The first classical book I've had the courage to read. Okay, I didn't really read it, I listened to an audio recording of the whole book. Saves time and I didn't have to worry about mispronouncing the Greek names.
The book has survived through the centuries because it is authentic, emphatic and contains lots of strong characters as well as strong imagery. It is no wonder that Achilles and Hector still feature in modern day books and films. The question I ask is this: is the book based on the real way that happened or did Homer just come up with the whole thing in his imagination. Any how it came about, I doff my hat. I don't think however that people were once aware of death like they are of someone who lives in the neighbourhood, or that people could describe the way gods who lived above acted and ruled, so yes it is based on the writer's imagination.
What I wonder is how his characters have appeared in other writings from around that time? Are the characters, i.e. human characters like Ajax and Patroclus (not Aphrodite or Apollo) real people such as Greek heroes? Someone please enlighten me. I could just search on the internet though...
Unlike modern fiction, where people are killed in masses and they die without us really feeling sympathy for the other side - we only feel sympathy for one side, whichever side the author wants us too and then only for a few on that side, although we rejoice in their victory and bewail their loss. In the Iliad, you get to know something about every character. Hardly any one dies without a brief history being told. You learn how a young man about to be shot by an arrow is a bastard son of his father or get an insight into his life as a boy. When Homer decides to describe a killing, none of the sides die in obscurity.
The war had been going on before the Iliad really begins and I think the whole war takes 10 years and it is caused by a woman. (The power of Eves huhn). This woman is Helen is kidnapped from her lawful husband by another, this another happens to be so fine a man that even his name attests to it, Paris. But remember that Helen is reputed to be the most beautiful woman in the world then, I now hold the position. :D
The gods made me exasperated. I wanted to tie their hands together and let the war take its own course. Early in the book the war would have been settled as both sides tried to reach a reasonable settlement but trust the gods to interfere and cause rage. Achilles who is the only Greek hero I knew heretofore, is quite selfish. He actually places a curse on his own people saying they should die terribly in war because he has a personal vendetta against Agamemnon, the king of men. What caused this but strife over beautiful women. It does make women special to be causing such chaos. But really, y'all didn't have to take it that far. Women abound, don't they.
I really wanted the Trojans to win but shame on Achilles, he came and spoilt everything. He is so enraged that he tries to fill a river with dead bodies. You would think he would have more sense. But a saying goes “anger blinds.” The river gets angry and fights back....
Anger/ wrath, fate, honour, glory and of course war, are prominent themes in the book.
The book ended with my favourite and personal crush still being alive but not for long as I just learnt in Homer's other book, the Odyssey.
8. Once an angry man dragged his father along the ground through his own orchard. "Stop!" cried the groaning old man at last, "Stop! I did not drag my father beyond this tree."
Okay I will.
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First, I felt it was rather different from her other writings. It was great, don't get me wrong, but it was free from that encompassing wit in the thoughts of the characters. Okay, not free from. But it was not as much as I expected from her main characters, which only shows how diversified she can be. Her main characters do not all fall into the same stereotype.
