It took me more than a month to read The Iliad. Instead of feeling annoyed, I am actually grateful for that.

It gave me a much deeper appreciation for the entire poem. Homer's descriptions are truly majestic. He is like a painter using words to create vivid and beautiful images.

I was really captivated by the character arcs, especially those of Achilles and Hector. Homer was able to explore the complex personalities of humans and their unique individualities.

More than just a story about war, this book delves into the themes of nobility and honor. For me, it is definitely a 5/5. I am now eagerly looking forward to reading The Odyssey.

I believe that it will continue to amaze me with its精彩的 storytelling and profound insights into human nature.

I can't wait to embark on this new literary adventure and discover what awaits me in the pages of The Odyssey.

I have just a few points to make.

First and foremost, it's undoubtedly worth reading. (Well, of course!) However, you must be prepared for a slow-paced and overly detailed writing style. (Just like all the classics.) There is an abundance of description, and I found the dialogue to be rather complex and lengthy. (Once again, similar to all the classics.)

Agamemnon is not a likable character, and the only reason I dislike Hector is because he killed Patroclus, who was my favorite. Achilles and Patroclus were clearly meant to be a couple. I have never been more certain of it. The Song of Achilles got it right.

The entire story reminded me of an Ancient Greek version of The Desperate Housewives or any other reality TV show for that matter. Additionally, on a side note, the gods reminded me of myself whenever I play The Sims.

Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐

I am completely partial to this book,

because I love the Greek gods getting involved in all the messes they can find or create.

So I really enjoyed the story, which is full of loyalties and betrayals, of valor and cowardice, emotions as ancient as human history.

The adventures and misadventures of the gods and goddesses make for a thrilling read.

Each character has its own unique personality and motives, which adds depth and complexity to the narrative.

The author does a great job of bringing these ancient tales to life, making them accessible and engaging for modern readers.

Whether you are a fan of mythology or just looking for a good story, this book is definitely worth checking out.

What a remarkable story it is!

It truly feels as if this epic has had an indelible influence on nearly every book that has come after it.

The Iliad is a treasure trove of rich and complex themes, emotions, and characters.

As one delves into its pages, a world of heroic deeds, tragic love, and fierce battles unfolds.

The vivid descriptions and powerful language bring the story to life, making it an immersive and unforgettable experience.

It is no wonder that The Iliad has endured through the ages and continues to captivate readers with its timeless charm and profound insights into the human condition.

Amazing indeed!

*3.5 stars*
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This is a captivating story of battles that commences with a fierce battle of principles between Achilles and Agamemnon. Both are incredibly stubborn, yet I find myself able to sympathize with both of their views. It's a fascinating aspect that I truly enjoy.

I have a great appreciation for the vivid depiction of the gods and goddesses. They form a dysfunctional family, full of deep flaws, and yet the lives of humans are completely subject to their unpredictable whims. Although the gods have the option to ignore a prophecy, they usually adhere to it with a certain degree of respect. This creates an integrated and engaging unfolding of the concepts of free will and fate.

I can also clearly observe how the classic story structure is masterfully built within this poem. Each action triggers a reaction, which in turn leads to an inevitable outcome or conclusion. I really like the fact that neither the Trojans nor the Greeks are portrayed as simply evil or wrong. Each side has its own valid reasons, and in the end, I feel an equal sense of grief for their losses.

However, a significant portion of the text reads like a long list and closely resembles The Bible's section "begat begat begat." For instance, Homer painstakingly names every man from each ship on both sides of the battle. And on most pages, there are descriptions of one battle after another, and one death after another, without providing the reader with enough detailed character information to truly care. The descriptions of the woundings give the impression of being written with a certain detachment and even a hint of glee, similar to how children might describe things in a school yard. There are lots of heads popping off bodies and eyes popping from heads, which makes it all seem rather strange and almost fun. I imagine that those who listened to these stories in ancient times already had prior knowledge of the personalities involved and were thus more invested in their origins and fates. Perhaps I should have done more research myself.

