Iliad Book Plot Summaries
- Created by: Georgia Lou
- Created on: 22-04-14 18:53
Book One
Chryses offers a ransom for his daughter Chryseis which Agamenmon rejects
- leading Apollo to send a plague on the Greek camp as Agamenmon upset his preist
Achilles calls an assembly to try pursuade Agamenmon to return Chrseis
Which leads to Agamenmon & Achilles fighting over the prizes
Athene prevents Achilles from killing Agamenmon & Nestor fails to reconcile the men
Agamenmon takes Achilles war prize - Briseis
Achilles leaves the Greeks & appeals for help from mother Thetis
Thetis pursuades Zeus to make the Greeks start losing
Zeus & Hera quarell because Zeus went behind her back giving Thetis what she wanted - Son Hephaestus reconciles them
Book One - Character & Themes
Themes:
Role of men & women - women war prizes - quarell on Olympus
Role of Gods - Apollo sends plague - Athene prevents Achilles killing Agamenmon
gamenmon -Thetis supplicates Zeus - Zeus lets the Greeks start losing
Characters:
Apollo || Chryses || Chryseis || Briseis
Agamenmon - Rude to the gods (Way he treated Chryses & therefore Apollo)
Achilles - "Swift footed" - Short tempered nearly killed Agamenmon - coward goes to ships the ships
Athene || Nestor || Thetis || Zeus || Hera
Book Three
Armies advance "Tojans advanced w. shrieks" || "Greeks moved foward in silence"
Paris retreats at the sight of Menelaus
Hector 'abuses' Paris and tells him he should finish what he started
Paris proposes a duel between him and Meneluas
Iris warns Helen of the impending duel, Helen misses her former husbund
Trojan elders admire Helen as the "goddesss amoung men"
Priam invites Helen in she descibes Greek heros - Aga. Oddy. Men. Ajax. Idomeneus (Teichoscopia)
Oaths are run by Agamenmon & Paris and Menelaus duel
Aphrodite rescues Paris & forces reluctant Helen to sleep with him
Agamenmon declares Menelaus the winner
Book Three - Character & Themes
Themes:
Heroic Code - Fight in name of honour and glory
Family Relations - Paris & Hector
Role Of Gods - Athene saves Paris from death
Religion & Ritual - Oaths and sacrifice
Role Of Women - Helen has to reluctantly sleep with Paris
Characters:
Paris - coward, leopard skin - brave, put foward the idea of a duel
Menelaus - a born fighter "Proud as a lion"
Helen - V. complicated, longs for former husbund - susses Aphrodites disguise
Hector - protective of his brother .. or mocking?
Book Four
Zeus tries to make Hear and Athene agree and help make peace between the Greeks & Trojans
Both decline and Athene goes to the battle to restart the fighting
Athene disguises herself as Laoducus and finds Pandarus pursuading him to shoot Menelaus by saying the Trojans will then be very gratful toward him
Pandarus shoots Menelaus and Athene deflects the shot
Agamenmon & Menelaus shudder, and agamenmon laments for his brother worrying about his reputation - Menelaus comforts his brother saying he will be fine once Machon heals him
Agamenmon surveys the troops and instructs them with great spirit
Agamenmon does offend Oddyseus but gives appologies
Agamenmon compares Diomedes with Tydeus - Diomedes does not complain, Sthenelus does but Diomedes silences him
They go into battle - [bk 3] Apollo rallies the Trojans || Ends with no clear winner
Book Four - Character & Themes
Themes
Role Of Gods - Athenes disguise and restarts fighting
Heroic Code - Agamenmon knows all of his troops by name and their famillies
Family ties - Agamenmon & Menelaus - Ag. looks worries about him?..More his reputation
- Diomedes compared to father Tydeus
Characters
Athene - interfeering || Zeus / Hera - not a great relationship, make decisons w. all of the Gods
Agamenmon - Seems to worry more about reputation than his brother - knows all of his troops, a good leader
Meneluas - brotherly support, comforts Agamenmon that he will be fine
