Brief description of the iliad. Homer, "Iliad": the main characters and their characteristics

Nine years have now passed since the moment when the troops of Greece began the siege of Troy. Having raided neighboring regions, the Greeks captured Chryseis, a girl who was the daughter of a priest in the temple of Apollo. Chryseis becomes the concubine of Agamemnon, the commander-in-chief of the Greek army. Of course, this event extremely angered Apollo. The deity sends pestilence to the army. Achilles, the bravest of the Greeks, convinces Agamemnon at a general meeting of the army to return Chryseis to her father. However, in return, the commander-in-chief demands that Achilles provide him with his captive - a girl named Briseis. Achilles feels insulted and decides to deal with Agamemnon with a sword. However, what she wanted the Greeks to win in the battle kept him from. As a result, Achilles limited himself to calling the commander-in-chief a selfish and shameless coward, and also stated that from that day on he was not going to participate in hostilities.

Achilles decides to take revenge on the Greeks

Further, in the summary of the Iliad by Homer, Nestor, the oldest and wisest Greek king, is included. However, his attempts to reconcile the quarreling turn out to be a failure. The diplomatic and amiable leader Odysseus takes Chryseis to her father, Briseis goes to Agamemnon. Achilles turns to his mother, the sea goddess Thetis, and asks her to convince the supreme Zeus to grant victory to the Trojans. According to the warrior, this would help the Greeks understand how insignificant they are without him. Despite all the objections of Hera, who favors the Greeks, Zeus agrees. He sends to the commander-in-chief unusual dream, after which Agamemnon gathers a council of leaders, at which he asks if the Greeks want to return home. The warriors who took this offer seriously go to their ships. However, at the suggestion of Athena, they are stopped by Odysseus. He pronounces Wise Nestor gives his instructions to the soldiers. After listening to his speeches, the Greeks perform a sacrifice and prepare for battle. Only Achilles and his companions do not participate in this.

The war goes on

We will not include in the summary of Homer's Iliad detailed description forces that were put up by the belligerent states. The Trojan army is led by Hector, the son of King Priam. Hector's brother - Paris, who initiated this war (it was he who kidnapped Elena - beautiful wife Spartan king Menelaus), invites Menelaus to fight one on one. The winner was to finally take possession of Elena and end the long war. The first few blows allowed Menelaus to feel the proximity of victory. However, here again intervene divine powers: Aphrodite, who patronizes Paris, saves her pet. Athena, on the other hand, pushes her Trojan enemies to be the first to violate the truce concluded before the fight.

What follows is a description of a series of fights, as a result of which the advantage is on the side of the Trojans. Seeing that things are bad, Agamemnon sends an embassy to Achilles. The commander-in-chief invites the brave warrior to return Briseis and reward him generous gifts if he returns to action. However, Achilles refuses Agamemnon.

Troop clashes continue. The Trojans attack the Greek camp, Hector seems unstoppable. Fearing that Troy will win the war, Hera dresses up, adorns herself and retires with Zeus, her husband, on Mount Ida to divert his attention from the fight. Having discovered the tricks of his wife, supreme god becomes furious and again helps the Trojans. The Greeks flee in panic. Patroclus best friend Achilles sympathizes with them, puts on armor and goes to single combat, but his opponent - Hector - turns out to be much stronger and kills Patroclus.

Revenge for a dead friend

Further, the summary of the Iliad by Homer again returns to Achilles. The warrior takes an oath to avenge his murdered friend. Thetis asks Hephaestus, the god of blacksmiths, to forge a new weapon for her son. Armed with new armor, Achilles breaks into the battlefield and destroys many Trojans. After the warrior defeats the god of the river Scamander and, after much persecution, meets with Hector. With the support of Athena, Achilles manages to ruthlessly deal with the enemy, whom he then ties by the legs to his chariot and takes him to the Greek camp. Hector's family mourns him bitterly.

This is followed by a description of the solemn funeral that Achilles arranges for Patroclus - Homer pays great attention to this event. The Iliad, the summary of which you are now reading, continues when the hero's body is burned and the ashes are placed in an urn of gold. The day ends with athletic games in memory of the deceased.

The fate of Hector

Not fully recovering from the loss, Achilles travels the next day to the burial hill of Patroclus, and does so on a chariot to which the body of Hector is tied. Apollo asks the gods to stop this blasphemy. Hera objects, but Zeus gives the go-ahead for Priam to redeem his son's body. Thetis is instructed to ask Achilles for consent to this. And Priam is informed about the will of Zeus by the messenger Irida. Hecuba is trying to dissuade Priam. But he, wanting to redeem the body of his son, goes to Achilles' tent with rich gifts. At this point, Homer describes a sublime pathetic scene. Saddened, Achilles agrees to accept Priam. He does not forget about the fate of his father, with whom he could not adequately say goodbye, and returns the body of his son to him. The Trojans mourn the death of Hector, and Homer's poem "The Iliad" ends, the summary of which we have given, with these words: "So they buried the body of Hector, the horseman."

In most peoples, myths are composed mainly about the gods. But Ancient Greece is an exception: in the main, the best part of them is about heroes. These are grandchildren, sons, great-grandchildren of the gods, born of mortal women. It was they who performed various feats, punished villains, destroyed monsters, and also participated in internecine wars. The gods, when it became hard for the Earth from them, made it so that in the Trojan War the participants themselves destroyed each other. Thus the will of Zeus was accomplished. Many heroes died at the walls of Ilion.

In this article we will tell you about the work that Homer created, the Iliad. We will briefly outline its content, and we will also analyze this and another poem about the Trojan War - the Odyssey.

What is told in the Iliad

"Troy" and "Ilion" are the two names of the great city located in Asia Minor, near the coast of the Dardanelles. The poem that tells about the Trojan War is called the Iliad (Homer) by its second name. Among the people before her, there were only small oral songs like ballads or epics, telling about the exploits of these heroes. Homer, blind legendary singer, put together a large poem from them and did it very skillfully: he selected only one episode and unfolded it in such a way that he made it a reflection of a whole heroic age. This episode is called "The Wrath of Achilles", who was the greatest Greek hero of the last generation. Homer's "Iliad" is devoted mainly to him.

