Book I
The quarrel between Agamemnon and Achilles,
Achilles withdraws from the war, and sends his mother
Thetis to ask Jove to help the Trojans,
Scene between Jove and Juno on Olympus
SING, O GODDESS, the anger of Achilles son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans. Many a brave soul did it send hurrying down to Hades, and many a hero did it yield a prey to dogs and vultures, for so were the counsels of Jove fulfilled from the day on which the son of Atreus, king of men, and great Achilles, first fell out with one another.
And which of the gods was it that set them on to quarrel? It was the son of Jove and Leto; for he was angry with the king and sent a pestilence upon the host to plague the people, because the son of Atreus had dishonoured Chryses his priest. Now Chryses had come to the ships of the Achaeans to free his daughter, and had brought with him a great ransom: moreover he bore in his hand the sceptre of Apollo wreathed with a suppliant's wreath, and he besought the Achaeans, but most of all the two sons of Atreus, who were their chiefs.
“Sons of Atreus,” he cried, “and all other Achaeans, may the gods who dwell in Olympus grant you to sack the city of Priam, and to reach your homes in safety; but free my daughter, and accept a ransom for her, in reverence to Apollo, son of Jove.”
On this the rest of the Achaeans with one voice were for respecting the priest and taking the ransom that he offered; but not so Agamemnon, who spoke fiercely to him and sent him roughly away. “Old man,” said he, “let me not find you tarrying about our ships, nor yet coming hereafter. Your sceptre of the god and your wreath shall profit you nothing. I will not free her. She shall grow old in my house at Argos far from her own home, busying herself with her loom and visiting my couch; so go, and do not provoke me or it shall be the worse for you.”
The old man feared him and obeyed. Not a word he spoke, but went by the shore of the sounding sea, and prayed apart to King Apollo whom lovely Leto had borne. “Hear me,” he cried, “O god of the silver bow, that protectest Chryse and holy Cilla and rulest Tenedos with thy might, hear me O thou of Sminthe. If I have ever decked your temple with garlands, or burned your thigh-bones in fat of bulls or goats, grant my prayer, and let your arrows avenge these my tears upon the Danaans.”
Thus did he pray, and Apollo heard his prayer. He came down furious from the summits of Olympus, with his bow and his quiver upon his shoulder, and the arrows rattled on his back with the rage that trembled within him. He sat himself down away from the ships with a face as dark as night, and his silver bow rang death as he shot his arrow in the midst of them. First he smote their mules and their hounds, but presently he aimed his shafts at the people themselves, and all day long the pyres of the dead were burning.
For nine whole days he shot his arrows among the people, but upon the tenth day Achilles called them in assembly—moved thereto by Juno, who saw the Achaeans in their death-throes and had compassion upon them. Then, when they were got together, he rose and spoke among them.
“Son of Atreus,” said he, “I deem that we should now turn roving home if we would escape destruction, for we are being cut down by war and pestilence at once. Let us ask some priest or prophet, or some reader of dreams (for dreams, too, are of Jove) who can tell us why Phoebus Apollo is so angry, and say whether it is for some vow that we have broken, or hecatomb that we have not offered, and whether he will accept the savour of lambs and goats without blemish, so as to take away the plague from us.”
With these words he sat down, and Calchas son of Thestor, wisest of augurs, who knew things past, present, and to come, rose to speak. He it was who had guided the Achaeans with their fleet to Ilius, through the prophesyings with which Phoebus Apollo had inspired him. With all sincerity and goodwill he addressed them thus:
“Achilles, loved of heaven, you bid me tell you about the anger of King Apollo, I will therefore do so; but consider first and swear that you will stand by me heartily in word and deed, for I know that I shall offend one who rules the Argives with might, andto whom all the Achaeans are in subjection. A plain man cannot stand against the anger of a king, who if he swallow his displeasure now, will yet nurse revenge till he has wreaked it. Consider, therefore, whether or no you will protect me.”
And Achilles answered, “Fear not, but speak as it is borne in upon you from heaven, for by Apollo, Calchas, to whom you pray, and whose oracles you reveal to us, not a Danaan at our ships shall lay his hand upon you, while I yet live to look upon the face of the earth—no, not though you name Agamemnon himself, who is by far the foremost of the Achaeans.”
Thereon the seer spoke boldly. “The god,” he said, “is angry neither about vow nor hecatomb, but for his priest's sake, whom Agamemnon has dishonoured, in that he would not free his daughter nor take a ransom for her; therefore has he sent these evils upon us, and will yet send others. He will not deliver the Danaans from this pestilence till Agamemnon has restored the girl without fee or ransom to her father, and has sent a holy hecatomb to Chryse. Thus we may perhaps appease him.”
With these words he sat down, and Agamemnon rose in anger. His heart was black with rage, and his eyes flashed fire as he scowled on Calchas and said, “Seer of evil, you never yet prophesied smooth things concerning me, but have ever loved to foretell that which was evil. You have brought me neither comfort nor performance; and now you come seeing among the Danaans, and saying that Apollo has plagued us because I would not take a ransom for this girl, the daughter of Chryses. I have set my heart on keeping her in my own house, for I love her better even than my own wife Clytemnestra, whose peer she is alike in form and feature, in understanding and accomplishments. Still I will give her up if I must, for I would have the people live, not die; but you must find me a prize instead, or I alone among the Argives shall be without one. This is not well; for you behold, all of you, that my prize is to go elsewhither.”
And Achilles answered, “Most noble son of Atreus, covetous beyond all mankind, how shall the Achaeans find you another prize? We have no common store from which to take one. Those we took from the cities have been awarded; we cannot disallow the awards that have been made already. Give this girl, therefore, to the god, and if ever Jove grants us to sack the city of Troy we will requite you three and fourfold.”
Then Agamemnon said, “Achilles, valiant though you be, you shall not thus outwit me. You shall not overreach and you shall not persuade me. Are you to keep your own prize, while I sit tamely under my loss and give up the girl at your bidding? Let the Achaeans find me a prize in fair exchange to my liking, or I will come and take your own, or that of Ajax or of Ulysses; and he to whomsoever I may come shall rue my coming. But of this we will take thought hereafter; for the present, let us draw a ship into the sea, and find a crew for her expressly; let us put a hecatomb on board, and let us send Chryseis also; further, let some chief man among us be in command, either Ajax, or Idomeneus, or yourself, son of Peleus, mighty warrior that you are, that we may offer sacrifice and appease the anger of the god.”
Achilles scowled at him and answered, “You are steeped in insolence and lust of gain. With what heart can any of the Achaeans do your bidding, either on foray or in open fighting? I came not warring here for any ill the Trojans had done me. I have no quarrel with them. They have not raided my cattle nor my horses, nor cut down my harvests on the rich plains of Phthia; for between me and them there is a great space, both mountain and sounding sea. We have followed you, Sir Insolence! for your pleasure, not ours—to gain satisfaction from the Trojans for your shameless self and for Menelaus. You forget this, and threaten to rob me of the prize for which I have toiled, and which the sons of the Achaeans have given me. Never when the Achaeans sack any rich city of the Trojans do I receive so good a prize as you do, though it is my hands that do the better part of the fighting. When the sharing comes, your share is far the largest, and I, forsooth, must go back to my ships, take what I can get and be thankful, when my labour of fighting is done. Now, therefore, I shall go back to Phthia; it will be much better for me to return home with my ships, for I will not stay here dishonoured to gather gold and substance for you.”
And Agamemnon answered, “Fly if you will, I shall make you no prayers to stay you. I have others here who will do me honour, and above all Jove, the lord of counsel. There is no king here so hateful to me as you are, for you are ever quarrelsome and ill- affected. What though you be brave? Was it not heaven that made you so? Go home, then, with your ships and comrades to lord it over the Myrmidons. I care neither for you nor for your anger; and thus will I do: since Phoebus Apollo is taking Chryseis from me, I shall send her with my ship and my followers, but I shall come to your tent and take your own prize Briseis, that you may learn how much stronger I am than you are, and that another may fear to set himself up as equal or comparable with me.”
The son of Peleus was furious, and his heart within his shaggy breast was divided whether to draw his sword, push the others aside, and kill the son of Atreus, or to restrain himself and check his anger. While he was thus in two minds, and was drawing his mighty sword from its scabbard, Minerva came down from heaven (for Juno had sent her in the love she bore to them both), and seized the son of Peleus by his yellow hair, visible to him alone, for of the others no man could see her. Achilles turned in amaze, and by the fire that flashed from her eyes at once knew that she was Minerva. “Why are you here,” said he, “daughter of aegis-bearing Jove? To see the pride of Agamemnon, son of Atreus? Let me tell you—and it shall surely be—he shall pay for this insolence with his life.”
And Minerva said, “I come from heaven, if you will hear me, to bid you stay your anger. Juno has sent me, who cares for both of you alike. Cease, then, this brawling, and do not draw your sword; rail at him if you will, and your railing will not be vain, for I tell you—and it shall surely be—that you shall hereafter receive gifts three times as splendid by reason of this present insult. Hold, therefore, and obey.”
“Goddess,” answered Achilles, “however angry a man may be, he must do as you two command him. This will be best, for the gods ever hear the prayers of him who has obeyed them.”
He stayed his hand on the silver hilt of his sword, and thrust it back into the scabbard as Minerva bade him. Then she went back to Olympus among the other gods, and to the house of aegis-bearing Jove.
But the son of Peleus again began railing at the son of Atreus, for he was still in a rage. “Wine-bibber,” he cried, “with the face of a dog and the heart of a hind, you never dare to go out with the host in fight, nor yet with our chosen men in ambuscade. You shun this as you do death itself. You had rather go round and rob his prizes from any man who contradicts you. You devour your people, for you are king over a feeble folk; otherwise, son of Atreus, henceforward you would insult no man. Therefore I say, and swear it with a great oath—nay, by this my sceptre which shalt sprout neither leaf nor shoot, nor bud anew from the day on which it left its parent stem upon the mountains—for the axe stripped it of leaf and bark, and now the sons of the Achaeans bear it as judges and guardians of the decrees of heaven—so surely and solemnly do I swear that hereafter they shall look fondly for Achilles and shall not find him. In the day of your distress, when your men fall dying by the murderous hand of Hector, you shall not know how to help them, and shall rend your heart with rage for the hour when you offered insult to the bravest of the Achaeans.”
With this the son of Peleus dashed his gold-bestudded sceptre on the ground and took his seat, while the son of Atreus was beginning fiercely from his place upon the other side. Then uprose smooth-tongued Nestor, the facile speaker of the Pylians, and the words fell from his lips sweeter than honey. Two generations of men born and bred in Pylos had passed away under his rule, and he was now reigning over the third. With all sincerity and goodwill, therefore, he addressed them thus:
“Of a truth,” he said, “a great sorrow has befallen the Achaean land. Surely Priam with his sons would rejoice, and the Trojans be glad at heart if they could hear this quarrel between you two, who are so excellent in fight and counsel. I am older than either of you; therefore be guided by me. Moreover I have been the familiar friend of men even greater than you are, and they did not disregard my counsels. Never again can I behold such men as Pirithous and Dryas shepherd of his people, or as Caeneus, Exadius, godlike Polyphemus, and Theseus son of Aegeus, peer of the immortals. These were the mightiest men ever born upon this earth: mightiest were they, and when they fought the fiercest tribes of mountain savages they utterly overthrew them. I came from distant Pylos, and went about among them, for they would have me come, and I fought as it was in me to do. Not a man now living could withstand them, but they heard my words, and were persuaded by them. So be it also with yourselves, for this is the more excellent way. Therefore, Agamemnon, though you be strong, take not this girl away, for the sons of the Achaeans have already given her to Achilles; and you, Achilles, strive not further with the king, for no man who by the grace of Jove wields a sceptre has like honour with Agamemnon. You are strong, and have a goddess for your mother; but Agamemnon is stronger than you, for he has more people under him. Son of Atreus, check your anger, I implore you; end this quarrel with Achilles, who in the day of battle is a tower of strength to the Achaeans.”
And Agamemnon answered, “Sir, all that you have said is true, but this fellow must needs become our lord and master: he must be lord of all, king of all, and captain of all, and this shall hardly be. Granted that the gods have made him a great warrior, have they also given him the right to speak with railing?”
Achilles interrupted him. “I should be a mean coward,” he cried, “were I to give in to you in all things. Order other people about, not me, for I shall obey no longer. Furthermore I say—and lay my saying to your heart—I shall fight neither you nor any man about this girl, for those that take were those also that gave. But of all else that is at my ship you shall carry away nothing by force. Try, that others may see; if you do, my spear shall be reddened with your blood.”
When they had quarrelled thus angrily, they rose, and broke up the assembly at the ships of the Achaeans. The son of Peleus went back to his tents and ships with the son of Menoetius and his company, while Agamemnon drew a vessel into the water and chose a crew of twenty oarsmen. He escorted Chryseis on board and sent moreover a hecatomb for the god. And Ulysses went as captain.
These, then, went on board and sailed their ways over the sea. But the son of Atreus bade the people purify themselves; so they purified themselves and cast their filth into the sea. Then they offered hecatombs of bulls and goats without blemish on the sea-shore, and the smoke with the savour of their sacrifice rose curling up towards heaven.
Thus did they busy themselves throughout the host. But Agamemnon did not forget the threat that he had made Achilles, and called his trusty messengers and squires Talthybius and Eurybates. “Go,” said he, “to the tent of Achilles, son of Peleus; take Briseis by the hand and bring her hither; if he will not give her I will come with others and take her—which will press him harder.”
He charged them straightly further and dismissed them, whereon they went their way sorrowfully by the seaside, till they came to the tents and ships of the Myrmidons. They found Achilles sitting by his tent and his ships, and ill-pleased he was when he beheld them. They stood fearfully and reverently before him, and never a word did they speak, but he knew them and said, “Welcome, heralds, messengers of gods and men; draw near; my quarrel is not with you but with Agamemnon who has sent you for the girl Briseis. Therefore, Patroclus, bring her and give her to them, but let them be witnesses by the blessed gods, by mortal men, and by the fierceness of Agamemnon's anger, that if ever again there be need of me to save the people from ruin, they shall seek and they shall not find. Agamemnon is mad with rage and knows not how to look before and after that the Achaeans may fight by their ships in safety.”
