Iliad Chapter Summary - Essential Homer by Lambardo

Iliad I

- Clash between Greek warlord Agamemnon and Achilles
- Apollo caused it
- Agamemnon dishonored Chryses, his priest, so Apollo struck his men with plague
- Took Chryses’ daughter
- Hera wanted fighting to stop, so influenced Achilles to call meeting to end the fighting
- Achilles recommends to Agamemnon that they consult a prophet or priest
- Calchas (prophet) makes deal with Achilles to tell him what he knows if he protects him
- Agamemnon becomes angry, but accepts deal as long as he gets Achilles’ girl
- Achilles calls him greedy and debates killing him or staying rage
- Athena, sent by Hera, comes to Achilles and calms him
- Nestor (orator) steps up and settles dispute
- Agamemnon set out to sea, but sent two of his men to kidnap Achilles’ girl
- Achilles lets them take her
- Achilles prayed to goddess Thetis (Mother), who agrees to speak to Zeus
- Zeus and other Olympians are at feast and will return in 12 days
- Odysseus on ship pleads Apollo’s forgiveness, returning Chryse’s daughter and offering sacrifice of 100 oxen
- Thetis asks Zeus to give Trojans upper hand until Greeks give Achilles honor
- Zeus is hesitant because of Hera, who becomes suspicious
- Zeus and Hera fight
- Hephaestus recommends she apologize because Zeus is so powerful

Iliad II

- Zeus decides to send a Dream to Agamemnon to make him capture Troy
- “Olympians no longer divided”
- Hera wants Troy to lose
- Zeus wants Greeks to lose
- Honor Achilles by making the Greeks pay
- Men follow Agamemnon and both armies stand ready to go to war
- Thersites, who enjoys provoking people, refuses, saying it’s stupid to march to their doom so Agamemnon can enjoy the riches and votes that everyone stay home
- Criticizes Agamemnon for dishonoring Achilles
- Odysseus shoots him down, threatens him, and beats him
- Rest of men support Odysseus, forget the situation at hand, and laugh at Thersites
- Agamemnon has commanding presence on battlefield with Zeus’ “support”
- Telamonian Ajax is top warrior now without Achilles present

Iliad III

- War
- Paris steps forward, challenging anyone who thinks they can beat him
- Menelaus steps forward to face Paris
- Wants revenge for his possession of his wife, Helen
- Paris steps back when he sees him
- Hector, leader of the Trojan forces, insults Paris and makes him square off against Menelaus to settle the war
- Helen observes the men laying down their arms
- Talks about Greek commanders to Priam, Paris’ father
- Points out Agamemnon, King
- Points out Odysseus, Commander
- Points out Ajax, Warrior
- Duel
- Decide to have sacrifice too
- Kill one black goat and one white goat, symbolizing Sun and Earth
- Agamemnon carries it out
- Also makes vow to gods to honor deal, but demand compensation from the Trojans if Menelaus wins and to wage the war to its end if they refuse
- Paris vs. Menelaus
- Paris throws spear first, hitting Menelaus’ shield
- Menelaus throws spear, knocking Paris back and moving in with his sword
- Prayed to Zeus
- Sword shatters and rips Paris’ helmet off
- Curses Zeus
- Paris calls on Aphrodite to bring him back home
- Meets with Helen
- Menelaus searches for Paris
- Agamemnon declares Menelaus the winner and demands the Trojans fulfill their bargain along with “a suitable penalty”

Iliad IV

- Zeus wonders if there can be peace, but still wants Greeks to pay
- Aphrodite with Paris
- Hera & Athena with Menelaus, “loved by Ares (god of war, sister is Eris)”
- Zeus questions why Hera wants blood from the Priam and the Trojans so badly
- Hera “gives in” and Zeus decides to send Athena down to have Trojans break the truce and fight Greeks
- Hera sneaks among the Trojans and convinces Pandarus to shoot Menelaus with an arrow to receive glory from his people
- Warrior made vow to slay a hundred lambs for Apollo if he were to lend his skills as “the Wolf-born Archer”
- Athena deflects arrow so it only wounds him
- Agamemnon is enraged by broken oath, but Menelaus assures him it’s not bad
- The battle begins