Who participated in the war

The Trojan War lasted 10 years. Homer's Iliad begins like this. Many Greek leaders and kings, with thousands of warriors, on hundreds of ships, gathered on Troy on a campaign: in the poem, their list takes several pages. Agamemnon, the ruler of Argos, this strongest of kings, was the chief of them. Along with him went Menelaus, his brother (the war began for him), the ardent Diomedes, the mighty Ajax, the wise Nestor, the cunning Odysseus and others. But the most dexterous, strong and brave was Achilles, young son Thetis, a sea goddess, accompanied by Patroclus, his friend. Priam, the gray-haired king, ruled over the Trojans. His army was led by Hector, the son of the king, a valiant warrior. With him were Paris, his brother (the war began because of him), as well as many allies gathered from all over Asia. These were the heroes of Homer's Iliad. The gods themselves also participated in the battle: Apollo the silver-armed helped the Trojans, and Hera, the queen of heaven, and Athena, the wise warrior, helped the Greeks. The Thunderer Zeus, the supreme god, watched the battles from the high Olympus and did his will.

The beginning of the war

The war started like this. The wedding of Peleus and Thetis, the sea goddess, was taking place - the last marriage concluded between mortals and the gods (the one from whom the hero Achilles was born). The goddess of discord at the feast threw Golden Apple which was meant for the "most beautiful". Three people argued over him: Athena, Hera and Aphrodite. Paris, the Trojan prince, Zeus ordered to judge this dispute. Each of the goddesses promised their gifts to him: Hera - to make the king of the whole world, Athena - a sage and a hero, Aphrodite - the husband of the most beautiful of women. The hero decided to give the apple to the last one.

After that, Athena and Hera became the sworn enemies of Troy. Aphrodite helped Paris to seduce Helen, the daughter of Zeus himself, who was the wife of King Menelaus, and take her to Troy. Once the best heroes of Greece wooed her and agreed so as not to quarrel: let the girl herself choose the one she likes, and if someone else tries to beat her off, everyone else will declare war on him. Each young man hoped that he would be the chosen one. Elena's choice fell on Menelaus. Now Paris has recaptured her from this king, and therefore all her former suitors went to war against this young man. Only the youngest of them did not marry the girl and went to fight only in order to show his strength, valor, to win glory. This young man was Achilles.

First Trojan attack

Homer's Iliad continues. The Trojans are attacking. They are led by Sarpedon, the son of the god Zeus, the last of his sons on earth, as well as Hector. Achilles coldly watches from his tent how the Greeks flee, and the Trojans approach their camp: they are about to set fire to the ships of their enemies. From above, Hera also sees how the Greeks are losing, and in desperation she decides to deceive, in order to divert the attention of Zeus. She appears before him in the belt of Aphrodite, which excites passion, and the god unites with Hera on the top of Ida. A golden cloud envelops them, and the earth blooms with hyacinths and saffron. After that, they fall asleep, and while Zeus sleeps, the Greeks stop the Trojans. But the dream of the supreme god is short-lived. Zeus awakens, and Hera trembles before his anger, and he urges her to endure: the Greeks will be able to defeat the Trojans, but after Achilles pacifies his anger and goes into battle. Zeus promised this to the goddess Thetis.

Patroclus goes to battle

However, Achilles is not yet ready to do this, and Patroclus goes to help the Greeks instead. It hurts him to watch his comrades in trouble. Homer's poem "Iliad" continues. Achilles gives the young man his armor, which the Trojans are afraid of, as well as warriors, a chariot harnessed by prophetic horses who can divine and speak. He calls on his comrade to repel the Trojans from the camp, to save the ships. But at the same time, he advises not to put yourself in danger, not to get involved in persecution. The Trojans, seeing the armor, were frightened and turned back. Then Patroclus could not stand it and began to pursue them.

Here the son of Zeus, Sarpedon, comes out to meet him, and the god, watching from a height, hesitates: to save his son or not. But Hera says let fate be decided. Like a mountain pine, Sarpedon collapses, the battle boils around his body. Meanwhile, Patroclus is rushing further and further, to the very gates of Troy. Apollo shouts to him that the young man is not destined to take the city. He doesn't hear. Apollo then strikes him on the shoulders, wrapping himself in a cloud. Patroclus loses his strength, drops his spear, helmet and shield, and Hector strikes him with a crushing blow. Dying, the warrior predicts that he will fall at the hands of Achilles.

The latter learns the sad news: Patroclus died, and now Hector flaunts in his armor. Hard to bear friends dead body from the battlefield. The Trojans, triumphant, pursue them. Achilles longs to rush into battle, but cannot do this: he is unarmed. Then the hero screams, and this cry is so terrible that, shuddering, the Trojans retreat. The night begins, and Achilles mourns his friend, threatening his enemies with vengeance.

New Achilles Armor

At the request of his mother, Thetis, meanwhile Hephaestus, the blacksmith god, forges new armor for Achilles in a copper forge. These are leggings, a helmet, a shell and a shield on which the whole world is depicted: the stars and the sun, the sea and the earth, a warring and peaceful city. In the peaceful - a wedding and a court, in front of a belligerent - a battle and an ambush. Around - a vineyard, pasture, harvest, plowing, a village holiday and a round dance, in the middle of which is a singer with a lyre.

Morning comes, and our hero puts on his new armor and calls the Greek army to a meeting. His anger has not faded, but now it is directed at those who killed his friend, and not at Agamemnon. Achilles is angry with Hector and the Trojans. The hero now offers reconciliation to Agamemnon, and he accepts it. Briseis returned to Achilles. Rich gifts are brought into his tent. But our hero hardly looks at them: he longs for battle, revenge.

New battle

Here comes the fourth battle. Zeus removes the bans: let the gods themselves fight for whom these mythical heroes of Homer's "Iliad" want. Athena in battle converges with Ares, Hera - with Artemis.

Achilles is terrible, which is noted in the work of Homer's Iliad. The story of this hero continues. He grabbed Aeneas, but the gods snatched the latter from his hands. It is not the fate of this warrior to fall from Achilles. He must survive both him and Troy. Achilles, enraged by the failure, destroys the Trojans without counting, their corpses clutter up the river. But Scamander, the river god, attacks with waves. Hephaestus, the fiery god, pacifies him.

