It begins with Achilles’ fury at the abduction of Briseis by King Agamemnon, although this is not the beginning of the war that had already been going on for 9 years. The Iliad is an epic poem of 24 cantos and 15,693 verses that tells what happened during 51 days of the Trojan War. What course will events take now within this long war?ĭead Souls by Nikolai Gogol FAQ about The Iliad What is the Iliad and what is it about? Poor Patroclus fled to find Achilles to help him, but Hector could not miss the opportunity, went out after him, and killed him, believing that he was killing the great Greek soldier Achilles.Īs you can see, Hector not only did NOT kill Achilles but also unleashed his uncontainable fury. In the fray, Apollo and Euphorbus wound him. Patroclus does not pay much attention to him and, instead, pretends to be Achilles, causing the Trojans to retreat. This did not work either, however, Achilles gave his armor to Patroclus to go into battle, making the remark to him that he would only be in charge of guarding the ships of his army.

Seeing that everything was falling apart, Agamemnon returned Briseis, so that Achilles could return to the war, but he still did not agree.īecause of Achilles’ stubborn refusal, his friend Patroclus tries to persuade him to return to fight, for without him they were less likely to continue standing. Thanks to this impasse, Hector, the best warrior of the Trojans, brother of Paris, and leader of the army, takes advantage of it to advance in the attack, taking advantage. He reveals to him the origin of such punishment.įinally, Agamemnon gives in but faced with the loss of Chryseis, he decides to kidnap Briseis, Achilles’ favorite slave.įaced with such an action, Achilles of course decided to withdraw from the battle. Stricken by the disease, the best soldier of the Greek army, Achilles, consults the soothsayer Calchas about the cause of the plague. Chryses ask Agamemnon to return his daughter, but he refuses.Ĭhryses is then forced to turn to the god Apollo, who sends the black plague to the Greek war camp to punish him. Agamemnon had Chryseis, Chryses’ daughter, captive. Then, the famous war breaks out.Īfter 9 years of conflict because of the abduction of Helen, something happens that infuriates Achilles. Paris was the son of the king of Troy, Priam, and Helen was the wife of Menelaus, the king of Sparta.Īgamemnon, who was the king of the Greeks and brother of Menelaus, of course, supports him. It all began with the abduction of Helen by Paris.

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