2. About the Author
• He is the composer of Iliad and the
Odyssey which hold the privilege of being
the greatest poems of world literature.
• He was said to be a court singer and a
story teller.
• Homer’s birth date is disputed. Herodotus
(who lived about 450 B.C.) believes
Homer lived about 850 B.C.; other believe
he lived earlier, closer to the Trojan war
(11th or 12th century B.C.); some modern
experts believe Homer lived later, about
600 B.C.
• Homer’s birth place is also disputed. Many
towns in the Mediterranean claim to be
Homer’s birthplace; tradition claims the
island of Chios in the eastern
Mediterranean.

3. • In fact, Homer’s existence is disputed. Was there really a
man named Homer? Legend attributes the epic poems –
The Iliad and The Odyssey — to a man named Homer,
but no actual biographical information had been
recorded. No one really knows if he existed.
• The epic poems were first set down in writing in about
700 B.C., although supposedly they were written long
before that, being passed from generation to generation
as performances.
• Some believe the poems were written by one person,
while others believe a number of people contributed to
the whole.
• The name Homer sounds like Greek words meaning
“hostage” and/or “blind,” which may have influenced the
characterization of Homer as a former slave that became
a blind bard.

4. • Iliad narrates the happenings in the city
of Ilion during the Trojan War. Ilion was a
city within the state of Troy.
• The word Iliad is derived from the name
of the city and its literal meaning is
‘something concerned with Ilion’. The
Iliad is a poetic description of the war, its
main characters, fighters, incidents and
scenes from the war. It explains how the
Greek and Trojan warriors gain strength
from their Gods and make sacrifices in
their name.

5. Setting:
• SETTING (TIME) · Bronze Age
(around the twelfth or thirteenth
century B.C.); The Iliad begins nine
years after the start of the Trojan
War
• SETTING (PLACE) · Troy (a city in
what is now northwestern Turkey)

6. Characters:

7. Greeks
• Achilles: leads the Myrmidons
against the Trojans. He is revered as
the greatest warrior in the world; no
man can stand against him. Achilles is
the son of Peleus, and a sea nymph
named Thetis.
• Agamemnon: Commander-in-chief of
the Greek armies and son of Atreus, the
king of Mycenae.
•
Menelaus: King of Sparta and brother
of Agamemnon.
•
Helen: Wife of Menelaus, paramour of
Paris, and the most beautiful woman in
the world.
•
Odysseus (Roman Name, Ulysses):
King of Ithaca and brilliant strategist.
He is unsurpassed in cunning.

8. • Aias the Great (Roman Name, Ajax
the Great): Hulking giant who is
second only to Achilles in battlefield
prowess.
•
Aias the Lesser (Roman Name, Ajax
the Lesser, or the Locrian Ajax): Leader
of the Locrian archers on the Greek
side.
•
Patroclus: Greek warrior and beloved
companion of Achilles.
•
Calchas: Greek soothsayer who advises
Agamemnon.
•
Nestor: Wise old king who advises
Agamemnon.
• Diomedes: Powerful Greek warrior.

9. •
Idomeneus: King of Crete, who leads a Greek contingent
against the Trojans.
•
Machaon: Greek physician wounded by Paris.
•
Automedon: Chariot driver for Achilles.
•
Phoenix: Elderly Greek warrior and trusted friend of Achilles.
•
Briseis: Beautiful captive of Achilles.
•
Chryseis: Female captive of Agamemnon. He is forced to give her
up.
•
Eudorus: Myrmidon commander under Achilles.
•
Neoptolemus: Son of Achilles. He arrives at Troy in the last year
of fighting.
•
Stentor: Greek herald.