Achilles chasing Hector

Our summary continues. Homer ("Iliad") describes the following further events. The Trojans who managed to survive are saved in the city. One Hector covers the retreat. Achilles runs into him, and he runs: he is afraid for his life, but at the same time he wants to distract Achilles from the others. They run around the city three times, and the gods from the heights look at them. Zeus hesitates whether to save this hero, but Athena asks to leave everything to the will of fate.

Death of Hector

Zeus then raises the scales, on which there are two lots - Achilles and Hectors. The bowl of Achilles soars upward, and Hector's leans towards the underworld. The supreme god gives a sign: to leave Hector to Apollo, and to Athena to intercede for Achilles. The latter holds the hero's opponent, and he comes face to face with Achilles. Hector's spear hits the shield of Hephaestus, but in vain. Achilles wounds the hero in the throat, and he falls. The victor ties his body to his chariot and, mocking the slain, drives the horses around Troy. Old Priam weeps for him on the city wall. The widow of Andromache, as well as all the inhabitants of Troy, also laments.

Burial of Patroclus

Our short summary continues. Homer ("Iliad") describes the following events. Patroclus avenged. Achilles arranges a magnificent burial for his friend. 12 Trojan captives are killed over the body of Patroclus. His friend's anger, however, does not subside. Achilles drives his chariot with the body of Hector three times a day around the mound where Patroclus is buried. The corpse would have long since crashed against the stones, but Apollo invisibly protects it. Zeus intervenes. He announces to Achilles through Thetis that he does not have long to live in the world, asks him to give the body of the enemy for burial. And Achilles obeys.

Act of King Priam

Continues to talk about further events Homer ("Iliad"). Summary their next. King Priam comes to the victor's tent at night. And with him - a cart full of gifts. The gods themselves gave him the opportunity to pass through the Greek camp unnoticed. Priam falls to the knees of a warrior, asks to remember his father Peleus, who is also old. Grief brings these enemies closer: only now does long anger subside in the heart of Achilles. He accepts the gifts of Priam, gives him the body of Hector and promises that he will not disturb the Trojans until they bury the body of their warrior. Priam returns to Troy with the body, and relatives weep over the dead. A fire is lit, the remains of the hero are collected in an urn, which is lowered into the grave. A mound is being built over it. The funeral feast ends with Homer's Iliad.

Further developments

There were still many events before the end of this war. Having lost Hector, the Trojans did not dare to leave the city walls. But other nations came to their aid: from the land of the Amazons, from Asia Minor, from Ethiopia. The most terrible was the Ethiopian leader Memnon. He fought with Achilles, who overthrew him and rushed to the attack of Troy. It was then that the hero died from the arrow of Paris directed by Apollo. Having lost Achilles, the Greeks did not hope to take Troy by force - they did it by cunning, forcing the inhabitants of the city to bring in a wooden horse, inside of which the knights were sitting. In the "Aeneid" Virgil will later talk about this.

Troy was destroyed, and the Greek heroes who managed to survive set off on their return journey.

Homer, "Iliad" and "Odyssey": compositions of works

Consider the composition of works dedicated to these events. Homer wrote two poems about the Trojan War - the Iliad and the Odyssey. They were based on legends about her, which actually took place around the 13-12th centuries BC. The Iliad tells about the events of the war in its 10th year, and the fabulous everyday poem "Odyssey" tells about the return of the king of Ithaca, Odysseus, one of the commanders of the Greeks, to his homeland after its end, about his misadventures.

In the Iliad, stories of human actions alternate with depictions of gods deciding the fate of battles by splitting into two parties. Events that happened at the same time are described as occurring sequentially. The composition of the poem is symmetrical.

In the structure of the "Odyssey" we note the most significant - the reception of transposition - the image of the events of the past in the form of a story about them by Odysseus.

Such is the compositional structure that Homer's poems "Iliad" and "Odyssey" have.

The humanism of the poems

One of the main reasons for the immortality of these works is their humanism. Homer's poems "Iliad" and "Odyssey" touch upon important issues that are relevant at any time. The author glorified courage, fidelity in friendship, love for the motherland, wisdom, respect for old age, etc. Considering Homer's epic "Iliad", it can be noted that the protagonist terrible in anger, proud. Forced him to refuse to participate in the battle, to neglect the duty of personal resentment. Nevertheless, there are moral qualities in it: the hero's anger is resolved with generosity.

Odysseus is shown as a courageous, cunning person who can find a way out of any situation. He is fair. Returning to his homeland, the hero carefully observes the behavior of people in order to reward everyone according to their merits. He is trying to remove from the crowd of those doomed to death the only one of all the suitors of Penelope, who greets the owner when he appears in the form of a beggar tramp. But, unfortunately, he fails to do this: Amphinoma destroys chance. Homer in this example shows how a hero worthy of respect should act.

The general life-affirming mood of the works is sometimes overshadowed by reflections on the brevity of life. Homeric heroes, thinking that death is inevitable, strive to leave a glorious memory of themselves.

Most often, myths in various nations are written about gods, but despite most countries, in Ancient Greece wrote myths about heroes, although heroes were considered those who were in a divine relationship. It was the divine heroes, born of human girls, who could perform truly majestic feats. They destroyed monsters, could defeat the most important villains and helped win wars. But the heroes also bothered both the people and the gods, so for them the time was coming to an end, and so that there were fewer heroes, the battle of Troy began. Heroes perished one by one, and Zeus enjoyed justice and his will.

In Asia Minor, near the Dardanelles River, there is a city with two names, someone calls it Troy, and someone calls it Illion. It is on one of these names that the poem "Iliad" was written. Before this poem was written, of course, there were other works, but they were all short and oral, and only Homer could put them all into a great work that combines all the achievements of the heroes. And even if it contains only a small part of the war, but this part was able to show the whole age of heroes. The poem describes Achilles, one of the then-existing heroes.

The battle of Troy went on for a long ten years. On it were all the kings, leaders, as well as their entire large army. Even the list is so long that it takes more than one page. One of the warring leaders was called Menelaus, he ruled Argos Agamemnon, his brother was with him at the battle, under the name Ajax. All there at the battle one could meet Diomedes, Odysseus, Nestor, but Achilles showed himself most of all in battle. He was the son of Fedita, the goddess of the sea. The head of the opponents was Priam. And in the war the army was accompanied by his sons Hector and Paris. It was because of Paris that this massive battle unfolded.

