The iliad and the odyssey analysis essay blog essayshark. The odyssey is a fundamental work in the modern western canon, being the oldest extant piece of western literature, second to the iliad. Hector resumes his assault on another part of the achaean line. Start your 48hour free trial to unlock this iliad study guide and get instant access to the following.
Most commentators consider this scene to be the most moving in the iliad. The iliad is an ancient greek epic poem by homer that was first published in 762 bc. The iliad is about the trojan war, which started because the trojan prince, paris took helen of sparta from menelaus. Up to this point achilles has been stuck in anger fed by grief. The iliad begins with the poet calling on the muse to sing of the wrath of achilleus and its consequences. Both iliad and odyssey consist of 24 books and concentrate on one moment within a complete epic cycle. Throughout the iliad, many of the characters have aristeias. The odyssey books 2124 summary and analysis gradesaver. Book 1 book 2 book 3 book 4 book 5 book 6 book 7 book 8 book 9 book 10 book 11 book 12 book book 14 book 15 book 16 book 17 book 18 book 19 book 20 book 21 book 22 book 23 book 24 themes all themes fate, the gods, and free will piety, customs, and justice cunning, disguise, and selfrestraint memory and grief glory and honor. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of the iliad by homer.
These are some of the greatest works of epic literature in the western canon. The story begins ten years after the end of the trojan war, the subject of the iliad. Find summaries for every chapter, including a the odyssey chapter summary chart to help you understand the book. They see the suitors coming in and ask how so many noble young men met their end. The odyssey books 1720 summary and analysis gradesaver. While they leave for the house of laertes, hermes takes the souls of the fallen suitors down to the underworld to join the rest of the dead. The epic poem ends with the trojans burying hector. Zeus begins to taunt hera, mocking her and athena for standing by while aphrodite rescues paris. All of the greek heroes except odysseus have returned home. Book 5 begins a passage of extended individual heroism for diomedes, something that the greeks called an aristeia. Summary read an overview of the entire poem or a line by line summary and analysis.
Homer the iliad book xxiii the great books quest day 23 duration. First, the priest chryses comes to ask their leader, king agamemnon, to release his daughter, whom agamemnon was holding captive. This time, however, the fathers prayers are immediately granted. In the tenth year of the trojan war, tensions are running high among the achaians a superancient name for the ancient greeks. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in the iliad, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. The iliad and the odyssey are two of the oldest works of western literatureyet these ancient myths still offer powerful lessons for our times.
See a complete list of the characters in the iliad and indepth analyses of achilles, agamemnon, and hector. Read an overview of the entire poem or a line by line summary and analysis. For the next several days, achilles drags hectors corpse around patrocluss tomb every time he misses his comrade. Paris, a son of the king of troy, kidnaps helen, who becomes the legendary helen of troy and the woman with the face that launched a thousand ships. Achilles finally begins to accept food, but he still. This video provides an indepth summary and analysis of the plot, characters and themes of book 24 of homers epic poem the iliad. Achilles singlehandedly splits the trojan forces, driving one half towards the city and one half into the river. The passages is designed to commemorate diomedes bravery and glory as a hero. Download the free study guide and infographic for homers.
The oldest epic poems, and therefore the oldest pieces of western literature, are the iliad and the odyssey, attributed to the greek poet homer. The epic poems are written in dactylic hexameter and include similar literary devices. Homers epic poem the iliad tells the story of the trojan war and the epic heroes and gods, including achilles, hector, odysseus, athena, ares. This video provides an indepth summary and analysis of the plot, characters and themes of book 24 of homers epic poem the odyssey. He and euphorbus trade insults, and menelaus reminds him that he killed euphorbus brother hyperenor. Like homers other epic, the iliad, the odyssey begins in medias res, or in the middle. In these two poems, mythology and history intersect as gods and monsters interfere in the affairs of humans. Hermes leads the souls of the suitors, crying like bats, into hades. The iliad sparknotes literature guide volume 35 sparknotes literature guide series 9781411469754. Menelaus sees the death of patroclus, and he goes to defend the body. Heres where youll find analysis about the poem as a whole.
All through breakfast, he sits mourning his dear friend. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. Achilles follows the trojans into the river, hacking them to pieces with his sword. Book v, sometimes referred to as the diomedia, has its own internal unity and may once have constituted an independent poem, or bardic lay, about the exploits of the achaian hero diomedes, which was adapted by homer and included in the iliad.