Patroclus did as his dear comrade had bidden him. He brought Briseis from the tent and gave her over to the heralds, who took her with them to the ships of the Achaeans—and the woman was loth to go. Then Achilles went all alone by the side of the hoar sea, weeping and looking out upon the boundless waste of waters. He raised his hands in prayer to his immortal mother, “Mother,” he cried, “you bore me doomed to live but for a little season; surely Jove, who thunders from Olympus, might have made that little glorious. It is not so. Agamemnon, son of Atreus, has done me dishonour, and has robbed me of my prize by force.”
As he spoke he wept aloud, and his mother heard him where she was sitting in the depths of the sea hard by the old man her father. Forthwith she rose as it were a grey mist out of the waves, sat down before him as he stood weeping, caressed him with her hand, and said, “My son, why are you weeping? What is it that grieves you? Keep it not from me, but tell me, that we may know it together.”
Achilles drew a deep sigh and said, “You know it; why tell you what you know well already? We went to Thebe the strong city of Eetion, sacked it, and brought hither the spoil. The sons of the Achaeans shared it duly among themselves, and chose lovely Chryseis as the meed of Agamemnon; but Chryses, priest of Apollo, came to the ships of the Achaeans to free his daughter, and brought with him a great ransom; moreover he bore in his hand the sceptre of Apollo, wreathed with a suppliant's wreath, and he besought the Achaeans, but most of all the two sons of Atreus who were their chiefs.
“On this the rest of the Achaeans with one voice were for respecting the priest and taking the ransom that he offered; but not so Agamemnon, who spoke fiercely to him and sent him roughly away. So he went back in anger, and Apollo, who loved him dearly, heard his prayer. Then the god sent a deadly dart upon the Argives, and the people died thick on one another, for the arrows went everywhither among the wide host of the Achaeans. At last a seer in the fulness of his knowledge declared to us the oracles of Apollo, and I was myself first to say that we should appease him. Whereon the son of Atreus rose in anger, and threatened that which he has since done. The Achaeans are now taking the girl in a ship to Chryse, and sending gifts of sacrifice to the god; but the heralds have just taken from my tent the daughter of Briseus, whom the Achaeans had awarded to myself.
“Help your brave son, therefore, if you are able. Go to Olympus, and if you have ever done him service in word or deed, implore the aid of Jove. Oft-times in my father's house have I heard you glory in that you alone of the immortals saved the son of Saturn from ruin, when the others, with Juno, Neptune, and Pallas Minerva would have put him in bonds. It was you, goddess, who delivered him by calling to Olympus the hundred-handed monster whom gods call Briareus, but men Aegaeon, for he is stronger even than his father; when therefore he took his seat all-glorious beside the son of Saturn, the other gods were afraid, and did not bind him. Go, then, to him, remind him of all this, clasp his knees, and bid him give succour to the Trojans. Let the Achaeans be hemmed in at the sterns of their ships, and perish on the sea-shore, that they may reap what joy they may of their king, and that Agamemnon may rue his blindness in offering insult to the foremost of the Achaeans.”
Thetis wept and answered, “My son, woe is me that I should have borne or suckled you. Would indeed that you had lived your span free from all sorrow at your ships, for it is all too brief; alas, that you should be at once short of life and long of sorrow above your peers: woe, therefore, was the hour in which I bore you; nevertheless I will go to the snowy heights of Olympus, and tell this tale to Jove, if he will hear our prayer: meanwhile stay where you are with your ships, nurse your anger against the Achaeans, and hold aloof from fight. For Jove went yesterday to Oceanus, to a feast among the Ethiopians, and the other gods went with him. He will return to Olympus twelve days hence; I will then go to his mansion paved with bronze and will beseech him; nor do I doubt that I shall be able to persuade him.”
On this she left him, still furious at the loss of her that had been taken from him. Meanwhile Ulysses reached Chryse with the hecatomb. When they had come inside the harbour they furled the sails and laid them in the ship's hold; they slackened the forestays, lowered the mast into its place, and rowed the ship to the place where they would have her lie; there they cast out their mooring-stones and made fast the hawsers. They then got out upon the sea-shore and landed the hecatomb for Apollo; Chryseis also left the ship, and Ulysses led her to the altar to deliver her into the hands of her father. “Chryses,” said he, “King Agamemnon has sent me to bring you back your child, and to offer sacrifice to Apollo on behalf of the Danaans, that we may propitiate the god, who has now brought sorrow upon the Argives.”
So saying he gave the girl over to her father, who received her gladly, and they ranged the holy hecatomb all orderly round the altar of the god. They washed their hands and took up the barley-meal to sprinkle over the victims, while Chryses lifted up his hands and prayed aloud on their behalf. “Hear me,” he cried, “O god of the silver bow, that protectest Chryse and holy Cilla, and rulest Tenedos with thy might. Even as thou didst hear me aforetime when I prayed, and didst press hardly upon the Achaeans, so hear me yet again, and stay this fearful pestilence from the Danaans.”
Thus did he pray, and Apollo heard his prayer. When they had done praying and sprinkling the barley-meal, they drew back the heads of the victims and killed and flayed them. They cut out the thigh-bones, wrapped them round in two layers of fat, set some pieces of raw meat on the top of them, and then Chryses laid them on the wood fire and poured wine over them, while the young men stood near him with five-pronged spits in their hands. When the thigh-bones were burned and they had tasted the inward meats, they cut the rest up small, put the pieces upon the spits, roasted them till they were done, and drew them off: then, when they had finished their work and the feast was ready, they ate it, and every man had his full share, so that all were satisfied. As soon as they had had enough to eat and drink, pages filled the mixing-bowl with wine and water and handed it round, after giving every man his drink-offering.
Thus all day long the young men worshipped the god with song, hymning him and chaunting the joyous paean, and the god took pleasure in their voices; but when the sun went down, and it came on dark, they laid themselves down to sleep by the stern cables of the ship, and when the child of morning, rosy-fingered Dawn, appeared they again set sail for the host of the Achaeans. Apollo sent them a fair wind, so they raised their mast and hoisted their white sails aloft. As the sail bellied with the wind the ship flew through the deep blue water, and the foam hissed against her bows as she sped onward. When they reached the wide-stretching host of the Achaeans, they drew the vessel ashore, high and dry upon the sands, set her strong props beneath her, and went their ways to their own tents and ships.
But Achilles abode at his ships and nursed his anger. He went not to the honourable assembly, and sallied not forth to fight, but gnawed at his own heart, pining for battle and the war-cry.
Now after twelve days the immortal gods came back in a body to Olympus, and Jove led the way. Thetis was not unmindful of the charge her son had laid upon her, so she rose from under the sea and went through great heaven with early morning to Olympus, where she found the mighty son of Saturn sitting all alone upon its topmost ridges. She sat herself down before him, and with her left hand seized his knees, while with her right she caught him under the chin, and besought him, saying:
“Father Jove, if I ever did you service in word or deed among the immortals, hear my prayer, and do honour to my son, whose life is to be cut short so early. King Agamemnon has dishonoured him by taking his prize and keeping her. Honour him then yourself, Olympian lord of counsel, and grant victory to the Trojans, till the Achaeans give my son his due and load him with riches in requital.”
Jove sat for a while silent, and without a word, but Thetis still kept firm hold of his knees, and besought him a second time. “Incline your head,” said she, “and promise me surely, or else deny me—for you have nothing to fear—that I may learn how greatly you disdain me.”
At this Jove was much troubled and answered, “I shall have trouble if you set me quarrelling with Juno, for she will provoke me with her taunting speeches; even now she is always railing at me before the other gods and accusing me of giving aid to the Trojans. Go back now, lest she should find out. I will consider the matter, and will bring it about as you wish. See, I incline my head that you may believe me. This is the most solemn token that I can give to any god. I never recall my word, or deceive, or fail to do what I say, when I have nodded my head.”
As he spoke the son of Saturn bowed his dark brows, and the ambrosial locks swayed on his immortal head, till vast Olympus reeled.
When the pair had thus laid their plans, they parted—Jove to his house, while the goddess quitted the splendour of Olympus, and plunged into the depths of the sea. The gods rose from their seats, before the coming of their sire. Not one of them dared to remain sitting, but all stood up as he came among them. There, then, he took his seat. But Juno, when she saw him, knew that he and the old merman's daughter, silver-footed Thetis, had been hatching mischief, so she at once began to upbraid him. “Trickster,” she cried, “which of the gods have you been taking into your counsels now? You are always settling matters in secret behind my back, and have never yet told me, if you could help it, one word of your intentions.”
“Juno,” replied the sire of gods and men, “you must not expect to be informed of all my counsels. You are my wife, but you would find it hard to understand them. When it is proper for you to hear, there is no one, god or man, who will be told sooner, but when I mean to keep a matter to myself, you must not pry nor ask questions.”
“Dread son of Saturn,” answered Juno, “what are you talking about? I? Pry and ask questions? Never. I let you have your own way in everything. Still, I have a strong misgiving that the old merman's daughter Thetis has been talking you over, for she was with you and had hold of your knees this self-same morning. I believe, therefore, that you have been promising her to give glory to Achilles, and to kill much people at the ships of the Achaeans.”
“Wife,” said Jove, “I can do nothing but you suspect me and find it out. You will take nothing by it, for I shall only dislike you the more, and it will go harder with you. Granted that it is as you say; I mean to have it so; sit down and hold your tongue as I bid you, for if I once begin to lay my hands about you, though all heaven were on your side it would profit you nothing.”
On this Juno was frightened, so she curbed her stubborn will and sat down in silence. But the heavenly beings were disquieted throughout the house of Jove, till the cunning workman Vulcan began to try and pacify his mother Juno. “It will be intolerable,” said he, “if you two fall to wrangling and setting heaven in an uproar about a pack of mortals. If such ill counsels are to prevail, we shall have no pleasure at our banquet. Let me then advise my mother—and she must herself know that it will be better—to make friends with my dear father Jove, lest he again scold her and disturb our feast. If the Olympian Thunderer wants to hurl us all from our seats, he can do so, for he is far the strongest, so give him fair words, and he will then soon be in a good humour with us.”
As he spoke, he took a double cup of nectar, and placed it in his mother's hand. “Cheer up, my dear mother,” said he, “and make the best of it. I love you dearly, and should be very sorry to see you get a thrashing; however grieved I might be, I could not help you, for there is no standing against Jove. Once before when I was trying to help you, he caught me by the foot and flung me from the heavenly threshold. All day long from morn till eve, was I falling, till at sunset I came to ground in the island of Lemnos, and there I lay, with very little life left in me, till the Sintians came and tended me.”
Juno smiled at this, and as she smiled she took the cup from her son's hands. Then Vulcan drew sweet nectar from the mixing-bowl, and served it round among the gods, going from left to right; and the blessed gods laughed out a loud applause as they saw him bustling about the heavenly mansion.
Thus through the livelong day to the going down of the sun they feasted, and every one had his full share, so that all were satisfied. Apollo struck his lyre, and the Muses lifted up their sweet voices, calling and answering one another. But when the sun's glorious light had faded, they went home to bed, each in his own abode, which lame Vulcan with his consummate skill had fashioned for them. So Jove, the Olympian Lord of Thunder, hied him to the bed in which he always slept; and when he had got on to it he went to sleep, with Juno of the golden throne by his side.
