He wants her to tell him about the rage of achilleus, and how it hurt the achaians. How do the text we study provide insight into the human condition. Poseidon comes down to the battlefield and takes the form of calchas the seer. Homer invokes the muse goddess of epic poetry to aid him in telling the story of achilles anger and the great war for helen and troy. Zeus contemplates whether to save his son from being killed or not. Some noteworthy aspects of that encounter you can tease out their implications for yourself are.
The database may be searched using 17 criteria, such as book. This lesson focuses on book 16 of the iliad by homer. Books 1516 book 15 marks the beginning of the end for hector and the trojans, who have reached the height of their power and now face a downhill slope. Like book nine, book sixteen marks a crucial turning point in the iliad. Gill is a freelance classics and ancient history writer. Summary and analysis of book 16 of homers iliad, with a focus on patroclus pride, lust for glory, and death. We are told from the beginning that the story is going to be about the rage or anger of achilles, the greatest warrior in achaia greece.
Agamemnon fears losing and proposes sailing away while the army still fights. Then patroclus drew near to achilles with tears welling from his eyes, as from some spring whose crystal stream falls over the ledges of a high precipice. Book xvi thus did they fight about the ship of protesilaus. Perseus links perseus is a largescale database with many texts and images.
The greeks are on the verge of defeat, and they begin to retreat to their. Thus disguised, he encourages the two aeantes great ajax and little ajax, when they are named as a pair and gives them new strength before he flies away. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Homers epic poem the iliad tells the story of the trojan war and the epic heroes and gods. Names and places keeping straight the name of places and people. There follows a lengthy description of achilles new shield which is.
The iliad is an epic because it features characters who are larger than life and whose deeds are truly remarkable. First, a literary analysis from a moderately informed modern viewpoint. Quiz 83191 learn with flashcards, games, and more for free. Course heros video study guide provides indepth summary and analysis of book 16 of homers epic poem the iliad. Check out our revolutionary side byside summary and analysis. He further introduces in the word rage one of the human qualities, along with pride and honor, that will make up a. Mythology background in the ancient mediterranean world, feminine beauty reaches its zenith in helen, wife of king menelaus of greece. Iliad what happened after the end of iliad book 24. Get a detailed summary and analysis of every chapter in the book from. The iliad book 1 summary the poet prays to the muse, the goddess of poetic inspiration. He is insulted and sent away, and apollo sends a plague on the greeks. The two are different in subject but the same in their style. The fighting continues in the morning, and agamemnon leads a charge.
Chryses, priest of apollo, comes to the greek camp to ransom his daughter, chryseis, held captive by agamemnon. First, the priest chryses comes to ask their leader, king agamemnon, to release his daughter, whom agamemnon was holding captive. Book i opens with the words, rage goddess, sing the rage of peleus son achilles. The deaths of sarpedon and patroklos in this book introduce an elegiac tone into the last part of the iliad, as the characters that the reader sees as sympathetic are. Eventually comes across a trojan soldier, sarpedon, who is the mortal son of zeus. This is a reminder of that important episode in which achilleus rejected agamemnons offer of gifts, and it highlights the contradictions in achilleus position. Mythology background and plot summary by michael j. Iliad, 2, 326, achaeans 9 years to take troy, serpent 9 sparrows.
Book 1 achilles wrath, to greece the direful spring of woes unnumberd, heavenly goddess, sing. The battle rages on between the trojan and achaean forces, and patroclus devises a scheme. Zeus wakes and sees the havoc that hera and poseidon have wreaked while he dozed in his enchanted sleep. From this vantage point, the end is in sight, and, correspondingly, zeus now outlines the rest of the iliad and beyond, predicting even the eventual fall of troy, which occurs after. The iliad book 1 by homertranslated by alexander pope 2. Odysseus and diomedes volunteer to spy on the trojan camp at night in hopes of learning the battle strategies of the trojans. Odysseus contemptuously rejects the idea, and diomedes offers a better plan. The battle rages on between the trojan and achaean forces, and patroclus devises a scheme to free the achaean ships from the trojans. The greek line breaks, and the trojans enter the greek camp. The iliad, by homer book one the quarrel by the ships. The deaths of sarpedon and patroklos in this book introduce an elegiac tone into the last part of the iliad, as the characters that the reader sees. The last couple examples i will discuss are both at the end of book 16. Analysis this episode is the second turning point in the tragic story of achilles.
