An easy-to-understand explanation of the synopsis of the epic poem "Iliad"! Who wrote the ancient Greek masterpieces?

Zeus appointed the Trojan prince Paris to decide which of the three goddesses was the most beautiful. Hera (wife of Zeus), Athena (goddess of wisdom), and Aphrodite (goddess of love). Hera says to Paris, "If you choose me, I will make you king of Asia," Athena promises to win the battle. Aphrodite said, "I will give you the most beautiful woman in the world." And then Paris gave Aphrodite the apple as the winner. Because Aphrodite promised Paris that if she decided in her favour, she would marry the most beautiful woman in the world. Aphrodite sent Paris to Sparta to fulfil her promise. And, he had attractive Helen, who was already the wife of King Menelaus, brought to Troy. This scene with the Gods was omitted in the film Troy.

Before the Trojan War began, the Trojan prince Paris attempted to end the war with a single combat against Menelaus of the Greek army. Because Paris fell in love with Menelaus' wife, Helen, and took her home. And when Menelaus got the upper hand, he enlisted his brother Hector to help him in the movie Troy because there are no gods in the film Troy. However, in the actual "Iliad", Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, used her powers to create a mist to help Paris.

『イリアス』を知っていてもどんな物語か内容を知っている人は少ないのではないでしょうか。イリアスは世界史の授業の割と序盤に出てくるのですが、実は物語の中身はあまり知られていません。そんなイリアスのストーリーを知ると、こんなに面白かったのか！と思う人も多いと思います。ここではイリアスとはどんな物語なのか、作者のホメロスについても併せて紹介します。アキレウス（主人公）:イリアスの主人公であり、トロイア戦争最強の英雄です。女神ティティスの血を引く半神で、生まれて間もなく冥界の川に身体を浸されたため、不死身の肉体を持っています。そんなアキレウスにはひとつだけ弱点がありました。冥界の川に浸された時に、アキレウスは足首を掴まれて頭から浸され強靭の肉体を得ますが、唯一浸らなかった足首周りが弱点となり、足首の後ろを矢で射抜かれ亡くなったのです。この逸話から、弱点や急所のことを「アキレス腱」と呼ぶようになりました。(English) Even if you know "The Iliad", I think few people know what kind of story or content it is. The Iliad comes out relatively early in world history class, but the report's contents are poorly understood. Nevertheless, it was so interesting to see the story of such Ilias! I think many people think. Here, we will also introduce what kind of story the Iliad is and the author Homer. 

Achilles (protagonist):

The hero of the Iliad and the greatest hero of the Trojan War. He is a demi-god descended from the goddess Titis and has an immortal body because he was immersed in the river of the underworld soon after he was born. Achilles had only one weak point. When Achilles was engaged in the river of the underworld, Achilles was grabbed by his ankles and immersed from the head, gaining a solid body. Still, the only weak point was around his ankles, which were not engaged, and an arrow was shot through the back of his ankles, and he died. From this anecdote, we came to call our weaknesses and vital points "the Achilles' heel."

An easy-to-understand explanation of the synopsis of the epic poem "Iliad"! Who wrote the ancient Greek masterpieces?

// Iliad Synopsis - Level-C2//

The Iliad focuses on a segment of the Trojan War, highlighting the last 51 days in its tenth year. The epic revolves around the formidable hero Achilles, who withdraws from the front line due to a conflict with Agamemnon. Confusion, divine interventions, and fluctuating loyalties mark the war. When Patroclus, Achilles' dear friend, is slain by the Trojan general Hector, Achilles reenters the fray seeking vengeance. He vanquishes Hector in a one-on-one battle and desecrates his corpse daily. Ultimately, Hector's father, Priam, entreats Achilles for his son's body, and Achilles acquiesces. The Iliad concludes with Hector's solemn funeral rites.

A)

What is the epic poem The Iliad?

The Iliad is one of the works of Greek epic poetry said to have been composed by the ancient Greek bard Homer. The work is said to have been written in the middle of the 8th century BC, making it the oldest and largest heroic epic in Greece, with 15,639 lines in 24 volumes.

The story of the Iliad is a fragment of the Trojan War, one of the most famous Greek myths. It is a heroic epic about a battle between the Greek (Achaean) and Trojan armies. Many people think of the Trojan Horse when they hear of the Trojan War, but Operation Trojan Horse does not appear in this story. Instead, it describes the events that took place at the end of the Trojan War, centred on the hero Achilles.

Meaning of Iliad｜The name comes from Troy, Turkey.

The meaning of the Iliad comes from Troy in western Turkey. Troy is now a famous tourist attraction as the site of the ancient city of Troy, also known as the Trojan Horse.