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Generally, the first four hundred and fifty lines or so of Homer's Iliad are considered to be just that: "the quarrel." The direct consequences are also dealt with in this important exposition section of the epic. [1]
—Noelle Thompson
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As you can see from these few lines of introduction to this book of Homer’s Iliad, the god Jove (or Zeus) is very important. Jove is the head of the Greek pantheon and ruler of the gods. He is husband to Juno and often claims to be neutral in regards to the Trojan war. [2]
—Noelle Thompson
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The citizens of Troy, the Trojans, inhabited an ancient city located in present-day, western Turkey, where, according to legend, the Trojan War took place [3]
—Wesley, Owl Eyes Editor
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Juno (or Hera), the queen of the gods, is portrayed by Homer as strong and precocious. She is often seen conniving behind her husband Jove’s back as well as constantly disagreeing with him. Her habit of tormenting Jove’s other lovers and wives is referenced in the Iliad. An ironic contrast to Homer's Juno can be seen in other myths of the tradition, where she is often described as being in constant pain because of a character whose name literally means “the glory of our Hera,” namely Hercules. This pain is due to a wound in her chest that Hercules gave her with an arrow while working on his “labors.” [4]
—Noelle Thompson
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Olympus is the dwelling place of the gods according to Greek mythology. It should not be interpreted as the Greek concept of “heaven”; rather, it was a place of perfection, above the earth's physical mountains where the gods held court and no mortal was allowed. [5]
—Owl Eyes Reader
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Homer begins his Iliad by bidding his Muse to sing of the wrath of Achilles and how his anger has done much more harm to the Greeks than the war with the Trojans over the abducted Helen. With this first line, Homer establishes one of the main themes in the Iliad: the implications and consequences of one’s pride. Achilles himself embodies this theme, for his anger at Agamemnon has made him refuse to fight, which has severely harmed the Achaean army. [6]
—Wesley, Owl Eyes Editor
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One characteristic of epic poetry is the narrator's invoking a muse to help tell the story. The Muses were nine daughters of Jove, each of whom governed a particular science or art form. The narrator is probably referring to Calliope, the Muse of epic poetry. The other eight Muses and their domains include Clio (history), Erato (love poetry), Euterpe (music), Melpomene (tragedy), Polyhytmnia (sacred poetry), Terpsichore (dance), Thalia (comedy), and Urania (astronomy). [7]
—Owl Eyes Reader
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Achilles's anger at Agamemnon is the main conflict in the poem and provides the framework for the events to come. Achilles's wounded pride is what keeps him in a rage, but it also makes him refuse to fight, leading to terrible consequences for the rest of the Achaean army. Achilles embodies one of the main themes of the Iliad: the foolish and self-destructive nature of pride. [8]
—Owl Eyes Reader
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“Achaeans” is the primary name given to the Greek forces that opposed the Trojans in the Iliad. The army consisted of various ancient tribes located in and around present-day Greece. In the Iliad, the Greeks are variously called Achaeans, Achaians, Argives, and Danaans—whatever name suited the poet's metrical needs in a given line. [9]
—Owl Eyes Reader
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It was sacrilegious to allow a dead body to be defiled by animals and birds instead of buried in a dignified way. That corpses have been left on the battlefield indicate to the listener the brutality of the conflict, which has not allowed time to honor the dead. [10]
—Noelle Thompson
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In some translations of Homer's Iliad, this line is translated "the will of Zeus." (This translation uses the Roman names for its characters.) Here it is shown that the entire plot of the Iliad comes to pass because of Zeus's will. [11]
—Noelle Thompson
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Atreus is the father of Agamemnon and Menelaus, but because Agamemnon is the older of the two and is also the commander-in-chief of the Greek forces, the reference is to Agamemnon. [12]
—Stephen Holliday
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It is interesting to note how Homer constructs the characterization of the divine. The Gods and Goddesses "quarrel" and argue with one another, while mortality wrestles with the consequences. In a way, the divine act like mortals and the mortals act immortal. [13]
—Ashley Kannan
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Apollo is the god of the sun, and Troy's most powerful supporter among the gods. [14]
—Stephen Holliday
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Chryseis, daughter of Chryses. Chryseis is taken by Agamemnon as a prize of war, but when a plague breacks out in the Greek camp, the Greek profit, Calchas, tells Agamemnon that, in order to stop the plague, he needs to give up Chryseis, Agamemnon reluctantly agrees and then takes a prize from Achilles, Briseis, which starts the animosity between Achilles and Agamemnon. [15]
—Stephen Holliday
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As you can see from the very first few lines of Homer’s Iliad, the god Apollo is very important. The god of the Sun (and born to Leto and Zeus) also has a sister (Artemis) who is very important in Homer’s Iliad. Fighting on two different sides, watching the sibling rivalry between the two is always interesting. Also interesting that Apollo’s name appears so close to the invocation to the Muse at the beginning of Homer’s epic poem because he is also the leader of those Muses and can be considered very important in regards to written word. [16]
—Noelle Thompson
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Often translated as "ribbons" these special ornaments of the wreath are said to be Apollo's alone. Not only royalty but also priestly, he is to receive the ultimate respect. [17]
—Noelle Thompson
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These are the names of the kings, respectively, of the Trojans and the Greeks. Menelaus was married to Helen before Paris's abduction of her, and Priam is Paris's father. [18]
—Owl Eyes Reader
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Note Agamemnon's reply here. It is not a respectful reply in the least. In fact, it can be seen as absolutely cruel. It is a kind of foreshadowing into the kind of king that Agamemnon will turn out to be. [19]
—Noelle Thompson
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An incredibly arrogant and demeaning comment to make to Chryseis's father—Homer is subtly establishing Agamemnon's character, which will make him an unsympathetic character throughout the Iliad. [20]
—Stephen Holliday
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Cilla is a town near Troy, and Tenedos is an island in the northeast Aegean, off Troy's coast [21]
—Stephen Holliday
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Sminthe is another name for the god Apollo. The name relates to mice and indicates that Apollo was also the “mouse god.” Mice were highly regarded in ancient Greek society because they supposedly arose from the vapors of the earth and had prophetic powers. [22]
—Owl Eyes Reader
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This refers to a common form of sacrifice in which the thigh bones of bulls or goats were wrapped in fat and burned as an offering to the gods. The more edible parts of the animals were used as food. [23]
—Stephen Holliday
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This phrase refers to the ritual sacrificing of animals in order to please the gods. Ancient Greeks would sacrifice a goat, sheep, pig, or cow and offer up the fat and bones to the gods, setting aside the meat for roasting and eating. [24]
—Owl Eyes Reader
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This is a metaphorical description of the plague that Apollo sent into the Greek camp, which affected the animals first and then sickened the Greek troops. [25]
—Stephen Holliday
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A “hecatomb” originally referred to the sacrifice of 100 cattle but later came to mean any sacrifice of a large number of animals. Hecatombs were most frequently offered up to the gods Apollo, Hera, Athena, and occasionally Zeus. [26]
—Owl Eyes Reader
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Ilius is the Latin name for the city of Troy. The ancient Greek word for Troy was “ilion,” and both terms gave the Iliad its name, which loosely means “a story about Ilion or Ilius.” [27]
—Owl Eyes Reader
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This noun is another name for the Greek forces. The word Argives derives from the ancient city of Argos. [28]
—Owl Eyes Reader
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The noun “subjection,” is defined as the state of being under the authority of another person. [29]
—Owl Eyes Reader
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Agamemnon is showing how flawed he is as a leader in this episode. Although he is willing to give up his prize, Chryseis, he demands another from his own men and threatens them in the process. [30]
—Stephen Holliday
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“Ulysses” is the Latin name for the Greek hero Odysseus, who plays a role in the Iliad but is more famous for being the hero of the Odyssey, a story also attributed to Homer and considered a continuation of the Iliad. Ulysses wanders the world after the Trojan War, trying to get back to his home, wife, and child. [31]
—Owl Eyes Reader
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Achilles is credited with leading successful assaults against at least 23 Trojan towns near Troy. One of these assaults led to his acquiring of Briseis as a war prize after he killed her husband and brothers. [32]
—Stephen Holliday
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As you can see from the very first few lines in Homer’s Iliad, the goddess Minerva (or Athena) is very important. Perhaps a brief description would be helpful here? The goddess of strategic battle as well as the goddess of wisdom and womanly wiles, the goddess Minerva is very important in the Iliad. Minerva absolutely hates the Trojans. That’s (kind of) her calling card. The goddess Athena is in such passionate defense of the Greeks that she is very often seen taking their side. In fact, Minerva’s service is so valuable that the Greeks eventually name one of their most important cities after her! Also in reference to the Iliad, her epithet of “Trotogeneia” is also interesting because it refers to one of her more obscure birth stories and her being “born of Triton.” Here, in this first scene, however, it is Minerva’s trickery that wins over. In fact, Minerva “seized the Son of Peleus by his yellow hair,” promises her that she comes directly from Jove, and convinces Achilles not to kill Agamemnon because the Greeks would be rewarded in full one day in the future. [33]
—Noelle Thompson
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Jove (or, Zeus) carries a shield, the aegis, that many consider to be just a defensive weapon. The aegis, though, also has offensive capabilities. When Zeus is described as throwing thunderbolts, the aegis is their source. [34]
—Stephen Holliday
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Minerva's statement here indicates that she cannot command Achilles to stop trying to kill Agamemnon, but she hopes at least that he will listen to her and see the reasonableness of her request. [35]
—Stephen Holliday
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Achilles is essentially accusing Agamemnon of cowardice, and rightly so, since Agamemnon avoids combat. Agamemnon has political power because he controls a large territory, but he is, in a warrior society, not respected. [36]
—Stephen Holliday
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Nestor, in his role of counselor and spokesman, has an important role in The Iliad because he is constantly trying to calm down the anger of Achilles and Agamemnon in order to continue the war against Troy. [37]
—Stephen Holliday
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Nestor is trying to give Agamemnon and Achilles some perspective by reminding them that he has advised more important men than either of the two. [38]
—Stephen Holliday
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Theseus is the most well-known of the group Nestor mentions because he won fame by killing the minotaur, a half bull, half human beast, at the palace of King Minos at Knossos in Crete. [39]
—Stephen Holliday
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In other words—Agamemnon, you can have this girl, but she is the only thing of mine you will ever take. [40]
—Stephen Holliday
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Two of Agamemnon's most trusted heralds. He undoubtedly chose men whose fighting skills would have been respected by Achilles. [41]
—Stephen Holliday
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Patroclus is Achilles's favorite companion. Later, Patroclus, fighting in Achilles's armor, is killed by Hector, and Patroclus's death brings Achilles back into the fight against the Trojans. [42]
—Stephen Holliday
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This is an instance of foreshadowing. Achilles knows that he is predestined to live a short life because he chose to join the war over a long and uneventful life at home with his aging father. Here Achilles pleads with his mother Thetis to appeal to Zeus on his behalf. He asks that Zeus may grant him glory in what little time he has on the earth, and he speaks of the wrongs Agamemnon has committed against him. [43]
—Emily, Owl Eyes Staff
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This is not the Greek city of Thebes but a fortified town near Troy. Chryseis, even though she is from another town, must have been taken as a prisoner in the attack on Thebe. It is likely that Thebe is one of the twenty three Trojan towns that Achilles helped capture, which is why Chryseis became his war-prize. [44]
—Stephen Holliday
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This refers to an account, which is not in any other source. in which Achilles' mother, Thetis, brought a powerful creature named Briareus to Olympus in order to stop a revolt by the other gods against Zeus. [45]
—Stephen Holliday
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Achilles is actually asking the gods to help the Trojans against the Greeks—even though Achilles himself is a Greek. This is not only disloyal but, more important, indicates that Achilles values his personal honor more than he values the lives of his friends. [46]
—Stephen Holliday
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As is confusing from the character list before the eNotes etext begins, the goddess Tethys is actually referred to as the goddess Tethis here. Do not let the irony in spelling fool you. It is still the same goddess, or at least MOST SCHOLARS believe that to be so. In fact, as you can see from the first book of Homer’s Iliad, the goddess Tethis is very important, here possibly more than any other of the Greek works of literature. Perhaps a further description in brief would be advantageous here? Mostly, Thetis’ importance can be found right here in Book I. The goddess Thetis is vying here on behalf of her beloved son, Achilles. She is the one who sends the prayer to Jove and allows a new suit of armor to be made for Achilles. Her desire for Greek victory depends entirely on her son’s whims. [47]
—Noelle Thompson
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In the Greek world view, Oceanus is a river that encircles the world, and the world is flat. All rivers originate in Oceanus. [48]
—Stephen Holliday
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Ulysses, because he is a king, a warrior, and known for his intelligence and dependibility, is Agamemnon's best choice to make sure that Chryseis reaches her father. [49]
—Stephen Holliday
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This epithet is a nickname for the god Apollo, who was often depicted carrying a bow and arrow. [50]
—Owl Eyes Reader
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Once Chryseis is returned to her father, Chryses, he asks Apollo to end the plague that he originally called down on the Greeks when Agamemnon took her as a war prize. [51]
—Stephen Holliday
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The posture of someone asking a favor of a powerful person is to use one hand to clasp the person by the knees and reach out and touch the chin. [52]
—Stephen Holliday
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Notice this passage is an example of the fickle and immature nature of the gods, who are always squabbling among themselves and meddling in human affairs. Many of the gods and goddesses take sides in the Trojan War, often opposing one another, which causes strife on Olympus that mirrors that of the battle. Zeus is like the father of an unruly family and is unwilling to create more discord among a group of willful, powerful, and childish gods. He is reluctant to anger Juno (Hera,) especially because he has had frequent affairs with mortals that produced children, both of which Hera is extremely jealous and brings frequent torment upon. [53]
—Emily, Owl Eyes Staff
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The adjectival form of “ambrosia.” The noun form originally referred to the food of the gods and was later used to denote anything of perfection that appeals to the senses—in this case, beautiful hair. [54]
—Owl Eyes Reader
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A merman is a mythological creature with the head and body of a man and the tail of a fish. [55]
—Owl Eyes Reader
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Thetis is the daughter (known as a "Neriad") of Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea, also called a merman—mer, meaning "the sea." [56]
—Stephen Holliday
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Vulcan is the god of fire and the forge. He built Zeus's palace on Olympus and he forged Achilles's armor. [57]
—Stephen Holliday
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Vulcan is always depicted as lame, a result of Zeus having grabbed him by the foot. [58]
—Stephen Holliday
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In the Bronze Age, the time period of the Trojan War, wine was always mixed with water [59]
—Stephen Holliday
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This is a reference to the deformity that the god Vulcan (in Greek, Hephaestus) may have received when Zeus threw him by the foot from Mt. Olympus during a fight. He landed on the island of Lemnos, which was thereafter associated with him. An alternate myth credits his deformity to Hera, who may have thrown him from Olympus as a child in reaction to either his ugliness or a preexisting deformity. In this version he was found in the ocean by Thetis, who raised him as her own. [60]
—Emily, Owl Eyes Staff
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It's not a mistake that Book I of Homer's Iliad is often called "The Quarrel." As you can see, the head military leader of the Greeks, Agamemnon, is made to return a prisoner due to Achilles's wiles. Achilles, in his anger, asks the goddess Thetis for Jove's help in chastising the Greeks by aiding the Trojans. (How fickle can a man be?) After a quick trip for the reader to Mount Olympus, and watching the gods and goddesses argue about the same thing, Homer gets quickly to the meat of the Trojan War. His captive audience, the Greeks, would know well the introduction to the Trojan War, so there is no need for Homer to waste time with it here. [61]
—Noelle Thompson
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Book II
Footnotes
1
Generally, the first four hundred and fifty lines or so of Homer's Iliad are considered to be just that: "the quarrel." The direct consequences are also dealt with in this important exposition section of the epic.
— Noelle Thompson
2
As you can see from these few lines of introduction to this book of Homer’s Iliad, the god Jove (or Zeus) is very important. Jove is the head of the Greek pantheon and ruler of the gods. He is husband to Juno and often claims to be neutral in regards to the Trojan war.
— Noelle Thompson
3
The citizens of Troy, the Trojans, inhabited an ancient city located in present-day, western Turkey, where, according to legend, the Trojan War took place
— Wesley, Owl Eyes Editor
4
Juno (or Hera), the queen of the gods, is portrayed by Homer as strong and precocious. She is often seen conniving behind her husband Jove’s back as well as constantly disagreeing with him. Her habit of tormenting Jove’s other lovers and wives is referenced in the Iliad. An ironic contrast to Homer's Juno can be seen in other myths of the tradition, where she is often described as being in constant pain because of a character whose name literally means “the glory of our Hera,” namely Hercules. This pain is due to a wound in her chest that Hercules gave her with an arrow while working on his “labors.”
— Noelle Thompson
5
Olympus is the dwelling place of the gods according to Greek mythology. It should not be interpreted as the Greek concept of “heaven”; rather, it was a place of perfection, above the earth's physical mountains where the gods held court and no mortal was allowed.