There were also gods in this war. Apollo fought for the Trojans. Hera and Athena followed the Greeks. Zeus did not take sides, he watched what was happening. At the same time, the last marriage union between God and man was concluded. The bride was Thetis, the groom was Peleus. This couple had a hero - Achilles. During the festivities about the birth of a child of divine blood, a strife broke out between Hera, Athena and Aphrodite because of an apple intended for the most beautiful.

Zeus decided that Paris would judge the dispute. All the goddesses offered gifts to the prince. Hera decided to give reign over all countries, the goddess of beauty offered him best girl in the world, and Athena, become a hero or a sage. Paris decided to choose the most beautiful woman in the world, and the remaining goddesses decided to take revenge on Paris. The prince got married on Helen, the daughter of Zeus, who at that time was the wife of Menelaus. Once she chose Menelaus from the many suitors, and now all the former suitors decided to take up arms against Paris. Only Achilles was not interested in Elena, since he was still too small at that time. Achilles watched the war from his tent, it was important for him only to show himself in this war. The Trojans want to set fire to the ships of the Greeks, but Hera prevents them, she puts on the belt of Aphrodite and seduces Zeus, after which he falls asleep. The Greeks are gaining strength and stop the advancing army of the Trojans. Zeus wakes up and explains to Hera that the victory of the Greeks is inevitable, it is only necessary to wait until Achilles finds the strength to fight.

Since Achilles is not yet willing to fight, Patroclus enters the battlefield. Achilles instructs Patroclus so that he does not once again expose himself to a blow, as well as his armor. The Trojan people were afraid of the exit of Achilles. Patroclus decided to pursue them and met with Sarpedon. Zeus wanted to help his son, but Hera stopped him. Sarpedon dies and the battle continues. Apollo comes to the aid of Troy, he drops Patroclus, and Hector finishes him off.

Achilles learns about the death of a friend, he wants revenge, but Hector now has his armor. Achilles' mother asks Hephaestus to create new armor, and he does not refuse her.

Now Achilles has armor and weapons, and he summons the army of the Greeks. Achilles has already forgotten about revenge on Agamemnon, now he wants the blood of Hector and all the Trojans. Achilles offers Agamemnon a truce and he agrees. Agamemnon gives Briseis to Achilles, but he is not interested, he only wants revenge.

And now comes the fourth fight. Zeus decides that if all the other gods want to fight, then they can go into battle. Athena fights with Ares, Hera with Artemis, only Poseidon explains to Apollo that people are not worth this fight.

Achilles fights Aeneas. Achilles begins to win, but the gods decided differently and took Aeneas, as they thought that he should survive this war and all the other heroes. Achilles has already defeated countless warriors, he filled up the river with the corpses of people, so the god of rivers decided to destroy him, but Hephaestus stood up to protect him. Trojan warriors flee from the battlefield. Achilles keeps advancing, he meets Hector in battle. The gods want to help the heroes, but soon realize that the scales will decide their fate. The scales lifted Achilles up, and Hector closer to the realm of the dead. Apollo leaves Hector and Athena helps Achilles. Hector talks with Achilles that if one of them falls in battle, the other will take the armor, but leave the body alone. Achilles is against, he is shrouded in a thirst for revenge. Achilles hits Hector in the neck and he falls. Before dying, Hector announces that the gods will still drag Achilles into world of the dead. Achilles decides to make fun of the lifeless body and ties him to the horses, and then sends the horses around Troy. The people of Troy mourn the fallen Hector.

After revenge, Achilles decides to bury Patroclus with full honors. He deals with twelve prisoners, in honor of a friend. Patroclus is mourned, but Achilles' thirst for revenge does not subside. Achilles continues to mock the corpse of the conquered Hector. Zeus decides to stand up for the body, and informs Achilles that soon he will be defeated. Achilles decides to give the body for ransom to his relatives.

Already in the dark, Hector's father comes to Achilles and brings a ransom. The gods of Olympus helped him get through the warriors. He asks Achilles to give him his son. Priam asks Achilles to remember his father and Achilles begins to sob along with Priam. Achilles cools down in his desire for revenge and gives up the body and gives time for burial.

The war went on for a very long time. The death of Achilles was in the arrow of Paris. The Greeks defeated Troy on a wooden horse and wiped it off the face of the earth.

The Iliad is the oldest monument of ancient Greek writing, created by the semi-legendary blind genius Homer. The Iliad is tentatively dated to the 8th-9th century BC. e., and the events described in it date back to the 13-12th century BC. e., when the long-term Trojan War unfolded under the walls of the great ancient city.

Despite the fact that Homer's Iliad is dedicated to the Trojan War, it only describes the last 41 days of the legendary battle. During this relatively short period, the author manages to reveal the nature of the war and its main actors.

The characters of the poem are divided into two opposing camps - the Trojans and the Greeks (they appear in the text under the name - Achaeans, Danaans). The most notable figures of the Trojan camp:

• noble Hector, prince of the besieged city, son of the old king Priam and chief military leader;
• Hector's brother Paris, who kidnapped Helen and initiated great war;
• the hero Aeneas, doomed, like Odysseus, to long post-war wanderings, which became the basis for independent works (for example, Virgil's Aeneids);
• Antenor is the wisest among the Trojan elders.

Main characters Greek camp:

• King Menelaus of Sparta, husband of the stolen Helen;
• the Mycenaean king Agamemnon, brother of Menelaus, military commander-in-chief, who persuaded the Greek rulers to go to war;
• Achilles, a hero, a demigod, the son of the Myrmidon king Peleus and the divine nymph Thetis, the greatest of the Greek warriors, famous for his invulnerability;
• cunning Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, his many years of wandering formed the basis of the second part of the Homeric dilogy "Odyssey".

For ten years now, the exhausting war between the Achaeans (Greeks) and the Trojans has been going on. The Greek troops are desperately attacking the walls of the glorious city, and the Trojans bravely hold the siege. And there is no end in sight to this battle. Tension is rising in the Greek camp. The Hellenes are cut off from their homes, embroiled in a protracted war, and more than anything else they dream that the long-term slaughter will end as soon as possible.