Achilles routs the trojans and splits their ranks, pursuing half of them into the river known to the gods as xanthus and to the mortals as. It is, in part, a sequel to the iliad, the other homeric epic. Together with its companion poem the iliad, the odyssey describes the action and aftermath of the trojan wars, andis the model for the heroic quest. They meet the ghosts of achilles, ajax, and agamemnon. Summary and analysis book 4 the king and queen of sparta. It is a portrait of the warrior at home, war forgotten as he watches his son play and talks with his wife. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Summary and analysis of book 23 of homers iliad, with a focus on the funeral games of patroclus.
Download the free study guide and infographic for homers epic. At the beginning of the section apollo calls him that man without a shred of decency in his heart, all brute force and wild pride, and no shame that does great harm or drives men on to good. Poem summary the achaians, under king agamemnon, have been fighting the trojans off and on for nine years, trying to retrieve helen, the wife of menelaos, and thus agamemnons sisterinlaw. At the achaean camp, achilles and the myrmidons continue their mourning for patroclus.
The iliad on the tenth year of the trojan war, tensions rise so high among achaians. Pdf downloads of all 1296 litcharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. What is a summary of the iliad and the odyssey answers. Apollo protects the body from decay and damage, but hera, athena, and poseidon wont let the other gods steal it from achilles and return it to hectors family. The fact that achilles disobeys a god also heightens the sense of achilles glory. The retelling of penelopes story and odysseus revenge may be better understood if we remember that the epic was presented orally, probably over a period of several days or even weeks.
First, chryses, a priest, asked king agamemnon to release. Apollos priest chryses comes to the achaian camp and asks to ransom back his daughter chryseis, who has been captured. Set during the trojan war, the tenyear siege of the city of troy ilium by a coalition of greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the. Priams invocation of achilles own father, peleus, forges a momentary bond between him and achilles. Summary and analysis of book 24 of homers iliad, with a focus on the ransom of hectors body. Agamemnons ghost celebrates penelopes fidelity and compares her favorably to his treacherous wife, clytemnestra 24.
Agamemnon and achilles argue over who had the better death. Athena cloaks odysseus and telemachus in darkness so that no one will see them as they walk through the town. Great ajax carries odysseus back to camp before the trojans can harm him further. The iliad is a classic ancient greek poem usually attributed to homer. For example, homer uses stock epithets in both his poems. At the manor, penelope tearfully embraces her son and asks what news he learned.
The odyssey by homer book 24 summary and analysis youtube. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of the odyssey and what it means. The odyssey sparknotes literature guide sparknotes literature guide series book 49 sparknotes. Naturally, a goddess, athena, assists him in attaining this glory. So, as revenge menelaus got the leaders of greece to fight the trojan. Homer s 8th century bce oral narrative of a warriors decadeslong quest to return home defines epic poetry. Odysseus persuades him to let the army eat first, but achilles himself refuses to eat until he has slain hector. In the iliad, many of the same characters as those found in the odyssey are filled with the vigor of youth and devoted to the honors of war or the thrills of lust. The odyssey study guide contains a biography of homer, literature essays, a complete etext, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. In book 24 of homers the iliad, priam of troy goes to the myrmidon camp and asks achilles for hectors body. However, things got complicated due to the conflict between agamemnon and the greatest hero among the greek, achilles. The iliad summary in the tenth year of the trojan war, tensions are running high among the achaians a superancient name for the ancient greeks. The end of book vi is the famous scene between hector and andromache and their infant son, astyanax.
Xanthus protest to achilles is a sign of achilles immense power. Telemachus instead tells her to make a sacrifice to the gods to help them with their revenge. Hera sends a mist to confuse and slow the retreat of the men going back towards the city. Telemachus excuses himself from eumaeus to see his mother, and instructs him to lead odysseus to town so he can beg. I read both books aloud to my 10 year old, 7 year old, and 4 year old sons, and we all enjoyed them. The iliad is an epic poem by homer that tells the story of several weeks in the last year of the decadelong trojan war in the greek camp, agamemnon and achilles, the greeks. Read a character analysis of odysseus, plot summary, and important quotes. Achilles has killed so many men that his actions are beginning to upset the natural order of things as represented by the river. Book 24 is a portrait of grief, from anger to compassion. Poem summary cliffsnotes study guides book summaries. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of the iliad and what it means. He meets up with the fugitive theoklymenos in town and brings. Achilles speaks to agamemnon and pities his death at home instead of in battle where he should have died. Hector, his attention focused on the fleeing horses of achilles, is made to look at the scene by apollo.
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