Iliad V

- Athena grants Diomedes strength and leads a battalion to cut through Trojan ranks
- Pandarus hits him with an arrow, but didn’t kill him
- Diomedes pulls arrow out and goes after Pandarus
- Athena gives him sight to distinguish god from man
- Realizes gods are with Diomedes and Menelaus and that attacking them was a mistake
- Aeneas convinces him to meet Diomedes in combat
- Sthenelus recommends to Diomedes that he retreat, but he refuses
- Diomedes and Pandarus meet in battle
- Pandurus throws a spear, which Diomedes deflects with his shield
- Diomedes throws a spear and hits Aeneas
- Aphrodite steps in to save Aeneas, who is one of her sons
- Diomedes attacks Aphrodite
- Aphrodite considered “weakling” goddess because she can’t directly assist in combat
- Hits her, causing her to bleed immortal blood
- Gods and Goddesses remain “deathless”
- Aphrodite flees and Ares helps her return to Dione, her mother, in Olympus
- Tells her “Greeks are fighting immortal gods now”
- Hera and Athena laugh about it
- Diomedes continues to attack Aeneas, despite him having Apollo behind him
- Apollo reminds him how humans are like ants to the gods
- Apollo consults Ares about this perversion, and tide of battle shifts to Trojans
- Hera and Athena realize they’re losing
- Athena straps on armor and they both try to strike back
- Hera questions Zeus of whether or not Ares is making him angry by causing so much death among the Greeks
- Zeus allows Athena to confront him
- Hera rallies the Greek troops
- Athena fights alongside Diomedes and speaks to him
- Diomedes is obeying her wishes by telling his men to hold there because he knows that Ares is guiding the Trojans
- Athena assures him not to worry about Ares, seeing how he’s betrayed Hera and Athena by changing alliances
- Athena rides out to confront Ares
- Wearing Hades’ helmet so he can’t see her, but he still does and throws a spear
- Diomedes throws spear back, guided by Athena
- Spear hits Ares
- Ares complains to Zeus about Athena
- Zeus doesn’t think highly of Ares because he enjoys war
- Zeus still decides to help him with his wound all the same

Iliad VI

- Greeks counterattack
- Hector is advised to return to Troy to consult the elders, have the women pray, and promise sacrifices to the gods
- Hector rallies men to fight while he fulfills tasks
- Glaucus of the Trojans meets Diomedes in no-man’s-land to battle
- Diomedes doesn’t know him at first
- Worried he’s an immortal
- Glaucus explains his lineage
- Diomedes finds ancestral friendship in his story and extends an offer to continue it between them both
- Decide that they will let the other fight normally, but not against each other
- The two shake hands and trade armor so everyone will know
- “Zeus took away Glaucus’ good sense”, not realizing that his gold armor was worth far more than Diomedes’ bronze armor
- Hector returns to Troy
- Has mother complete tasks to please the gods
- Priestess prays to Athena, but Athena ignores it
- Tries to get Paris to leave for battle, but doesn’t
- Returns to his family before setting off back to battle
- Wife, Andromache, is worried she will lose him
- Knows his heart won’t let him stay
- Assures her he’s skilled and will fight and die with honor
- Says prayer for his son to be as he was, brave and strong
- As Hector leaves, Paris finally runs out to join him and return to battle

Iliad VII (omitted)

- Hector and Paris return to battle
- Hector offers to duel any Greek
- Ajax volunteers
- Duel ends in a draw
- Greeks and Trojans agree to truce so they can bury the dead
- Greeks build wall and trench around their camp

Iliad VIII

- Zeus assembles gods
- Demands gods and goddesses stop plotting assistance to either Greeks or Trojans
- Athena says they’ll still command Greeks so they won’t all die without them and Zeus allows it
- Fighting continues
- Zeus gives Trojans upper hand
- Hera finally decides to stand down
- Hector inspires the Trojans
- Men prepare to fight
- Trojans hail the Gods, but get no response per Zeus’ orders

