The Illiad by Natasha Harris

The Iliad

By Natasha Harris

Multiple Choice

What caused the Trojan war?

• Disagreements between gods

• The son of the Trojan king, Paris running away with Helen, wife to Menelaus.

• Hades petitioned to start war against Mount Olympus

• Grendel

​What happended after they ran away together?

Menelaus, Helen's husband, asked his brother, Agamemnon, for help. Agamemnon ​put together a Greek Army to defeat Troy.

Subject | Subject

Multiple Choice

When does the Iliad take place?

• One day before the creation of the world

• Nine years after the start of the Trojan War

• Five years after the Trojan War

• Six months after Easter

Opening Events ​

At the start of the Iliad, ​the Greeks capture two beautiful women, Chryseis and Briseis. The leader of the Greeks, Agamemnon, takes Chryseis for himself. Achilles, a great Greek warrior, takes Briseis. Chryseis's dad offers a ransom for the return of his daughter. Agamemnon does not want to give Chryseis back, so Chryseis prays to Apollo, which causes a plague to fall on the Greek warriors.

What do the opening events have to do with women's roles in the Iliad? ​

The Iliad starts ​out with emotional vioence against women. Two sisters are taken by Greek soldiers, and it gets so bad that Chryseis, one of the sisters, has to pray to Apollo to make the Greeks pay. The taking of these two sisters at the beginning of the text places women in a spot as nothing more than a possession.

​Aftermath of the plague

After many Greeks die, Agamemnon wants to know the cause of the plague. When he learns that Chryseis caused it, he gives her up, but immediately demands Briseis. Achilles did not like this, so he refuses to fight in the war. He wants to see the Greeks be ruined, and asks his mother to ask Zeus to help. The Trojans and Greeks were at a ceasefire, but the Trojans broke it and Zeus helped them out.

Multiple Choice

Who broke the cease fire?

• The Greeks

• The Trojans

• The sea nymphs

• The god of the underworld

The Greeks suffer great losses since the Trojans have Zeus on their side, and Achilles not fighting anymore. Days on end of intense conflict follow. Some important fights are between Paris and Menelaus, as well as Hector Vs. Ajax. The greeks make no progress, even with Diomedes being a brave Greek warrior. The Trojans push the Greeks back. However, the Greeks become hopeful when Diomedes and Odysseus uncover some information about the Trojans' plans. However, the next day is awful for the Greeks. Several Greeks are wounded, and the Trojans make more progress. They set fire to a Greek ship. It is starting to look like the Greeks will lose, because without ships, the Greeks will be stuck in Troy and defeated.

Achilles is worried about his fellow soldiers, but is still consumed by pride. He agrees to a plan where his friend Patroclus will act as Achilles on the battlefield, wearing the armor of Achilles. Patroclus is a great warrior, and his efforts helps the Greeks push back the Trojans. However, Apollo knocks down the armor of Patroclus and Hector kills him. Fights break out on both sides, because both the Greeks and the Trojans want to lay claim to the body and armor. Hector ends up with the armor, and the Greeks manage to bring the body back to camp. When Achilles finds out that Hector killed Patroclus, he is overtaken with sorrow and rage. He agrees to rejoin the battle. Thetis gifts Achilles a new suit of armor, and then Achilles rides out to battle at the head of the Greek army.

Multiple Choice

What causes Achilles to rejoin battle?

• He does not rejoin the battle. He dies of old age

• Zeus admits that the world will end unless he fights

• His immense grief after his best friend Patroclus is killed

• His mother terfully begs him to win the fight

Hector orders his men to camp outside of the walls of Troy. When the Trojan army sees Achilles, they flee behind city walls. Achilles kills every Trojan he sees. Achilles later confronts hector, who refused to flee. Achilles chases and then kills Hector. He brings the body back to the Greek camp, where the Greeks celebrate Patroclus' death. Each day for the next nine days, Achilles drags Hector's body in circles around Patroclus' funeral pire.

After witnessing what Achilles does to Hector's body, the gods want Hector to have a proper burial. Zeus sends Hermes to escort Hector's dad, King Priam, and the ruler of troy, into the Greek camp. King Priam begs Achilles to show mercy and return Hector's body. Achilles finally returns Hector's corpse. Both sides agree to a temporary truce and Hector gets a hero's burial.