A country called 'Dardanos' once existed on this site. Later, Troas, grandson of King Dardanos, decided to call the city here 'Troia', but it was eventually renamed Ilios by Troas' son Ilios. So the city was called 'Troia' and 'Ilias (Iliad)'.

Iliad means 'Song of Ilios', and the title 'Iliad' was given to a song about a story in the city of Ilios. Incidentally, Ilias is called Iliad in English.

B)

The origins of the Trojan War

The Trojan War, against which the Iliad is set, was a war between the ancient Greek kingdoms of Mycenae and Sparta and the kingdom of Troy. It began when the Trojan prince Paris, with the help of the goddess Aphrodite, stole the beautiful Helen, queen of the Spartan king Menelaus. Menelaus, Helen's husband, outraged, formed a Greek army with his brother Agamemnon as general and attacked the Trojans. This started a ten-year war between the 'Greek (Achaean)' and 'Trojan' armies.

The Trojan War saw the strongest hero, Achilles, and the most extraordinary hero, Odysseus, and others amid a ten-year war. Homer, the author of the Iliad, wrote a heroic epic about the exploits of these two heroes.

C)

[Trojan War]

Period: 1260 BC - 1180 BC.

Location: Trojan Kingdom (present-day north-western Turkey, south of the Dardanelles)

Summary: Ten-year war between the Greek confederation and the Trojan kingdom.

Victory: The Greeks won the war, but many heroes from both sides were killed in battle.

D)

Summary of the story of the Iliad

The story of the Iliad does not describe the 10-year Trojan War from beginning to end, but a part of it, which tells the story of the last 51 days of the Trojan War, the tenth year (there are different theories on how to count them). The protagonist is Achilles, the most powerful hero, and the story begins with the wrath of this Achilles.

The story can be roughly summarised as follows.

E) Achilles, the strongest hero, leaves the front line.

F) The situation becomes highly confusing, with both sides having their agendas and the gods intervening.

G) Prohibition of the gods from participating in the war. And persuasion of Achilles to join the war.

H) A close friend of Achilles, Patroclus, is killed by Hector, the Trojan general.

I) Achilles is enraged and defeats Hector in single combat.

J) Priam demands the return of his son Hector's body, and Hector's funeral is held.

Summary of the story of the Iliad.

E) The departure of Achilles, the most powerful hero, from the front.

During the battle against the Trojans, the Greek general Agamemnon took a woman called Chryseis as his favourite prisoner on the Trojan side. When her father, Chryseis (a priest of the sun god Apollon), heard that Chryseis had been taken prisoner, he visited Agamemnon. He begs Agamemnon to pay a ransom for the return of his precious daughter.

But Agamemnon turned her father away, showing more favour to Chryseis than his wife. When Chryseis was turned away, he consulted Apollon and prayed that he would bring misfortune to the Greek side. Apollon listened and used a silver bow to spread the plague throughout the Greek army.

Nine days after the plague broke out, Achilles held a meeting to solve the plague problem. It was then revealed by the prophet Kalkaas that Agamemnon caused the plague. Agamemnon is asked to return to Chryseis to control the epidemic. He reluctantly agrees with Achilles. In exchange, however, he forcibly takes Bryseis, a prisoner of war whom Achilles loves.

Chryseis' return to her father successfully ended the plague in Greece. But Achilles was furious that Bryseis had been taken from him. So Achilles stopped fighting for Agamemnon and left the front. The next day, Achilles told his mother and the goddess of the sea, Titys, what had happened. Titys consulted Zeus, the supreme god, hoping the Trojans would defeat the Greek army. After being consulted, Zeus agreed to Tithis' offer.

F) The war is confused, with speculation on both sides and the intervention of the gods.

Zeus shows the sleeping Agamemnon, the general of the Greek army, a dream. The dream was of a Greek victory over the Trojans. Agamemnon awakens from his imagination and decides to attack the Trojans. The allied Greek army gathers on the Trojan plain and prepares for a general attack. The Trojan army notices the disbanded Greek army and launches a sally to intercept the Greeks.

Paris offers single combat to Menelaus.

Before the Greek and Trojan armies clash, the Trojan prince Paris, on the advice of his brother Hector, proposes to Menelaus, the Greek enemy who started the war, to end the war by engaging him in single combat. Paris' proposal was because he had taken Menelaus' wife (Helen). This led to a temporary truce between the Greek and Trojan armies, and the soldiers of both armies promised to abide by the results of the single combat.