Iliad IX

- Agamemnon sends Odysseus, Phoenix, and Ajax to return and apologize to Achilles so that he might rejoin that battle
- Odysseus tells him how Trojans are winning and have Zeus on their side
- Odysseus tells him about Agamemnon’s rewards if he helps
- Promises treasures and Greek and Trojan women, along with his wife
- Achilles passes it up, saying he’s fought for Greece and never been shown anything for it and could get those riches on his own
- Phoenix pleas him to reconsider
- Talks about how he helped raise him (“second father”)
- Tells Achilles to accept the offer while it’s still there rather than later, when the rewards and honor are gone
- Achilles refuses again, saying he doesn’t need that honor from the Greeks, only from Zeus.
- Says how, as a hero, the cause he would die for would have to be worthy of him. He’d rather live a long life than throw it away in this battle that means nothing to him.
- Also says how, as his friend, Phoenix must also hate Agamemnon. Can’t be friends with both. Wants Phoenix to stay there with him instead.
- Ajax tells him they’ll leave and report back to Agamemnon
- Tells Achilles his heart has grown savage and how it’s ridiculous he’d leave his brothers in arms like this to die over one woman
- Achilles replies he’d only fight if Hector of Troy brings the fight to Greece, but doesn’t care what happens to Agamemnon’s fleet
- Odysseus and Ajax report back to Agamemnon. Phoenix stays the night with Achilles.
- Diomedes takes command

Iliad X (omitted)

- Odysseus and Diomedes raid Trojan camp by night

Iliad XI

- Harsh war rages on. Both sides in a deadlock.
- Agamemnon goes on a rampage
- Hector is told by Zeus’ messenger to hold his troops back for an opening before he is given the strength to strike down Agamemnon and attack the ships
- Agamemnon is wounded, but continues on rampage.
- Returns to his chariot and pulls back, leaving it to his commanders to take charge on the assault
- Hector takes advantage and moves forward
- Hector leads Trojans against Greeks, turning them back
- Odysseus and Diomedes are wounded
- Achilles asks Patroclus to give him an update on the wounded
- Patroclus asks Nestor (old horseman) about wounded and replies with the question of why Achilles would care about any of the Greeks he’d abandoned.
- Nestor pleas Patroclus, who is older and wiser than Achilles, to have him see reason, telling him it’s not too late
- Nestor suggests Patroclus convince Achilles to wear his armor and ride out into battle to trick the Trojans and make them back off

Iliad XII

- Battle rages on. Greeks only have final trench and wall for protection.
- Hector leads his men around trench and up to the wall
- Trojans with Hector have Zeus’ support
- Ajax brothers rally Greek troops
- Zeus sends son Sarpedon, commander of the Lycians, to tear down the wall
- Trojan soldiers move into opening made my Sarpedon, but doesn’t last
- Battle hits stalemate
- Hector rallies Trojans
- Zeus gives Hector strength to crush gate with a boulder
- Greeks retreat

Iliad XIII

- Zeus turns his eyes away as Hector and Trojans siege the Greeks
- Poseidon rallies the Greeks
- Poseidon pities Greeks and gives strength to the Ajaxes as well as advise them to hold their ground
- Fighting intensifies
- Ajax taunts Trojans and Hector taunts back

Iliad XIV

- Poseidon continuing to help Greeks
- Disguised as old man
- Hera takes joy
- Comes up with plans to reunite Rhea and Cronus so they worship her
- Asks Aphrodite for sex appeal, who accepts
- Asks Sleep to put Zeus in trance once she lays with him
- Sleep refuses at first, but Hera promises him one of the Graces, making an oath on the titans in Tartarus
- Seduces Zeus
- Zeus puts veil over them both to cover them from other gods’ eyes
- Nestor meets with Agamemnon, Odysseus, and Diomedes
- Greeks push back
- Ajax knocks out Hector with stone

Iliad XV

- Zeus wakes up and is PO’d
- Hera assures him Poseidon is acting by his own doing
- Zeus tells her to send Iris and Apollo after Poseidon and tell him to desist and give strength back to Hector
- Wants Hector to kill Patroclus
- Tells them to make it clear he is the stronger sibling
- Poseidon refuses at first, since the world was divided up equally between them, but Iris convinces him to stand down by reminding him the Furies always side with the elder
- Hera tells other gods Zeus’ orders
- Tells Ares his son has died
- Ares gets up to avenge his son and Athena stops him
- Poseidon returns to the sea
- Apollo revives Hector
- Greeks see him and are driven back to the ships
- Ajax leading Greeks, fighting ship to ship
- Mentalities
- Greeks fighting thinking they won’t make it out of this alive
- Trojans fighting wanting to massacre Greeks and set their ships ablaze

