illiad
The Iliad is a poem divided into twenty-four books, about Troy, written in the late eighth or early seventh century B. C. by Homer. The saga is about the tenth year of a war between the Greeks and the Trojans, around 1200 B. C. , and takes place before the city of Troy. While the Greeks are stood by the walls of Troy, the King, Agamemnon, does not want to return his captive Chryseis to the priest of Apollo, her father. As the Greeks persevere in their demand, Agamemnon finally agrees, but takes Briseis from Achilleus in her place. Therefore, both Achilleus and his men withdraw from the fight against the Trojans. The battle continues with the involvement of the gods, who help and support both sides, individually and collectively. Despite of Zeus's order to the other gods not to take part in the war, they often defy his wishes and support their favorite individuals. Hera, Athena, Poseidon, Hephaistos, and Hermes side with the Greeks; Ares, Apollo, Artemis, and Aphrodite with the Trojans. There are unresolved fights between Menelaus and Paris, and later between Hector and Ais. As a cease-fire is called to bury the dead, a wall is built by the Greek in order to protect their camp, and their ships are pulled over the shore. As the figh
ting continues, the Trojans acquire the upper hand. Meanwhile, Agamemnon and the Greeks feel disappointed, and realizes it's a mistake to quarrel with Achilleus and agrees to return Briseis with gifts and tributes in the hope that Achilleus and his men will rejoin the fight. However, Achilleus refuses, but agrees not to leave the next day as planned. In order to determine the power of the Trojan army, Odysseus and Diomedes go on a spying mission, and the following day the fight resumes with increased intensity. Agamemnon, Odysseus, and Diomedes are wounded, and the Trojans drive the Greeks back under Hector. Achilleus sends Patroclus to examine the fight, while Nestor appeals for him to have Achilleus to fight. The Trojan assault carries on. Hector breaks through wall, Menaces the Greek ships and sets one on fire. Patroklos, anguished by the plight of the Greeks, urges Achilleus to give him his armor and his men so he can fight the Trojans. Achilleus complies, and Patroklos and the Greeks drive back the Trojans to their walls, where Patroklos is killed by Hector. At last, Menelaus and the Greeks recover Patroklos' body and fall back to the ships. Tormented by the death of Patroklos, Achilleus vows revenge and prepares for battle. At the request of Thetis, Achilleus' mother, Hephaistos ( god of Smiths ) makes a brilliant set of armor for Achilleus. Who was advised not to fight, but fated to die, goes on to fight and dies. Meanwhile, Hector was advised not to fight, but fated to die goes on to fight and dies. The use of the gods in Homer, is in order to give color, variety and fictional diversity to the story. In the Iliad the gods are completely human in their behavior and often considerably less noble than the leading characters of the epics. They argue violently among themselves, are clever and take sides in the conflict raging in Troy, including Zeus, at times, abandons his impartiality. The gods seem to be tribal to the invading Achaians. Each tribe is under the protection of a special god. On Olympus they begin to break away while retaining their preferences of the men or nations to whom they give protection. Thus, Hera and Athena are undivided pro-Achaian; Aphrodite, pro-Trojan; and Apollo, less fanatically so. Ironically, Poseidon, one of the patrons of the original founders of Troy, sometimes he helps the Trojans and some other the Achaians. The Achaians as well as the Greeks of Homer's time favored the idea that their gods were so close to the human beings in their desires and weaknesses. They also enjoy attributing to their goddesses the infinite variety of feminine nature. For instance, Hera is the jealous, clever wife. Aphrodite, the beauty, but her lac
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1808
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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