Summary of Homer's Iliad is the story of one of the most striking episodes of the famous Trojan War. The narrative describes the anger of Achilles, as well as its disastrous consequences.
The tinkle between Achilles and Agamemnon
Already nine years have passed since the moment when the troops of Greece began the siege of Troy. Having raided the neighboring regions, the Greeks captured Chryseyida - a girl who was the daughter of a priest in the temple of Apollo. Chryseida becomes the concubine of Agamemnon - the commander in chief of the Greek army. Of course, Apollo this event was extremely angry. The deity sends pestilence to the army. Achilles, the bravest of the Greeks, persuades Agamemnon at a general meeting of the troops to return Chryseid to her father. However, in return, the Commander-in-Chief demands that Achilles provide him with his captive - a girl named Briseida. Achilles feels offended and decides to deal with Agamemnon with a sword. However, the
goddess Athena, who wanted the Greeks to win the battle, keeps him from a
rash act. As a result, Achilles is limited to what he calls the Commander-in-Chief a self-serving and shameless coward, and also declares that from this day he is not going to participate in hostilities.
Achilles decides to take revenge on the Greeks
Further, Nestor, the oldest and wise Greek king, is included in the summary of Homer's Iliad. However, his attempts to reconcile the quarreling turn into failure. The diplomatic and amiable leader Odysseus takes Chrysidea to his father, and Briceida goes to Agamemnon. Achilles turns to his mother, the sea goddess Thetis, and asks her to convince the supreme Zeus to grant the Trojans victory. According to the warrior, this would help the Greeks understand how insignificant they are without him. Despite all the objections of Hera, favoring the Greeks, Zeus agrees. He sends the commander in chief an unusual dream, after which Agamemnon gathers the council of leaders, on which he asks if the Greeks want to return home. Warriors who take this offer seriously, go to their ships. However, they, with the filing of Athena, are stopped by Odysseus. He makes a fiery speech. The wise Nestor gives his soldiers instructions. After hearing his speeches, the Greeks make a sacrifice and prepare for battle. Only Achilles and his companions are not involved in this.
War continues
We will not include in the summary of Homer's Iliad a detailed description of the forces that were exhibited by the warring states. The Trojan army is led by Hector, the son of King Priam. Hector's brother - Paris, who initiated this war (it was he who abducted Helen, the spouse of the spartan king Menelaus), invites Menelaus to fight one on one. The winner was to finally take possession of Elena and end the long war. The first few strokes allowed Menelaus to feel the proximity of victory. However, divine forces again intervene in the matter: Aphrodite, who patronizes Paris, saves her favorite. Athena, on the other hand, is pushing its Trojan enemies to be the first to break the truce concluded before the battle.
The following is a description of a series of fights, as a result of which the advantage is on the side of the Trojans. Seeing that the matter is bad, Agamemnon sends an embassy to Achilles. The commander-in-chief offers the brave warrior to return Briseid and reward him with generous gifts if he returns to duty again. However, Achilles answers Agamemnon refusal.
Collisions of troops continue. Trojans attack the Greek camp, Hector seems irresistible. Fearing that Troy will win the war, Hera dresses up, decorates and retires with Zeus, her husband, on Mount Ida to distract his attention from the fight. Having discovered the tricks of his wife, the supreme god becomes furious and again helps the Trojans. Greeks flee in panic. Patroclus, Achilles best friend, sympathizes with them, puts on his armor and goes into martial arts, but his opponent - Hector - is much stronger and kills Patroclus.
Revenge for a murdered friend
Next, the summary of Homer's Iliad returns again to Achilles. The warrior takes an oath to avenge the murdered friend. Thetis asks the god of the blacksmiths Hephaestus to forge a new weapon for her son. Armed with new armor, Achilles bursts into the battlefield and destroys many Trojans. After the warrior defeats the god of the river Scamander and, after much persecution, meets with Hector. With the support of Athena, Achilles manages to ruthlessly deal with the enemy, whom he then ties to his chariot by the legs and takes him to the Greek camp. Hector's family mourned him bitterly.
The following is a description of the solemn funeral that Achilles arranges for Patroclus - Homer pays great attention to this event. The Iliad, the summary of which you are reading now, continues when the hero’s body is burned, and the ashes are placed in a gold urn. The end of the day is athletic games in memory of the deceased.
The fate of Hector
Not recovering completely from the loss, Achilles goes around the next day on the funeral hill of Patroclus, and does this on a chariot to which Hector's body is tied. Apollo asks the gods to stop this sacrilege. Hera objects, but Zeus gives the green light to Priam redeeming the body of his son. Thetis is instructed to ask Achilles for consent to this. And Priam is informed of the will of Zeus by the messenger Irida. Hekuba is trying to dissuade Priam. But he, wanting to redeem the body of his son, goes to the tent of Achilles with rich gifts. At this point, Homer describes a sublime pathetic scene. The saddened Achilles agrees to accept Priam. He does not forget about the fate of his father, with whom he could not adequately say goodbye, and returns to him the body of his son. The Trojans mourn the death of Hector, and Homer’s poem “Iliad” ends, a summary of which we cited, with the words: “So they buried the equestrian Hector’s body.”