The events of the Iliad begin on that fateful day when Chris, the priest of Apollo, came to the military camp of the Greeks. The old man turned to the Greek leader, King Agamemnon of Mycenae, with a request to release his beloved daughter Astin, who was taken prisoner. Agamemnon resists, he does not want to part with his concubine, to whom he devotes more time than legal wife Clytemnestra. The commander-in-chief rudely sends the priest away, throwing after him that Astinoma will grow old among the Greeks and will always share a bed with Agamemnon. The heartbroken father appeals to Apollo, asking him to send punishment to the Greeks who took away any of his children.

From that moment on, a terrible plague sets in in the camp of the Achaeans, taking the lives of strong warriors. The Greeks are going to the council. The speech is held by the greatest Hellenic hero, invulnerable Achilles. He bravely accuses Agamemnon of the trouble that befell the army. “Oh, you, dressed in shamelessness, all your thoughts are about profit!” - Achilles fearlessly exclaims, demanding that the king of Mycenae, as befits the supreme commander, push his desires into the background and think about the army. The hero reminds Agamemnon that it was he who dragged the Greeks into war. The Trojans did nothing wrong to Achilles and other Hellenes, they did not attack their cities, they did not trample on arable land, they did not kill relatives and friends. In this war, we "observe the honor of Menelaus and yours, the image of a dog!"

Agamemnon agrees to give away his beloved concubine, but, in order to take revenge on Achilles who denigrated him, he takes away his slave Briseis. The hero is beside himself with anger. He appeals to his divine mother Thetis and she begs the Thunderer Zeus to send bad luck to the Greeks. Achilles himself closes in his tent and refuses to take part in the battles, despite the fact that the Greek troops suffer one defeat after another.

Apple of discord
According to ancient Greek epic legends, the beginning of the Trojan War was laid at the wedding of Peleus and Thetis (Achilles' parents). Everyone was invited to the celebration, except for the goddess of discord, Eris. The offended deity threw a golden apple on which was written "to the most beautiful."

Zeus ordered Paris to give the apple to one of the goddesses - Hera, Athena or Aphrodite. Paris chose the beautiful Aphrodite. For this, Aphrodite fell in love with him the most beautiful of mortals - Helen, the wife of King Menelaus. Paris kidnapped Helen and took him to his native Troy. To take revenge on Paris, Menelaus and his brother Agamemnon gather a huge army and set off on a campaign against Troy. Hera and Athena, who were ignored by Paris, became the faithful patrons of the Greeks.

Achilles is still in anger and does not enter the battlefield. The Trojans nearly defeat the Greeks. Hera comes to the aid of her pets. She appears before Zeus in the belt of Aphrodite, which causes a passionate attraction. The Thunderer is distracted from the battle, which makes it possible for the Achaeans to gather strength and repel the decisive attack of the enemy.

The war thus does not end. Achilles' best friend Patroclus is sent to the next battle. He dresses in the armor of his glorious comrade. Their mere sight terrifies the enemy. The Trojans scatter in fear, mistaking Patroclus for the invulnerable Achilles. However, Patroclus could not control his pride. He sets off in pursuit of the enemy army. His deception is soon exposed and Hector mortally wounds Patroclus.

The death of a friend becomes a deep shock for Achilles. He leaves his tent and decides to return to the battlefield to avenge Patroclus.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with Homer's mythological poem "The Odyssey", which tells about the adventures of a hero named Odysseus during his return to his homeland at the end of the Trojan War.

Further you can read the biography of Homer, who allegedly created the poems "Iliad" and "Odyssey", and, according to many researchers, lived around the 8th century BC.

Achilles (Achilles) - the son of the Myrmidon king Peleus and sea ​​nymph Thetis, demigod, hero. According to one legend, Thetis dipped little son into the water underground river Stigs. Since then, Achilles has become invulnerable. Only the heel, by which the mother held the boy, remained vulnerable. It is in her that the arrow of Paris hits, which brought legendary hero death. The expression "Achilles heel" has become a household word. It denotes a weak point / side / character trait of someone.

Achilles asks Hephaestus to forge him new armor and weapons. Thirsty for bloody retribution, he goes into battle. It was a terrible battle, not only people fought, but also the gods: Athena fought with Ares, Hera with Artemis, Poseidon with Apollo, but Achilles raged the most. He exterminated hundreds of thousands of Trojans, almost took the life of the hero Aeneas, who was carried away from the battlefield by the gods (Aeneas was not destined to die in this war), and even enters into battle with the river god Scamander (the latter is pacified by Apollo).

main goal Achilles still remained Hector, who killed Patroclus. Several times the heroes go around Troy in their fast chariots. Zeus lifts the scales, on one bowl is the fate of Achilles, on the other - Hector. The scales are outweighed in favor of the first, which means that the great Trojan will have to die. The gods turn away from the heroes - let fate be decided, because even the celestials are powerless before it.

Achilles finally catches up with Hector and pierces his armor with a spear. And at this time, a long groan is heard on the Trojan wall. This is Queen Andromache mourning her beloved husband.

Gods, but not omnipotent
In Homer, the gods influence the course of military events in every possible way, help their favorites, plot intrigues on those who fell out of favor, but even they are powerless before the Moirai - the goddesses of fate, who determine the greatest law of nature. In the Greek mythological tradition, there were three of them - Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos. Cloto, or "spinner", spins the thread of life, Lachesis, "fate", determines the fate, Atropos, "inevitable", measures the age of a person and cuts off the thread of fate.

With the death of Hector, Achilles' anger does not go away. He ties the body of a sworn enemy to his horse and rushes with him to the camp. During a magnificent memorial service for Patroclus, Achilles travels around the mound every day dead friend, dragging Hector's corpse behind him. It would have turned into a bloody mess long ago, if not for Apollo, who invisibly protected the Trojan prince.

The aged king Priam, Hector's father, comes to Achilles to ask for dead son. The gods help him pass unnoticed through the enemy camp. Priam begs Achilles to remember the people close to his heart, his aged father Peleus. Empathetic Achilles sobs on Priam's chest and he gives the body of his son to the parent. The anger of Achilles passes, and the Trojans arrange a magnificent funeral for the noble warrior, the Trojan prince Hector.

