Summary The poet invokes a muse to aid him in telling the story of the rage of Achilles, the greatest Greek hero to fight in the Trojan War. The narrative begins nine years after the start of the war, as the Achaeans sack a Trojan-allied town and …

From a general summary to chapter summaries to explanations of famous quotes, the SparkNotes The Iliad Study Guide has everything you need to ace quizzes, tests, and essays.

The Iliad: Book 1 Summary & Analysis. The Iliad: Book 1. LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Iliad, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Homer begins by asking the Muse to help him sing the story of the rage of Achilles.

Apr 01, 2008 · Summary: Book 1 The poet invokes a muse to aid him in telling the story of the rage of Achilles, the greatest Greek hero to fight in the Trojan War. The narrative begins nine years after the start of the war, as the Achaeans sack a Trojan-allied town and capture two beautiful maidens, Chryseis and Briseis . Agamemnon, commander-in-chief of the Achaean army, takes …

Summary: Book 11. The next morning, Zeus rains blood upon the Achaean lines, filling them with panic; they suffer a massacre during the first part of the day. But, by afternoon, they have begun to make progress. Agamemnon, splendidly armed, cuts down man after man and beats the Trojans back to the city’s gates.Zeus sends Iris to tell Hector that he must wait until Agamemnon is …

Book 1. The Iliad recounts a brief but crucial period of the Trojan War, a conflict between the city of Troy and its allies against a confederation of Greek cities, collectively known as the Achaeans. The conflict began when Paris, the son of Troy’s king Priam, seized a willing Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world, from the Achaean king Menelaus.