Page 1 of 17 Iliad I: Commentary 1. Anger: One of the nice things about FitzGerald s translation is that he starts his poem with Anger, which corresponds to the first word of the Greek, menin. Better would be rage, which Robert Fagles and Stanley Lombardo use in their poem. 1. immortal one: this is nice, as Homer does not use the word Mousa here, but uses thea ( goddess ). 2. Akhilleus: FitzGerald was the one of the first of the translators to use the Hellenicized spellings of the Greek words prior to his version, the convention was to use the Latinate spelling Achilles. Achilles is the greatest of the Achaeans according to the poet he is their greatest warrior, almost unbeatable, but he is not the leader of the expedition that is Agamemnon, the leader of the largest force at Troy, and king of Mycenae. 2. doomed and ruinous: the Greek word oulomenen, which means ruinous. Achilles anger, the theme of the Iliad, is ruinous to the Greeks many die, while he angrily sits out the battle but also results in the death of his friend, Patroclus, which is most grievous for Achilles himself. 6 and the will of Zeus was done : Not sure what this means Zeus helps Achilles get fame, and he does this by tipping the scales in favor of the Trojans for several days, but Achilles anger does not seem to be something Zeus planned. Zeus is not omniscient or omnipotent. 11 the son of Zeus by Leto: this is Apollo, whose priest is insulted by Agamemnon. He is also the foremost defender of the Trojans on Mt. Olympus. 16 Khryses: Chryses, whose daughter Chryseis was taken as booty by Agamemnon. The Greeks, who could not capture Troy yet (we re in the 10th year of the war) take breaks from fighting at Troy and attack neighboring towns to get loot and prisoners. 19 Akhaia: Achaea technically this is part of Greece, but Homer uses it as a term for all of Greece. He uses Achaeans, Argives and Danaans interchangeably for Greeks the term Greek is actually based on a Latin word to describe the people of Greece. The Greeks in historical time, and today, call themselves Hellenes, and Greece Hellas. 25 let me have my daughter back for ransom: the priest makes a legitimate offer, and the right thing for Agamemnon to do is to accept it. Agamemnon s pride, and the sense that, if he loses his prize, even with all the ransom, he will be lessened by it. 34 the staff and ribbons of the god will fail you: these are strong words, and rather strange coming from a man who must have some political skill as leader of the Greek forces. Admittedly he has a big ego, but no good can come from insulting a priest, and by extension, the gods. 37 visiting my bed: of course, that s what slave women who were attractive could count on unwanted sexual advances from their master. It is striking that he says this to the girl s dad, which really seems to be rubbing it in. 44 master of the silver bow: Apollo is associated with a silver bow he is a god of archery as well as a god of music and prophecy. 46 Sminthian: the exact meaning of the title Sminthios in the Greek is unclear it seems to be associated with Apollo as the god who brought plague the Greek word seems to have some connection to mouse. 48 burnt thighbones: the gods do not eat human food, but eat ambrosia and drink nectar. They take delight, though, in smelling the burning meat cooked at sacrifices in their
Page 2 of 17 honor. The ancient Greeks and people of the Middle East would not eat much meat in their daily diet. Meat would be served at a time of sacrifice, however. 51-61 These lines feature an angry Apollo. Apollo, a god associated with reason, has a terrible anger, and is not a god you want angry at you. In some ways, his own anger mirrors that of Achilles, which likewise sends countless Greeks to their deaths. 63 called an assembly: Apparently, any of the Greek commanders could call an assembly. Why it takes them 9 days before such an assembly is called is rather striking. And why doesn t Agamemnon call the assembly? 75 why all this anger of the god Apollo? Really they know that Apollo, the god of plague, is doing this they can t think of some reason why Apollo might be angry with them? I ve never understood this. I d think it more likely that rumors would already be going through the camp connecting this to the insulting behavior of Agamemnon to the priest. 77 hekatombs: hecatombs are sacrifices of 100 cattle to the gods. Given that ancient Greece does not have lots of grazing land, cattle are relatively rare most sacrifices would be goats or sheep. I m not sure how many hecatombs were performed in the historical Greek city-states, but they seem to happen all the time in the world of Homeric heroes, which suggests great wealth. 80 Kalkhas Thestorides: Calchas, son of Thestor. In Greek it is common for the men to be named by their name and their patronymic ( son of ), which ends in des. He is the chief prophet or soothsayer on the Greek side. His advice helped get the fleet to Troy. Homer doesn t explain what he means in saying this. In later accounts (and Homer may not know those accounts), he reveals the anger of Artemis at Agamemnon that results in Agamemnon sacrificing his daughter, Iphigenia, to get good winds for the Troy-bound fleet. 91 a man with power in Argos: this is Agamemnon. Argos is a city near Mycenae, and under Mycenae s control. The leader of Argos is a young warrior named Diomedes, but Agamemnon seems to control that city, and Argos is sometimes used to mean Mycenae, or the area of Greece that includes Mycenae and Argos. Of course, Calchas is concerned at angering the warlord for fear some reprisal will come. As Achilles actually departs, and nothing happens to Calchas, maybe he didn t need the help. It does allow for Achilles to face off against Agamemnon. 104-05: Agamemnon first in rank: Does Achilles know this already? In saying he is first in rank, that has to do with the power that comes from being king of the # 1 town and the guy with the greatest wealth. Achilles comes from Phthia in the far north of Greece. He is a great warrior, but has only a dozen ships and comes from farm country. Think of it this way Agamemnon is like the Mayor of NY, while Achilles is like the mayor of Sitka, AK, or Fargo, ND you know who has greater rank, even if the small town guy is a better person. 115 with no demand for ransom: the deal was good when Chryses came to Agamemnon that offer spurned, he must now give up the girl without any recompense, which causes Agamemnon to feel a real loss of prestige. 119 ruler of the great plain: the area around Mycenae. Mycenae itself is on a plateau that overlooks a large plain.
