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The Iliad of Homer: The Rage of Achilles (Lecture on Books I-VIII) (Patreon)

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2025-07-13 20:48:15
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Content

'The war has gone far beyond Trojans and Greeks. The Greeks are fighting the immortal gods.'

Welcome back to the Trojan War, where the two armies continue to spill blood beneath a sky filled with warring Olympians. Today we’re arming ourselves and breaching the first eight books of Homer's Iliad.

We're discussing the heroic code, honour vs dishonour, momento mori, rage, pride, xenia, sublime poetry, military prowess, why we wage war, mimesis, ekphrasis, the ephemerality of life, how Homer's epics gift us wisdom today, and much more.

Please do feel free to enjoy the discussion even if you haven't read these parts of Homer's Iliad yet. You can enjoy our talk before, during, or after your reading in the way that best suits you.

Timestamps:

0:00 ‘Rage, sing, Goddess…’

2:00 Heaven & Hell in ancient times

4:00 the politics of Mount Olympus

6:00 Agamemnon angers Apollo

8:00 pride is punished by wrath

10:00 nine days of raining arrows

11:00 do heroes have autonomy?

13:00 the Oresteia of Aeschylus

14:00 Agamemnon vs Achilles

16:00 Briseis is taken away

18:00 is rage ever cathartic?

20:00 wisdom of Marcus Aurelius

21:00 standing up for yourself

22:00 goddess Athena intervenes

24:00 manhood & memento mori

26:00 Nestor’s wisdom of age

27:00 two different types of pride

28:00 male anger is actually a mask

29:00 what caused the Trojan War?

30:00 Prince Paris & Queen Helen

31:00 the ancient code of xenia 

32:00 why are the Greeks fighting?

33:00 sea-nymph mother Thetis

34:00 the quarrel of Zeus vs Hera

36:00 Agamemnon’s false dream

38:00 rallying Trojan troop morale

40:00 sublime military roll call

41:00 Achilles & the Myrmidons 

43:00 hero as personified ideal

44:00 bie/power vs metis/cunning

45:00 Hector, Aeneas & Pandarus

47:00 animal/nature metaphors

48:00 Paris vs Menelaus in combat

50:00 Helen weaving the story

52:00 comedy & anti-climax 

54:00 Helen’s rebuke of Paris

56:00 strife on Mount Olympus

57:00 why do we wage war? 

58:00 when Menelaus is wounded

59:00 speeches in Homer’s epics

1:00:00 why your word is your bond

1:01:00 how to motivate your men

1:03:00 which side are you on?

1:04:00 Diomedes on the battlefield

1:06:00 the wounding of Aeneas

1:08:00 supernatural aid in battle

1:09:00 the wounding of Aphrodite

1:10:00 the mortals fight the gods

1:12:00 goddesses prepare for war

1:14:00 this ancient epic is still fresh

1:15:00 power of communal reading

1:16:00 the wounding of Ares

1:18:00 Menelaus kills Adrestus 

1:19:00 what is the use of honour?

1:20:00 why strip enemy armour?

1:22:00 praying to Athena for mercy

1:23:00 first & greatest tragic poet

1:24:00 dangers of literary mimesis

1:25:00 Glaucus vs Diomedes

1:26:00 the ephemerality of life

1:27:00 bound by ancestral friendship

1:29:00 Hector & Helen vs Paris

1:31:00 Hector & Andromache

1:33:00 shame, honour & heroism

1:35:00 Little Iliad of the Epic Cycle

1:36:00 no man ever escapes his fate

1:38:00 Hector vs Ajax in combat

1:39:00 divinity puts an end to war

1:40:00 honour, fighting & saving face 

1:42:00 ‘Dawn in her saffron robe…’

1:44:00 the golden scales of Zeus

1:45:00 the gods are on both sides

1:46:00 yearning for Achilles’ return

1:47:00 our next reading assignment

1:48:00 how are you finding Homer?

Resources to Explore:

  • Poetry: There are many great poetic reimaginings of Homer's epic that are sure to be rewarding for any reader who has fallen in love with the Iliad. We'll continue to have curated recommendations, corresponding to upcoming episodes, as we move through the epics, but here are some great ones to get started with. Christopher Logue's War Music is a sublime, radical, and modern reconfiguration of the story that gives me chills. And here is a wonderful reading. You might also enjoy Alice Oswald's Memorial, an 'excavation' of the Iliad that honours the many fallen dead. There's a great article on the poem here.

  • Theatre: You might like to use your reading of Homer as an opportunity to swim through the tradition. Treat yourself to some great plays that fill in the stories of the characters we have met so far in the Iliad. As mentioned in the lecture, the Oresteia and Seven Against Thebes by Aeschylus are very rewarding works (and to hear more about the importance of this playwright in the evolution of theatre, we have a lecture on him here). Orestes and The Trojan Women by Euripides and the Theban Plays of Sophocles are marvels too. For fun, you might also like to read Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida or enjoy our discussion of that play here.