Idomeneus-can rely on || Ajax & Teucer - good leadership || Nestor-needs instruction || Odysseus-frustrated || Diomedes-knows his place ||
Book Six
Trojans & Greeks have to fight for themselves without help from the gods
Greeks have some success, kill 14 Trojans
Menelaus ordered to kill Adrestrus by Agamenmon
Priam's son - prophet Henleus tells Hector & Aeneas to get Hecabe to sacrifice to Athene
Meanwhile Glacus & Diomedes have met on the battle field - story of Bellerophon - They trade armour after realising their family background and ties
Hector meets Hecabe and she gives an offering to Athene - Aphrodites robe
Hector then talks to Helen and Andromache on the walls and despite attempting to pursuade him to stay he leaves with Paris
Book Six - Character & Themes
Themes
War Glory - Hecotr tells Andromache he needs to fight for his father & himself
Family Ties / Relationships - Shows how family reatc to the war, how they are affected by the war
Role of Women - Hecabe, v. motherly offers wine & gives offering to athene; Helen, treats Hector with respects & Andromache, acts like a respectful wife knowing about the war as well as her place
Characters
Meneluas - sogt hearted was going to save Adrestrus
Glacus & Diomedes - Greeks & Trojans could get on
Hector - Respected for his place in war, a big part of the family much loved
Hecabe, HElen & Andromache - as above
Book 9
Agamenmon realises he needs Achilles back on the Greek side
Nestor proposes that he appologises
An embassay is sent - Phoenix, Odysseues & Ajax
Odysseus - Achilles rejects the gifts
Phoenix - Story Of Melleager - Achilles thinks about the offer
Ajax - Achilles calms his anger and thinks about the offer
Book 9 - Character & Themes
Agamenmon - stubborn does not blame himself for the feud between himself & Achilles
Rude, doesn't appologise and sends others to sort his own problembs out
Achilles - Short temp[ered, only took Odysseus to talk to him before he got angry
Book 11 [P.196-202]
[Paris wounds the Greek doctor Machon & Nestor takes him to the ships]
Achilles sends Patroclus to find out what is happening
Nestor then describes his past achievments to Patroclus and urges him to go fight as Achilles
Book 11 - Character & Themes
Themes
Father & Sons - Nestor recalls his achievments to Patroclus to gain advice || As well as recalls Pat's fathers' advice
Heroic code - Nestor choses to follow the heroic code by recalling achievements and doesn't ever seek revenge
Characters
Nestor - Wise, plans ahead
Patroclus - Dear to Achilles, does as he is told, but does describe him as "Easy to annoy"
Achilles - Assertive.. Orders Patroclus to find Nestor
Book 16
Patroclus tells Achilles that the Greeks are in trouble, so they debate over what to do
Achilles eventually allows Patroclus to wear his armour & fight as him, ensuring he wins glory
Patroclus kills Pyraechmes & Sarpedon [Zeus saves Sarp's body]
Despite Achilles' warning patroclus goes to fight Hector
Zeus turns to Hector to fight, Appollo warns Patroclus
Then Apollo strikes Patroclus, Euphrobius wounds him and Patroclus is finally killed by Hector
Book 16 - Character & Themes
Themes
Heroic Code - Achilles asks Patroclus to ensure him glory
Role of Fate - Patroclus is warned not to fight Hector
Role of Gods - Zeus wants to save Sarpedon but knows he can't
Characters
Achilles - blunt/rude - calls Patroclus a "little girl"
Patroclus - weak "little girl" - Fighter - asks to fight - quick witted - tells Hector he didnt kill him it was Apollo
Zeus & Hera - Quarell over Sarpedon
Hector - mocking - rude to Patroclus before death
Book 18
Antilochus brings the news of Patroclus' death to Achilles
Thetis hears him crying anf then he and thw women slaves lament
Achilles wants revenge on Hector so Thetis promises him new armour