— Owl Eyes Reader
6
Homer begins his Iliad by bidding his Muse to sing of the wrath of Achilles and how his anger has done much more harm to the Greeks than the war with the Trojans over the abducted Helen. With this first line, Homer establishes one of the main themes in the Iliad: the implications and consequences of one’s pride. Achilles himself embodies this theme, for his anger at Agamemnon has made him refuse to fight, which has severely harmed the Achaean army.
— Wesley, Owl Eyes Editor
7
One characteristic of epic poetry is the narrator's invoking a muse to help tell the story. The Muses were nine daughters of Jove, each of whom governed a particular science or art form. The narrator is probably referring to Calliope, the Muse of epic poetry. The other eight Muses and their domains include Clio (history), Erato (love poetry), Euterpe (music), Melpomene (tragedy), Polyhytmnia (sacred poetry), Terpsichore (dance), Thalia (comedy), and Urania (astronomy).
— Owl Eyes Reader
8
Achilles's anger at Agamemnon is the main conflict in the poem and provides the framework for the events to come. Achilles's wounded pride is what keeps him in a rage, but it also makes him refuse to fight, leading to terrible consequences for the rest of the Achaean army. Achilles embodies one of the main themes of the Iliad: the foolish and self-destructive nature of pride.
— Owl Eyes Reader
9
“Achaeans” is the primary name given to the Greek forces that opposed the Trojans in the Iliad. The army consisted of various ancient tribes located in and around present-day Greece. In the Iliad, the Greeks are variously called Achaeans, Achaians, Argives, and Danaans—whatever name suited the poet's metrical needs in a given line.
— Owl Eyes Reader
10
It was sacrilegious to allow a dead body to be defiled by animals and birds instead of buried in a dignified way. That corpses have been left on the battlefield indicate to the listener the brutality of the conflict, which has not allowed time to honor the dead.
— Noelle Thompson
11
In some translations of Homer's Iliad, this line is translated "the will of Zeus." (This translation uses the Roman names for its characters.) Here it is shown that the entire plot of the Iliad comes to pass because of Zeus's will.
— Noelle Thompson
12
Atreus is the father of Agamemnon and Menelaus, but because Agamemnon is the older of the two and is also the commander-in-chief of the Greek forces, the reference is to Agamemnon.
— Stephen Holliday
13
It is interesting to note how Homer constructs the characterization of the divine. The Gods and Goddesses "quarrel" and argue with one another, while mortality wrestles with the consequences. In a way, the divine act like mortals and the mortals act immortal.
— Ashley Kannan
14
Apollo is the god of the sun, and Troy's most powerful supporter among the gods.
— Stephen Holliday
15
Chryseis, daughter of Chryses. Chryseis is taken by Agamemnon as a prize of war, but when a plague breacks out in the Greek camp, the Greek profit, Calchas, tells Agamemnon that, in order to stop the plague, he needs to give up Chryseis, Agamemnon reluctantly agrees and then takes a prize from Achilles, Briseis, which starts the animosity between Achilles and Agamemnon.
— Stephen Holliday
16
As you can see from the very first few lines of Homer’s Iliad, the god Apollo is very important. The god of the Sun (and born to Leto and Zeus) also has a sister (Artemis) who is very important in Homer’s Iliad. Fighting on two different sides, watching the sibling rivalry between the two is always interesting. Also interesting that Apollo’s name appears so close to the invocation to the Muse at the beginning of Homer’s epic poem because he is also the leader of those Muses and can be considered very important in regards to written word.
— Noelle Thompson
17
Often translated as "ribbons" these special ornaments of the wreath are said to be Apollo's alone. Not only royalty but also priestly, he is to receive the ultimate respect.
— Noelle Thompson
18
These are the names of the kings, respectively, of the Trojans and the Greeks. Menelaus was married to Helen before Paris's abduction of her, and Priam is Paris's father.
— Owl Eyes Reader
19
Note Agamemnon's reply here. It is not a respectful reply in the least. In fact, it can be seen as absolutely cruel. It is a kind of foreshadowing into the kind of king that Agamemnon will turn out to be.
— Noelle Thompson
20
An incredibly arrogant and demeaning comment to make to Chryseis's father—Homer is subtly establishing Agamemnon's character, which will make him an unsympathetic character throughout the Iliad.
— Stephen Holliday
21
Cilla is a town near Troy, and Tenedos is an island in the northeast Aegean, off Troy's coast
— Stephen Holliday
22
Sminthe is another name for the god Apollo. The name relates to mice and indicates that Apollo was also the “mouse god.” Mice were highly regarded in ancient Greek society because they supposedly arose from the vapors of the earth and had prophetic powers.
— Owl Eyes Reader
23
This refers to a common form of sacrifice in which the thigh bones of bulls or goats were wrapped in fat and burned as an offering to the gods. The more edible parts of the animals were used as food.
— Stephen Holliday
24
This phrase refers to the ritual sacrificing of animals in order to please the gods. Ancient Greeks would sacrifice a goat, sheep, pig, or cow and offer up the fat and bones to the gods, setting aside the meat for roasting and eating.
— Owl Eyes Reader
25
This is a metaphorical description of the plague that Apollo sent into the Greek camp, which affected the animals first and then sickened the Greek troops.
— Stephen Holliday
26
A “hecatomb” originally referred to the sacrifice of 100 cattle but later came to mean any sacrifice of a large number of animals. Hecatombs were most frequently offered up to the gods Apollo, Hera, Athena, and occasionally Zeus.
— Owl Eyes Reader
27
Ilius is the Latin name for the city of Troy. The ancient Greek word for Troy was “ilion,” and both terms gave the Iliad its name, which loosely means “a story about Ilion or Ilius.”
— Owl Eyes Reader
28
This noun is another name for the Greek forces. The word Argives derives from the ancient city of Argos.
— Owl Eyes Reader
29
The noun “subjection,” is defined as the state of being under the authority of another person.
— Owl Eyes Reader
30
Agamemnon is showing how flawed he is as a leader in this episode. Although he is willing to give up his prize, Chryseis, he demands another from his own men and threatens them in the process.
— Stephen Holliday
31
“Ulysses” is the Latin name for the Greek hero Odysseus, who plays a role in the Iliad but is more famous for being the hero of the Odyssey, a story also attributed to Homer and considered a continuation of the Iliad. Ulysses wanders the world after the Trojan War, trying to get back to his home, wife, and child.
— Owl Eyes Reader
32
Achilles is credited with leading successful assaults against at least 23 Trojan towns near Troy. One of these assaults led to his acquiring of Briseis as a war prize after he killed her husband and brothers.
— Stephen Holliday
33
As you can see from the very first few lines in Homer’s Iliad, the goddess Minerva (or Athena) is very important. Perhaps a brief description would be helpful here? The goddess of strategic battle as well as the goddess of wisdom and womanly wiles, the goddess Minerva is very important in the Iliad. Minerva absolutely hates the Trojans. That’s (kind of) her calling card. The goddess Athena is in such passionate defense of the Greeks that she is very often seen taking their side. In fact, Minerva’s service is so valuable that the Greeks eventually name one of their most important cities after her! Also in reference to the Iliad, her epithet of “Trotogeneia” is also interesting because it refers to one of her more obscure birth stories and her being “born of Triton.” Here, in this first scene, however, it is Minerva’s trickery that wins over. In fact, Minerva “seized the Son of Peleus by his yellow hair,” promises her that she comes directly from Jove, and convinces Achilles not to kill Agamemnon because the Greeks would be rewarded in full one day in the future.
— Noelle Thompson
34
Jove (or, Zeus) carries a shield, the aegis, that many consider to be just a defensive weapon. The aegis, though, also has offensive capabilities. When Zeus is described as throwing thunderbolts, the aegis is their source.
— Stephen Holliday
35
Minerva's statement here indicates that she cannot command Achilles to stop trying to kill Agamemnon, but she hopes at least that he will listen to her and see the reasonableness of her request.
— Stephen Holliday
36
Achilles is essentially accusing Agamemnon of cowardice, and rightly so, since Agamemnon avoids combat. Agamemnon has political power because he controls a large territory, but he is, in a warrior society, not respected.
— Stephen Holliday
37
Nestor, in his role of counselor and spokesman, has an important role in The Iliad because he is constantly trying to calm down the anger of Achilles and Agamemnon in order to continue the war against Troy.
— Stephen Holliday
38
Nestor is trying to give Agamemnon and Achilles some perspective by reminding them that he has advised more important men than either of the two.
— Stephen Holliday
39
Theseus is the most well-known of the group Nestor mentions because he won fame by killing the minotaur, a half bull, half human beast, at the palace of King Minos at Knossos in Crete.
— Stephen Holliday
40
In other words—Agamemnon, you can have this girl, but she is the only thing of mine you will ever take.
— Stephen Holliday
41
Two of Agamemnon's most trusted heralds. He undoubtedly chose men whose fighting skills would have been respected by Achilles.
— Stephen Holliday
42
Patroclus is Achilles's favorite companion. Later, Patroclus, fighting in Achilles's armor, is killed by Hector, and Patroclus's death brings Achilles back into the fight against the Trojans.
— Stephen Holliday
43
This is an instance of foreshadowing. Achilles knows that he is predestined to live a short life because he chose to join the war over a long and uneventful life at home with his aging father. Here Achilles pleads with his mother Thetis to appeal to Zeus on his behalf. He asks that Zeus may grant him glory in what little time he has on the earth, and he speaks of the wrongs Agamemnon has committed against him.
— Emily, Owl Eyes Staff
44
This is not the Greek city of Thebes but a fortified town near Troy. Chryseis, even though she is from another town, must have been taken as a prisoner in the attack on Thebe. It is likely that Thebe is one of the twenty three Trojan towns that Achilles helped capture, which is why Chryseis became his war-prize.
— Stephen Holliday
45
This refers to an account, which is not in any other source. in which Achilles' mother, Thetis, brought a powerful creature named Briareus to Olympus in order to stop a revolt by the other gods against Zeus.
— Stephen Holliday
46
Achilles is actually asking the gods to help the Trojans against the Greeks—even though Achilles himself is a Greek. This is not only disloyal but, more important, indicates that Achilles values his personal honor more than he values the lives of his friends.
— Stephen Holliday
47
As is confusing from the character list before the eNotes etext begins, the goddess Tethys is actually referred to as the goddess Tethis here. Do not let the irony in spelling fool you. It is still the same goddess, or at least MOST SCHOLARS believe that to be so. In fact, as you can see from the first book of Homer’s Iliad, the goddess Tethis is very important, here possibly more than any other of the Greek works of literature. Perhaps a further description in brief would be advantageous here? Mostly, Thetis’ importance can be found right here in Book I. The goddess Thetis is vying here on behalf of her beloved son, Achilles. She is the one who sends the prayer to Jove and allows a new suit of armor to be made for Achilles. Her desire for Greek victory depends entirely on her son’s whims.
— Noelle Thompson
48
In the Greek world view, Oceanus is a river that encircles the world, and the world is flat. All rivers originate in Oceanus.
— Stephen Holliday
49
Ulysses, because he is a king, a warrior, and known for his intelligence and dependibility, is Agamemnon's best choice to make sure that Chryseis reaches her father.
— Stephen Holliday
50
This epithet is a nickname for the god Apollo, who was often depicted carrying a bow and arrow.
— Owl Eyes Reader
51
Once Chryseis is returned to her father, Chryses, he asks Apollo to end the plague that he originally called down on the Greeks when Agamemnon took her as a war prize.
— Stephen Holliday
52
The posture of someone asking a favor of a powerful person is to use one hand to clasp the person by the knees and reach out and touch the chin.
— Stephen Holliday
53
Notice this passage is an example of the fickle and immature nature of the gods, who are always squabbling among themselves and meddling in human affairs. Many of the gods and goddesses take sides in the Trojan War, often opposing one another, which causes strife on Olympus that mirrors that of the battle. Zeus is like the father of an unruly family and is unwilling to create more discord among a group of willful, powerful, and childish gods. He is reluctant to anger Juno (Hera,) especially because he has had frequent affairs with mortals that produced children, both of which Hera is extremely jealous and brings frequent torment upon.
— Emily, Owl Eyes Staff
54
The adjectival form of “ambrosia.” The noun form originally referred to the food of the gods and was later used to denote anything of perfection that appeals to the senses—in this case, beautiful hair.
— Owl Eyes Reader
55
A merman is a mythological creature with the head and body of a man and the tail of a fish.
— Owl Eyes Reader
56
Thetis is the daughter (known as a "Neriad") of Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea, also called a merman—mer, meaning "the sea."
— Stephen Holliday
57
Vulcan is the god of fire and the forge. He built Zeus's palace on Olympus and he forged Achilles's armor.
— Stephen Holliday
58
Vulcan is always depicted as lame, a result of Zeus having grabbed him by the foot.
— Stephen Holliday
59
In the Bronze Age, the time period of the Trojan War, wine was always mixed with water
— Stephen Holliday
60
This is a reference to the deformity that the god Vulcan (in Greek, Hephaestus) may have received when Zeus threw him by the foot from Mt. Olympus during a fight. He landed on the island of Lemnos, which was thereafter associated with him. An alternate myth credits his deformity to Hera, who may have thrown him from Olympus as a child in reaction to either his ugliness or a preexisting deformity. In this version he was found in the ocean by Thetis, who raised him as her own.
— Emily, Owl Eyes Staff
61
It's not a mistake that Book I of Homer's Iliad is often called "The Quarrel." As you can see, the head military leader of the Greeks, Agamemnon, is made to return a prisoner due to Achilles's wiles. Achilles, in his anger, asks the goddess Thetis for Jove's help in chastising the Greeks by aiding the Trojans. (How fickle can a man be?) After a quick trip for the reader to Mount Olympus, and watching the gods and goddesses argue about the same thing, Homer gets quickly to the meat of the Trojan War. His captive audience, the Greeks, would know well the introduction to the Trojan War, so there is no need for Homer to waste time with it here.