Page 3 of 17 125 Calamity is all you care about : Agamemnon here seems to allude to other prophecies made by Calchas which were disastrous for Agamemnon. It is unclear whether Homer here alludes to the prophecy at Aulis that led to the sacrifice of Iphigenia. 136 Klytaimnestra: Clytemnestra, Agamemnon s wife, is the sister of Helen. She is generally shown to be a proud queen and very powerful. When Agamemnon returns from Troy, she will kill Agamemnon (or have him killed by Aegisthus, her lover). There is clearly no great love here. It must be stated that the Greek leaders all have slave girls who see to their physical needs. The statement that he finds Chryseis more attractive than his wife would seem a rather strong statement to make, but it would not be unfamiliar to many Greeks in the audience. 140 that I may not be left without my portion: in suggesting that another Greek give up his prize to Agamemnon, he is exerting his authority. The Greek forces at Troy, though, are not a unified command but a collection of allies serving under Agamemnon. In the Civil War, the various state militias had a certain degree of autonomy, but for these Greeks there was even more autonomy. Agamemnon s prestige among the other Greeks is based on how much loot he has. As he sees it, if he loses a big prize, he ll lose some prestige and authority. As he finally has to give in to Achilles, and give Achilles lots more stuff than he lost, he could have made a grand gesture here and kept his prestige. Then, of course, we would not have a story. 145 most insatiate of men: this shows some impatience on the part of Achilles with Agamemnon. At this point, though, Achilles is still showing some deference to Agamemnon, and makes a legitimate suggestion take this hit for the team and we ll make it up to you. One wonders, though, if Agamemnon hears any of this, or just this slight dig at the start there seems to be some past between Achilles and Agamemnon, which may go back to the departure at Aulis. 162 I will take a girl myself: Agamemnon, as leader of the largest force, with the greatest number of men behind him has the ability to do what he says. He is also the one who divvies up the loot, and so can redistribute the prizes. Just because he can do it doesn t make it right. 163 Aias, or Odysseus : he names two other lords, but they do not react with indignation. In a way they don t have to because Achilles goes ballistic and then Agamemnon directs all future comments at him. Aias is spelled in the Latinate tradition Ajax. There are two guys at Troy named Ajax. Ajax the son of Telamon is meant here. A large guy (about 6 ft tall in a 5 ft. world), he is known as the bulwark of the Achaeans. The other Ajax, Ajax son of Oileus, is a small allpurpose fighter there is something cruel or dishonorable about Ajax Oileus. Odysseus, from Ithaca, is the smartest of the Greek leaders. He is a great warrior, but is largely known for his ability at strategy and making speeches. 166: we can decide on later: this is a strange comment to make a threat and be somewhat broad about the target, and then shove it aside as if nothing has been said. 171: Aias, Idomeneus or you, Akhilleus: Again, Ajax son of Telamon and Odysseus. Idomeneus is the king of Crete and is an important ally to the Greeks at Troy. There is something tone-deaf about Agamemnon has he forgotten that he just threatened to take away Achilles prize? Or does he not care, or is this just a way to show how powerful he is?
