Reading Notes: Homer's Iliad (A)

Title: The Quarrel
Author: Homer
Link: Story Link.


Plot:

• The Greeks raid the city of Chryse and take spoils, included in which is a daughter of a priest of Apollo. The priest tries to buy his daughter back from King Agamemnon, but he refuses. 
• This displeases Apollo, who unleashes 10 days of death and plague, and many Greeks are killed.
• The Greeks meet up to discuss ways to appease Apollo and a prophet tells Agamemnon to give the girl back with an additional gift of 100 beasts. 
• Agamemnon doesn't like this.



"Whoa there, buckaroo!" - Athena, probably. Source: Book illustration.

• Achilles gets angry -- and nearly slays him -- but Athena appears and convinces him to talk things out.
• Agamemnon takes Achilles' plunder (another slave girl) because of the disrespect.
• Achilles tells his mom, Thetis.
• Thetis says that she'll tell Zeus, but Zeus isn't back for a week or so. Until she gets back, Achilles can't go into battle. This is a sticking point because Achilles loves to fight.

Setting:

• Chryse: Island city in the Mediterranean.

Characters:

• Achilles: "The bravest of the Greeks"; great warrior; communes with Goddesses; has some flowing golden hair. The poster child of the Greek gang.
• His mother is Thetis, daughter of the sea.
• Agamemnon: King of the Greeks; selfish; proud; quick to anger; stubborn.
• Nestor: Oldest man in the world; wise; compromiser. 
• Patroclus: Achilles' best friend.
• Calchas: Great prophet; tells Agamemnon that he needs to give the daughter back, in addition to reparations. This makes him unpopular in the eyes of the King.

Writing Style:

• Third person omniscient. The writing is pretty clinical and free of flowery descriptions. Large chunks of the action are carried by dialogue.
• Whereas Robin Hood appealed to me for the flavor that its formatting lent it, this one is cool because of content. The writing style is further made plainer because this is not a direct translation of Homer's Greek. It's much easier to understand (which is a good thing), but it doesn't feel like Olde Mythology™.
• I think it's also neat that the Greeks envisioned their gods as being so involved in mortal affairs. For example, Athena is invested enough in the lives of Achilles and Agamemnon that she pops down to the council meeting just to tell him to calm down. Or how Zeus is more of a notable professor than a deity; "Sure, we'll talk to him for you, but he's a very busy man and so you're going to have to be patient if you want to meet with him." It's a very casual approach to portraying these massively powerful entities and it makes me smile.