— Noelle Thompson
https://www.owleyes.org/text/iliad/read/book-i#root-219005-1-1
The quarrel between Agamemnon and Achilles,
Achilles withdraws from the war, and sends his mother
Thetis to ask Jove to help the Trojans,
Scene between Jove and Juno on Olympus
SING, O GODDESS, the anger of Achilles son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans. Many a brave soul did it send hurrying down to Hades, and many a hero did it yield a prey to dogs and vultures, for so were the counsels of Jove fulfilled from the day on which the son of Atreus, king of men, and great Achilles, first fell out with one another.
And which of the gods was it that set them on to quarrel? It was the son of Jove and Leto; for he was angry with the king and sent a pestilence upon the host to plague the people, because the son of Atreus had dishonoured Chryses his priest. Now Chryses had come to the ships of the Achaeans to free his daughter, and had brought with him a great ransom: moreover he bore in his hand the sceptre of Apollo wreathed with a suppliant's wreath, and he besought the Achaeans, but most of all the two sons of Atreus, who were their chiefs.
“Sons of Atreus,” he cried, “and all other Achaeans, may the gods who dwell in Olympus grant you to sack the city of Priam, and to reach your homes in safety; but free my daughter, and accept a ransom for her, in reverence to Apollo, son of Jove.”
On this the rest of the Achaeans with one voice were for respecting the priest and taking the ransom that he offered; but not so Agamemnon, who spoke fiercely to him and sent him roughly away. “Old man,” said he, “let me not find you tarrying about our ships, nor yet coming hereafter. Your sceptre of the god and your wreath shall profit you nothing. I will not free her. She shall grow old in my house at Argos far from her own home, busying herself with her loom and visiting my couch; so go, and do not provoke me or it shall be the worse for you.”
The old man feared him and obeyed. Not a word he spoke, but went by the shore of the sounding sea, and prayed apart to King Apollo whom lovely Leto had borne. “Hear me,” he cried, “O god of the silver bow, that protectest Chryse and holy Cilla and rulest Tenedos with thy might, hear me O thou of Sminthe. If I have ever decked your temple with garlands, or burned your thigh-bones in fat of bulls or goats, grant my prayer, and let your arrows avenge these my tears upon the Danaans.”
Thus did he pray, and Apollo heard his prayer. He came down furious from the summits of Olympus, with his bow and his quiver upon his shoulder, and the arrows rattled on his back with the rage that trembled within him. He sat himself down away from the ships with a face as dark as night, and his silver bow rang death as he shot his arrow in the midst of them. First he smote their mules and their hounds, but presently he aimed his shafts at the people themselves, and all day long the pyres of the dead were burning.
For nine whole days he shot his arrows among the people, but upon the tenth day Achilles called them in assembly—moved thereto by Juno, who saw the Achaeans in their death-throes and had compassion upon them. Then, when they were got together, he rose and spoke among them.
“Son of Atreus,” said he, “I deem that we should now turn roving home if we would escape destruction, for we are being cut down by war and pestilence at once. Let us ask some priest or prophet, or some reader of dreams (for dreams, too, are of Jove) who can tell us why Phoebus Apollo is so angry, and say whether it is for some vow that we have broken, or hecatomb that we have not offered, and whether he will accept the savour of lambs and goats without blemish, so as to take away the plague from us.”
With these words he sat down, and Calchas son of Thestor, wisest of augurs, who knew things past, present, and to come, rose to speak. He it was who had guided the Achaeans with their fleet to Ilius, through the prophesyings with which Phoebus Apollo had inspired him. With all sincerity and goodwill he addressed them thus:
“Achilles, loved of heaven, you bid me tell you about the anger of King Apollo, I will therefore do so; but consider first and swear that you will stand by me heartily in word and deed, for I know that I shall offend one who rules the Argives with might, andto whom all the Achaeans are in subjection. A plain man cannot stand against the anger of a king, who if he swallow his displeasure now, will yet nurse revenge till he has wreaked it. Consider, therefore, whether or no you will protect me.”
And Achilles answered, “Fear not, but speak as it is borne in upon you from heaven, for by Apollo, Calchas, to whom you pray, and whose oracles you reveal to us, not a Danaan at our ships shall lay his hand upon you, while I yet live to look upon the face of the earth—no, not though you name Agamemnon himself, who is by far the foremost of the Achaeans.”
Thereon the seer spoke boldly. “The god,” he said, “is angry neither about vow nor hecatomb, but for his priest's sake, whom Agamemnon has dishonoured, in that he would not free his daughter nor take a ransom for her; therefore has he sent these evils upon us, and will yet send others. He will not deliver the Danaans from this pestilence till Agamemnon has restored the girl without fee or ransom to her father, and has sent a holy hecatomb to Chryse. Thus we may perhaps appease him.”
With these words he sat down, and Agamemnon rose in anger. His heart was black with rage, and his eyes flashed fire as he scowled on Calchas and said, “Seer of evil, you never yet prophesied smooth things concerning me, but have ever loved to foretell that which was evil. You have brought me neither comfort nor performance; and now you come seeing among the Danaans, and saying that Apollo has plagued us because I would not take a ransom for this girl, the daughter of Chryses. I have set my heart on keeping her in my own house, for I love her better even than my own wife Clytemnestra, whose peer she is alike in form and feature, in understanding and accomplishments. Still I will give her up if I must, for I would have the people live, not die; but you must find me a prize instead, or I alone among the Argives shall be without one. This is not well; for you behold, all of you, that my prize is to go elsewhither.”
And Achilles answered, “Most noble son of Atreus, covetous beyond all mankind, how shall the Achaeans find you another prize? We have no common store from which to take one. Those we took from the cities have been awarded; we cannot disallow the awards that have been made already. Give this girl, therefore, to the god, and if ever Jove grants us to sack the city of Troy we will requite you three and fourfold.”
Then Agamemnon said, “Achilles, valiant though you be, you shall not thus outwit me. You shall not overreach and you shall not persuade me. Are you to keep your own prize, while I sit tamely under my loss and give up the girl at your bidding? Let the Achaeans find me a prize in fair exchange to my liking, or I will come and take your own, or that of Ajax or of Ulysses; and he to whomsoever I may come shall rue my coming. But of this we will take thought hereafter; for the present, let us draw a ship into the sea, and find a crew for her expressly; let us put a hecatomb on board, and let us send Chryseis also; further, let some chief man among us be in command, either Ajax, or Idomeneus, or yourself, son of Peleus, mighty warrior that you are, that we may offer sacrifice and appease the anger of the god.”
Achilles scowled at him and answered, “You are steeped in insolence and lust of gain. With what heart can any of the Achaeans do your bidding, either on foray or in open fighting? I came not warring here for any ill the Trojans had done me. I have no quarrel with them. They have not raided my cattle nor my horses, nor cut down my harvests on the rich plains of Phthia; for between me and them there is a great space, both mountain and sounding sea. We have followed you, Sir Insolence! for your pleasure, not ours—to gain satisfaction from the Trojans for your shameless self and for Menelaus. You forget this, and threaten to rob me of the prize for which I have toiled, and which the sons of the Achaeans have given me. Never when the Achaeans sack any rich city of the Trojans do I receive so good a prize as you do, though it is my hands that do the better part of the fighting. When the sharing comes, your share is far the largest, and I, forsooth, must go back to my ships, take what I can get and be thankful, when my labour of fighting is done. Now, therefore, I shall go back to Phthia; it will be much better for me to return home with my ships, for I will not stay here dishonoured to gather gold and substance for you.”
And Agamemnon answered, “Fly if you will, I shall make you no prayers to stay you. I have others here who will do me honour, and above all Jove, the lord of counsel. There is no king here so hateful to me as you are, for you are ever quarrelsome and ill- affected. What though you be brave? Was it not heaven that made you so? Go home, then, with your ships and comrades to lord it over the Myrmidons. I care neither for you nor for your anger; and thus will I do: since Phoebus Apollo is taking Chryseis from me, I shall send her with my ship and my followers, but I shall come to your tent and take your own prize Briseis, that you may learn how much stronger I am than you are, and that another may fear to set himself up as equal or comparable with me.”
The son of Peleus was furious, and his heart within his shaggy breast was divided whether to draw his sword, push the others aside, and kill the son of Atreus, or to restrain himself and check his anger. While he was thus in two minds, and was drawing his mighty sword from its scabbard, Minerva came down from heaven (for Juno had sent her in the love she bore to them both), and seized the son of Peleus by his yellow hair, visible to him alone, for of the others no man could see her. Achilles turned in amaze, and by the fire that flashed from her eyes at once knew that she was Minerva. “Why are you here,” said he, “daughter of aegis-bearing Jove? To see the pride of Agamemnon, son of Atreus? Let me tell you—and it shall surely be—he shall pay for this insolence with his life.”
And Minerva said, “I come from heaven, if you will hear me, to bid you stay your anger. Juno has sent me, who cares for both of you alike. Cease, then, this brawling, and do not draw your sword; rail at him if you will, and your railing will not be vain, for I tell you—and it shall surely be—that you shall hereafter receive gifts three times as splendid by reason of this present insult. Hold, therefore, and obey.”
“Goddess,” answered Achilles, “however angry a man may be, he must do as you two command him. This will be best, for the gods ever hear the prayers of him who has obeyed them.”
He stayed his hand on the silver hilt of his sword, and thrust it back into the scabbard as Minerva bade him. Then she went back to Olympus among the other gods, and to the house of aegis-bearing Jove.
But the son of Peleus again began railing at the son of Atreus, for he was still in a rage. “Wine-bibber,” he cried, “with the face of a dog and the heart of a hind, you never dare to go out with the host in fight, nor yet with our chosen men in ambuscade. You shun this as you do death itself. You had rather go round and rob his prizes from any man who contradicts you. You devour your people, for you are king over a feeble folk; otherwise, son of Atreus, henceforward you would insult no man. Therefore I say, and swear it with a great oath—nay, by this my sceptre which shalt sprout neither leaf nor shoot, nor bud anew from the day on which it left its parent stem upon the mountains—for the axe stripped it of leaf and bark, and now the sons of the Achaeans bear it as judges and guardians of the decrees of heaven—so surely and solemnly do I swear that hereafter they shall look fondly for Achilles and shall not find him. In the day of your distress, when your men fall dying by the murderous hand of Hector, you shall not know how to help them, and shall rend your heart with rage for the hour when you offered insult to the bravest of the Achaeans.”
With this the son of Peleus dashed his gold-bestudded sceptre on the ground and took his seat, while the son of Atreus was beginning fiercely from his place upon the other side. Then uprose smooth-tongued Nestor, the facile speaker of the Pylians, and the words fell from his lips sweeter than honey. Two generations of men born and bred in Pylos had passed away under his rule, and he was now reigning over the third. With all sincerity and goodwill, therefore, he addressed them thus:
“Of a truth,” he said, “a great sorrow has befallen the Achaean land. Surely Priam with his sons would rejoice, and the Trojans be glad at heart if they could hear this quarrel between you two, who are so excellent in fight and counsel. I am older than either of you; therefore be guided by me. Moreover I have been the familiar friend of men even greater than you are, and they did not disregard my counsels. Never again can I behold such men as Pirithous and Dryas shepherd of his people, or as Caeneus, Exadius, godlike Polyphemus, and Theseus son of Aegeus, peer of the immortals. These were the mightiest men ever born upon this earth: mightiest were they, and when they fought the fiercest tribes of mountain savages they utterly overthrew them. I came from distant Pylos, and went about among them, for they would have me come, and I fought as it was in me to do. Not a man now living could withstand them, but they heard my words, and were persuaded by them. So be it also with yourselves, for this is the more excellent way. Therefore, Agamemnon, though you be strong, take not this girl away, for the sons of the Achaeans have already given her to Achilles; and you, Achilles, strive not further with the king, for no man who by the grace of Jove wields a sceptre has like honour with Agamemnon. You are strong, and have a goddess for your mother; but Agamemnon is stronger than you, for he has more people under him. Son of Atreus, check your anger, I implore you; end this quarrel with Achilles, who in the day of battle is a tower of strength to the Achaeans.”
And Agamemnon answered, “Sir, all that you have said is true, but this fellow must needs become our lord and master: he must be lord of all, king of all, and captain of all, and this shall hardly be. Granted that the gods have made him a great warrior, have they also given him the right to speak with railing?”
Achilles interrupted him. “I should be a mean coward,” he cried, “were I to give in to you in all things. Order other people about, not me, for I shall obey no longer. Furthermore I say—and lay my saying to your heart—I shall fight neither you nor any man about this girl, for those that take were those also that gave. But of all else that is at my ship you shall carry away nothing by force. Try, that others may see; if you do, my spear shall be reddened with your blood.”
When they had quarrelled thus angrily, they rose, and broke up the assembly at the ships of the Achaeans. The son of Peleus went back to his tents and ships with the son of Menoetius and his company, while Agamemnon drew a vessel into the water and chose a crew of twenty oarsmen. He escorted Chryseis on board and sent moreover a hecatomb for the god. And Ulysses went as captain.
These, then, went on board and sailed their ways over the sea. But the son of Atreus bade the people purify themselves; so they purified themselves and cast their filth into the sea. Then they offered hecatombs of bulls and goats without blemish on the sea-shore, and the smoke with the savour of their sacrifice rose curling up towards heaven.
Thus did they busy themselves throughout the host. But Agamemnon did not forget the threat that he had made Achilles, and called his trusty messengers and squires Talthybius and Eurybates. “Go,” said he, “to the tent of Achilles, son of Peleus; take Briseis by the hand and bring her hither; if he will not give her I will come with others and take her—which will press him harder.”
He charged them straightly further and dismissed them, whereon they went their way sorrowfully by the seaside, till they came to the tents and ships of the Myrmidons. They found Achilles sitting by his tent and his ships, and ill-pleased he was when he beheld them. They stood fearfully and reverently before him, and never a word did they speak, but he knew them and said, “Welcome, heralds, messengers of gods and men; draw near; my quarrel is not with you but with Agamemnon who has sent you for the girl Briseis. Therefore, Patroclus, bring her and give her to them, but let them be witnesses by the blessed gods, by mortal men, and by the fierceness of Agamemnon's anger, that if ever again there be need of me to save the people from ruin, they shall seek and they shall not find. Agamemnon is mad with rage and knows not how to look before and after that the Achaeans may fight by their ships in safety.”
