Among the oldest monuments of literature, a poem dedicated to the last year of the Trojan War takes pride of place. The Iliad, as well as the Odyssey, is attributed to Homer, the singer, about whom very little information has been preserved. But no matter who the author of the heroic Greek work, it is important that it has come down to us and we can enjoy the melodic language, amazing images and comparisons.
A storyteller from the past
Perhaps we would never know about a blind Greek singer, if not for the titanic work of the latter. Seven cities dispute the honor of being called Homer’s homeland, scientists puzzle over whether he was really blind, whether he took part in the war or not, whether he composed poems that glorified him or only ordered them and systematized them. One thing is certain for sure - the storyteller knew very well the events he described, empathized with all his heroes, and remarkably mastered the speech. So much so that a poem dedicated to the last year of the Trojan War was long considered a fiction until Henry Schliemann unearthed the remains of a powerful city. Today, a poem impresses every reader. But what about the epic, the plot alone inspires writers and artists, screenwriters and poets, historians and adventurers.
Trojan war: causes and beginning
As you know, Homer's poem about the Trojan War describes only the last year of the ten-year siege of Ilion. And what caused such a long confrontation? The son of the Trojan king, Paris, took away from Menelaus his wife, the beautiful Elena. When rulers from all over the world got married to her girl, her father made all the suitors swear that they would not avenge Elena’s choice, but, on the contrary, help her narrowed one. When Paris insulted the Spartan prince, he gathered a large army, everyone who had previously promised to help, and went to Troy. The siege of the great city lasted ten years, but the winner was not determined. The poem about the Trojan war tells that the Olympian gods intervened in the fate of people, who also divided into two warring camps. Finally, the die was cast, and the Thunderer gave the victory to the Greeks.
The tenth year of the war
So it was the tenth year of the war. Homer's work begins with a description of the quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon, after which Achilles decides not to take part in the battles. The poem dedicated to the last year of the Trojan War recalls that without this hero, according to predictions, the combined Greek army would not be able to capture the city. Seeing how the Greeks were saddened and perked up by the Trojans, Achilles Patroclus' friend puts on his armor. His idea of encouraging the tired warriors was a success, but he himself is dying. Achilles, very saddened and angry, decides to take revenge and goes on the attack.
A furious hero kills many Trojans, forcing them to retreat. Then, having come together in a duel with Hector, the eldest son of Priam and brother of Paris, he kills him. At night, the king of Ilion comes to Achilles and begs to give the body of the Trojan prince. Taking pity on the old man, the son of the goddess Thetis, promises that the Greeks will not go on the attack until Hector is buried. After the touching funeral, which Homer described in great detail, the battles continue. But the poem ends there. What happened next?
Die is cast
Achilles himself was also not destined to capture Ilion. The arrow of Paris, directed by Apollo, falls into the only vulnerability of the hero - the heel. He is dying. According to a poem dedicated to the last year of the Trojan War, the gods finally decided on the outcome of the battles. They awarded the victory to the Greeks, prompting them how to take the city by cunning. But the world learns about this much later, from the work of Virgil "Aeneid." The Roman poet will tell about the fall of Troy from the hands of warriors hidden in a wooden horse, about how Aeneas, having gathered the surviving townspeople, goes to fulfill the task of the gods on the territory of modern Rome. The Greeks, having destroyed the once great city, hit the road. By the way, about the return to the homeland of the hero of this war - Odyssey, another poem of Homer narrates.
Instead of an afterword
Homer told a lot about the Trojan War, although he did not describe the entire course of this confrontation. Reading a brilliant work, you can learn a lot about the life of Greece in the past, about traditions, about cruelty and nobility, military valor and pure love. "Iliad" is an inexhaustible source that can fill the minds, thirsting for knowledge.