In the very first line of the iliad, the poet addresses the muse, who inspires him with song, and asks her to sing through him the story of the wrath of the son of peleus, aka achilles. While achilleus still refuses to return to battle, his friend, patroklos, persuades him to let. She has a masters degree in linguistics and is a former latin teacher. The trojans, seeing the fresh reinforcements and thinking that achilles has returned, immediately begin to fear for their lives. Check out our revolutionary sidebyside summary and analysis. Sparknotes bookrags the meaning summary overview critique of explanation pinkmonkey. He asks her to begin with the fight between achilleus and agamemnon. He sends patroclus, his dear friend, to see what is going on. In the tenth year of the trojan war, achilles, the greatest fighter for the achaeans the greeks and their allies, is enraged. Book 20 robert fagles translation analysis segue from previous book and to the next book in book 19, achilles is still grieving over the death of patroclus and still refuses to eat. In book 21, achilles continues his killing spree and the. The trojan war, as youll know from the backstory section of our summary of book 1, involved a massive army of achaians a. King agamemnon, who leads the achaeans, has brought an illness upon the army by refusing to give up a woman, chryseis, whom he seized as a prize in a recent battle. In an attempt to capture the tension and emotion between sarpedon.
Patrokloss overstepping the bounds set him by first achilles see above, then apollo lines 707709, effectively dooming himself. Book 17 of the iliad describes the fight over patroclus body that breaks out after his death in book 16, highlighting the importance of funeral rites in ancient greek culture. In the tenth year of the trojan war, tensions are running high among the achaians a superancient name for the ancient greeks. Even centuries and millennium later these heroic figures astonish us with their extreme and powerful qualities. Little ajax knows then that some god has spoken to them, and the aeantes spirits rise. Homer calls upon the goddess of poetry and inspiration the muse to sing of achilleus anger. Book summaries with notes 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.
Homers iliad describes the final year of the trojan war, a legendary conflict. With patroclus leading them, the myrmidons swarm into battle, and are described as being like wasps that a boy has angered. Read book 16 death of patroclus of the iliad by homer. Now the other gods and the armed warriors on the plain slept soundly, but jove was wakeful, for he was thinking how to do honour to achilles, and destroyed much people. This study guide consists of approximately 114 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the iliad. Apollos priest chryses comes to the achaian camp and asks to ransom back his daughter chryseis, who has been captured. It might be helpful to maintain your own list of names that repeat themselves and seem important.
He has made a fatal decision, and the deaths of sarpedon, patroklos, hektor, achilles himself, and the fall of troy all inevitably follow. Hearing the sounds of battle, nestor gathers the wounded achaean commanders. Agamemnon leads the greeks to momentary success to start the third day of battle. Patroclus begins killing trojans, and the achaeans drive the trojans back from the warships.
The iliad book 16 death of patroclus american literature. Homer, iliad, book 16, line 1 perseus digital library. The gods, meanwhile, were gathered with zeus on the golden councilfloor, drinking toasts of nectar from gleaming cups that lovely hebe filled while they gazed down on troy. Homers iliad begins during the tenth year of the trojan war and opens, like most epic poems, with a request for inspiration from the appropriate muse. Greeks who crossed the sea to lay siege to troy, a city in modern turkey. The iliad takes place in the tenth year of the trojan war. Teaching materials link database quizzes media library primary. They fail to obtain any plans, but in the process kill some allies of the trojans and steal a kings horses and chariot. This contains a book by book summary and analysis of. The iliad begins with the poet calling on the muse to sing of the wrath of achilleus and its consequences.