The ten-year Trojan War ended with the victory of the Greeks, but they managed to take the city not by force, but by cunning. The Greeks announced their surrender and brought a huge wooden horse as a gift to the winners. Blinded by the long-awaited victory, the Trojans accepted the gift and brought the horse into the city. A feast went on all night in Troy. The townspeople did not suspect that the best Greek warriors were in the body of the wooden giant, and the Hellenic ships were standing in the bay and waiting for the gates of the city to be opened to them. This cunning plan came up with the king of Ithaca, Odysseus. The cunning plan worked. That night Troy fell.

Homer's Iliad: a summary

The myths of most peoples are myths primarily about gods. The myths of ancient Greece are an exception: for the most part they are not about gods, but about heroes. Heroes are the sons, grandsons, and great-grandchildren of gods by mortal women; they performed feats, cleansed the land of monsters, punished the villains and entertained their strength in internecine wars. When it became hard for the Earth from them, the gods made it so that they themselves killed each other in the greatest war - the Trojan: "... and at the walls of Ilion / the Tribe of heroes died - the will of Zeus was done."

"Ilion", "Troy" - two names of the same mighty city in Asia Minor, near the coast of the Dardanelles. From the first of these names, the great Greek poem about the Trojan War is called the Iliad. Before her, only short oral songs about the exploits of heroes, such as epics or ballads, existed among the people. A large poem of them was composed by the legendary blind singer Homer, and he composed it very skillfully: he chose only one episode from a long war and unfolded it so that it reflected the entire heroic age. This episode is the "wrath of Achilles," the greatest of the last generation of Greek heroes.

The Trojan War lasted ten years. Dozens of Greek kings and leaders gathered on a campaign against Troy on hundreds of ships with thousands of soldiers: a list of their names takes up several pages in the poem. The main leader was the strongest of the kings - the ruler of the city of Argos Agamemnon; with him were his brother Menelaus (for whose sake the war began), the mighty Ajax, the ardent Diomedes, the cunning Odysseus, the wise old Nestor and others; but the most courageous, strong and dexterous was the young Achilles, the son of the sea goddess Thetis, who was accompanied by his friend Patroclus. The Trojans were ruled by the gray-haired king Priam, at the head of their army was the valiant son of Priam Hector, with him his brother Paris (because of whom the war began) and many allies from all over Asia. The gods themselves participated in the war: the silver-armed Apollo helped the Trojans, and the heavenly queen Hera and the wise warrior Athena helped the Greeks. The supreme god, the thunderer Zeus, followed the battles from the high Olympus and carried out his will.

The war started like this. The wedding of the hero Peleus and the sea goddess Thetis was celebrated - the last marriage between gods and mortals. (This is the same marriage from which Achilles was born.) At the feast, the goddess of discord threw a golden apple, destined for the "most beautiful." Three people argued over an apple: Hera, Athena and the goddess of love Aphrodite. Zeus ordered the Trojan prince Paris to judge their dispute. Each of the goddesses promised him their gifts: Hera promised to make him king over the whole world, Athena - a hero and sage, Aphrodite - the husband of the most beautiful of women. Paris gave the apple to Aphrodite. After that, Hera and Athena became eternal enemies Troy. Aphrodite, on the other hand, helped Paris seduce and take away to Troy the most beautiful of women - Helen, the daughter of Zeus, the wife of Menelaus. Once upon a time, the best heroes from all over Greece wooed her and, in order not to quarrel, they agreed this way: let her choose who she wants, and if someone tries to recapture her from the chosen one, all the rest will go to war with him. (Everyone hoped that he would be the chosen one.) Then Helen chose Menelaus; now Paris has recaptured her from Menelaus, and all her suitors have gone to war against him. Only one, the youngest, did not marry Elena, did not participate in the general agreement and went to war only in order to show off his valor, show strength and acquire glory. It was Achilles. So it was believed: the most important of the Greek leaders near Troy was Agamemnon, and the best was Achilles. The war went on for nine years, and in the tenth year the most important and best quarreled: Achilles flared up with anger at Agamemnon. Here the Iliad begins with the poet's appeal to the Muse: "Sing, goddess, about the wrath of Achilles, the son of Peleus ..."

The reason for the anger was the division of booty. Military booty was a sign of military honor: the best part - to the best warrior, to take it away - to dishonor him. This time the prey were two captives with similar names: Chryseis and Briseis. Chryseis was awarded to Agamemnon, Briseis to Achilles. But Chryseis turned out to be the daughter of the priest of Apollo, who prayed to his god, and Apollo sent a pestilence to the Greek army. I had to make expiatory sacrifices to Apollo, and return Chryseis to her father. Agamemnon felt dishonored and demanded: then, instead of Chryseis, they would give him Briseis, having taken it from Achilles. Here Achilles boils up: “We are fighting for you, you already take the best booty, and now you are depriving us of ours? Take Briseis, but know that I am getting out of the war - fight yourself if you want! Friends hardly separated the leaders. Achilles goes to the seashore and calls out to his mother, the sea Thetis: “The gods gave me a choice: long life or a glorious life; I chose glory - and Agamemnon dishonors me. Mother, beg Zeus: let him let the Trojans overpower the Greeks, let Agamemnon see what he is without me! Thetis rises to Olympus to Zeus and, pleadingly touching his beard, conveys to him the prayer of his son, And Zeus agrees: he nods majestically. "God's hair flew up, and the great Olympus shook."

The main part of the poem begins: four days - four battles. Zeus sends Agamemnon a false dream, promising him a brilliant victory. Agamemnon decides to raise the morale of the troops with a skillful trick - he calls the troops to a meeting and offers to admit defeat and retreat. He thought that the Greeks would be offended, indignant and rush into battle - but no, everyone is so exhausted from the many years of war that they joyfully rush to the ships to sail home. Clever Odysseus rushes to save the situation - he admonishes some, frightens others, beats the third with the royal scepter. The Goddess Athena comes to the rescue and inhales the military spirit into the fighters. The troops are built for battle in a tight formation - “Shishak with a shield, a shishak with a shishak, a man with a man”: “The warriors walked, and the whole field seemed to be devoured by fire - / The earth groaned heavily, as if under the wrath of the Thunderer Father.”

