xii The Iliad of Homer test; and it is by this troublesome standard that a large portion of historical evidence is sifted. Consistency is no less pertinacious and exacting in its demands. In brief, to write a history, we must know more than mere facts. Human nature, viewed under an inductionofextendedexperience, isthebesthelptothecriticism of human history.

Homer begins his Iliad by bidding his Muse to sing of the wrath of Achilles and how his anger has done much more harm to the Greeks than the war with the Trojans over the abducted Helen. With this first line, Homer establishes one of the main themes in the Iliad: the implications and consequences of one’s pride. Achilles himself embodies this theme, for his anger at …

The Iliad: Full Text | SparkNotes. The Iliad is an Ancient Greek epic poem by Homer that was first published in 762 BC .

He rushed across the plain like a winter torrent that has burst its barrier in full flood; no dykes, no walls of fruitful vineyards can embank it when it is swollen with rain from heaven, but in a moment it comes tearing onward, and lays many a field waste that many a strong man’s hand has reclaimed—even so were the dense phalanxes of the Trojans driven in rout by the son of …

The present translation of the Iliad will, it is hoped, be found to convey, more accurately than any which has preceded it, the words and thoughts of the original. It is based upon a careful examination of whatever has been contributed by scholars of every age towards the elucidation of the text, including the ancient scholiasts and lexicographers, ...

Stories on the religion of the ancient Romans and Rome’s mythical founding. We’re building the world’s most authoritative, online mythology resource, with engaging, accessible content that is both educational and compelling to read. After all, mythology is storytelling at its finest.

Homer Translated by Samuel Butler. An epic poem written by the Greek poet Homer, the Iliad recounts the events of the final weeks of the Trojan War and the siege of the city of Troy after Helen of Sparta is kidnapped by the Trojan prince Paris. Homer’s Iliad is one of the oldest works known in Western literature and is typically dated back to some ...

The son of Peleus. 13. was furious, and his heart within his shaggy breast was divided whether to draw his sword, push the others aside, and kill the son of At reus, or to restrain himself and check his anger. While he was thus in two minds, and was …

In Robert Fagles' beautifully rendered text, the Iliad overwhelms us afresh. The huge themes godlike, yet utterly human of savagery and calculation, of destiny defied, of triumph and grief compel our own humanity. Time after time, one pauses and re-reads before continuing.