Page 4 of 17 175: thick-skinned, shameless, greedy fool: all caution is cast aside as Achilles reveals what he really thinks of Agamemnon. Achilles chief gripe seems to be that he does all the work, and Agamemnon as the leader of the expeditionary force gets the best loot, though he doesn t do as much on the field. 179: I had no quarrel with Troy : Achilles will also make this argument. Why is he at Troy? This is the same argument that many made who protested the Vietnam War Vietnam had done nothing to us directly, not until we got in their civil war. 196: I carry off some trifle : Achilles argument is that he does the greatest amount of work, but gets less recompense. If loot shows prestige, why should the Greeks be helping Agamemnon increase his pile and his prestige by their efforts? 201: Desert: as these are an alliance, I m not sure that Achilles can be charged with desertion. He has been insulted by the man whom he is aiding, and can, by all accounts, feel he is right in leaving. 203f.: Zeus : as commander in chief, Agamemnon can look to Zeus as his guardian. It is clear, though, that Zeus does not care much for Agamemnon, and he does help Achilles get more prestige. This may be Agamemnon trying to frame the argument in his favor. 209: Myrmidons: these are Achilles people. The name is unclear. Why are they not called Phthians? The Greeks associated the word with the word myrmex which means ant, as if Achilles forces were like some great ant army swarming into battle. As Achilles came to Troy with only 12 ships (the same as Odysseus and Ajax), it is unclear how he could have thousands of guys. 12 ships would mean about 500-700 fighting men. 215: Briseis: this is Achilles prize. It is noteworthy that her name and Chryseis, the name of Agamemnon s prize sound so much alike. Agamemnon, threatening to come to Achilles tent himself, is challenging Achilles, counting on custom keeping Achilles in check. It is a bold and potentially fatal gambit. Agamemnon indicates that he does this to intimidate the other Greeks as well they must acknowledge him as leader. 221: shaggy chest: in other words, he has a hairy chest, unlike Steve Reeves or Arnold Schwarzenegger with their wax hair-removal. 222-3 should he draw and kill: There is no doubt that Achilles could kill Agamemnon. Though Agamemnon has no legal authority, such a breach would be seen as very bad. Ajax, later in the war, does go mad and tries to kill Agamemnon and Odysseus and has to take his own life, or be executed. 227: Athena: Athena and Hera are both on the side of the Greeks. According to the story of the Judgment of Paris, the two goddesses hate the Trojans because Paris chose Aphrodite over them in a beauty contest. There is no evidence that Homer knows that story, but the goddesses hate the Trojans and support the Greeks. In a sense, Athena s appearance represents Achilles own mind at work his instinct is to run Agamemnon through, but his rational mind keeps that from happening. 231: visible to no one: that only Achilles can see her is a sign that this may reflect his internal thinking. Though this scene takes a few minutes to read, Athena s discussion with Achilles takes place in the twinkling of an eye in real time. If this were put in a film, we might see everyone else frozen while Athena and Achilles discuss, with a return to real time at her departure.
Page 5 of 17 232: red-gold hair: Greeks from northern Greece (Phthia is about as far north as you can get and still be Greece) are sometimes fair-haired. The god, Ares, who is associated with Thrace (in the North), is often called fair-haired or red-haired. 235: grey eyes: one of the epithets of Athena is glaukopis it is usually translated as grey-eyed, though it may mean owl-eyed or keen-eyed. 238: who bears the stormcloud: Zeus is a god of weather. 250: winnings three times as rich: Athena promises that he ll get more back than he loses. This is the same deal that Achilles suggests to Agamemnon, who won t hear of it. 252: the great runner: my guess is that this corresponds to the most common epithet of Achilles, usually translated as swift-footed. One of the few things I liked about Troy was that when Brad Pitt charged, the camera work, or Pitt s own athleticism reflected this Achilles would actually pick up speed as he ran. 256: Honor the gods will : Achilles shows that he is, generally, a thoughtful fellow, who does right. 260: Off to Olympos: (or Olympus) Olympus was a mountain in Northern Greece and was quite high there is no way that the gods could see Troy from Mt. Olympus. For a lot of the epic, Zeus hands out on Mt. Ida, the nearest mountain to Troy, where he keeps an eye on the action. 265: Sack of wine cur s eyes antelope heart: Achilles calls Agamemnon a drunkard (which he is not), and a coward who is not forthright. He also accuses him of failing to appear in battle. Actually Agamemnon does go into battle, even if he is not the # 1 or even in the top 10 of Greek warriors. Later in the Iliad, Homer gives Agamemnon the longest and most detailed arming scene. 276: this great staff: more like a scepter the Greeks use it in assembly to indicate who has the right to speak, though there doesn t seem to be much emphasis on the passing around of the talking stick. Achilles reverie about the stick s past as a tree is a lot like some of the similes in Homer there s a lot of additional detail provided that isn t directly pertinent. 289: Hektor; Hector is the leader of the Trojans. He is the eldest son of King Priam of Troy and may be the noblest figure in the poem. 295: Nestor: Nestor is the King of Pylos, the southernmost city in Greece. Archaeological digs have found evidence of a Myceneaean era palace in Pylos. Nestor is very old (at least 70, and probably older). He is judged very wise, and rather heroic in his younger days, when he hung around with Heracles and others of that generation. He is also seen as something of an old bore when I was your age 311: Perithous king of the Lapiths and best friend to Theseus, king of Athens. The battle of the Lapiths and Centaurs (a fight that broke out at the wedding celebration held in honor of Perithous) was a common theme in Greek art. The other names mentioned here, besides Theseus, are unknown to me. Aigeus (Aegeus) is Theseus mortal father. It is thought that Poseidon was his divine (and biological) dad. 344: What a poltroon : For Achilles the chief point is that if he allows Agamemnon to hold such power over him, he will no longer feel he has the authority due him. If he stands for Agamemnon s arrogance, he (Achilles) will no longer have self-respect or the respect of others.