The single combat was fought to Menelaus' advantage. However, just as Menelaus was about to finish off Paris, Aphrodite, the Trojan goddess of beauty, who had sided with the Trojans, used her power to create a fog. This allowed Paris to escape into the castle and save his life. There, a Trojan warlord, misled by Zeus, fired his bow and wounded Menelaus. This broke the truce, and the battle between the Greek and Trojan armies began again.

A single battle between Paris and Menelaus was to decide the war's winner, but the gods' intervention disrupted the war. As a result, the conflict continued in a dizzying situation, with the Trojan side getting into difficult trouble or the Greek side being pushed back.

G) Banning the gods from taking part in the war and persuading Achilles

To put the Greek army at a disadvantage, Zeus banned the gods from taking part in the war. When the battle resumed, the Trojans gained the upper hand and pushed the Greeks back to their positions. On Zeus' orders, Athena and Hera, who had sided with the Greeks, could not help the disadvantaged Greek army.

Seeing the Greeks disadvantaged, the old general Nestor reconciles Agamemnon and Achilles. Agamemnon admits his mistake, and Odysseus and others inform Achilles. Agamemnon offers to negotiate with Achilles by returning the Bryceis, which he had taken from Achilles, and giving him several treasures.

However, Achilles' anger did not diminish, and he firmly rejected the offer of reconciliation. Instead, he told Achilles that he would only return to battle if the Trojans attacked Achilles' ships.

H) Patroclus, a close friend, is killed by Hector, the Trojan general.

After a back-and-forth battle, the Trojans finally close in on the Greek stronghold, and Poseidon ignores Zeus' orders to help the Greeks. The Greek king of Crete, Aedomeneus, also puts up a good fight. But the Trojan army remains superior.

Hera then seduces Zeus and puts him to sleep. Meanwhile, Poseidon joins the fight. The Trojans were then driven from the Greek positions and returned to the plain. Eventually, Zeus wakes up to find the situation reversed. Again, Zeus vented his anger at Poseidon. This time he ordered Apollon to help the Trojan army. This gave the Trojans new momentum, and Hector set fire to the Greek fleet.

Patroclus, a close friend of Achilles, offers Achilles permission to fight to save his ships. Achilles gives Patroclus his armour and soldiers. However, he strongly advises him not to pursue the enemy too far. The sight of Patroclus wearing Achilles' armour boosts the morale of the Greeks, who think that Achilles has gone to battle. Patroclus is also very active, defeating the enemy general Sarpedon.

But in the heat of the moment, Patroclus disregarded Achilles' orders and chased the enemy to the gates of Troy. However, Apollon, guarding the city walls, halted the momentum. Patroclus, Achilles' best friend, was eventually killed by Hector, the general of the Trojan army.

I) Enraged, Achilles defeats Hector in single combat.

When Achilles learns of the death of his best friend Patroclus in battle, he is furious with Hector. He vows revenge. He then returns to the battlefield with new armour, which he has obtained by asking his mother, Titis. Zeus decides that Achilles has appeased his anger, and Titis' wishes have been fulfilled, allowing the gods to rejoin the battle.

On the battlefield, Achilles defeated many enemy soldiers at the river Scamandros. However, the river overflowed with the dead, angering the river gods, who flooded the river and attacked him. But Hephaistos, the god of fire and forges, created a great fire and saved Achilles. Since Achilles' return to the battlefield, fierce battles have also been fought among the gods.

Defeated by the overwhelming force of the Greek side, many Trojan soldiers fled back to the castle. However, the general in charge, Hector, is ashamed of his defeat and decides to fight Achilles, despite his parents' attempts to stop him. However, when the time comes to face him, he is terrified and flees around the Trojan castle. Achilles, however, pursues Hector relentlessly.

Hector decides to fight one-on-one again. But in the end, he is easily defeated by Achilles. At the time, Hector was wearing Achilles' armour, which he had taken from Achilles' close friend Patroclus, and Achilles knew its weakness because it was the armour he had worn himself. So he attacked the weak point of the armour and the neck and defeated Hector. But even after defeating Hector, Achilles' anger did not subside, and he tied Hector's body to a chariot and dragged it away.

J) Priam demands the body of his son Hector, and Hector's funeral takes place.

Achilles reports that he beat Hector on the body of his good friend Patroclus. Patroclus' body is clean, having been spared from corrosion by the protection of the goddess Titys. One night, Patroclus appeared to Achilles in a dream and told him that he and many other victims must mourn quickly. Achilles held a funeral to comfort the souls of Patroclus and the fallen, and after the funeral, a contest was born, with an excellent reward for the winner.

