The Iliad Book 1 summary : The Rage of Achilles Story Summary

 

 

 

The Iliad Book 1 summary : The Rage of Achilles Story Summary

 

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The Iliad Book 1 summary : The Rage of Achilles Story Summary

The Iliad Book 1: The Rage of Achilles Story Summary

           At the beginning of the story, Homer is asking the goddess’ to be his muse, or inspiration. He is reminding readers where the story left off by telling them that Achilles is feeling rage because of the clash between him and Agamemnon.
Apollo is the god that started the fight between Achilles and Agamemnon. He did this because he was mad at the king. He felt that Agamemnon spurned, or rejected, Apollo’s priest, Chryses. Chryses was coming to get his daughter, Chryseis, back. He tells Agamemnon that he can take over and plunder Troy as long as he sets his daughter free.
The Greeks would like to see Agamemnon accept this ransom, or gift, but he has no interest. Instead, Agamemnon threatens Chryses and tells him to not tempt his wrath if he wants to leave alive.
Chryses obeyed Agmemnon and leaves. As he is leaving on his ship, he prays to Apollo for help. Apollo listens and journeys down from Mt. Olympus to begin his attack on the Greeks.
Apollo kept this fight up for nine days. Achilles is ready to end this war and sail home, but he wants to ask Apollo what the purpose of this battle was. He believes that he and his men did no wrong to deserve so many lost lives in this fight.
Achilles asks Calchas for help because Calchas has the ability to see into the past and the future. Calchas then has a long narrative dialogue geared towards Achilles. He tells Achilles that he will share his wisdom with him if Achilles promises to defend him from king Agamemnon because he can foresee the king becoming very angry. Achilles agrees.
Calchas continues to tell Achilles that Agamemnon turned his back on Chryses and refused the priest’s new ransom. He says that Apollo will not stop until Chryseis is returned to her father, Chryses.
Agamemnon now returns and he his furious. He claims that Calchas’ prophecies always bring him hardship. Finally, Agamemnon states that he will give Chryseis back even though he thinks very highly of her. He will do this because it is the best thing to do for all of the Greeks. He states that since he is willing to do this, the Greeks must find him a new prize. Achilles explains to Agamemnon that this is not possible because they have already plundered every area and there are no other prizes to be rewarded. He promises Agamemnon that in the future he will be paid back b asking Zeus to destroy Troy.
Agamemnon is angry at this idea. He feels that the Greeks are cheating him. He threatens that if he is not given a prize then he will steal Achilles, Ajax, or Odysseus’ prize. Finally, he says they will settle this dispute later. He tells everyone that they are to board the ship and it will be Achilles job to calm Apollo down and stop the fighting from continuing.
Achilles is furious at this point and is tired of Agamemnon’s greed and states that this is not his problem. He and his men did nothing wrong, but Agamemnon acts as if he could care less about the lives of his men. They do all of the fighting, yet Agamemnon is the one that receives the reward. Agamemnon fire back at Achilles and tells him that he does not have to stay. He says that he has plenty of other men to help him and he is attempting to break down Achilles self-esteem. He threatens Achilles by telling him that he will send his men on their way with Chryseis on board, but he will stay back and take Achilles prize, Briseis, from him.
Achilles is really upset now. He’s having an internal conflict about what to do – should he kill Agamemnon or just chill out? His self-conscious makes him pull out his sword and as he does this, Athena (sent by Hera) comes down to talk some sense into Achilles. She tells him to put away his weapon and to use his words to threaten Agamemnon with what will happen in the future. Athena promises him that one day Achilles will have a huge amount of gifts and Agamemnon will be left with nothing, so he needs to put his rage aside.
Achilles complies and states that he is aware of the fact that if he obeys her, the gods will be more likely to listen to his prayers. Achilles puts his weapon away and lashes back at Agamemnon with a long, narrative dialogue. Basically, Achilles calls Agamemnon out for all of his faults. He promises Agamemnon that one day he will come back and kill all of his followers and armies.
Suddenly, Nestor appears and counsels the two men, trying to get them to make amends. Agamemnon finally orders the return of Chryseis and abducts Briseis from Achilles. Achilles swears that he will nevr again help the Greeks fight. He convinces Thetis, he mother, to persuade Zeus to help the Trojans defeat the Greeks.
The gods all return to Mt. Olympus and Thetis remembers what her son has asked of her. She prays to Zeus asking him to honor Achilles. She asks him to grant the Trojans victory and victory until the Greeks finally pay Achilles back for all of his hard work.
Quiz Review

