Books with title The Illiad

One of the foremost achievements in Western literature, Homer's Iliad tells the story of the darkest episode in the Trojan War. At its center is Achilles, the greatest warrior-champion of the Greeks, and his refusal to fight after being humiliated by his leader, Agamemnon. But when the Trojan Hector kills Achilles's close friend Patroclus, Achilles storms back into battle to take revenge-knowing full well that this will ensure his own early death. This tragic series of events is interwoven with powerfully moving descriptions of the ebb and flow of battle, of the domestic world inside Troy's besieged city of Ilium, and of the conflicts between the gods on Olympus as they argue over the fate of mortals. The Iliad is a work of extraordinary pathos and profundity that concerns itself with issues as fundamental as the meaning of life and death. Even the heroic ethic itself-with its emphasis on pride, honor, prowess in battle, and submission to the inexorable will of the gods-is not left unquestioned. This version of the Iliad is the translation by Alexander Pope.

The Iliad by Homer (as translated by Samuel Butler)Homer’s epic poem dates back to the eighth century, BC. The classic adventure story that follows the fate of two great armies takes place over just a two-week time period. The Iliad and Homer’s The Odyssey are the greatest poems to come from ancient oral tradition.The epic tale begins nine years after the start of the Trojan war between the Greeks and the Trojans. The Greek (Achaean) army has just taken the town of Chryse, and two beautiful maidens have been captured. The leader of the Achaean army, Agamemnon, takes one maiden, Chryseis, for himself. The second maiden, Briseis, is granted to Achilles, the most able and heroic of the Achaean soldiers. Chryseis’ father is a priest under the god Apollo, and when Agamemnon refuses to return his daughter, he sends a plague upon the Achaean army. After many die, Agamemnon agrees to return Chryseis. Upset about losing his prize, Agamemnon demands that Briseis be taken from Achilles and give to him. Achilles, insulted and angered by this offense, quits the Achaean army and vows revenge.As gods begin to take sides, the war increases in intensity and many lives are sacrificed. Troy becomes stronger and stronger, threatening to defeat the Achaean army once and for all. Will Achilles let go of his pride, rejoin his comrades, and defend his homeland? The Iliad was praised by the likes of Socrates and Plato, and continues to enthrall scholars today. It has been adapted into countless adaptations, literary and film.

This groundbreaking English version by Robert Fagles is the most important recent translation of Homer's great epic poem. The verse translation has been hailed by scholars as the new standard, providing an Iliad that delights modern sensibility and aesthetic without sacrificing the grandeur and particular genius of Homer's own style and language. The Iliad is one of the two great epics of Homer, and is typically described as one of the greatest war stories of all time, but to say the Iliad is a war story does not begin to describe the emotional sweep of its action and characters: Achilles, Helen, Hector, and other heroes of Greek myth and history in the tenth and final year of the Greek siege of Troy.

Kingfisher Epics are action-packed retellings of classic tales and legends, with all the exhilaration and immediacy of their original versions. Magnificent black-and-white illustrations bring the heroic deeds depicted in these stories dramatically to life. These stories have enthralled readers for centuries, and Kingfisher Epics make them accessible to a new generation of children. When Helen is kidnapped by Paris, a Trojan prince, the Greek army lays siege to Troy. The Iliad tells of the nine-year war for revenge, thrillingly recounting the fierce battles between both armies' greatest warriors. This dramatic retelling of Homer's epic story retains all the excitement of the original.