Who Is Menelaus?

The most ancient text preserved to our days raises more questions than there are answers. When was The Iliad written? What was the purpose of the epic poem? What is the subject of The Iliad? The Iliad Study Guide prepared by Custom-Writing.org experts explores the depths of the historical context...

Looking for The Iliad summary? Need to quickly figure out the intricacies of the epic poem’s plot? You’re in the right place! In the article prepared by our experts, you’ll find The Iliad timeline of events, plot overview, and detailed summaries of the poem’s books. 🔰 The Iliad Plot Overview ...

Who is Patroclus in The Iliad? Why have Achilles and Agamemnon quarreled? Find the answers on The Iliad characters page prepared by Custom-Writing.org experts. The Achaeans, the Trojans, and Greek gods are described here. The quotes that you’ll find in the sections below are taken from the translation made by...

What are the themes in The Iliad? Find here the answer to this question. This article by our experts analyzes rage, glory, honor in The Iliad, as well as other epic poem’s themes. Ancient people perceived the world differently than we do now. These cultural features are revealed in the...

The Iliad is a description of the Trojan war that took place in the 13th century BC. It tells about the ancient gods and the society that no longer exists today. The meaning of the themes, conflicts, plot, and symbols requires explanation to be understood by the modern reader. What...

Essays helps you to get a deeper understanding of a literary work. The Iliad is an epic poem, tragedy, and war chronicle that provides endless opportunities for debates. Its themes, symbolism, imagery, and motifs raise exciting issues for your reflection. Need to write The Iliad essay? This section prepared by...

The Iliad is the most ancient piece of writing known to humanity. It is a window to the world our ancestors lived in and a valuable source of historical facts. Still, many centuries separate us from the Homeric times, and even more centuries lie between the present day and the...

The epic poem ends in a nostalgic and mournful way. The last book is about a father who lost his son and wishes to make an honorable funeral as the last thing he could give him. The book symbolizes the end of any war when sorrow replaces anger. Book 24,...

The main values glorified in The Iliad and The Odyssey are honor, courage, and eloquence. These three qualities were held as the best characteristics a person could have. Besides, they contributed to the heroic code and made up the Homeric character of a warrior. The Odyssey also promotes hospitality, although...

The Iliad is set in Troy and its outskirts. It was a real city not far from modern Canakkale (Turkey) at the mouth of the Dardanelles. Greeks wiped it away at the end of the Trojan War. Some scenes related to gods take place on Olympus and Mount Ida, where...

The epic poems refer to the beginning of the Archaic period in Ancient Greek history. They were written in the second half of the 8th century BC as a nostalgia for the Mycenaean civilization. In his writing, Homer used historical facts and mythology to create a romanticized version of the...

The last King of Troy was a wise ruler who extended control over Hellespont (ancient name for The Dardanelles). His first wife was Arisbe. Then he married Hecuba. According to Homer’s text, Priam had 50 children from these two women and other concubines. Achilles killed his eldest son, Hector, who...

The epic hero is the first-born son of the King of Troy, Priam. He is the husband of Andromache and the father of Astyanax, his baby son. Hector is the commander-in-chief of the Trojan forces and the heir of the throne after Priam’s death. The greatest Trojan warrior disapproved of...

Hector is a brave leader and mighty warrior. These qualities make him an iconic epic hero in line with Achilles, Odysseus, Great Ajax, and Patroclus. We can find the best description of his character at the end of Book 2, where Homer presents him as the bravest Trojan. In Book...

Achilles wants to revenge for Patroclus’ death. Hector killed Patroclus and took his armor (which initially pertained to Achilles). Achilles is mourning his close friend and promises not to eat and not bury Patroclus’ body as long as Hector is still alive. Achilles refused to fight for the Achaeans more...

The Iliad finishes before Achilles is killed. Paris, the Prince of Troy, shoots a poisoned arrow that hits Achilles’ heel. But the epic poem concludes right after Hector’s honorable funeral. The events that entailed the fall of Troy are not part of The Iliad. The central conflict in the text...

Patroclus died as a true hero in battle. He killed every Trojan he met on his way and saved the Achaean ships. His intervention made the Trojans retreat and started the end of the fortified city. Zeus predicted Patroclus’ death, and there was no way to change his fate. The...

The Greek myths have two versions of Helen’s end of life. The first tells that she returned to Sparta to live with Menelaus until they both die. The second version tells how Helen fled to the Island of Rhodes. There she was hanged by the local queen who sought vengeance....

In Book 22, Hector killed Patroclus, Achilles’ close comrade. Achilles vowed to revenge for the friend’s death. He found Hector near Trojan walls. Hector tried to reason him, but Achilles was impregnable. He and killed Hector, stabbing him in the throat. Neither did he follow Hector’s request to return his...

Patroclus was Achilles’ close friend. The news of his death devastated the hero. He mourned beside the body, beating the ground and crying so loudly that Thetis (Achilles’ mother) came to comfort him. Then the grief gives way to anger, and Achilles craves vengeance. Achilles was offended by Agamemnon and...

In The Iliad, Homer does not mention Paris’ death. But from Greek mythology, we know that he dies of a poisoned arrow. Helen tries to ask Oenone to help (or Paris does so in a different version of the myth). The nymph rejects her request, having been offended by Paris....

On the verge of death, Hector asks Achilles to return his body to his father, Priam. Achilles does not satisfy his last request. His anger is not satisfied, so he drags Hector’s body around the Trojan walls. After Patroclus’ body is burnt on a pyre and his remnants are buried,...

Achilles refuses to fight for the Achaeans because Agamemnon, the commander-in-chief, insulted his honor. He took Achilles’ war prize to replace his own. Achilles does not fight for his woman but wishes that the Greeks suffer so that Agamemnon realizes he shouldn’t have started the conflict with Achilles. The reader...

The Iliad by Homer is an extended narrative that occupies 15,693 lines. In most hardcover editions, one page contains 23 to 25 lines. It makes up approximately 600 pages. If you read the book with a speed of 250 words per minute, you will finish it in ten hours. How...

In Book 16, Hector kills Patroclus in battle. But it was not clean fighting. Apollo helped to knock Patroclus off his feet, and a young soldier made the first hit. But Hector finished him off, and that is why we consider him to be the murderer. How does Patroclus die?...