Patroclus did as his dear comrade had bidden him. He brought Briseis from the tent and gave her over to the heralds, who took her with them to the ships of the Achaeans—and the woman was loth to go. Then Achilles went all alone by the side of the hoar sea, weeping and looking out upon the boundless waste of waters. He raised his hands in prayer to his immortal mother, “Mother,” he cried, “you bore me doomed to live but for a little season; surely Jove, who thunders from Olympus, might have made that little glorious. It is not so. Agamemnon, son of Atreus, has done me dishonour, and has robbed me of my prize by force.”
As he spoke he wept aloud, and his mother heard him where she was sitting in the depths of the sea hard by the old man her father. Forthwith she rose as it were a grey mist out of the waves, sat down before him as he stood weeping, caressed him with her hand, and said, “My son, why are you weeping? What is it that grieves you? Keep it not from me, but tell me, that we may know it together.”
Achilles drew a deep sigh and said, “You know it; why tell you what you know well already? We went to Thebe the strong city of Eetion, sacked it, and brought hither the spoil. The sons of the Achaeans shared it duly among themselves, and chose lovely Chryseis as the meed of Agamemnon; but Chryses, priest of Apollo, came to the ships of the Achaeans to free his daughter, and brought with him a great ransom; moreover he bore in his hand the sceptre of Apollo, wreathed with a suppliant's wreath, and he besought the Achaeans, but most of all the two sons of Atreus who were their chiefs.
“On this the rest of the Achaeans with one voice were for respecting the priest and taking the ransom that he offered; but not so Agamemnon, who spoke fiercely to him and sent him roughly away. So he went back in anger, and Apollo, who loved him dearly, heard his prayer. Then the god sent a deadly dart upon the Argives, and the people died thick on one another, for the arrows went everywhither among the wide host of the Achaeans. At last a seer in the fulness of his knowledge declared to us the oracles of Apollo, and I was myself first to say that we should appease him. Whereon the son of Atreus rose in anger, and threatened that which he has since done. The Achaeans are now taking the girl in a ship to Chryse, and sending gifts of sacrifice to the god; but the heralds have just taken from my tent the daughter of Briseus, whom the Achaeans had awarded to myself.
“Help your brave son, therefore, if you are able. Go to Olympus, and if you have ever done him service in word or deed, implore the aid of Jove. Oft-times in my father's house have I heard you glory in that you alone of the immortals saved the son of Saturn from ruin, when the others, with Juno, Neptune, and Pallas Minerva would have put him in bonds. It was you, goddess, who delivered him by calling to Olympus the hundred-handed monster whom gods call Briareus, but men Aegaeon, for he is stronger even than his father; when therefore he took his seat all-glorious beside the son of Saturn, the other gods were afraid, and did not bind him. Go, then, to him, remind him of all this, clasp his knees, and bid him give succour to the Trojans. Let the Achaeans be hemmed in at the sterns of their ships, and perish on the sea-shore, that they may reap what joy they may of their king, and that Agamemnon may rue his blindness in offering insult to the foremost of the Achaeans.”
Thetis wept and answered, “My son, woe is me that I should have borne or suckled you. Would indeed that you had lived your span free from all sorrow at your ships, for it is all too brief; alas, that you should be at once short of life and long of sorrow above your peers: woe, therefore, was the hour in which I bore you; nevertheless I will go to the snowy heights of Olympus, and tell this tale to Jove, if he will hear our prayer: meanwhile stay where you are with your ships, nurse your anger against the Achaeans, and hold aloof from fight. For Jove went yesterday to Oceanus, to a feast among the Ethiopians, and the other gods went with him. He will return to Olympus twelve days hence; I will then go to his mansion paved with bronze and will beseech him; nor do I doubt that I shall be able to persuade him.”
On this she left him, still furious at the loss of her that had been taken from him. Meanwhile Ulysses reached Chryse with the hecatomb. When they had come inside the harbour they furled the sails and laid them in the ship's hold; they slackened the forestays, lowered the mast into its place, and rowed the ship to the place where they would have her lie; there they cast out their mooring-stones and made fast the hawsers. They then got out upon the sea-shore and landed the hecatomb for Apollo; Chryseis also left the ship, and Ulysses led her to the altar to deliver her into the hands of her father. “Chryses,” said he, “King Agamemnon has sent me to bring you back your child, and to offer sacrifice to Apollo on behalf of the Danaans, that we may propitiate the god, who has now brought sorrow upon the Argives.”
So saying he gave the girl over to her father, who received her gladly, and they ranged the holy hecatomb all orderly round the altar of the god. They washed their hands and took up the barley-meal to sprinkle over the victims, while Chryses lifted up his hands and prayed aloud on their behalf. “Hear me,” he cried, “O god of the silver bow, that protectest Chryse and holy Cilla, and rulest Tenedos with thy might. Even as thou didst hear me aforetime when I prayed, and didst press hardly upon the Achaeans, so hear me yet again, and stay this fearful pestilence from the Danaans.”
Thus did he pray, and Apollo heard his prayer. When they had done praying and sprinkling the barley-meal, they drew back the heads of the victims and killed and flayed them. They cut out the thigh-bones, wrapped them round in two layers of fat, set some pieces of raw meat on the top of them, and then Chryses laid them on the wood fire and poured wine over them, while the young men stood near him with five-pronged spits in their hands. When the thigh-bones were burned and they had tasted the inward meats, they cut the rest up small, put the pieces upon the spits, roasted them till they were done, and drew them off: then, when they had finished their work and the feast was ready, they ate it, and every man had his full share, so that all were satisfied. As soon as they had had enough to eat and drink, pages filled the mixing-bowl with wine and water and handed it round, after giving every man his drink-offering.
Thus all day long the young men worshipped the god with song, hymning him and chaunting the joyous paean, and the god took pleasure in their voices; but when the sun went down, and it came on dark, they laid themselves down to sleep by the stern cables of the ship, and when the child of morning, rosy-fingered Dawn, appeared they again set sail for the host of the Achaeans. Apollo sent them a fair wind, so they raised their mast and hoisted their white sails aloft. As the sail bellied with the wind the ship flew through the deep blue water, and the foam hissed against her bows as she sped onward. When they reached the wide-stretching host of the Achaeans, they drew the vessel ashore, high and dry upon the sands, set her strong props beneath her, and went their ways to their own tents and ships.
But Achilles abode at his ships and nursed his anger. He went not to the honourable assembly, and sallied not forth to fight, but gnawed at his own heart, pining for battle and the war-cry.
Now after twelve days the immortal gods came back in a body to Olympus, and Jove led the way. Thetis was not unmindful of the charge her son had laid upon her, so she rose from under the sea and went through great heaven with early morning to Olympus, where she found the mighty son of Saturn sitting all alone upon its topmost ridges. She sat herself down before him, and with her left hand seized his knees, while with her right she caught him under the chin, and besought him, saying:
“Father Jove, if I ever did you service in word or deed among the immortals, hear my prayer, and do honour to my son, whose life is to be cut short so early. King Agamemnon has dishonoured him by taking his prize and keeping her. Honour him then yourself, Olympian lord of counsel, and grant victory to the Trojans, till the Achaeans give my son his due and load him with riches in requital.”
Jove sat for a while silent, and without a word, but Thetis still kept firm hold of his knees, and besought him a second time. “Incline your head,” said she, “and promise me surely, or else deny me—for you have nothing to fear—that I may learn how greatly you disdain me.”
At this Jove was much troubled and answered, “I shall have trouble if you set me quarrelling with Juno, for she will provoke me with her taunting speeches; even now she is always railing at me before the other gods and accusing me of giving aid to the Trojans. Go back now, lest she should find out. I will consider the matter, and will bring it about as you wish. See, I incline my head that you may believe me. This is the most solemn token that I can give to any god. I never recall my word, or deceive, or fail to do what I say, when I have nodded my head.”
As he spoke the son of Saturn bowed his dark brows, and the ambrosial locks swayed on his immortal head, till vast Olympus reeled.
When the pair had thus laid their plans, they parted—Jove to his house, while the goddess quitted the splendour of Olympus, and plunged into the depths of the sea. The gods rose from their seats, before the coming of their sire. Not one of them dared to remain sitting, but all stood up as he came among them. There, then, he took his seat. But Juno, when she saw him, knew that he and the old merman's daughter, silver-footed Thetis, had been hatching mischief, so she at once began to upbraid him. “Trickster,” she cried, “which of the gods have you been taking into your counsels now? You are always settling matters in secret behind my back, and have never yet told me, if you could help it, one word of your intentions.”
“Juno,” replied the sire of gods and men, “you must not expect to be informed of all my counsels. You are my wife, but you would find it hard to understand them. When it is proper for you to hear, there is no one, god or man, who will be told sooner, but when I mean to keep a matter to myself, you must not pry nor ask questions.”
“Dread son of Saturn,” answered Juno, “what are you talking about? I? Pry and ask questions? Never. I let you have your own way in everything. Still, I have a strong misgiving that the old merman's daughter Thetis has been talking you over, for she was with you and had hold of your knees this self-same morning. I believe, therefore, that you have been promising her to give glory to Achilles, and to kill much people at the ships of the Achaeans.”
“Wife,” said Jove, “I can do nothing but you suspect me and find it out. You will take nothing by it, for I shall only dislike you the more, and it will go harder with you. Granted that it is as you say; I mean to have it so; sit down and hold your tongue as I bid you, for if I once begin to lay my hands about you, though all heaven were on your side it would profit you nothing.”
On this Juno was frightened, so she curbed her stubborn will and sat down in silence. But the heavenly beings were disquieted throughout the house of Jove, till the cunning workman Vulcan began to try and pacify his mother Juno. “It will be intolerable,” said he, “if you two fall to wrangling and setting heaven in an uproar about a pack of mortals. If such ill counsels are to prevail, we shall have no pleasure at our banquet. Let me then advise my mother—and she must herself know that it will be better—to make friends with my dear father Jove, lest he again scold her and disturb our feast. If the Olympian Thunderer wants to hurl us all from our seats, he can do so, for he is far the strongest, so give him fair words, and he will then soon be in a good humour with us.”
As he spoke, he took a double cup of nectar, and placed it in his mother's hand. “Cheer up, my dear mother,” said he, “and make the best of it. I love you dearly, and should be very sorry to see you get a thrashing; however grieved I might be, I could not help you, for there is no standing against Jove. Once before when I was trying to help you, he caught me by the foot and flung me from the heavenly threshold. All day long from morn till eve, was I falling, till at sunset I came to ground in the island of Lemnos, and there I lay, with very little life left in me, till the Sintians came and tended me.”
Juno smiled at this, and as she smiled she took the cup from her son's hands. Then Vulcan drew sweet nectar from the mixing-bowl, and served it round among the gods, going from left to right; and the blessed gods laughed out a loud applause as they saw him bustling about the heavenly mansion.
Thus through the livelong day to the going down of the sun they feasted, and every one had his full share, so that all were satisfied. Apollo struck his lyre, and the Muses lifted up their sweet voices, calling and answering one another. But when the sun's glorious light had faded, they went home to bed, each in his own abode, which lame Vulcan with his consummate skill had fashioned for them. So Jove, the Olympian Lord of Thunder, hied him to the bed in which he always slept; and when he had got on to it he went to sleep, with Juno of the golden throne by his side.
