Iliad is an epic poem written by the Greek author Homer. Iliad is divided into 24 books, but only one book1 is essential for the BA English first semester students, so here is the summary of Iliad book 1…
Iliad Summary
Iliad: It was the 9th year of the Trojan war; Achaeans attacked a nearby city and robbed many things, including a beautiful girl named Chryseis, daughter of Chryses, a priest of God Apollo. He came to Agamemnon to get back his daughter, but Agamemnon refused to return and dishonoured him. So he went to the temple of God Apollo to pray for the destruction of Achaeans and get back his daughter. Cause he was a big devotee of God Apollo, God Apollo heard his prayer and started to destroy Achaeans by spreading the plague. Achaeans were having trouble due to the epidemic.
After ten days of the plague, Achilles called an assembly, including an astrologer, to discuss the situation and why they were having trouble. The Calchash, an astrologer, answered that they kept the daughter of Chryses and dishonoured him, so he prayed to God Apollo and Apollo had heard his prayer that’s why all these are happening. Afterwards, he suggested that if they would return the daughter of that priest, then it may be possible that it all would be well. But Agamemnon was ready to return Chryseis only if Achilles would give Briseis to him in compensation. But Achilles refused to provide Briseis because he got Briseis as a prize, and he had no right to take her back. Then Agamemnon and Achilles quarrelled, and Achilles refused to fight against the Trojans because Agamemnon had dishonoured him.
When Trojans knew about this incident, they started to kill Achaeans fearlessly because they knew that the bravest Greek warrior had withdrawn from the war. Then, Patroclus Achilles’ friend tried to make him understand to get back in the war, but Agamemnon’s talk hurt Achilles, so he refused. After that, Patroclus dressed up as Achilles and fought against the Trojans; cause he was dressed up like Achilles, so everyone understood him as Achilles. Patroclus kills a lot of Trojans, but in the end, he is also killed by Hector.
When Achilles came to know Hector killed his friend Patroclus, he became furious and wanted to take revenge on Hector of Patroclus’s death, so he returned to the war and killed a lot of Trojans, including Hector. But after killing Hector, his anger was still not ended, so he took the dead body of Hector to Greek and tortured it. Some days later, Hector’s father, Priam, comes to Achilles and begs him for his body Hector for the funeral, then Achilles agrees and gives him his dead body.
Achilles: Iliad
Although Achilles possesses superhuman stamina and a close relationship with the gods, he may strike contemporary visitors as less than brave. He has all the marks of a wonderful warrior and, without a doubt, shows the mightiest guy in the Achaean army; however, his ingrained character flaws continuously hamper his capability to act with the aristocracy and integrity. He can not manage his pride or the latest thing that rises when that pride is wounded. This feature so toxins him that he abandons his sidekicks and hopes that the Trojans will massacre them, all because he has been slighted at the hands of his leader, Agamemnon.
Achilles is driven primarily by a thirst for glory. Part of him desires to live a long, very easy life, yet he recognizes that his destiny forces him to choose between the two. Eventually, he is willing to compromise every little thing to ensure that his name will be kept in mind. Like many Homeric characters, Achilles does not develop considerably throughout the impressive. Although the fatality of Patroclus prompts him to seek reconciliation with Agamemnon, it does not minimize his rage but instead redirects it toward Hector.
The occasion does not make Achilles a much more deliberative or self-reflective character. Bloodlust, wrath, and pride remain to eat him. He mercilessly whips his challengers, brazenly handles the river Xanthus, ignobly defiles the body of Hector, and also savagely sacrifices twelve Trojan guys at the funeral of Patroclus. He does not relent in this brutality up until the final publication of the legendary, when King Priam, begging for the return of Hector’s desecrated remains, appeals to Achilles’ memory of his dad, Peleus. Yet it remains uncertain whether a papa’s heartbroken appeals have changed Achilles or whether this scene merely testifies to Achilles’ ability for pain and associate with suffering, which we’re currently proven in his extreme grieving of Patroclus.
Hector
Hector was a Trojan warrior. Though there were many brave warriors in the Trojan army Hector was the bravest warrior among them. Hector was the son of Troy’s King Priam and Queen Hecuba. Andromache was his wife. He has not any supernatural power but still, he fights with Achilles bravely. His presence was an inspiration to his soldiers. He was the only man in the Trojan army who set fire to Achaean ships. He killed uncountable soldiers of the Achaean army during Achilles’ absence period. Even he killed Patroclus too.
Though Hector was a great warrior he felt weak twice against Achaeans: First when Patroclus came dressed up like Achilles to fight with him and secondly When Achilles himself came to take revenge on Patroclus. Since Hector had killed Patroclus, and Patroclus was Achilles’ good friend so he took revenge on his friend by killing him. Hector was killed by Achilles and dragged to Achilles’ ship, and his dead body was tortured for ten days until his father king Priam did not come to him for his curse.
Agamemnon
Agamemnon was king of Mycenae. He was the son of Atreus. He was older than his brother Menelaus. Clytemnestra was his wife. He was the commander in chief of the Achaean army but he was not as brave as Achilles. He has a close resemblance to Achilles in some respects. He was as arrogant as Achilles but not as brave as Achilles. He always claims the largest part of the plunder and takes the fewest risks in the battle. Though he was supporting his younger brother Menelaus he was selfish. He did not even have a girl for the sack of his army. He had a quarrel with Achilles because he demanded Briseis as compensation for returning Chryseis. Since Briseis was Achilles’ war prize so he refused to give him Briseis.
Agamemnon was an arrogant person. He insulted Achilles a lot when he disagreed, so only because of Agamemnon, did Achilles withdraw from the war and the Achaean army had to bear a lot of trouble. Moreover, when crisis father Chryses had come with a big ransom to free her daughter, instead of releasing her he disrespected her father.
Actually, Agamemnon was neither so brave, nor intelligent. Agamemnon was a person with more power and less courage. When Achaeans were having trouble because of the plague, Achilles called an assembly to find out why are they having trouble but being a commander in chief it was Agamemnon’s duty to call an assembly and find out the