Page 6 of 17 359: Patroklos: Patroclus is Achilles friend, not his cousin as in the film, Troy. He is also Achilles elder (by a half dozen years or so). 366f.: police camp throw refuse: I don t recall ever reading these lines, but here they are. Of course, keeping the camp clean would be a top priority, as everyone of the Greek forces is living in fairly close quarters. 373: Eurybates and Talthybios: Eurybates and Talthybius are Agamemnon s heralds and ambassadors. They generally work as a pair. 413: Eyes wet with tears: There was no shame for Greek men to show emotion. Still, there are times that Achilles whining seems a lot like the whining of Hayden Christensen in Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones. 414f.: his mother heard him/in green deeps : Achilles mom is Thetis, a sea nymph. His father is Peleus, king of Phthia, and one of the Argonaut expedition. Peleus was a pretty good warrior. Zeus, afraid that he might take up with Thetis and produce a son greater than the father, made sure that she married a mortal and had no children who might pose a threat to his power. As a goddess with a mortal son, she is often grieving. 424: Eetion Thebe: This Thebe is not connected to the Greek city Thebes, or the Egyptian Thebes. It is a town near Troy allied to Troy. Hector s wife, Andromache, comes from this town. In the siege of the town, Achilles killed Eetion (Andrdomache s dad) and his sons. The raid was to get loot, and the city was not taken over. Achilles gives quite a bit of exposition here. It is likely, as he says, that Thetis already knows much of this. And Homer s audience would know a lot of the details, and yet we still get the exposition here. 432: two Atreidai: The Atreidai are Agaememnon and Menelaus, the two sons of Atreus. Each is sometimes called individually as Atrides son of Atreus. 458ff.: when other gods wished to keep him bound: This story is not expanded on it seems that the gods plotted a coup against Zeus, a coup that Athena, Hera and Poseidon were all part of, and it would have succeeded, but Thetis freed Zeus. The tenuous nature of Zeus power is striking. 463: Aigaion Briareus: Briareus is one of the 100 hands, gigantic figures that have 50 heads and 100 arms and hands (they serve as Zeus heavy artillery in the battle with the Giants). Here Briareus is associated with the figure of Aegaeon whose name suggests the Aegean Sea. Homer also says that Briareus is a son of Poseidon, where elsewhere he is an uncle of Zeus and Poseidon, and son of Uranus, the Sky, and Gaea, the Earth. 470: if he will take the Trojan side: Achilles plan is for Zeus to come to the aid of the Trojans so that the Greeks start losing then they ll be sorry. 480: your life runs out so soon: later in the work we ll get a statement that Achilles can have one of two lives long without fame, or short with fame. He has chosen the latter, which is why he is so touchy about losing face before the Greek army. 490: the Sunburned: these are the blameless Ethiopians, which, for the Greeks means all darkskinned Africans. When the gods need to be away for more than a day, they are often sent by the author to dine (for a week or two) with the blameless Ethiopians. 506: the great tactician: Odysseus is known primarily as the smartest guy on the Greek side at Troy. This may be why Agamemnon had him be the one who delivers Chryseis. 543: as One Who Keeps the Plague Afar: or who brings the plague. As the god associated with plague, he can bring it or keep it away.
Page 7 of 17 547: finger tips of rose: This is a common line about Dawn and her rosy-fingers. It appears in the poem at least a half dozen times verbatim. 563: felt his valor staling : Though he is angry at Agamemnon and is determined to stay out of the battle, it is clear that he has an itch for battle. 565: twelve days had passed: when the Olympians go to see the blameless Ethiopians, they are often gone for 12 days. So for 12 days, Achilles had to stew in his own camp. 574-5: her right hand held up/to cup his chin: this was common for a petitioner to reach up and grab hold of the chin (or beard) of the person being petitioned. If you are holding their chin, you can pull it into a yes (it is unclear how no was done, but the most likely was with a backwards shake, so the hold keeps the no from happening). 594: Here is trouble : Zeus is worried because Hera can see them. Hera will either think that Zeus is setting up some assignation, or that he is plotting behind Hera s back. 598f.: I take/the Trojan side in battle: I get the sense that this is not true. Zeus likes the Trojans and so does not take any part to help the Greeks, which Hera sees as helping the Trojans. 608: as all Olympos trembled: if Olympus trembles when Zeus shakes his head, how is it that he hoped to keep this all secret? It would seem likely that all the gods would know. 613: not one dared/face him unmoved: the other gods are clearly afraid of Zeus and do not want to offend him. 617: silvery-footed daughter: presumably the silvery-foot has to do with sea-foam or something like that. At any rate, it is the common epithet for Thetis. 618: Old One of the Sea: this is Proteus, and not Poseidon. 619: Kronion: son of Cronus. Sometimes this alone is used of Zeus. 631: don t harry me about it with your questions: Zeus keeps his own counsel and warns Hera not to pester him about his plans. He will tell her, if he tells her, in his own good time. He will tell her if he plans on telling anyone. 633: what a thing to say: Hera acts hurt by the suggestion. It is clear, though, that Hera is something of a nag. She may have good reason for pestering Zeus, but this innocent act is rather strange. 651f.: when I approach your chair/to lay my inexorable hands upon you : basically, pow, zoom, to the moon, Alice. Zeus is threatening to beat Hera up. He does not do this, but the talk of this Zeus is rather rough and tumble and not seemly for the king of the gods. 670: You know how he can shock us if he cares to: Zeus, if he gets upset will not only knock Hera about, but will zap the other gods with lightning bolts. Again, this sounds like something that has happened and could happen again, though it does not happen in the Iliad. 682: One other time: so there was a previous incident. It is unclear whether this fall from Olympus to Lemnos is why Hephaestus is lame in Homer s eyes. Milton, in Paradise Lost, suggests that this fall of Hephaestus from Olympus was inspired by the fall of Satan from heaven, and misunderstood by those who saw it. Lemnos, a volcanic island, is sacred to Hephaestus. 692: And quenchless laughter: the gods are not PC they see the crippled and burly smith bustling about like a waiter they start laughing. One wonders if this was Hephaestus intent to be a court jester and defuse the situation.
