analyzing iliad

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the iliad begins with the trojan war already in progree. Greek audiences would have been familiar with the background of the story, and here a brief summary of events in necessary to help the reader to put these events in context. It is important to remember that these stories had a life outside of homer: he did not invent his characters or the main events of the epic. he did not invent his characters were to be emphasized the reinterpreted. Iliad focuses on events that take place in the tenth year of the trojan war. myth in constant retelling changes its form constantkly. the myths have some elements that are very familiar to modern readers but were unknown or ignored by homer. For example a widely known story holds that achilles was immortal, except for his heel. but although homers achilles was immortal, is an unmatched warrior, not once in the iliad does homer present achilles as more or less vulnerable than anyoneels3e, either the story was a later addition or homer chose to ignore it. the myths homer drew for his tale had many variants, so in giving the background outside of hoimers text this study guide will try to present only the most fundamental elements of the story of troy. paris, also known as Alexander, was a prince of troy, a kingdom in asia minor. Durng his travel, he was a guest of menelaus, a king of sparta. menalaus wife was helen , a woman of legendary beauty;she and paris fell in love and he took her with him back to troy. The rulers of the greek kingdoms raised a powerful army and fleat of over a thouseasd ships to win back helen. Led by agamamnon, menelaus brother, the greeks called acheans throughout the poem sailed for troy and began a war that was destined to last for ten long years. In the tenth and final year of the trojan war, the fighting is temporarily stalemated. While on a previous raid, agamemnon commander in chief of the achaen forces has taken as plunder the beautiful girl chryseis wehose father is a priest of the God Apollo. Chryses went to agamemnon to pay ransm in exchange for her daughter. But agamemnon refuses to grant it. He threatens to kill chryseis if the priest should ever come to him begging his daughter. Chryses flees but he prays to God apollo for justice. The God, angerd by agamemnons disrespect for the priest, rains arrows on the achaeans. the result is a horrible plauguye, as men and animals die mysteriously for nine days. On the tenth day achilles calls the greeks to assembly, the idea put into his head by the Goddess hera, who sides with the achaeans against troy.Ac hilles asks for some prophet or seer to tell them what has cause the plague and what must be done to end it. Calchas, a great prophet says that he knows the answer is. to be continued