10. Trojans
• Priam: King of Troy.
•
Hecuba: Wife of Priam and queen of Troy.
•
Hector: Bravest and most accomplished of the Trojan
warriors; son of Priam. Achilles slays him.
•
Andromache: Hector's noble and dedicated wife.
•
Astyanax: Son of Hector and Andromache.
•
Paris: Trojan who took Helen From Menelaus.
•
Aeneas: Brave and powerful Trojan warrior.
•
Polydamas: Wise Trojan commander.
•

11. • Glaucus: Great Trojan warrior.
•
Dolon: Trojan spy who reconnoiters the Greek camp.
Pandarus: Trojan archer.
Antenor: Advisor to King Priam. He argues that Paris should
return Helen to the Greeks, but Paris will not give her up.
Sarpedon: Leader of the Lycian allies on the side the Trojans. He
fights bravely but dies at the hands of Patroclus. Sarpedon was
the son of Zeus and Laodameia, a human.
Laocoön: Trojan seer.
Deiphobus: Trojan warrior and son of Priam.

12. Gorgythion: Trojan warrior and son of Priam.
He dies by an arrow meant for Hector.
Cebriones: Chariot driver for Hector.
Helenus: Trojan seer and son of Priam and
Hecuba.
Pandarus: Trojan archer.
Euphorbus: Trojan soldier who wounds
Patroclus.

13. Gods
• Zeus (Roman names, Jupiter and Jove): King of the gods,
who prefers to remain neutral in the war but intervenes after a
plea for help.
•
Hera (Roman name, Juno): Queen of the gods, who favors the
Greeks.
Athena (Roman name, Minerva): Goddess of wisdom and war,
who favors the Greeks.
•
Poseidon (Roman name, Neptune): God of the sea, who
favors the Greeks.
•
Hephaestus (Roman name, Vulcan): God of the forge, who
favors the Greeks.
•
Aphrodite (Roman name, Venus): Goddess of love and beauty,
who sides with the Trojans.

14. • Apollo (or Phoebus Apollo): Highly revered and
feared sun god, who sides with the Trojans.
•
Ares (Roman name, Mars): God of war, who sides
with the Trojans.
•
Artemis (Roman name, Diana): Goddess of
archery and hunting, who sides with the Trojans.
•
Hades (Roman Name, Pluto): God of the
Underworld.
•
Hermes (Roman Name, Mercury): Messenger
god. He guides Priam to Achilles' tent to ransom the
body of Hector.
•
Thetis: Sea nymph who is the mother of Achilles.
•
Iris: Messenger goddess.

15. Background of Troy
• It begins with the building of the wall
of the city of Troy with the help of
Poseidon during the the king is
Laomedon.

16. City of Troy

17. • The Trojans withdrew to
compensate to Poseidon.
• King Priam and Hecuba and
his family.
• Hecuba’s dream about Paris

18. The Wedding of Peleus and
Thetis

19. The Golden Apple

20. Judgement of Paris
Paris chose Aphrodite

21. • Paris went to Troy and
became a prince.
• Paris went to Sparta
and abducted Helen.
• Menelaus rage

22. Paris with Helen

23. Achilles in the River Styx
Prophecy about Odysseus and Achilles.
History of Achilles

24. Iphegenia as Sacrfice
•Agamemnon
killed one of
the favorite
deer of
Artemis
•Iphegenia as
sacrifice

25. Arrival of the Greeks
•The expedition
•Two beautiful women, Chryseis and
Briseis

26. Summary Of Iliad
• Achilles and Agamemnon Quarrel
– Chrysies for Agamemnon and Brieses for
Achilles
– The plague through the Greeks
– Achilles seek help to Calchas and know the
reason of plague
– Agamemnon ask for the replacement of
Chryseis with the prize of Achilles
– Achilles get insulted and withdrew to fight
– Achilles ask help to his mother sea nymph,
Thetis

27. Achilles and Agamemnon
Quarrel

28. Thetis ask Zeus to help his son

29. • Zeus help the Trojans
• Agamemnon false hope
• The test of Greeks armies
loyalty

30. Paris vs. Menelaus

31. • Paris and Menelaus fight
• Aphrodite saves Paris
• Agamemnon announce the winner
• The conference of the gods
• Hera and Athena protest
• Athena advices Pandarus to kill
Menelaus to break the truce
• The war begins again.