Page 8 of 17 700 the Muses: the Muses are associated with Apollo and often serve as backup singers for him. 705: the ending is rather sweet, with Zeus and Hera going to bed.
Page 9 of 17 Iliad XVIII: The most memorable part of Book XVIII is the description of the armor, and especially the shield made by Hephaestus for Achilles at Thetis request. This comes at the end of the book. 2: I am here to beg you : The speaker is Thetis, who has arrived at Hephaestus palace. 3: my doomed son: Thetis knows that Achilles, having decided to rejoin the battle, will die soon. Achilles also knows this. In a sense, having lost Patroclus, he has also lost a strong desire for life. He will get his revenge, and Thetis goes to Hephaestus to get the best armor available for her son, as a sign of his glory, and also to protect him as he goes to face Hector. 5: His own armor was lost: Patroclus wore Achilles armor into the battle by wearing the armor of Achilles, he hoped he would be taken for Achilles, which would allow Achilles to maintain his absence from the war, but give the Greeks a breather. 8: the illustrious lame god: Hephaestus is lame, either because he was born that way, or from his great fall from Olympus onto the island of Lemnos. 9f: I only wish that I could hide him from the power of death: the gods can protect humans for a time, but they cannot keep them from their fate. Achilles is fated to die at Troy the gods can protect him at this point, but cannot save him from death at Troy. 15: To work!: apparently, Hephaestus can give a command to the bellows and they will comply. 21f. : The description of the blacksmith at work is in error the materials he uses (bronze, tin, silver and gold) are heated but then hammered when cold, but here they are hammered while hot (which would be done with iron).1 27: His first job was a shield : this is the most famous excursus in the poem. It is likely that the conceit here is Homer s, and that he created this show-stopper, even setting it up by having Patroclus die, losing Achilles armor. Vergil will do the same in the Aeneid, taking this description as his cue. 37: pivoting there: the shield of Achilles has sun, moon and some constellations. From the description, it sounds like the constellations appear to move in the sky. The constellations mentioned are all very prominent in the night sky. Though they would have some significance for sailors, they are primarily used by farmers. 39ff: The Two Cities the city at peace, with a wedding going on, and the city at war. Given the importance of marital (or intimate) relations in this work (Menelaus-Helen-Paris; Priam-Hecuba; Hector-Andromache; Achilles-Briseis), it is interesting that a wedding be the chief focus in the city at peace. 1 Some of the comments on this book come from Malcolm M. Willcock s A Companion to the Iliad, which serves as a commentary on Richmond Lattimore s translation. 47ff.: two men at odds for a murder done: there were no prisons in the ancient world, and very little in the way of jails. Most things that would be punished by prison time today would be handled by a person paying some sort of fine, or being sent into exile, perhaps with his property being seized. This was practice throughout the Middle Ages paying a blood price for a murdered person was common. Once paid, there could be no more bad blood
Page 10 of 17 between the murdered man s family and the murderer. It apparently had to be of a figure acceptable to the murdered man s family. In this case, it is not, so the matter goes to arbitration. The idea that the arbiter who comes up with the best solution will be given a prize of his own is interesting. The two talents of gold would likely come, one from one disputant, the other from the other. Presumably the winner is determined by the person whose solution both sides accept. 59-97: The city at war. We have a city besieged, the figures of Ares and Athena (on opposite sides? or the same?) bigger than the men on either side, and in high relief (not practical in a shield such figures would be hacked off pretty easily). We get a couple of strange things here 1) the intentions of the attackers they are split on what to do, sack or get ransom how can that be portrayed in two-dimensional art?; 2) the allegorical figures of Strife and Uproar (and Fate? in other translations this is Death, which makes sense). The lines about Strife, Uproar and company appear verbatim (with one word changed) in The Shield of Herakles, attributed to Hesiod. The lines make better sense there, but seem taken from this poem. 98-107: A field being ploughed. This appears to be a common field, in which each of the citizens has a part, so that there are several ploughs working at once. 108-120: Reaping in the king s field. Willcock suggests that, in ordinary circumstances, the king and his entourage would get the meat, with the hands getting some sort of porridge, with barley. This seems to be a special feast, with all getting meat, with the barley strewn upon the meat. 121-134: The vintage. The song referred to seems to be a dirge for Linus (like the dirges sung for Adonis). 