The Iliad by Homer - Books 13-24

This is the last of two meetings dedicated to The Iliad by Homer, the teacher of the Greeks. We will discuss Books 13-24. In the last 30 minutes, we will discuss retellings of the Iliad or other Greek myths.

"When she [Troy] fell, a hole opened in the human world that will never be filled, save in memory. Poets must sing the story over and over again, passing it from generation to generation, lest in losing Troy we lose ourselves" - Stephen Fry

“Rage — Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus’ son Achilles,
murderous, doomed, that cost the Achaeans countless losses,
hurling down to the House of Death so many sturdy souls,
great fighters’ souls, but made their bodies carrion,
feasts for the dogs and birds,
and the will of Zeus was moving toward its end.
Begin, Muse, when the two first broke and clashed,
Agamemnon lord of men and brilliant Achilles. . . .” - The Iliad, Book 1 translated by Robert Fagles

Covering only a few weeks in the last year of the 10-year Trojan war, The Iliad tells us the story of the superb hero Achilles, who, being dishonored by Agamemnon, is consumed by his god-like wrath and brings devastation to his own allies. On the enemy side, Hector of the shining helmet is fighting against fate to defend and protect his home Troy, while beautiful Helen curses from the city walls the day she ran away with Paris.

It's a story about ruthless war and death, but also about loyalty, courage, and self-sacrifice, the qualities that only men can possess, inaccessible to the gods stuck in eternity. Let’s read this great book together!