The first battle begins with a duel and ends with a duel. When the Greeks and the Trojans converge, Paris, the culprit of the war, offers the offended Menelaus to fight one on one: whoever wins, Helen will remain, and the war will end. Both troops rejoice, the leaders take an oath that neither side will interfere in single combat. Helen herself climbs the Trojan wall to see the battle; and, looking at her, the Trojan elders say among themselves: “Yes, it is not surprising that so many peoples fight and die because of such beauty.” Menelaus and Paris converge, Menelaus wounds Paris, his sword breaks, he grapples with Paris hand-to-hand, but then the goddess Aphrodite, the patroness of Paris, wraps him in a dark cloud and takes him away from the battlefield. It seems that the outcome of the war is decided; but this is not enough for the vengeful Hera and Athena, they want to prolong the war and destroy Troy. Athena inspires the Trojan archer Pandaru to shoot an arrow at Menelaus. Menelaus is wounded, the truce is broken, the troops are indignant, and a general battle begins: “The skins and spears and the forces of copper-armored men met, / Convex-round, shields clashed with shields, / And from the battle, a polyphonic rumble rang out: / Together they merged in it rejoicing and cries of heroes, / Those who perished and who destroy; the ground was stained with blood."

The hero of the first day of the battle is Diomedes, the Argive knight. He alone crushes dozens of Trojans, Athena herself keeps him from arrows. The Trojan Aeneas, the son of the goddess Aphrodite, comes upon him - the one about whom Virgil will later write a poem. Diomedes knocks him down with a huge stone, and when the frightened Aphrodite flies to save him, he wounds the goddess herself in the hand: “It’s not your business, seducer, to fight among husbands!” Ares himself rushes at him, the wild god of war, helping the Trojans, but Diomedes, encouraged by Athena, inflicts a wound on the god. He roared in pain, “as if ten thousand soldiers were screaming at once,” and ascended into the sky like a black cloud.

Hector, the leader of the Trojans, feels that the Greeks are strong with the support of Athena, and goes to Troy: let the Trojan women pray to the formidable goddess so that she changes her anger to mercy. Returning to battle, at the very gates he meets his wife Andromache with her little son in her arms. She gently asks him: “Don’t go to battle - they will kill you, it’s easier for me to die myself than to lose you! I am alone, Achilles killed my father, you are now my only father, and mother, and brother, and husband. Hector replies: “I know; but I am ashamed to shy away from battle like a coward; and no mortal can escape his fate. And it says: “I know: the day will come, and sacred Troy will perish, / Priam and the people of the spear-bearer Priam will perish with it ...”

Hector returns to the battlefield, with him healed Paris, the day is drawing to a close, and the troops again decide to end the matter with a duel. From the Trojans comes the strongest - Hector; from the Greeks - the strongest after the absent Achilles: Ajax. Both are worthy of each other: they fight for a long time, until sunset, and neither one nor the other can prevail. At nightfall, they lay down their arms and disperse, exchanging gifts as a token of mutual respect.

The second day comes, the second battle, and Zeus begins to fulfill his promise to Thetis. He forbids the gods to interfere in the battle and he himself raises the scales on which the fates of both troops lie. The cup of the Trojans rises to heaven, the cup of the Greeks descends to the realm of the dead. The Greeks begin to retreat, and the thunderer pursues them with horror, throwing lightning into the thick of the fighters. The Greeks are hiding in their camp - behind the rampart surrounding their ships pulled ashore; and the Trojans remain overnight in the field opposite the camp, instilling fear in the enemy with the close fires of fires.

At night, Agamemnon convenes a military council: he lost heart and is ready to lift the siege and return across the sea. Wise Nestor suggests that he better make peace with Achilles. Three ambassadors go to Achilles - Odysseus, Ajax and Achilles' old tutor Phoenix. Achilles and his friend Patroclus are sitting in their tent and trying to drown out their spiritual anguish by playing the lyre. He is offered to return Briseis, pay a huge ransom for the insult, and upon his return to Greece, give Agamemnon's daughter as a wife and seven cities as a dowry. Odysseus speaks insinuatingly and subtly, Ajax - sharply and weightily, Phoenix - verbose and with signs from the old days. But Achilles does not want to listen: "Agamemnon has already deceived and insulted me once - he no longer has faith!" The embassy returns with nothing.

The third day is the third battle, the most important one. Zeus stands on Mount Ida, towering over the Trojan plain, and vigilantly watches that none of the gods still interfere in the battle. The Trojans continue their onslaught, led by Hector and Sarpedon, the son of Zeus, the last of the sons of Zeus on earth. Achilles coldly watches from his tent how the Greeks flee, how the Trojans approach their very camp: they are about to set fire to the Greek ships. From above, Hera also sees the flight of the Greeks and, in desperation, decides to deceive in order to divert the harsh attention of Zeus. She appears before him in the magic belt of Aphrodite, arousing love, Zeus flares up with passion and unites with her at the top of Ida; a golden cloud envelops them, and the earth around them blooms with saffron and hyacinths. After love comes sleep, and while Zeus sleeps, the Greeks gather their courage and stop the Trojans. But sleep is short; Zeus wakes up, Hera trembles before his anger, and he tells her: “Be able to endure: everything will be your way and the Greeks will defeat the Trojans, but not before Achilles pacifies his anger and goes into battle: so I promised the goddess Thetis.”

But Achilles is not yet ready to “put down his anger”, and instead of him, his friend Patroclus comes out to help the Greeks - it hurts him to look at his comrades in trouble. Achilles gives him his warriors, his armor, which the Trojans are used to being afraid of, his chariot harnessed by horses that can speak and prophesy. “Repel the Trojans from the camp, save the ships,” says Achilles, “but do not get carried away with the pursuit, do not endanger yourself! Oh, let everyone die - both the Greeks and the Trojans - we would take Troy alone together! Indeed, seeing the armor of Achilles, the Trojans trembled and turned back; and then Patroclus could not resist and rushed to pursue them. Sarpedon, the son of Zeus, comes out to meet him, and Zeus, looking from a height, hesitates: “Should we not save our son?” - and the unkind Hera reminds: "No, let fate be done!" Sarpedon collapses like a mountain pine, the battle boils around his body, and Patroclus rushes further, to the gates of Troy. "Away! Apollo shouts to him, “Troy is not destined to take either you or even Achilles.” He does not hear; and then Apollo, wrapped in a cloud, strikes him on the shoulders, Patroclus loses his strength, drops his shield, helmet and spear, Hector strikes him the last blow, and Patroclus, dying, says: “But you yourself will fall from Achilles!”