Iliad XVI

- Patroclus comes to Achilles, weeping over the deaths of the Greek soldiers
- Pleas Achilles to set aside his vengeance and let him trick the Trojans by riding out in his armor
- Achilles lets him as long as he just sets them back into the plains and returns
- Achilles brings in his reinforcements (“Myrmidons”)
- Fifty ships, fifty each, divided between five battalions with five commanders
- Prays to Zeus to give glory to Patroclus
- Wishes for all his weapons and men to make it back
- Zeus answers half the prayer:
- Patroclus will drive Trojans back from the ships, but…
- Patroclus will not come back unharmed
- Patroclus rallies Myrmidons under Achilles’ glory
- Drives back Trojans and Greeks move forward
- Ajax continues to try to get a shot at Hector, but has no luck
- Hector tries to hold his ground
- Patroclus chases after Hector
- Patroclus and Myrmidons head of Lycians
- Faces off with Sarpedon and kills him
- Zeus must choose to either let Sarpedon die or save him
- Hera is worried about other gods doing the same
- Glaucus prays to Apollo to heal own wound and help him lead Lycians to get back Sarpedon’s body
- Blames Hector
- Zeus wonders if Patroclus should die by Hector’s hand over Sarpedon’s death or if he should kill more Trojans
- Does what he knows Achilles would prefer
- Zeus asks Apollo to retrieve Sarpedon’s body
- Patroclus advances, forgetting Achilles’ order to retreat once they reached the plain
- Zeus puts fury in his heart
- Pushes them back to Troy
- Would have won if Apollo didn’t defend the gate
- Patroclus retreats
- Hector has to decide whether to go back into battle or to retreat behind city walls
- Apollo tells him to go back into battle
- Greeks weaken, Trojans strengthen
- Patroclus goes on rampage
- Apollo sneaks behinds him and knocks him down, disarming him
- Hector kills Patroclus
- Patroclus tells Hector that he won’t live long either

Iliad XVII (omitted)

- Desperate struggle over Patroclus’ corpse
- Word is sent back to Achilles over Patroclus’ death

Iliad XVIII

- Word of Patroclus’ death reaches Achilles
- His mother, Thetis, comes down to see what’s wrong
- Promises him armor made by Hephaestus if he waits until the next morning to fight
- Achilles wants to kill Hector, even if fighting in the war means his death
- His mother reminds him how it was prophezised that he would die when he fights in the war
- Lays aside his anger at Agamemnon
- Hector yells to rally Trojans to move forward
- Hera sends Iris down to tell Achilles to show himself to the Trojans to halt their advancement
- Achilles does so and shouts to stop Trojans in their tracks
- Gives Greeks the chance to retrieve Patroclus’ body
- Hector took Achilles’ armor from Patroclus’ body

Iliad XIX

- Achilles’ mother, Thetis, returns with Hephaestus’ armor and weapons
- Achilles calls for assembly
- Diomedes, Odysseus, & Agamemnon, though wounded, show up
- Achilles & Agamemnon reconcile for sake of the war
- Greeks prepare for battle
- Briseis, Patroclus’ wife mourns over his death
- Other women in camp mourn with her over their own losses
- Get on board their ships
- Zeus sends Athena down to Achilles to give him strength
- Achilles knows that he will die, but goes anyway

Iliad XX

- Zeus calls for assembly
- Allows all gods to help whichever side they choose
- Greek side:
- Hera
- Athena
- Poseidon
- Hermes
- Hephaestus
- Trojan side:
- Ares
- Apollo
- Artemis
- Leto
- Xanthus
- Aphrodite
- GAWD WAH
- Achilles goes on rampage after Hector
- Hector avoids him at first
- Achilles kills Hector’s youngest brother, Poldorus
- Hector faces Achilles
- Achilles nearly kills him with spear
- Apollo saves Hector
- Achilles continues to kill left and right

