Back More
Salem Press

Table of Contents

Recommended Reading: 600 Classics Reviewed

Iliad

by Homer

750 B.C.E.

Poetry

Epic

This account of the Greek siege of Troy depicts the tragic struggle between the warrior Achilles and King Agamemnon, the anger of Achilles, and its consequences for the Greek army.

Homer's epic begins in the tenth year of the Trojan War, in which the Greek army besieges the walled city of Troy in Asia Minor. According to legend, the Greeks had sailed to Troy to win the release of Helen, wife of King Menelaus, who had been abducted by the Trojan prince Paris. The twenty-four books of the Iliad incorporate a body of legend that may date back to the twelfth century B.C. Rather than recount the entire conflict, Homer concentrates on the events which follow the feud between Greek warriors Achilles and Agamemnon.

After Agamemnon takes away Achilles' war prize, the maid Briseis, Achilles angrily withdraws from battle, and the demoralized Greek forces are pushed back almost to their ships. Achilles' friend Patroclus attempts to rally the Greeks, but he is killed by the Trojan hero Hector. Achilles then returns to battle, routs the enemy, and slays Hector in single combat on the plains of Troy. After Hector's death, King Priam is forced to plead for the body of his son, which has been mutilated by Achilles.

Homer's narrative presents a vivid picture of Bronze Age Greek culture. His warrior society lives by a heroic code according to which men were expected to show strength, courage, loyalty, and valor. Humans are at the mercy of capricious gods and goddesses, who intervene in battle to save their favorites. Even the great Achilles cannot alter his fate. Homer's genius lies in his ability to depict war in all of its brutal intensity and in his recognition that tragedy arises from flaws in human character. His depiction of the horror and fascination of war is as relevant today as it was to his own audience.

Citation Types

Type
Format
MLA 9th
, Homer. "Iliad." Recommended Reading: 600 Classics Reviewed, edited by Editors of Salem Press, Salem Press, 2015. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=6CR_0255.
APA 7th
, H. (2015). Iliad. In E. Salem Press (Ed.), Recommended Reading: 600 Classics Reviewed. Salem Press. online.salempress.com.
CMOS 17th
, Homer. "Iliad." Edited by Editors of Salem Press. Recommended Reading: 600 Classics Reviewed. Hackensack: Salem Press, 2015. Accessed September 15, 2025. online.salempress.com.