The news reached Achilles: Patroclus died, Hector flaunts in his Achilles armor, his friends hardly carried the dead body of the hero out of the battle, the triumphant Trojans are chasing them. Achilles wants to rush into battle, but he is unarmed; he comes out of the tent and screams, and this scream is so terrible that the Trojans, shuddering, retreat. Darkness falls, and all night Achilles mourns his friend and threatens the Trojans with terrible revenge; meanwhile, at the request of his mother, Thetis, the lame blacksmith Hephaestus in his copper forge forges a new marvelous weapon for Achilles. This is a shell, a helmet, greaves and a shield, and the whole world is depicted on the shield: the sun and stars, earth and sea, a peaceful city and a warring city, in a peaceful city there is a court and a wedding, in front of a warring city there is an ambush and a battle, and around - selytsin, plowing , harvest, pasture, vineyard, village festival and dancing round dance, and in the middle of it - a singer with a lyre.

Morning comes, Achilles puts on divine armor and calls the Greek army to a gathering. His anger did not fade away, but now it is directed not at Agamemnon, but at those who killed his friend - at the Trojans and Hector. He offers reconciliation to Agamemnon, and he accepts it with dignity: "Zeus and Fate blinded me, but I myself am innocent." Briseis is returned to Achilles, rich gifts are brought to his tent, but Achilles almost does not look: he is eager to fight, he wants to take revenge.

The fourth battle is coming. Zeus removes the bans: let the gods themselves fight for whom they want! The warrior Athena converges in battle with the frantic Ares, the sovereign Hera with the archer Artemis, the sea Poseidon must converge with Apollo, but he stops him with sad words: “Should we fight with you because of the mortal human race? / The sons of men are like short-lived leaves in the oak forest: / Today they bloom in strength, and tomorrow they lie lifeless. / I don’t want to quarrel with you: let them themselves be at enmity! .. "

Achilles is terrible. He grappled with Aeneas, but the gods pulled Aeneas out of his hands: Aeneas is not destined to fall from Achilles, he must survive both Achilles and Troy. Enraged by the failure, Achilles destroys the Trojans without counting, their corpses clutter up the river, the river god Scamander attacks him, overwhelms him with waves, but the fiery god Hephaestus pacifies the river.

The surviving Trojans run in droves to escape to the city; Hector alone, in yesterday's Achilles armor, covers the retreat. Achilles attacks him, and Hector takes flight, voluntary and involuntary: he is afraid for himself, but wants to distract Achilles from others. Three times they run around the city, and the gods look at them from the heights. Again Zeus hesitates: “Should we not save the hero?” - but Athena reminds him: "Let fate be done." Again, Zeus lifts the scales, on which two lots lie - this time Hectors and Achilles. The bowl of Achilles flew up, the bowl of Hector descended to the underworld. And Zeus gives a sign: Apollo - to leave Hector, Athena - to come to the aid of Achilles. Athena holds Hector, and he comes face to face with Achilles. “I promise, Achilles,” says Hector, “if I kill you, I will take off your armor and not touch your body; promise me the same and you. “There is no place for promises: for Patroclus, I myself will tear you to pieces and drink your blood!” Achilles screams. Hector's spear strikes the Hephaestus shield, but in vain; Achilles' spear strikes Hector's throat, and the hero falls with the words: "Fear the revenge of the gods: and you will fall after me." “I know, but first, you!” Achilles answers. He ties the body of the slain enemy to his chariot and drives the horses around Troy, mocking the dead, and on the city wall old Priam weeps for Hector, the widow Andromache and all the Trojans and Trojans weep.

Patroclus is avenged. Achilles arranges a magnificent burial for his friend, kills twelve Trojan captives over his body, celebrates a commemoration. It would seem that his anger should subside, but it does not subside. Three times a day, Achilles drives his chariot with the body of Hector tied around Patroclus' mound; the corpse would have long since smashed against the stones, but Apollo was invisibly guarding it. Finally, Zeus intervenes - through the sea goddess Thetis, he announces to Achilles: “Do not rage with your heart! After all, you don't have long to live. Be human: accept the ransom and give Hector for burial. And Achilles says, "I obey."

At night, the decrepit king Priam comes to the tent of Achilles; with him is a wagon full of ransom gifts. The gods themselves let him pass through the Greek camp unnoticed. He falls to the knees of Achilles: “Remember, Achilles, about your father, about Peleus! He is also old; maybe he is being pressed by enemies; but it is easier for him because he knows that you are alive and hopes that you will return. But I am alone: ​​of all my sons, only Hector was my hope - and now he is gone. For the sake of your father, take pity on me, Achilles: here I kiss your hand, from which my children fell. “So saying, he aroused sorrow for his father and tears in him - / Both wept loudly, in their souls remembering their own: / The old man, prostrated at the feet of Achilles, - about Hector the brave, / Achilles himself - now about a dear father, then about friend of Patroclus.

Equal grief brings enemies together: only now the long anger in Achilles' heart subsides. He accepts the gifts, gives Priam the body of Hector and promises not to disturb the Trojans until they betray their hero to the ground. Early at dawn, Priam returns with the body of his son to Troy, and mourning begins: the old mother cries over Hector, the widow Andromache cries, Helen cries, because of whom the war once began. A funeral pyre is lit, the remains are collected in an urn, the urn is lowered into the grave, a mound is poured over the grave, a memorial feast is celebrated for the hero. “So the sons buried the warrior Hector of Troy” - this line ends the Iliad.

Before the end of the Trojan War, there were still many events. The Trojans, having lost Hector, no longer dared to go beyond the city walls. But other, more and more distant peoples came to their aid and fought with Achilles: from Asia Minor, from the fabulous land of the Amazons, from distant Ethiopia. The most terrible was the leader of the Ethiopians, the black giant Memnon, also the son of the goddess; he fought with Achilles, and Achilles overthrew him. It was then that Achilles rushed to attack Troy - then he died from the arrow of Paris, which Apollo directed. The Greeks, having lost Achilles, no longer hoped to take Troy by force - they took it by cunning, forcing the Trojans to bring into the city an ancient horse in which the Greek soldiers were sitting. The Roman poet Virgil will later tell about this in his Aeneid. Troy was wiped off the face of the earth, and the surviving Greek heroes set off on their way back.