Iliad XXI

- Achilles drives Trojans to the river and massacres them
- Lycaon, son of Priam, kneels before Achilles begging for his life
- Achilles tries to kill him with spear at first
- Apparently they have a past
- Begs that since he comes from a different mother than Hector that he be spared
- Achilles kills Lycaon, showing no mercy to any Trojan for Patroclus’ death
- River god, Xanthus, attacks Achilles
- Hera has Hephaestus fight him back with fire
- Gods continue to fight each other
- Achilles continues on to Troy
- Priam calls his men back to rest behind the walls
- Apollo fends off Achilles from reaching Troy
- Uses Agenor (Trojan Warrior) to face off against Achilles

Iliad XXII

- Greeks mass around Trojan walls
- Achilles & Apollo yell at each other
- Hector eager to face off against Achilles
- After how many of his sons they’ve already lost, Priam and his wife don’t want Hector to go
- Hector conflicted
- Blames himself for the massacre of his troops
- Didn’t pull back when he was told
- Can face Achilles and either kill him or die honorably
- Could also surrender
- Surrender Helen
- Give them half of treasure in Troy’s citadel
- Doesn’t want to go out unarmed, however
- Decides to meet him in combat
- Achilles & Hector face off
- Achilles chases him all through the outer gates of Troy
- “...like death’s black birds”
- Achilles tells his men to leave Hector to him
- Zeus conflicted
- Hector offered much sacrifice to him
- Athena convinces him not to interfere
- Athena supports Achilles
- Tricks Hector into staying and fighting by taking on the form of one of his brothers
- Hector tries to make deal with Achilles that, whoever the loser, their body and armor are respected and returned to their people
- Achilles refuses deal out of rage
- The Fight
- Achilles throws spear and misses
- Hector throws spear, but is deflected by Achilles’ shield
- Hector yells to his brother (Athena) for another spear, but has disappeared
- Realizes it was one of the gods, showing how they’re for his demise
- Achilles throws spear into Hector’s neck, where his armor is vulnerable
- Achilles’ original armor
- Hector begs Achilles to “not allow the dogs to mutilate (his) body”
- Achilles refuses once again out of vengeance and rage
- “So this is Achilles. There was no way to persuade you. Your heart is a lump of iron.” - Hector
- Hector warns him that the gods will not forget his dishonor
- Achilles strips Hector’s armor
- Greeks admire Hector’s body, but still stab at it with their spears
- Defiles Hector’s body
- “Pierced tendons above the heels and cinched them with leather thongs to his chariot, letting Hector’s head drag.”
- Hector’s parents are distraught
- Priam decides to try and reason with Achilles to get Hector’s body back
- Hecuba, Hector’s mother, mourns with women of Troy

Iliad XXIII

- Greeks return to their ships
- Achilles rallies Myrmidons to mourn Patroclus
- Achilles is directed to Agamemnon’s hut
- Suggested that he wash off the carnage first, but he refuses
- Funeral held for Patroclus
- Patroclus’ spirit comes to Achilles in the night
- Instructs him to bury his body
- Achilles agrees
- Tries to touch Patroclus, but can’t
- Achilles promises to feed Hector’s body to dogs
- Aphrodite keeps dogs from eating it
- Apollo protects body from sun
- Achilles decides to burn it
- Pray to gods that the wood would burn
- Hosts sacrifices and funeral games

Iliad XXIV

- Achilles continues to desecrate Hector’s body
- Apollo convinces other gods to order Achilles to allow body to be ransomed
- Thetis persuades Achilles
- Hermes guides Priam to Achilles’ hut with ransom
- Priam enters tent and kisses Achilles’ hand
- “I have kissed the hand of the man who killed my son.” - Priam
- Pleas him as elder to show same respect
- Achilles admires Priam for his courage
- Achilles agrees to ransom
- Prays for forgiveness from Patroclus
- Greeks feast
- Priam still in the camp
- Hermes leads him out of camp safely
- Priam returns to Troy with Hector’s body
- Trojans mourn him
- First his wife
- Then his mother
- Then Helen
- Only one who accepted Helen
- Lastly, Priam spoke to his people
- Mourned for nine days & buried him on the tenth