Iris then goes to Achilles to shout to the Trojans - Athene helps
Polydamus advises the Trojans retreat but Hector says no
Thetis then goes to Hephaestus and new armour is made
Book 18 - Character & Themes
Themes
Role of The Gods - Thetis gets Hephaestus to make new armour for Achilles, Hecotr thinks Zeus is on his side
Mortals & Immortals - Achilles & Thetis - Achilles & Athene - Thetis & Hephaestus - Hector & Zeus
Characters
Achilles - shows MUCH more emotion and a less angry side to him
Hector - Gives orders and is resected by the Trojans - even if their ideas differ
Patroclus - Has a large impact on Achilles & the war women
Book 19
Thetis delivers the armour to Achilles, and he summons the assembly expressing regret and appologises to Agamenmon
Agamenmon blames Delusion again and says its not his fault
Odysseus says the Greeks need food - Achilles rejects offer
Briseis only line is lament for Patroclus as she is returened to Patroclus
Athene then secretly feeds Achilles
Achilles starts to fight and the horses predict his fate of death
Book 19 - Character & Themes
Themes
Role Of Fate - Horses can even predict Achilles death - despite Achilles not caring
Role Of Gods - Thetis delivers armour - Athene feeds Achilles so he is not weak
Characters
Achilles - the bigger man, goes to appologise and forget the past - brave excpets fate
Agamenmon - large ego, has to ensure he has the last say to clarify it was Delusion
Book 22
Appollo starts to mock and taunt Hector disguised as Achilles
Praim & Hecabe ask Hector not to fight but he goes ahead
Achilles attacks Hector and then retreats and runs the walls 3 times
Zeus contomplates saving HEctor like he did with Sarpedon in book 16
Athene tricks Hector into fighting & Achilles kills Hector
Achilles removes Hector's armour and attacks his courpse
Andromache fears for his life and faints at the sight of his death
Book 22 - Character & Themes
Themes
Fathers & Sons - Priam warns Hector not to fight
Role of Gods - Zeus contemplates saving Hector - Athene helps Achilles fight Hector
Heroic Code - Hector eventually excepts fate and attempts to fight Achilles - Achilles' revenge
Characters
Priam - not just a king, a father too
Achilles - hippocrite tortues Hector's body
Athene - interfeering
Andromache/Hecabe - care for Hector unconditionaly
Book 23
Achilles mourns for Patroclus and dreams of his ghost in his sleep
Firewood is collected and Achilles dedicates a lock of his own hair
Aphrodite & Apollo preserve Hector's body
Chariot race
Boxing match
Wrestling
Footrace
Armed combat
Throwing lump of metal .. ;)
Book 23 - Character & Themes
Themes
Heroic Code - When beaten Diomedes keeps his cool and does not take revenge
Fathers & sons - Ajax son of Telemon also fights
Characters
Achilles
Diomedes
Ajax
Atilochus
Menelaus
Odysseus
Epeius
Book 24
Achilles gets upset and drags HEctor's body but Apollo continues to preserve it
The gods unanimously show pitty toward Hector
Zeus instructs Thetis to tell Achilles to return the body & Priam to ofer Achilles gifts in exchange
Hecabe does try to stop Priam from leaving the Trojan side
Hermes then in diguise accompanies Priam to Achilles
Priam suceeds in the supplication and he laments with Achilles for their losses
Achilles allows Priam 10 days for Hector's funeral and pauses the games
Cassandra sees Priam and tells the Trojans
Andromache, Hecabe & Helen lament in the town for their loss
Book 24 - Character & Themes
Themes
Role of Gods - Zeus tells Achilles to stop mistreating Hector's body & Priam to offer gifts
Role of women - Andromache leads the lamentations
Characters
Priam - caring father
Achilles - deep emotion & regret
Andromache - develops an understading of others' loss
Helen - makes her lament about how she will cope
Hecabe - worried mother and wife - asks Priam to stay
Comments
No comments have yet been made