The Iliad

One classic down! About a gazillion to go...

In my high school literature class, we just finished Homer's Iliad.

As my first real epic poem, it was definitely a new experience. We read Stanley Lombardo's translation which is still written in verse but it reads much like a novel. Many scenes are extremely graphic and bloody, and the story is someone hard to relate to in the current age. The Iliad is a story of war and glory which is not something that many people have experienced. While I enjoyed parts of the story, parts of it were also hard to get into.

The Iliad tells the story of Achilles' rage although Achilles is not present for over half the story. The story also shows the different aspects of heroes to different cultures.

I think I could have enjoyed the story more if I was not reading it for a class since I always had to take notes which slows me down while reading. I also think it would have been harder to understand some of the different aspects of the story. One of my favorite parts of the story that I may not have noticed on my own was the final battle scene between Achilles and Hector. Hector is wearing Achilles' armor from a former battle won and Achilles knows that if he kills Hector than he will set in motion his own fate and cause his death. It also appears that Achilles is killing himself since Hector is wearing his armor. So Achilles is in turn killing himself by killing Hector who looks like he is Achilles. It is quite a dramatic scene.

-Kelsey