I. Introduction to Greece and Book One: The Iliad

  1. When did Homer live?
  2. What Trojan prince kidnaps Helen in the “Story Before the Story”?
  3. What does in medias res mean?
  4. Homer bagn his epic poem with an invocation to whom?
  5. What physical handicap did Homer supposedly have?
  6. The Iliad is describing which famous war?
  7. Homer uses describing words for Achilles, such as “swift runner” and Athena as “grey-eyed goddess”. What is the epic convention called for these descriptive names?
  8. What is the theme of the Iliad? (Hint - it’s the first word in the story.)
  9. Which Greek king is Achilles fighting with in Book 1?
  10. Which immortal is punishing the Greeks at the beginning of the story?
  11. At the end of book 1, Achilles mother flies to Mt. Olympus to beg which god for help?
  12. When do historians believe the Trojan War took place? You must know whether it was in B.C. or A.D.
  13. The belief in many gods is called what?
  14. Which Greek city-state is considered the birthplace of democracy?
  15. What are some major contributions the Romans made to western civilization?

 

II. You need to know who the following people are and why they are important.
1. Zeus                           2. Aphrodite                        3. Agamemnon
4. Hades                         5. Menalaus                         6. Priam
7. Ares                           8. Achilles                           9. Athena
10. Chryseis

III. Vocabulary

Incensed (adj.) – very angry; enraged
Ex. Incensed by the high prices of gasoline, the citizens demanded that their elected officials find a solution to the economic crisis.
Plunder (verb) – to rob by force in warfare
Ex. The Vikings burned monasteries, plundered villages and murdered priests during the Dark Ages.
Sacrosanct (adj.) – very holy; sacred
Ex. To a Yankees fan, Yankee Stadium is the sacrosanct destination of the world’s greatest baseball players.
Brazen (adj.) – literally, of brass; shamelessly bold
Ex. Fighting is considered such a brazen violation of the rules of a game that the offending players are usually severely penalized.
Harrowed (verb) – distressed; tormented
Ex. The harrowed teacher asked the rambunctious kindergarten class to put their heads on their desks and remain silent.
Bereft (adj.) – deprived or robbed
The bereft mother wept over the body of her dead child.

 

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The Iliad Book 1 summary : The Rage of Achilles Story Summary

Book 1 Summary
Homer's Iliad begins during the tenth year of the Trojan War and opens, like most epic poems, with a request for inspiration from the appropriate muse. We are told from the beginning that the story is going to be about the "rage" or "anger" of Achilles, the greatest warrior in Achaia (Greece). Homer then relates the origin of this anger.
In an earlier raid against the Trojans, two beautiful women were captured and kept as war prizes. Chryseis is awarded to Agamemnon, the commander of the Greek army, and Briseis is given to Achilles. Unfortunately, Chryseis happens to be the daughter of a priest of Apollo, and when her father, Chryses, learns she has been taken, he comes to the Achaians to offer a ransom for her return. Agamemnon drives him away harshly and refuses to return Chryseis, so Chryses appeals to Apollo, who strikes the Greeks with a plague. After the army has suffered for nine days, the goddess Hera takes pity on them, and puts the thought in the mind of Achilles to convene an assembly to discuss the matter. When the men were gathered together, Achilles convinces them to consult their own priest, Kalchas, to see what must be done to appease Apollo.
Kalchas knows Agamemnon is not going to like the answer, so before he replies he extracts a promise from Achilles to protect him. As expected, Agamemnon is furious at being named as the reason for the plague. He says he didn't return the girl when he was offered the ransom because he likes Chryseis better than he likes his own wife, but if he returns her now (without a ransom) he will not have any prize at all from the battle. Achilles reminds Agamemnon that he has had all the best prizes of battle up to the present, and that if he gives the girl back, the rest of the Greeks will see to it that he will be greatly rewarded after the next one as well. This fails to persuade Agamemnon. He warns that if he has to give up his prize, he'll take that of Achilles, or of Aias or Odysseus.
Angered, Achilles calls him shameless and greedy for profit, and threatens to take his men and his ships and go home, leaving Agamemnon to fight without his help. Agamemnon counters that he doesn't need Achilles, but he has now decided he will take Briseis, and return Chryseis to her father. This announcement makes Achilles even angrier and he is on the point of drawing his sword to kill Agamemnon. The goddess Hera sends Athena at this point to stop him, promising that someday he will receive three times the prize he is now giving up if he will put away his sword. Achilles obeys, but the heated argument continues between the two men. At this point, a wise old leader from Pylos named Nestor appeals to both of them, advising them not to dishonor each other. He suggests Agamemnon should not take Achilles' prize, and that Achilles should not be disrespectful of the sceptered king (Agamemnon) whose power was given by Zeus.
Nestor's advice is not taken by either party; after a few more words that are contentious, the two men part ways. Agamemnon makes arrangements to send Chryseis home accompanied by Odysseus, and Achilles returns to his ships. He is followed by Talthybios and Eurybates, henchmen sent by Agamemnon to bring Briseis back with them. They find Achilles brooding by the sea, and are afraid to tell him their errand. Achilles knows why they have been sent, however, and tells them he bears them no ill will, he holds only Agamemnon to blame. He tells his comrade, Patroklos to release Briseis to them, and she goes unwillingly while Achilles sits sorrowfully by the sea and calls out to his mother, who is Thetis, the sea nymph. She emerges to sit beside him as he tells her his sorrows, and when she has heard them, she promises she will speak to Zeus on behalf of Achilles as soon as the god returns from a feast in Ethiopia in twelve days.
As soon as the twelfth day comes, Thetis leaves early in the morning for Olympus to entreat Zeus. She convinces him to take the side of the Trojans against the Greeks in the war, until the Greeks return honor to Achilles, giving him back his rights. Zeus knows this course of action will not sit well with his wife, Hera, who dislikes it when he helps the Trojans. Nevertheless, he agrees to do this for Thetis, and silences Hera later when she questions him about his pact with the sea nymph.