But Achilles' grief was not over. He continued to drag Hector's body around in his chariot every day. Zeus saw this and tried to end this tyranny through Titis. At the same time, in Troy, Hector's father, Priam, planned to visit Achilles with a replacement for Hector's body. But those around him objected to the idea, saying it was dangerous. So Hermes, on the orders of Zeus, sent Priam back to Achilles under cover of night.

Priam begged Achilles to return Hector's body. Achilles and Priam both shed tears as they mourned the death of their loved ones. Finally, Achilles gave Hector's body to Priam. Before dawn, Priam returned to Troyes with Hector's body. Hector's funeral was held the next day, and the people mourned. Hector's body, which had been dragged around, was intact because Apollo had blessed it. The account of Hector's funeral completes the story of the Iliad.

K)

Who is Homer, the author of the Iliad?

The author of the Iliad, 'Homer', was a bard (ancient greek: ἀοιδός) who is said to have lived at the end of the 8th century BC. He is said to have lived in Smyrna (now Izmir) in Turkey or Chios, an Aegean island in Greece, around 850 BC, and to have ministered in the Ionian region. He is the author of the epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey, which describe the Trojan War. He significantly influenced the culture and art of ancient Greece and beyond.

L)

Origin of the name Homer.

The name Homer means 'blind' in ancient Greek. Homer is said to have been a blind poet. But he was not born blind. Homer was born in Sulmina and, as an adult, embarked on a merchant ship called the Greek islands. During the voyage, however, he suffered from an eye condition. It is said that by the time he returned to Smyrna, his eye disease had worsened, and he went blind.

Homer's fame became known not only in the Ionian region but also on the Greek mainland. However, on his way to Athens, Greece, he fell ill on the Aegean island of Ios, where he died.

M)

Homer's poetry

Before he went blind, Homer heard the folklore of Greek mythology from the people of the Greek islands he visited on his trading voyages. It is believed that Homer began writing poetry after he became blind. After going blind, he devoted himself to writing poems about Greek mythology and gained a reputation for reciting them in the city. He then completed epic poems such as the Iliad and the Odyssey, which became his masterpieces in Smyrna or Chios.

There are various theories about the actual authorship of these epics. In any case, they are not entirely original and are considered compilations of oral traditions passed down from antiquity.

It is estimated that the Trojan War, in which the stories of the Iliad and the Odyssey are set, took place between 1260 BC and 1180 BC. Homer, on the other hand, is thought to have lived around 850 BC, so it is clear that Homer did not see or hear the war first-hand and write his epic.

N)

Homer's major works

Homer's most famous works are considered to be The Iliad and The Odyssey. These two works formed the basis of Greek literature and significantly influenced Greek literature and mythology in the Classical period and, through them, later Western literature.

Both the Iliad and the Odyssey focus on the exploits of a single protagonist. In the Iliad, the protagonist is 'Achilles', and in the Odyssey, 'Ulysses(ancient greek: Ὀδυσσεύς, Λαερτιάδης: Odysseus)', and Odyssey is the counterpart story to the Iliad.

An easy-to-understand explanation of the synopsis of the epic poem "Iliad"! Who wrote the ancient Greek masterpieces?

https://worldclub.jp/turkish/iliad/

Iliad - Iliad Book Summary in English 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVXMHK5U0Ic

Troy 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy_(film)

https://www.imdb.com/video/vi3237937433/?playlistId=tt0332452&ref_=tt_ov_vi

Was the Trojan horse real? What are the full myths and historical facts, and what happened to the wooden horse?

Odysseus is described as one of the two greatest heroes, along with Achilles, in Homer's epic poem The Iliad. He is not a warrior of great military prowess but fights with great intelligence. He launched the Trojan Horse campaign that ended the Trojan War.

After the Trojan War, he faced many difficulties returning to his country, and it took him 20 years to return home. This story is told in Homer's Odyssey.

What is the Trojan Horse?

The Trojan Horse was a giant wooden horse conceived by the Greek general Odysseus during the Trojan War when the Greeks invaded the Trojan kingdom as a trump card to break the 10-year stalemate in the Trojan War and defeat the impregnable Trojan fortress. It was designed as a trump card.

Outline of the Trojan Horse operation

A small elite of the Greek army, led by Odysseus, rides into hiding in the body of a wooden horse.

The Trojan soldiers carry the wooden horse into the castle as a war trophy.

The Greek soldiers ride the wooden horse into the castle and open the gates, drawing the waiting Greek army into the court and driving the Trojan kingdom to destruction.

The story of the Trojan Horse is well known. The term 'Trojan Horse' has come to be used worldwide as a metaphor for tricks and ruses by which the target invites the enemy into a fortress or place of safe defence.