135-169: Other scenes of country life: cattle, sheep and dancing. 140: nine little dogs: the detail seems impossible, but is quite wonderful in description 140-148: Two lions attack and kill a bull, while dogs and herdsman are unable to do anything. There seems to be a lot of action going on for a two dimensional piece. 152ff.: The dance described as taking place in a courtyard/dancing area such as Daedalus made for Ariadne. Daedalus was the Athenian craftsman who was employed by Minos to make the Labyrinth to keep the Minotaur. He and his son, Icarus, escaped on wings made of wax, but Icarus, flying too high, died when his wings melted and he felt into the sea. Ariadne, Minos daughter, helped Theseus defeat the Minotaur, and then escaped with him, only to be abandoned by him on Naxos. 158: khitons: chitons are the male tunic worn in Greece. It sounds like Hephaestus has polished the chitons so that they shine (like lamé?). Again the level of detail here is impossible. 170: the Ocean stream: the ocean was imagined, by the Greeks of Homer s day, and earlier, as a wide river that ran around the edge of the world (which was imagined like a disc). 175: greaves of pliant tin: these are divine arms, so they re much more durable than anything a human craftsman can make, but tin doesn t seem to be that strong to withstand weapons. Greaves are shin-guards.
Page 11 of 17 Iliad XXIV: Priam goes to release Hector s body. The scene between Achilles and Priam is remarkable. Achilles looks on the old man and thinks of his own father, Peleus, now old and alone in Phthia, who will never see his son again, and Priam thinks of the son who has been cut down. Together they weep it s a great human moment. 1f. He yoked/his team, with Hektor: After slaying Hector in one-on-one combat in Book XXII, Achilles still feels a certain amount of rage for Hector s killing of Patroclus. And so, he ties the body to the back of his chariot and drags it through the dirt three times every morning. This behavior offends even the gods. Apollo keeps the body from decay and mistreatment by coating it with ambrosia. 13 the Wayfinder: this is another term for Hermes, who is the god of travel and travelers, as well as being a messenger of Zeus. 14f. to all but Hera: it is noteworthy that all of the gods are willing to have Hermes snatch the body and return it to the Trojans for proper burial except Hera, Poseidon and Athena. Hera and Athena hate the Trojans, and were earlier unwilling to accept a settlement to end the war. Poseidon and Apollo were cheated out of payment when they helped to build the walls of Troy. Poseidon still bears a grudge for that. Apollo, for whatever reason, does not hold a grudge here. 18f. the day Alexandros/ made his mad choice : this apparently refers to the Judgment of Paris, where Paris (aka Alexander) chose Aphrodite over Athena and Hera. 22: the twelfth day: by this point, the body would be in pretty sad shape without embalming or other treatment. Apollo s ointment has preserved the body, which preservation should be telling Achilles something. 24: How heartless and how malevolent: Apollo argues the case for the taking of Hector s body he has always done the right thing by the gods, and yet, the gods are not willing to save his body from the treatment it is getting at Achilles hands. 32: a man who shows no decency: Decency is an important concept it indicates what a person should do. Burial is considered something close to a right even enemy soldiers have the right to burial. Sophocles play, Antigone, revolves around this issue the king Creon refuses burial to Polynices who brought an enemy army to attack his city. Antigone, who supports burial, is judged correct in that view. Achilles, by holding on to the body and mistreating it, is behaving very badly. 37: he has no shame: Shame, or aidos, is an important concept it keeps people from behaving like animals it is the concern people have for what others might think of them. According to Apollo, it hinders but also helps men because it keeps their behavior in check. 38ff: A sane one : to Apollo s way of thinking, Achilles is bonkers. A sane man, even when a family member has died, eventually gives it up. Achilles is not there yet (but by ordinary standards should be). 48: we gods will turn against him : this is what Achilles risks. It never comes to it, as Achilles does come round. 52: Lord of the silver bow: this is Apollo. Both Apollo and his twin sister, Artemis, are depicted with silver bows.