In conclusion, the story, for me, ultimately feels too impersonal compared to The Odyssey, which I greatly enjoyed. I would also highly recommend Madeline Miller's The Song of Achilles. This book tells the story of The Iliad within the broader context of the tender and complex relationship between Patroclus and Achilles, adding a whole new layer of depth and emotion to the familiar tale.

I read the Odyssey at Uni and truly adored it. It was like a thrilling adventure to unknown places with a man who seemed great from a distance. Just like in much of fiction, the characters I enjoy spending time with on the page aren't necessarily those I'd want to be with in real life.

I've always intended to read this. After all, this Homer guy only wrote two books and I loved the other one. So, twenty years later (time really flies), I finally got around to it.

The problem was that I knew exactly what this one was about. Helen gets taken to Troy after Paris judges the most beautiful goddess, which angers the Greeks. Then there's the siege and sacking of Troy after the clever trick with the wooden horse. But there's not much point in reading if you already know the whole story.

Now, you might think I should have put a spoiler alert at the start. Or you might think I didn't because everyone knows the story. Well, I didn't because I haven't told you anything that's actually in the story yet.

Look, I'm as surprised as you are. Homer gets away with writing a book about something everyone knows and not actually writing about those things. It's frustrating, to say the least. I'm sure there's a law against it in some countries.

Maybe it's just me, but if you're going to write the first epic in the Western Literary Tradition, it seems presumptuous to assume people know the back story. I know I can be naïve, but if "first" means anything, it shouldn't allow the writer to assume everyone knows. Instead, this book starts 9 years after the war began with little explanation of how we got here. And it ends the day before the final battle and before the wooden horse idea.

Spoilers start now, if you're worried.

A lot of this is boys' own adventure stuff, a bit like the Godfather films where they don't kill major characters the same way. Bronze swords, blood, and brain matter play a big part. If I have any criticism, it's that the war bits were too long and got a bit repetitive. By the end, I was ready for it to be over.

And then that unexpected end! It blew me away.

Achilles doesn't come out looking great. He's annoyed about his girlfriend and spends most of the time in a rage. Hector seems the better man, even though he's a Trojan. This was another surprise.

I like the Greek Gods because they're a dysfunctional family. They love getting involved in human affairs and causing trouble. Even when they know the outcome, they support their favorite side. It's like the West Moorabbin Under Twelves against Manchester United and the dads support their kids. Everyone knows the outcome, but they still cheer.

A lot of this is interesting because it gives a graphic account of the horrors of ancient warfare. Both sides know what will happen to the women of Troy, and it's not pretty. But after so many descriptions, I was over it. Then came book 24. Hector is killed. Achilles kills him to avenge his friend. He's overcome with grief and slaughters 12 boys. He also drags Hector's body around. I never thought about the significance of bodies in war, but it's horrible.

To get his son's body back and give it a proper funeral, Priam goes to Achilles with the help of the gods. He kisses the hand of his son's murderer and begs for the body. It's a moving end to the poem.

I used to think a classic was a book that's rarely about what you think before you read it. But I was too timid. A classic is never about what you think it will be before or while you're reading it. This is a perfect example.

Perhaps there are few who are not familiar with the Trojan War or have not heard about this work (the Iliad) in the corners.

The Iliad tells the story of the last year of the Trojan War, that is, the ninth and final year of the war. For those who do not know what this story is or what the overall book is about, a brief summary of the story is written below:

After the wedding celebration held by the god Zeus, the goddess Eris, who was either jealous or malicious, was not invited to this celebration. Well, I think you can guess why she was not invited. After this, this goddess throws a golden apple into the banquet hall, on which it is written "for the fairest woman". And three goddesses named Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite all claim ownership of the apple. And since they cannot reach a conclusion, they ask Zeus to judge among the three. And since Zeus does not have the energy or inclination to deal with these three goddesses, he entrusts this judgment to Paris, the son of Troy. And through some conversations, Hermes gives the apple to Paris and places the judgment among these three goddesses on the shoulders of this wise man. The three goddesses, after hearing this, became silent and went to Paris and asked him to choose the best one, and each offered a bribe to Paris. Hera offered him the kingship of Europe and Asia, Athena offered him bravery and wisdom, and Aphrodite offered him the fairest woman in Sparta, that is, Helen. And since Paris was a bit lazy, he accepted Aphrodite's offer, and all this tragedy, grief, and joy is named the Trojan War, because after giving the apple to Aphrodite, Paris takes Helen away from her husband Menelaus at a banquet.

Well, this is how the story and the cause of the Trojan War began. Now let's move on to the main story that is told in this poem:

For me personally, one of the most fascinating experiences was reading this book or poem. The entanglement between the gods, humans, and their interference in each other's affairs was very fascinating. Indeed, before starting, I felt that given that this poem was composed more than 2500 years ago, I would not be able to relate to it and reading it would be a struggle. But in the first few lines, this doubt and uncertainty of mine about this work was resolved.

Especially in literature and reading, for me, books that have battles and descriptions of battles as a major part or focus may not be so fascinating. But in this poem, it was the opposite. In such a way that from line to line, these battles between the heroes or the armies and even the interference of the gods in this war and for a certain goal were extremely beautiful for me and I enjoyed it. The details of the movements of the soldiers and their preparations for war.

Regarding the characters that I am interested in, I must mention Hector, Ajax, and Diomedes.

Each of the characters in the story is symbolic. For example, the character of Agamemnon is a proud and self-centered person who, because of his personal interests, arouses the anger of his own heroes, and this causes his army to suffer many losses and the division among his commanders.

It can be boldly said that it was one of the most heroic books in Western literature. That is, when we study this poem, we understand the general meaning of heroism.

And it should be noted that this poem is not without flaws. There are also many times when the childish behaviors, angers, desires, and childish cries that took away the charm from it, and sometimes it made me laugh at the behaviors of these characters...

Tragedy.... Regarding tragedy, I must say that it was one of the most beautiful for me. A dear friend who has passed away, and many times and many times, we see in this story the kind of grief and sorrow that comes with the loss of someone like a brother, which really made me feel a lot of emotions when reading it and evoked that feeling of grief well.

It was difficult to write something about such a book, and I tried to write here the feeling that I got from the book. And for the criticism of this book, there are much greater people who have examined this work from different aspects with their knowledge many times.

Thank you for reading this review.

Welcome to... THE APRILIAD!

For those of you who are new here and do not yet feel the existential dread and heart-stopping moroseness that a title + month pun inspires in the hearts of many, let me explain. First of all, hi. And second, you have been cursed to stumble upon yet another installment of PROJECT LONG CLASSICS. In this project, I divide up an intimidating book into skinny and appealing chunks, dispersed over the course of a month. This stems from one of my defining personality traits: pretending that someday I'll reread the million-page classics I half-read in school. But now, I'm actually doing it. So, let's get into it.

Book I: Plague and Wrath. I love that the Greek gods had nothing better to do than mess with human rivalries. It's like if you were allowed to pick fights between people while you watched reality TV.

Book II: A Dream, A Testing and The Catalogue of Ships. This chapter was roughly 60% roll call and I have to say, Homer, if you think I'm remembering ANY of these names, you are in for a posthumous surprise.

Book III: A Duel and A Trojan View of the Greeks. Okay, the Helen stuff is sadder than I remember. On a lighter note, you have to respect Homer's commitment to the wartime #OOTD.

Book IV: The Oath Is Broken and Battle Joined. If I were shot by an arrow and everyone wanted to stand around and poetically recap what had happened for paragraphs on end, I would freak the hell out. And I certainly wouldn't be all "it isn't mortal because of my sick-ass armor, don't worry about it."