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Generally, the first four hundred and fifty lines or so of Homer's Iliad are considered to be just that: "the quarrel." The direct consequences are also dealt with in this important exposition section of the epic. [1]
—Noelle Thompson
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As you can see from these few lines of introduction to this book of Homer’s Iliad, the god Jove (or Zeus) is very important. Jove is the head of the Greek pantheon and ruler of the gods. He is husband to Juno and often claims to be neutral in regards to the Trojan war. [2]
—Noelle Thompson
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The citizens of Troy, the Trojans, inhabited an ancient city located in present-day, western Turkey, where, according to legend, the Trojan War took place [3]
—Wesley, Owl Eyes Editor
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Juno (or Hera), the queen of the gods, is portrayed by Homer as strong and precocious. She is often seen conniving behind her husband Jove’s back as well as constantly disagreeing with him. Her habit of tormenting Jove’s other lovers and wives is referenced in the Iliad. An ironic contrast to Homer's Juno can be seen in other myths of the tradition, where she is often described as being in constant pain because of a character whose name literally means “the glory of our Hera,” namely Hercules. This pain is due to a wound in her chest that Hercules gave her with an arrow while working on his “labors.” [4]
—Noelle Thompson
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Olympus is the dwelling place of the gods according to Greek mythology. It should not be interpreted as the Greek concept of “heaven”; rather, it was a place of perfection, above the earth's physical mountains where the gods held court and no mortal was allowed. [5]
—Owl Eyes Reader
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Homer begins his Iliad by bidding his Muse to sing of the wrath of Achilles and how his anger has done much more harm to the Greeks than the war with the Trojans over the abducted Helen. With this first line, Homer establishes one of the main themes in the Iliad: the implications and consequences of one’s pride. Achilles himself embodies this theme, for his anger at Agamemnon has made him refuse to fight, which has severely harmed the Achaean army. [6]
—Wesley, Owl Eyes Editor
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One characteristic of epic poetry is the narrator's invoking a muse to help tell the story. The Muses were nine daughters of Jove, each of whom governed a particular science or art form. The narrator is probably referring to Calliope, the Muse of epic poetry. The other eight Muses and their domains include Clio (history), Erato (love poetry), Euterpe (music), Melpomene (tragedy), Polyhytmnia (sacred poetry), Terpsichore (dance), Thalia (comedy), and Urania (astronomy). [7]
—Owl Eyes Reader
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Achilles's anger at Agamemnon is the main conflict in the poem and provides the framework for the events to come. Achilles's wounded pride is what keeps him in a rage, but it also makes him refuse to fight, leading to terrible consequences for the rest of the Achaean army. Achilles embodies one of the main themes of the Iliad: the foolish and self-destructive nature of pride. [8]
—Owl Eyes Reader
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“Achaeans” is the primary name given to the Greek forces that opposed the Trojans in the Iliad. The army consisted of various ancient tribes located in and around present-day Greece. In the Iliad, the Greeks are variously called Achaeans, Achaians, Argives, and Danaans—whatever name suited the poet's metrical needs in a given line. [9]
—Owl Eyes Reader
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It was sacrilegious to allow a dead body to be defiled by animals and birds instead of buried in a dignified way. That corpses have been left on the battlefield indicate to the listener the brutality of the conflict, which has not allowed time to honor the dead. [10]
—Noelle Thompson
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In some translations of Homer's Iliad, this line is translated "the will of Zeus." (This translation uses the Roman names for its characters.) Here it is shown that the entire plot of the Iliad comes to pass because of Zeus's will. [11]
—Noelle Thompson
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Atreus is the father of Agamemnon and Menelaus, but because Agamemnon is the older of the two and is also the commander-in-chief of the Greek forces, the reference is to Agamemnon. [12]
—Stephen Holliday
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It is interesting to note how Homer constructs the characterization of the divine. The Gods and Goddesses "quarrel" and argue with one another, while mortality wrestles with the consequences. In a way, the divine act like mortals and the mortals act immortal. [13]
—Ashley Kannan
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Apollo is the god of the sun, and Troy's most powerful supporter among the gods. [14]
—Stephen Holliday
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Chryseis, daughter of Chryses. Chryseis is taken by Agamemnon as a prize of war, but when a plague breacks out in the Greek camp, the Greek profit, Calchas, tells Agamemnon that, in order to stop the plague, he needs to give up Chryseis, Agamemnon reluctantly agrees and then takes a prize from Achilles, Briseis, which starts the animosity between Achilles and Agamemnon. [15]
—Stephen Holliday
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As you can see from the very first few lines of Homer’s Iliad, the god Apollo is very important. The god of the Sun (and born to Leto and Zeus) also has a sister (Artemis) who is very important in Homer’s Iliad. Fighting on two different sides, watching the sibling rivalry between the two is always interesting. Also interesting that Apollo’s name appears so close to the invocation to the Muse at the beginning of Homer’s epic poem because he is also the leader of those Muses and can be considered very important in regards to written word. [16]
—Noelle Thompson
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Often translated as "ribbons" these special ornaments of the wreath are said to be Apollo's alone. Not only royalty but also priestly, he is to receive the ultimate respect. [17]
—Noelle Thompson
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These are the names of the kings, respectively, of the Trojans and the Greeks. Menelaus was married to Helen before Paris's abduction of her, and Priam is Paris's father. [18]
—Owl Eyes Reader
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Note Agamemnon's reply here. It is not a respectful reply in the least. In fact, it can be seen as absolutely cruel. It is a kind of foreshadowing into the kind of king that Agamemnon will turn out to be. [19]
—Noelle Thompson
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An incredibly arrogant and demeaning comment to make to Chryseis's father—Homer is subtly establishing Agamemnon's character, which will make him an unsympathetic character throughout the Iliad. [20]
—Stephen Holliday
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Cilla is a town near Troy, and Tenedos is an island in the northeast Aegean, off Troy's coast [21]
—Stephen Holliday
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Sminthe is another name for the god Apollo. The name relates to mice and indicates that Apollo was also the “mouse god.” Mice were highly regarded in ancient Greek society because they supposedly arose from the vapors of the earth and had prophetic powers. [22]
—Owl Eyes Reader
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This refers to a common form of sacrifice in which the thigh bones of bulls or goats were wrapped in fat and burned as an offering to the gods. The more edible parts of the animals were used as food. [23]
—Stephen Holliday
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This phrase refers to the ritual sacrificing of animals in order to please the gods. Ancient Greeks would sacrifice a goat, sheep, pig, or cow and offer up the fat and bones to the gods, setting aside the meat for roasting and eating. [24]
—Owl Eyes Reader
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This is a metaphorical description of the plague that Apollo sent into the Greek camp, which affected the animals first and then sickened the Greek troops. [25]
—Stephen Holliday
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A “hecatomb” originally referred to the sacrifice of 100 cattle but later came to mean any sacrifice of a large number of animals. Hecatombs were most frequently offered up to the gods Apollo, Hera, Athena, and occasionally Zeus. [26]
—Owl Eyes Reader
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Ilius is the Latin name for the city of Troy. The ancient Greek word for Troy was “ilion,” and both terms gave the Iliad its name, which loosely means “a story about Ilion or Ilius.” [27]
—Owl Eyes Reader
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This noun is another name for the Greek forces. The word Argives derives from the ancient city of Argos. [28]
—Owl Eyes Reader
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The noun “subjection,” is defined as the state of being under the authority of another person. [29]
—Owl Eyes Reader
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Agamemnon is showing how flawed he is as a leader in this episode. Although he is willing to give up his prize, Chryseis, he demands another from his own men and threatens them in the process. [30]
—Stephen Holliday
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“Ulysses” is the Latin name for the Greek hero Odysseus, who plays a role in the Iliad but is more famous for being the hero of the Odyssey, a story also attributed to Homer and considered a continuation of the Iliad. Ulysses wanders the world after the Trojan War, trying to get back to his home, wife, and child. [31]
—Owl Eyes Reader
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Achilles is credited with leading successful assaults against at least 23 Trojan towns near Troy. One of these assaults led to his acquiring of Briseis as a war prize after he killed her husband and brothers. [32]
—Stephen Holliday
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As you can see from the very first few lines in Homer’s Iliad, the goddess Minerva (or Athena) is very important. Perhaps a brief description would be helpful here? The goddess of strategic battle as well as the goddess of wisdom and womanly wiles, the goddess Minerva is very important in the Iliad. Minerva absolutely hates the Trojans. That’s (kind of) her calling card. The goddess Athena is in such passionate defense of the Greeks that she is very often seen taking their side. In fact, Minerva’s service is so valuable that the Greeks eventually name one of their most important cities after her! Also in reference to the Iliad, her epithet of “Trotogeneia” is also interesting because it refers to one of her more obscure birth stories and her being “born of Triton.” Here, in this first scene, however, it is Minerva’s trickery that wins over. In fact, Minerva “seized the Son of Peleus by his yellow hair,” promises her that she comes directly from Jove, and convinces Achilles not to kill Agamemnon because the Greeks would be rewarded in full one day in the future. [33]
—Noelle Thompson
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Jove (or, Zeus) carries a shield, the aegis, that many consider to be just a defensive weapon. The aegis, though, also has offensive capabilities. When Zeus is described as throwing thunderbolts, the aegis is their source. [34]
—Stephen Holliday
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Minerva's statement here indicates that she cannot command Achilles to stop trying to kill Agamemnon, but she hopes at least that he will listen to her and see the reasonableness of her request. [35]
—Stephen Holliday
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Achilles is essentially accusing Agamemnon of cowardice, and rightly so, since Agamemnon avoids combat. Agamemnon has political power because he controls a large territory, but he is, in a warrior society, not respected. [36]
—Stephen Holliday
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Nestor, in his role of counselor and spokesman, has an important role in The Iliad because he is constantly trying to calm down the anger of Achilles and Agamemnon in order to continue the war against Troy. [37]
—Stephen Holliday
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Nestor is trying to give Agamemnon and Achilles some perspective by reminding them that he has advised more important men than either of the two. [38]
—Stephen Holliday
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Theseus is the most well-known of the group Nestor mentions because he won fame by killing the minotaur, a half bull, half human beast, at the palace of King Minos at Knossos in Crete. [39]
—Stephen Holliday
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In other words—Agamemnon, you can have this girl, but she is the only thing of mine you will ever take. [40]
—Stephen Holliday
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Two of Agamemnon's most trusted heralds. He undoubtedly chose men whose fighting skills would have been respected by Achilles. [41]
—Stephen Holliday
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Patroclus is Achilles's favorite companion. Later, Patroclus, fighting in Achilles's armor, is killed by Hector, and Patroclus's death brings Achilles back into the fight against the Trojans. [42]
—Stephen Holliday
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This is an instance of foreshadowing. Achilles knows that he is predestined to live a short life because he chose to join the war over a long and uneventful life at home with his aging father. Here Achilles pleads with his mother Thetis to appeal to Zeus on his behalf. He asks that Zeus may grant him glory in what little time he has on the earth, and he speaks of the wrongs Agamemnon has committed against him. [43]
—Emily, Owl Eyes Staff
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This is not the Greek city of Thebes but a fortified town near Troy. Chryseis, even though she is from another town, must have been taken as a prisoner in the attack on Thebe. It is likely that Thebe is one of the twenty three Trojan towns that Achilles helped capture, which is why Chryseis became his war-prize. [44]
—Stephen Holliday
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This refers to an account, which is not in any other source. in which Achilles' mother, Thetis, brought a powerful creature named Briareus to Olympus in order to stop a revolt by the other gods against Zeus. [45]
—Stephen Holliday
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Achilles is actually asking the gods to help the Trojans against the Greeks—even though Achilles himself is a Greek. This is not only disloyal but, more important, indicates that Achilles values his personal honor more than he values the lives of his friends. [46]
—Stephen Holliday
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As is confusing from the character list before the eNotes etext begins, the goddess Tethys is actually referred to as the goddess Tethis here. Do not let the irony in spelling fool you. It is still the same goddess, or at least MOST SCHOLARS believe that to be so. In fact, as you can see from the first book of Homer’s Iliad, the goddess Tethis is very important, here possibly more than any other of the Greek works of literature. Perhaps a further description in brief would be advantageous here? Mostly, Thetis’ importance can be found right here in Book I. The goddess Thetis is vying here on behalf of her beloved son, Achilles. She is the one who sends the prayer to Jove and allows a new suit of armor to be made for Achilles. Her desire for Greek victory depends entirely on her son’s whims. [47]
—Noelle Thompson
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In the Greek world view, Oceanus is a river that encircles the world, and the world is flat. All rivers originate in Oceanus. [48]
—Stephen Holliday
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Ulysses, because he is a king, a warrior, and known for his intelligence and dependibility, is Agamemnon's best choice to make sure that Chryseis reaches her father. [49]
—Stephen Holliday
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This epithet is a nickname for the god Apollo, who was often depicted carrying a bow and arrow. [50]
—Owl Eyes Reader
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Once Chryseis is returned to her father, Chryses, he asks Apollo to end the plague that he originally called down on the Greeks when Agamemnon took her as a war prize. [51]
—Stephen Holliday
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The posture of someone asking a favor of a powerful person is to use one hand to clasp the person by the knees and reach out and touch the chin. [52]
—Stephen Holliday
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Notice this passage is an example of the fickle and immature nature of the gods, who are always squabbling among themselves and meddling in human affairs. Many of the gods and goddesses take sides in the Trojan War, often opposing one another, which causes strife on Olympus that mirrors that of the battle. Zeus is like the father of an unruly family and is unwilling to create more discord among a group of willful, powerful, and childish gods. He is reluctant to anger Juno (Hera,) especially because he has had frequent affairs with mortals that produced children, both of which Hera is extremely jealous and brings frequent torment upon. [53]
—Emily, Owl Eyes Staff
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The adjectival form of “ambrosia.” The noun form originally referred to the food of the gods and was later used to denote anything of perfection that appeals to the senses—in this case, beautiful hair. [54]
—Owl Eyes Reader
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A merman is a mythological creature with the head and body of a man and the tail of a fish. [55]
—Owl Eyes Reader
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Thetis is the daughter (known as a "Neriad") of Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea, also called a merman—mer, meaning "the sea." [56]
—Stephen Holliday
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Vulcan is the god of fire and the forge. He built Zeus's palace on Olympus and he forged Achilles's armor. [57]
—Stephen Holliday
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Vulcan is always depicted as lame, a result of Zeus having grabbed him by the foot. [58]
—Stephen Holliday
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In the Bronze Age, the time period of the Trojan War, wine was always mixed with water [59]
—Stephen Holliday
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This is a reference to the deformity that the god Vulcan (in Greek, Hephaestus) may have received when Zeus threw him by the foot from Mt. Olympus during a fight. He landed on the island of Lemnos, which was thereafter associated with him. An alternate myth credits his deformity to Hera, who may have thrown him from Olympus as a child in reaction to either his ugliness or a preexisting deformity. In this version he was found in the ocean by Thetis, who raised him as her own. [60]
—Emily, Owl Eyes Staff
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It's not a mistake that Book I of Homer's Iliad is often called "The Quarrel." As you can see, the head military leader of the Greeks, Agamemnon, is made to return a prisoner due to Achilles's wiles. Achilles, in his anger, asks the goddess Thetis for Jove's help in chastising the Greeks by aiding the Trojans. (How fickle can a man be?) After a quick trip for the reader to Mount Olympus, and watching the gods and goddesses argue about the same thing, Homer gets quickly to the meat of the Trojan War. His captive audience, the Greeks, would know well the introduction to the Trojan War, so there is no need for Homer to waste time with it here. [61]
—Noelle Thompson
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Book II
Footnotes
1
Generally, the first four hundred and fifty lines or so of Homer's Iliad are considered to be just that: "the quarrel." The direct consequences are also dealt with in this important exposition section of the epic.
— Noelle Thompson
2
As you can see from these few lines of introduction to this book of Homer’s Iliad, the god Jove (or Zeus) is very important. Jove is the head of the Greek pantheon and ruler of the gods. He is husband to Juno and often claims to be neutral in regards to the Trojan war.
— Noelle Thompson
3
The citizens of Troy, the Trojans, inhabited an ancient city located in present-day, western Turkey, where, according to legend, the Trojan War took place
— Wesley, Owl Eyes Editor
4
Juno (or Hera), the queen of the gods, is portrayed by Homer as strong and precocious. She is often seen conniving behind her husband Jove’s back as well as constantly disagreeing with him. Her habit of tormenting Jove’s other lovers and wives is referenced in the Iliad. An ironic contrast to Homer's Juno can be seen in other myths of the tradition, where she is often described as being in constant pain because of a character whose name literally means “the glory of our Hera,” namely Hercules. This pain is due to a wound in her chest that Hercules gave her with an arrow while working on his “labors.”
— Noelle Thompson
5
Olympus is the dwelling place of the gods according to Greek mythology. It should not be interpreted as the Greek concept of “heaven”; rather, it was a place of perfection, above the earth's physical mountains where the gods held court and no mortal was allowed.