32. • Pandarus wounded Diomedes
• Athena give Diomedes new courage
and privilege
• Diomedes wounded Aeneas
• Aphrodite save Aeneas
• Diomedes wounded Aprodite and
Ares
• Zeus stop Aphrodite and Ares in
joining the war

33. • Hector return to Troy to advice
the women to have an offer to
the temple of Athena.
• Hector urge Paris to join the
battle
• Hector visit his wife Andromache
and his son Astyanax

34. Hector and Andromache

35. • Athena and Apollo decided to stop
the fight for a while by a combat
between Hector and Ajax.
• Trojans and Greeks Bury their deads
• Zeus warns other gods and
goddesses not to interfere in war

36. • Agamemnon suggest to sail home
• Nestor advices Agamemnon to give
gifts to Achilles as reconciliation
• Ajax and Odysseus went to Achilles
but he refuses to accepts the gifts
• Diomedes encourage everyone to
fight without the help of Achilles

37. • At night Diomedes and Odysseus
volunteer to spy at the camp of the
trojans
• Diomedes and Odysseus caught
Dolon.
• Achilles get satisfied for his wounded
pride

38. • Nestor convinces Patrolus to
persuade Achilles again or to act as
Achilles
• Poseidon helps the Greeks
• Hera plan to distruct Zeus

39. Hera seduce Zeus to help the
Greeks

40. • Achilles allow Patroclus to join the
battle wearing his armor
• Patrolus killed a lot of Trojans
• Apollo intervene to Patroclus and
wounded him
• Hector killed Patroclus and get his
armor
• Greek get the body of Patroclus

41. Patroclus and Achilles

42. • Achilles know the death of
Patroclus and vow to kill Hector
• Thetis promised him a new
armor from Hephaestus
• Achilles join the battle and ended
his anger to Agamemnon
• Gifts are given to him including
Brieses

43. • One of the horses of Achilles
prophecy his death
• Zeus allow the gods to join the battle
again
• Hera, Athena, Poseidon and
Hephaestus to Greeks while Apollo,
Artemis and Aphrodite to Trojans

44. • Achilles kill many Trojans in River of
Xanthus
• The god of the river attack Achilles
• Hera and Hephaestus help Achilles
• Hector prepare to fight with Achilles
• Athena deludes Hector
• Hector make an agreement but
Achilles refuses.

45. Achilles kills Hector with the
help of Athena

46. Achilles with Hector’s body

47. • Achilles prepare a funeral for
Patroclus
• Apollo and Aphrodite protect the
body of Hector
• Zeus and other gods decided to have
suitable burial for Hertor’s body.
• Thetis explain it to his son.
• Hermes escorted King Priam

48. Achilles and King Priam

49. • The Iliad ends there, before
Achilles dies from an arrow
shot into his heel, before the
Greeks enter Troy by means
of a hollow wooden horse and
destroy the citadel.

50. Fall of Troy
• After Hector’s burial, the battle begins
• Paris killed Achilles with the help of
Apollo
• Claiming of Achilles armor
• Ajax commit suicide
• The oracle instructed to secure the bow
and arrow of Hercules handed by
Philoctetes
• Philoctetes killed Paris

51. Achilles Death

52. • Greeks made several thing to be
victorious
– Bring the bone of Pelops back to Greece
back to Asia
– Bring Achilles son Neoptolemus into the
war
– Steal the sacred image of Athena from
Trojans
• Odysseus plan to enter the Wall of
Troy

53. Trojan Horse

54. • The Great Horse
• The story of Sinon
• The Greek plans succeed
• King Priam killed
• Astynax was thrown from the wall of
Troy

55. Astynax was thrown from the
wall of Troy

56. Literary Devices
• THEMES · The glory of war; military values over
family life; the impermanence of human life and its
creations
• FORESHADOWING · Foreshadowing is prominent
in The Iliad, as the poet constantly refers to events
that have yet to occur and to fated outcomes.
• En Medias Res
• POINT OF VIEW · The narrator speaks in the third
person. An omniscient narrator (he has access to
every character’s mind), he frequently gives insight
into the thoughts and feelings of even minor
characters, gods and mortals alike.

57. Analysis:
• Historical Approach