Book V: Diomedes' Heroics. Huge chapter for fans of tongues getting cut off at the root.

Book VI: Hector and Andromache. Helen calling herself a "cold, evil-minded slut" and then going on to discuss how her husband is brainless and annoying... kind of a slay.

Book VII: Ajax Fights Hector. You have to respect Homer — that is a CRAZY matchup for this early in the game. Getting the big names out there early. Menelaus really catching strays out here... he's the only one brave enough to say he'll fight Hector and then Agamemnon gets up and calls him old and washed up in front of everyone... #JusticeForOlympian-BredMenelaus

Book VIII: Hector Triumphant. Pretty quick turnaround on triumph. Hector just got his ass beat by Ajax in front of everyone iirc. This chapter alone uses the insults "cry-baby" and "barefaced bitch." The ancient Greeks: they're just like us.

Book IX: The Embassy to Achilles. Folks, we're 20 days behind. I don't know how this happened, but I'm guessing a combination of ennui, laziness, self-pity, distraction, a girls' trip to Miami, and a hero's journey of my own involving frozen Oreos and learning how to play poker. But that's just a guess. Time to play catchup - 7 days left in April and 15 books left to go! Achilles, petty king.

Book X: Diomedes and Odysseus: The Night Attack. I'm going to be honest — this is way, way too many names for me to be keeping active track of who belongs to which long lost city-state. Let alone which gods are fans of which one.

Book XI: Achilles Takes Note. Achilles is like... the original person who says they're into self care but is actually just putting an amazing PR spin on being truly selfish and a nightmare to be around. Another crazy bloody chapter. And not in the British way. Although I guess that too.

Book XII: Hector Storms the Wall. This book loves nothing more than having one character say two full paragraphs of dialogue, then having another character parrot the exact same two paragraphs to another audience. It's very me when I'm trying to hit word count-coded.

Book XIII: The Battle at the Ships. Literally the only way that the hundreds of character names in this could be harder to track is if it were being read aloud. Which is, you know. The intention.

Book XIV: Zeus Outmanoeuvred. Look at that fancy spelling. We're in business. Hera is truly #goals in this chapter... I want to spend multiple pages getting all dressed up and be best friends with Sleep. As is we're barely even warm acquaintances. Although I guess your husband listing the various hot women he's slept with and expecting you to be flattered is not ideal.

Book XV: The Greeks at Bay. Imagine getting killed by a dart to the nipple... tough way to go out.

Book XVI: The Death of Patroclus. Uh oh. We got here faster than I remembered. Oh, Patroclus... you either live slaying or live long along to die seeing yourself become slayed. As the saying goes. (This works on 2 levels, because war is happening and also because Patroclus is cool.)

Book XVII: The Struggle over Patroclus. Mess with the body of Patroclus and your brain WILL ooze bloody out of the crest-socket... I know that's right!!! Patroclus hive we stay winning

Book XVIII: Achilles' Decision. Uh oh Hector!!!!! Get your ass ready!!! Here the boy comes!! We just have a dozen pages of the most stunning and poetic and emotive writing of all time to get through first. But then we're on our way.

Book XIX: The Feud Ends. You might think that if war is raging and we have bodies to collect and there's stolen armor on the lose and the battle is about to be lost that we DON'T have time for 30 pages of emotional exploration via dialogue. Rookie mistake.

Book XX: Achilles on the Rampage. I'm gonna say it... go off, king. Also extremely funny to be pleading for your life and fairly convinced it's going to work because you're the same age as your opponent. Fellow 25-year-olds, we are in a permanent truce!

Book XXI: Achilles Fights the River. He's just that good. Excellent strategy to hear someone's whole life story, all their suffering and sadnesses, plus YOUR involvement in it, and just go "idiot." afterward. This book is like a how-to guide for absolute sass at this point.