Page 12 of 17 53f.: if one had a mind to honor/hektor and Akhilleus equally: there is a distinction to be made between the two, because Hector is fully mortal (both Priam and Hecuba are mortal), where Achilles is a demigod (mom, Thetis, is a goddess, albeit a minor goddess). 57: one I nursed myself: not only that, but Hera babysat Thetis as an infant goddess, and so has the inside track. It is interesting that Hera was not so chummy with Thetis at the start of the poem. 57f.: gave her/to Peleus: in a sense, it was Zeus, who gave her to Peleus he wanted to make sure that her child was partly mortal, as he would be greater than his father. A divine union for Thetis would result in a kid who would be a potential threat to Zeus. 60: friend of the base, forever slippery: these are strange words to be used for Apollo. Apollo is the straight arrow guy (pun intended). He is the chief god supporting Troy, and so there is some animosity between him and Hera. Still, he s not a guy you d call slippery. 64ff.: And yet Lord Hektor was dearest to the gods, or was to me: Though Zeus agrees that it would not be right to steal Hector s body from Achilles, it still should be shown respect. Hector had always done right by the gods as far as honor and sacrifice goes, and that should be recognized. Though the Greeks did not have exactly a quid pro quo arrangement in mind in dealings between the gods and men bad things did happen to good people there was still a sense that goodness should be honored in some way. Hector s goodness did not save him from falling in battle to a better man; it should give him some protection against the desecration of his body. 70: We shall renounce: Zeus makes a solemn pledge that there will be no stealing of Hector s body it is rather unseemly for the gods to be snatching bodies, even for good reasons. 72f: there would be no eluding Akhilleus eye : this is a strange statement. Zeus does not say that the body-snatching plan is out because it s just not right for gods to be doing something like that. Rather he says we couldn t do it because Achilles or Thetis is watching. What s he gonna do? They re gods. Even if Thetis gets in their way, the Olympians are quite a bit stronger. Hera s opposition (and Athena s and Poseidon s) is much more serious as you d have fighting going on at Olympus, and that would get messy, but here Zeus clearly says, rather strangely, I d argue, that we can t do it, because we d get caught. 76f: Zeus proclamation: Achilles will take ransom and give up the body. This would be normal practice. Refusal to allow the burial, even of an opponent, is a sign of barbarism. And Achilles here is given a chance to take a ransom offer, which parallels Agamemnon s rude refusal to accept ransom in Book I. Someone looked at the ring composition in the Iliadand found it throughout, so that stuff in Book I parallels stuff in Book XXIV, stuff in Book II parallels stuff in Book XXIII, and so on. It s very elaborate so much so it is unclear how it could have been created in an oral society. 78: Iris: the goddess of the rainbow, she is a messenger god. In later authors, she is the messenger for Hera, just as Hermes is for Zeus. 80f. Midway between/samos and rocky Imbros: Imbros is fairly close to Troy. Samos is about halfway down the coast of Turkey from North to South. This suggests that Thetis is quite a distance from Troy. 87: Nereids: the daughters of Nereus. Nereus, the old man of the sea, is another sea god, like Poseidon. Thetis is one of his daughters.
Page 13 of 17 89f.: now soon to perish/on Troy s rich earth: there was a tradition, that Thetis and Achilles both seem to know that Achilles had a choice he could have lived to old age in Phthia, but would never be known, or he could go to Troy and get an immortal reputation, but die at Troy. In the Iliad, there is a suggestion that the option of a quiet retirement is still possible, but is lost when he reenters the battle to kill Hector. Of course, we know about Achilles as this great warrior. People don t write epics about people who are gentleman farmers. 92: Zeus of eternal forethought: Zeus is the smartest of the gods, but he is not omniscient. This statement seems to suggest that he is. 93: Silvery footed Thetis: silvery footed is not an uncommon epithet for goddesses, and is especially appropriate for the sea-nymphs the silver foot suggests the sea-foam. 99: veil so black no garment could be blacker: just so we know she s in mourning. Just as Andromache and the women mourned for Hector in Book VI (at the height of his glory or close to it), here Thetis mourns for her son. Achilles has a few months to live. 105: Athena yielded place: she is seated right next to Zeus. Athena is Zeus favorite kid. 106: Hera handed her a cup of gold: of course the gods only drink from gold. Hera s treatment of Thetis here seems contrary to Hera s reaction in Book I. Of course, she is comforting the mom of the chief hero of her Greeks. 117ff.: Zeus tells Thetis that the other gods wanted to steal the body, but he forbade it, out of deference to Achilles. This recaps what we just saw (but which Thetis did not), and may be designed to get Thetis on board I honored your son, but The command that follows is that he must give up the body for ransom. 122f.: I, too,/more than the rest, am angered at his madness: Zeus has taken no action, but Achilles is really pushing his actions have gone beyond what is acceptable human behavior, and Zeus will not stand for it much longer. 125f.: In fear of me/let him relent and give back Hektor s body: Though he makes clear that Achilles will get fabulous prizes, he makes it clear that he d better comply. 132: hut: I m not sure about the word here. The Greeks were living in tents (rather elaborate tents think Lawrence of Arabia style tents). Huts imply a more permanent settlement. Tents allow for a certain mobility. 140: It would be comforting/to make love to a woman: Gee, thanks, mom. Achilles is currently spending some quality time with Briseis, but is otherwise spending all his time moping and attempting to desecrate Hector s body. 142f.: Death even now Achilles is going to die soon. He should get whatever enjoyment in life he can it is unclear whether the Greeks of the Trojan War believed in an afterlife. The afterlife Homer presents in the Odyssey is a grey place, with no joy. Most are not punished there, but not even heroes go to something equivalent to heaven. 150: Let it be so: Achilles accepts readily. Though he has, even that day, dragged Hector s body around, is past his rage he is ready to rejoin the ranks of other men by doing the right thing. 161f.: no soldier with him,/ only some crier, some old man: and an old man goes with Priam. The point seems to be that any armed escort, as would be normal for a king, would cause Achilles to go to the defensive and more blood would be spilled. 168: the Wayfinder: Hermes, the god of travel. Hermes does show up, disguised as a young Greek soldier with good manners, who shows Priam respect, and cloaks him in a cloud of invisibility.
