alexander Pope translation I grew up reading.
Sadly I believe some portions were plagiarized.