Book XXII: The Death of Hector. You read this title and you're all hell yeah and then you remember that little scene by the wall with the baby freaked out at the helmet and the wife and and and... I see what you did there, Homer. And it's only slightly undercut by the beginning of this chapter being about how Hector saw Achilles and ran away and Achilles had to chase him around the city limits thrice.

Book XXIII: The Funeral and the Games. Kind of a tough itinerary but okay. It is a testament to the power and beauty of the conversation between Patroclus' spirit and Achilles that the reader only spends some time like "okay... kind of insane that we're doing the Olympics right now."

Book XXIV: Priam and Achilles. Oh, the humanity!

Overall, usually I find the various installments of this project fairly easy to read, because of the whole They Are Very Short thing, but this never ended up feeling effortless. That's fine — what it did feel was incredibly evocative and impressive, a bajillion years after its writing. Rating: 4

I was keeping thinking that I should come and write a good review, but I saw that I didn't have the ability. Then, after reading the audiobook.

This experience of reading Iliad was very different from the previous one. I read it with a group of people who read the book very attractively and deeply, and it made me read in a different way.

Thank you, Seyyed, for making me come for the group reading.

Regarding the translation and version that I read and listened to:

I read and listened to this series of translations of Emily Wilson.

The first part of the book has some good general explanations. In the middle, the text is translated, which is now much more understandable for me than Nafisi's translation for a 12-year-old me. Also, the last part of the book has some additional explanations for each poem.

The last part was not in the audiobook, and when you were listening to the text, you could put the ebook in front of you and move forward with it. The reason was that it explained some words, conditions, and things related to parts of the text, which were good.

The introductions that the kids made about the gods, the time period, and the books related to Iliad were very good for me (although I didn't get to listen to some of the files you sent).

While reading, I put some of my comments about the text here.

My moral conclusion from the story was that you should pray to the gate of all the gods that they never notice you, neither good nor bad nor anything! They should not be aware of your presence at all, otherwise, you will be in a bad situation. If you are the favorite of one, another will be jealous and want to take your place.

You can imagine in the middle of the war, Zeus says this to the other gods:

The dying human beings interest me.

I like to watch from here. The rest of you, go there, among the Trojans and the Greeks, and help whichever side you each prefer.

In the middle, I read a lot of things related to Iliad, from related comics to articles about its historical period and the issues mentioned in it, etc. It made me familiar with the name Baucis and Philemon.

I don't think anything can be said about it that would be considered a spoiler. Homer himself wrote it with this background, and everyone knows what will happen. Now let me do my poetic thing. For example, in the middle, he often spoils the future.

I want to bring some quotes that I took from it. They are very scattered and unrelated, but the first one was about the horrors of war for women:

The rape and abduction of an elite woman in peacetime, like the removal of Helen from her husband’s house in Sparta, is a terrible violation of social norms, because it threatens the male homeowner’s control over his own household, including its wealth, its social power, and the subordinate household members. Paris has done something not only ethically questionable, but also extremely imprudent. But in wartime, there are bad consequences for those who kidnap women only when a god’s desires or honor are violated—as with Chryseis, whose priestly father has a special relationship to Apollo. The horrors of war for women and children were well-known to ancient storytellers and audiences, who would have included women and children. These horrors are implicit in The Iliad. But mortal women’s experiences are not as central in this epic as they were in other ancient Greek poetry, such as wedding songs, songs of lament, and, later, Athenian tragedy.

In one part above, Hector's wife is at his funeral and she tells her son that they have become unlucky, and now for a young child, this part is very harsh and she says:

And you, my child, will either come with me, and do humiliating work, enslaved to some harsh overlord, or else a Greek will grab your arm and hurl you from the wall—a dreadful death—in anger because Hector had killed perhaps his brother, son, or father.

In the middle of the war, Achilles was angry and Patroclus kept killing himself and said things like this:

But you, Achilles, you have become impossible! I hope the kind of anger you are fostering never takes hold of me—you monstrous hero! How can a person in the future learn anything good from you, if you refuse to save the Greeks from this catastrophe? You have no pity. Peleus the horseman was not your father, Thetis, not your mother. Gray sea and soaring rocks gave birth to you, and so you have an unrelenting heart.