Book 1 Analysis
Some critics have argued that Homer's legendary epic poem has been misnamed. Ilion is another name for the city of Troy and "Iliad" implies the story is "about Ilion". However, as Richard Lattimore points out in his famous translation of the Iliad, the actual story written by Homer is not as much about Troy as it is about the excessive anger of the main character, Achilleus (Achilles). In fact, the book centers on a period of only a few weeks toward the end of the Trojan War, and never actually concerns itself with the end of the war or the causes leading up to it.
To the ancient Greeks, this would not have been necessary anyway -- the story of the war between the Trojans and Greeks was considered history rather than legend and they were very familiar with the events surrounding it. Homer's audience would also have understood the relationships that existed among all the gods and goddesses, and he would not have needed to explain why they took sides as they did. However, it is helpful for today's readers to be aware of some basic Greek mythology before reading the Iliad, in order to appreciate it fully.
For instance, during his argument with Agamemnon, Achilles says, "I for my part did not come here for the sake of the Trojan spearmen to fight against them, since to me they have done nothing. ...but for your sake...we followed, to do you favor...to win your honor and Menelaos' from the Trojans. You forget all this, or else you care nothing..."
The ancient Greek audience would have understood that Achilles was saying he had no reason to fight the Trojans himself - he had only come to the aid of Menelaos, whose wife had been stolen by Paris of Troy. As any good Greek would have known, Paris (also called Alexandros) had been enjoying the hospitality of Menelaos when he met and fell in love with the beautiful Helen. As soon as the opportunity presented itself, Paris took her with him back to Troy, to live as his wife. Unfortunately, for Paris, Helen had been kidnapped once before, when she was very young. Upon her return to her father in Sparta, she had many suitors, and her father convinced them all to make a pact. He proposed that they should all agree to submit to his choice of a husband for her, and that all the others would take an oath to defend the chosen bridegroom's honor against any future threat to the marriage. Menelaos, as the chosen, was able to call on this oath to reclaim Helen from Paris and raised more than a thousand ships belonging to many neighboring kings and noblemen. Agamemnon, Menelaos' brother, was put in charge of the forces, and thus began the Trojan War.
Achilles would certainly have felt that since he had unselfishly come to the aid of Agamemnon and his brother, they in turn should have shown gratitude by letting him keep his war spoils. However, expressing himself with excessive anger was hurting his cause, not helping it, and by the end of the first book, Homer has convinced his audience that Achilles still has much to learn about the importance of restraining his temper.

 

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