— Owl Eyes Reader
6
Homer begins his Iliad by bidding his Muse to sing of the wrath of Achilles and how his anger has done much more harm to the Greeks than the war with the Trojans over the abducted Helen. With this first line, Homer establishes one of the main themes in the Iliad: the implications and consequences of one’s pride. Achilles himself embodies this theme, for his anger at Agamemnon has made him refuse to fight, which has severely harmed the Achaean army.
— Wesley, Owl Eyes Editor
7
One characteristic of epic poetry is the narrator's invoking a muse to help tell the story. The Muses were nine daughters of Jove, each of whom governed a particular science or art form. The narrator is probably referring to Calliope, the Muse of epic poetry. The other eight Muses and their domains include Clio (history), Erato (love poetry), Euterpe (music), Melpomene (tragedy), Polyhytmnia (sacred poetry), Terpsichore (dance), Thalia (comedy), and Urania (astronomy).
— Owl Eyes Reader
8
Achilles's anger at Agamemnon is the main conflict in the poem and provides the framework for the events to come. Achilles's wounded pride is what keeps him in a rage, but it also makes him refuse to fight, leading to terrible consequences for the rest of the Achaean army. Achilles embodies one of the main themes of the Iliad: the foolish and self-destructive nature of pride.
— Owl Eyes Reader
9
“Achaeans” is the primary name given to the Greek forces that opposed the Trojans in the Iliad. The army consisted of various ancient tribes located in and around present-day Greece. In the Iliad, the Greeks are variously called Achaeans, Achaians, Argives, and Danaans—whatever name suited the poet's metrical needs in a given line.
— Owl Eyes Reader
10
It was sacrilegious to allow a dead body to be defiled by animals and birds instead of buried in a dignified way. That corpses have been left on the battlefield indicate to the listener the brutality of the conflict, which has not allowed time to honor the dead.
— Noelle Thompson
11
In some translations of Homer's Iliad, this line is translated "the will of Zeus." (This translation uses the Roman names for its characters.) Here it is shown that the entire plot of the Iliad comes to pass because of Zeus's will.
— Noelle Thompson
12
Atreus is the father of Agamemnon and Menelaus, but because Agamemnon is the older of the two and is also the commander-in-chief of the Greek forces, the reference is to Agamemnon.
— Stephen Holliday
13
It is interesting to note how Homer constructs the characterization of the divine. The Gods and Goddesses "quarrel" and argue with one another, while mortality wrestles with the consequences. In a way, the divine act like mortals and the mortals act immortal.
— Ashley Kannan
14
Apollo is the god of the sun, and Troy's most powerful supporter among the gods.
— Stephen Holliday
15
Chryseis, daughter of Chryses. Chryseis is taken by Agamemnon as a prize of war, but when a plague breacks out in the Greek camp, the Greek profit, Calchas, tells Agamemnon that, in order to stop the plague, he needs to give up Chryseis, Agamemnon reluctantly agrees and then takes a prize from Achilles, Briseis, which starts the animosity between Achilles and Agamemnon.
— Stephen Holliday
16
As you can see from the very first few lines of Homer’s Iliad, the god Apollo is very important. The god of the Sun (and born to Leto and Zeus) also has a sister (Artemis) who is very important in Homer’s Iliad. Fighting on two different sides, watching the sibling rivalry between the two is always interesting. Also interesting that Apollo’s name appears so close to the invocation to the Muse at the beginning of Homer’s epic poem because he is also the leader of those Muses and can be considered very important in regards to written word.
— Noelle Thompson
17
Often translated as "ribbons" these special ornaments of the wreath are said to be Apollo's alone. Not only royalty but also priestly, he is to receive the ultimate respect.
— Noelle Thompson
18
These are the names of the kings, respectively, of the Trojans and the Greeks. Menelaus was married to Helen before Paris's abduction of her, and Priam is Paris's father.
— Owl Eyes Reader
19
Note Agamemnon's reply here. It is not a respectful reply in the least. In fact, it can be seen as absolutely cruel. It is a kind of foreshadowing into the kind of king that Agamemnon will turn out to be.
— Noelle Thompson
20
An incredibly arrogant and demeaning comment to make to Chryseis's father—Homer is subtly establishing Agamemnon's character, which will make him an unsympathetic character throughout the Iliad.
— Stephen Holliday
21
Cilla is a town near Troy, and Tenedos is an island in the northeast Aegean, off Troy's coast
— Stephen Holliday
22
Sminthe is another name for the god Apollo. The name relates to mice and indicates that Apollo was also the “mouse god.” Mice were highly regarded in ancient Greek society because they supposedly arose from the vapors of the earth and had prophetic powers.
— Owl Eyes Reader
23
This refers to a common form of sacrifice in which the thigh bones of bulls or goats were wrapped in fat and burned as an offering to the gods. The more edible parts of the animals were used as food.
— Stephen Holliday
24
This phrase refers to the ritual sacrificing of animals in order to please the gods. Ancient Greeks would sacrifice a goat, sheep, pig, or cow and offer up the fat and bones to the gods, setting aside the meat for roasting and eating.
— Owl Eyes Reader
25
This is a metaphorical description of the plague that Apollo sent into the Greek camp, which affected the animals first and then sickened the Greek troops.
— Stephen Holliday
26
A “hecatomb” originally referred to the sacrifice of 100 cattle but later came to mean any sacrifice of a large number of animals. Hecatombs were most frequently offered up to the gods Apollo, Hera, Athena, and occasionally Zeus.
— Owl Eyes Reader
27
Ilius is the Latin name for the city of Troy. The ancient Greek word for Troy was “ilion,” and both terms gave the Iliad its name, which loosely means “a story about Ilion or Ilius.”
— Owl Eyes Reader
28
This noun is another name for the Greek forces. The word Argives derives from the ancient city of Argos.
— Owl Eyes Reader
29
The noun “subjection,” is defined as the state of being under the authority of another person.
— Owl Eyes Reader
30
Agamemnon is showing how flawed he is as a leader in this episode. Although he is willing to give up his prize, Chryseis, he demands another from his own men and threatens them in the process.
— Stephen Holliday
31
“Ulysses” is the Latin name for the Greek hero Odysseus, who plays a role in the Iliad but is more famous for being the hero of the Odyssey, a story also attributed to Homer and considered a continuation of the Iliad. Ulysses wanders the world after the Trojan War, trying to get back to his home, wife, and child.
— Owl Eyes Reader
32
Achilles is credited with leading successful assaults against at least 23 Trojan towns near Troy. One of these assaults led to his acquiring of Briseis as a war prize after he killed her husband and brothers.
— Stephen Holliday
33
As you can see from the very first few lines in Homer’s Iliad, the goddess Minerva (or Athena) is very important. Perhaps a brief description would be helpful here? The goddess of strategic battle as well as the goddess of wisdom and womanly wiles, the goddess Minerva is very important in the Iliad. Minerva absolutely hates the Trojans. That’s (kind of) her calling card. The goddess Athena is in such passionate defense of the Greeks that she is very often seen taking their side. In fact, Minerva’s service is so valuable that the Greeks eventually name one of their most important cities after her! Also in reference to the Iliad, her epithet of “Trotogeneia” is also interesting because it refers to one of her more obscure birth stories and her being “born of Triton.” Here, in this first scene, however, it is Minerva’s trickery that wins over. In fact, Minerva “seized the Son of Peleus by his yellow hair,” promises her that she comes directly from Jove, and convinces Achilles not to kill Agamemnon because the Greeks would be rewarded in full one day in the future.
— Noelle Thompson
34
Jove (or, Zeus) carries a shield, the aegis, that many consider to be just a defensive weapon. The aegis, though, also has offensive capabilities. When Zeus is described as throwing thunderbolts, the aegis is their source.
— Stephen Holliday
35
Minerva's statement here indicates that she cannot command Achilles to stop trying to kill Agamemnon, but she hopes at least that he will listen to her and see the reasonableness of her request.
— Stephen Holliday
36
Achilles is essentially accusing Agamemnon of cowardice, and rightly so, since Agamemnon avoids combat. Agamemnon has political power because he controls a large territory, but he is, in a warrior society, not respected.
— Stephen Holliday
37
Nestor, in his role of counselor and spokesman, has an important role in The Iliad because he is constantly trying to calm down the anger of Achilles and Agamemnon in order to continue the war against Troy.
— Stephen Holliday
38
Nestor is trying to give Agamemnon and Achilles some perspective by reminding them that he has advised more important men than either of the two.
— Stephen Holliday
39
Theseus is the most well-known of the group Nestor mentions because he won fame by killing the minotaur, a half bull, half human beast, at the palace of King Minos at Knossos in Crete.
— Stephen Holliday
40
In other words—Agamemnon, you can have this girl, but she is the only thing of mine you will ever take.
— Stephen Holliday
41
Two of Agamemnon's most trusted heralds. He undoubtedly chose men whose fighting skills would have been respected by Achilles.
— Stephen Holliday
42
Patroclus is Achilles's favorite companion. Later, Patroclus, fighting in Achilles's armor, is killed by Hector, and Patroclus's death brings Achilles back into the fight against the Trojans.
— Stephen Holliday
43
This is an instance of foreshadowing. Achilles knows that he is predestined to live a short life because he chose to join the war over a long and uneventful life at home with his aging father. Here Achilles pleads with his mother Thetis to appeal to Zeus on his behalf. He asks that Zeus may grant him glory in what little time he has on the earth, and he speaks of the wrongs Agamemnon has committed against him.
— Emily, Owl Eyes Staff
44
This is not the Greek city of Thebes but a fortified town near Troy. Chryseis, even though she is from another town, must have been taken as a prisoner in the attack on Thebe. It is likely that Thebe is one of the twenty three Trojan towns that Achilles helped capture, which is why Chryseis became his war-prize.
— Stephen Holliday
45
This refers to an account, which is not in any other source. in which Achilles' mother, Thetis, brought a powerful creature named Briareus to Olympus in order to stop a revolt by the other gods against Zeus.
— Stephen Holliday
46
Achilles is actually asking the gods to help the Trojans against the Greeks—even though Achilles himself is a Greek. This is not only disloyal but, more important, indicates that Achilles values his personal honor more than he values the lives of his friends.
— Stephen Holliday
47
As is confusing from the character list before the eNotes etext begins, the goddess Tethys is actually referred to as the goddess Tethis here. Do not let the irony in spelling fool you. It is still the same goddess, or at least MOST SCHOLARS believe that to be so. In fact, as you can see from the first book of Homer’s Iliad, the goddess Tethis is very important, here possibly more than any other of the Greek works of literature. Perhaps a further description in brief would be advantageous here? Mostly, Thetis’ importance can be found right here in Book I. The goddess Thetis is vying here on behalf of her beloved son, Achilles. She is the one who sends the prayer to Jove and allows a new suit of armor to be made for Achilles. Her desire for Greek victory depends entirely on her son’s whims.
— Noelle Thompson
48
In the Greek world view, Oceanus is a river that encircles the world, and the world is flat. All rivers originate in Oceanus.
— Stephen Holliday
49
Ulysses, because he is a king, a warrior, and known for his intelligence and dependibility, is Agamemnon's best choice to make sure that Chryseis reaches her father.
— Stephen Holliday
50
This epithet is a nickname for the god Apollo, who was often depicted carrying a bow and arrow.
— Owl Eyes Reader
51
Once Chryseis is returned to her father, Chryses, he asks Apollo to end the plague that he originally called down on the Greeks when Agamemnon took her as a war prize.
— Stephen Holliday
52
The posture of someone asking a favor of a powerful person is to use one hand to clasp the person by the knees and reach out and touch the chin.
— Stephen Holliday
53
Notice this passage is an example of the fickle and immature nature of the gods, who are always squabbling among themselves and meddling in human affairs. Many of the gods and goddesses take sides in the Trojan War, often opposing one another, which causes strife on Olympus that mirrors that of the battle. Zeus is like the father of an unruly family and is unwilling to create more discord among a group of willful, powerful, and childish gods. He is reluctant to anger Juno (Hera,) especially because he has had frequent affairs with mortals that produced children, both of which Hera is extremely jealous and brings frequent torment upon.
— Emily, Owl Eyes Staff
54
The adjectival form of “ambrosia.” The noun form originally referred to the food of the gods and was later used to denote anything of perfection that appeals to the senses—in this case, beautiful hair.
— Owl Eyes Reader
55
A merman is a mythological creature with the head and body of a man and the tail of a fish.
— Owl Eyes Reader
56
Thetis is the daughter (known as a "Neriad") of Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea, also called a merman—mer, meaning "the sea."
— Stephen Holliday
57
Vulcan is the god of fire and the forge. He built Zeus's palace on Olympus and he forged Achilles's armor.
— Stephen Holliday
58
Vulcan is always depicted as lame, a result of Zeus having grabbed him by the foot.
— Stephen Holliday
59
In the Bronze Age, the time period of the Trojan War, wine was always mixed with water
— Stephen Holliday
60
This is a reference to the deformity that the god Vulcan (in Greek, Hephaestus) may have received when Zeus threw him by the foot from Mt. Olympus during a fight. He landed on the island of Lemnos, which was thereafter associated with him. An alternate myth credits his deformity to Hera, who may have thrown him from Olympus as a child in reaction to either his ugliness or a preexisting deformity. In this version he was found in the ocean by Thetis, who raised him as her own.
— Emily, Owl Eyes Staff
61
It's not a mistake that Book I of Homer's Iliad is often called "The Quarrel." As you can see, the head military leader of the Greeks, Agamemnon, is made to return a prisoner due to Achilles's wiles. Achilles, in his anger, asks the goddess Thetis for Jove's help in chastising the Greeks by aiding the Trojans. (How fickle can a man be?) After a quick trip for the reader to Mount Olympus, and watching the gods and goddesses argue about the same thing, Homer gets quickly to the meat of the Trojan War. His captive audience, the Greeks, would know well the introduction to the Trojan War, so there is no need for Homer to waste time with it here.
— Noelle Thompson
https://www.owleyes.org/text/iliad/read/book-i#root-219005-1-1
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