Page 14 of 17 174: but dutiful toward men who beg his mercy: Achilles was a generous enemy before Patroclus died then he went berserk and began to act like an animal towards Hector. He is now someone who does the right thing again. 177: Fifty I had: Priam had 50 sons he is generally presented as something like an Eastern sultan who has a harem of women. His chief wife, Hecuba, gave him 19 sons, among whom were Hector, the great champion of Troy, and Paris, who brought the war on by taking Helen from Sparta.
Page 15 of 17 180: Raging Ares: here this doesn t refer directly to Ares, who is on the Trojan side, but to war. 188: remember your own father: one of the great things about this scene is the shared humanity. Priam reminds Achilles of the father he will not see again, and Achilles reminds him of his sons, both because he is a warrior, like his sons, but also because he has killed so many. 191: to lift to my lips the hand : the actual arrival of Priam was cut Priam appears out of a cloud in the middle of the tent, and Achilles and his men are astonished. Priam then kisses Achilles hand as a sign of submission. 192ff.: this paragraph is truly memorable the two men sharing a cry 211f. Iron must be/ the heart within you: Achilles recognizes the difficulty of Priam s lot, and the old man s great courage. 215ff: This is the way while they/feel no affliction: this is as succinct a statement of the Greek tragic vision as I ve seen humans are so godlike, but they must suffer and die, while the gods are free of all that. 219: two urns of good and evil gifts: this may come from the same source as the story of Pandora and the jar, but there the two jars (good in one, evil in the other) are replaced by one jar, of evils only. Zeus acts like a king here, distributing goods, but his gifts are a mixture of good and bad. And sometimes there s just bad. No sense there is someone who gets all good. 227: Mixed fortune came to Peleus: as a young man, Peleus seemed truly blessed he got to go on the Argonaut expedition, and was given a goddess for a wife. But now his son is far away, and he will die alone. Though Peleus does not have a sudden peripeteia ( reversal ), as you see in Greek tragedy, he does suffer a reversal. It s a reversal most of us face we get old and lose those things that made life good. 234: Can I stand by him in his age: just as Priam has been left bereft by Achilles, Achilles father is bereft, as he will die at Troy, and so never return to his father. 240: The gods out of the sky sent you this bitterness: again a Greek view life sucks and you die. 243: There is no remedy: one must accept life, with all its pain there is no other choice. 263ff: let me be: Achilles is pretty straightforward with Priam. He s trying to be honorable towards the old man, but if the old man wigs out, Achilles will remember he is an enemy and kill him. Achilles can be generous towards an enemy, but he is still an enemy. 271: Automedon Alkimos: Automedon is Achilles charioteer, and Alcimus was another officer of Achilles. 282ff.: where Priam/ could not see his son : Achilles is pretty shrewd. He cannot allow Priam to see Hector s dust encrusted body that would cause the old man grief, and he would wig out, and then Achilles would be put in a position where he d have to kill the old guy. 293: prayed to his own dead friend: Achilles is very aware of Patroclus, even dead. He is worried that Patroclus might see Achilles ransoming the body as a betrayal he offers him his share of the loot (in other words some of the fabulous prizes will be burned on a pyre to Patroclus). 306ff.: even Niobe: Achilles tells the story of Niobe (in brief) despite her great loss (in Homer s version, she loses all 12 of her kids; in some versions she loses 14, and in some she loses 13 of 14 the point being that Apollo and Artemis taught her a lesson she bragged she had more kids than Leto, who had only two, so they made sure their mom won), she still ate. Niobe s story is an example of hubris (excessive pride) and also peripeteia (reversal) she seemed to have everything, and then she had nothing. 339: the heir of Dardanos: Dardanus was the founder of Troy, and so the Trojans are sometimes called the Dardanians. As king, Priam is his heir.
Page 16 of 17 341: so like the gods in aspect: the heroes are often compared to the gods. In truth, the Greeks imagined their gods as having the appearance of Olympic athletes (except for Dionysus, the wine god, who wasn t particularly muscular, and Hephaestus, who was lame). Achilles is often called
Page 17 of 17 godlike Achilles and the epithet may refer to his going beyond human boundaries as much as his appearance. 360: defiant of Agamemnon: Agamemnon would not let Priam go. Achilles is going behind his back in showing courtesy to Priam and in letting him go. 362: an Akhaian officer: if some Greek comes to consult with Achilles about the war, and sees Priam, the jig is up. 382: on the twelfth give battle; this parallels the 12 days of the Greeks getting killed by Apollo in Book I.