Achilles didn't listen, but later when he was angry, he became rational and said good things:

If only conflict were eliminated from gods and human beings! I wish anger did not exist. Even the wisest people are roused to rage, which trickles into you sweeter than honey, and inside your body it swells like smoke.

One interesting thing was that although all these gods and their greats were causing trouble, they still had a lot of respect for them, as if their mistakes were also sacred and intentional.

But they themselves fight a lot with each other, but still, the text returns to their sanctity and respect.

Great father Zeus, will any mortals bother to tell their plans and schemes to deathless gods in any place across the boundless world? Do you not see?

In one place, Zeus is completely ridiculed. He wants to go to bed with Hera, and then he comes to her and says with joy:

“You can go later on that journey, Hera, but now let us enjoy some time in bed. Let us make love. Such strong desire has never suffused my senses or subdued my heart for any goddess or for any woman as I feel now for you. Not even when I lusted for the wife of Ixion, and got her pregnant with Pirithous, a councillor as wise as any god. Not even when I wanted Danae, the daughter of Acrisius, a woman with pretty ankles, and I got her pregnant with Perseus, the best of warriors. Not even when I lusted for the famous Europa, child of Phoenix, and I fathered Minos on her, and godlike Rhadamanthus. Not even when I wanted Semele, or when in Thebes I lusted for Alcmene, who birthed heroic Heracles, my son—and Semele gave birth to Dionysus, the joy of mortals. And not even when I lusted for the goddess, Queen Demeter, who has such beautiful, well-braided hair—not even when I wanted famous Leto, not even when I wanted you yourself—I never wanted anyone before as much I want you right now. Such sweet desire for you has taken hold of me.”

Then Hera is worried about the other gods' gossip:

But what if one of the immortal gods witnesses us up there in bed together, and goes away and tells the other gods?

They were really interesting gods.

Anyway, that's it for now... until I finish reading the related part of Iliad by Virgil and see if I want to add anything or not.

The 101st book of 2021 that I reviewed is related to Homer's works. The artist for this review is the French painter Jacques-Louis David (1748 - 1825).

It's about time I finally read the whole of "The Iliad". I had studied "The Odyssey" alone during college due to messing up my third-year exam on Hannibal Barca. I didn't fail but didn't get the grade I wanted. In my second year, I dropped Psychology and took up the new Creative Writing course, so I was staying an extra year. However, they dropped Hannibal Barca and switched to "The Odyssey", meaning I had to attend first-year lectures as a third-year. I declined and studied alone with lecture notes. I can't remember my grade but felt arrogant. Through studying "The Odyssey", we (I) looked at Homer and fragments of "The Iliad". I preferred "The Odyssey" and never bothered to read "The Iliad" until now.

"The Iliad" is centered around a particular "episode" of the Trojan War. The arc is mainly about Achilles, who sulks for most of the story. The beginning triggers his sulk, which leads to bloodshed. The ending is more poignant than in other versions. After 300 pages of war, it ends with Achilles finding peace through virtue. Revenge achieves nothing, and only by allowing Priam to take his son's body does Achilles find "peace". In a sense, we have a "modern" character arc from selfishness to selflessness.

"The Iliad" is inferior to "The Odyssey" in my opinion. I have a soft spot for Odysseus, and the story of "The Odyssey" is more varied and fundamental. However, "The Iliad" still has value. The constant descriptions of death can be wearing, but every named death gives the poem gravity. The ending with Achilles and Priam is worth 4 stars alone, as it makes us think about the futility of war and the importance of learning from it. I'm hoping to compare Achilles, Odysseus, and Aeneas soon. If a text this old still makes us think, is it brilliant or should it make us sad that we haven't learned its lessons yet?