  • Translation: How are you finding your chosen translation of Homer's Iliad? If you're interested in historical discussions around translating this great bard, check out Matthew Arnold's 'On Translating Homer', the printed version of a series of lectures this Professor of Poetry gave at Oxford University. He makes comment upon historically influential and significant translations, like those of Chapman and Pope, and comes to some very interesting conclusions on the art of translating this classical titan of literature and the four cardinal qualities of Homer.

  • Non-Fiction: Like with Shakespeare, it's really rewarding to read widely around the epics of Homer. There are always new exciting works coming out on both the history of Ancient Greece and the influence of Homer. Here are some recommended works I've enjoyed recently. Bryan Doerries produces performances of Greek tragedies for soldiers returned from conflict and struggling with trauma, and his The Theatre of War is a fascinating exploration of what the Greek myths and stories can teach us today. Robin Lane Fox, who has a fantastic biography of Alexander the Great, has a very interesting work called Homer and His Iliad in which he takes his years of passionate teaching and uses it to answer some enduring and compelling questions about Homer. And Edith Hall's Introduction to the Ancient Greeks explores ten ways the Ancient Greeks shaped the modern world, from poetry to theatre to politics to medicine and science.

  • Documentary: If you're as fascinated with the oral tradition as I am, you may like this documentary that seeks to show how it's possible to transmit an extensive story by singing and speech in a time before such works were committed to written record. The documentary visits a contemporary bard on the coast of the Ireland. And for a fun discussion about reading Homer aloud and the original rhythm, this chat with three classical scholars is wonderful.

  • Action Exercise: Choose a passage from the first eight books of the Iliad that you would like to commit to memory. Read it aloud, either to yourself or share it with someone close to you. What is it about that passage that speaks to you specifically? Is it the way the translator has handled the rhythm and rhyme? Is it the imagery and narrative force? Or does it contain philosophy, wisdom, and life advice that you would like to learn by heart and carry around with you? Let us know which passage you would like to possess by memory.

Reading Assignment:

Our next discussion will cover books nine to sixteen of this sublime epic masterpiece. And we will be discussing this next leg of the battle this coming weekend.

Now we're going to find out what it takes to bring Achilles back to the fight. So continue bringing yourself to Homer's epic, making notes on any themes or ideas that capture your attention and imagination.

Questions to Consider:

1) Can you relate to the rage of Achilles?

2) What did you make of the opening of the Iliad?

3) What does it mean to be a good friend? A good host? And a good guest?

4) Whose side are you on: the Trojans or the Greeks? Or does Homer make us sympathise with both sides?

And please do share with us your impressions, favourite passages, and striking ideas from the opening of Homer's Iliad. If this is your first reading, does the epic meet your expectations? If this is a reread, is the experience any different this time around?

Happy reading, everybody!

Files

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Comments

Brian

I really dislike the cover of the Lombardo translation!

Valentina
>>181879472

Oh I liked it. When I saw it was ww2 image I disliked it and then I liked it again. I wonder who made the decision for it and why

Peter F

As anyone reading the Peter Green, University of California press

Tiffany

One thing about the translations that I find intriguing is the that Fagle uses rage and the Wilson translation uses wrath at the very beginning. I find it interesting that the word choice here is the driver for the translated works. Which word do you think is the better choice to represent your ideas and takeaways about The Iliad? I might think about these two words as a focal point as I continue to listen to the audiobook and read.

fraser

Srsly considering DNFing- anticipating The Odyssey more my vibe rn. Anyone else as emotionally/spiritually detached from the tedious prose as from the bloodshed and seemingly pointless drama between capricious Gods? Reading aloud makes for high-octane, action-packed video game script voice acting: funny but racing to the end wondering are we there yet. Ignorant maybe. still understanding Greek works are a stepping stone to the reason/faith climax solidified in Christian thought. got the momentum where my chagrin in the main would tilt me- much like the average soldier's mentality in those Wartime periods im sure.

Michael Dundrea
>>182846193

I find it unnecessary that things have to be told over and over again and in such detail. All of the action is described in a shot by shot sequence. It is cinematic but it slows all the action down to a crawl. I want to finish it but reading it can be quite tedious.

Yoby Henthorn

I always hated the Iliad because it was only taught as examples of courage and what made a true man or hero in extremely adverse conditions. But once you pointed out it was a book about anger, you had me hooked.

Craig Mckissick

My first reading was the EV Rieu but this time I have been doubling up with the Fagles and Lattimore and have the Wilson lined up on audio as well. What a reading experience! I understand how people struggle with the often frustrating quirks of Homer but if you have read The Aeneid, The Metamorphosis, Sophocles, Aeschylus, Herodotus and beyond, so much jumps out and the scope of the work becomes infinite. I know that seems like a lot of work but if you’re in it for the long run, you get to see all the avenues that flippantly fly past in the action but have a full back story, which could be easily missed. This reading, I can’t get away from how humanising Homer is when killing off all the characters. I still find it hard to put into words why I enjoy The Iliad so much, because there is so much going on. The god’s bias and teenage strops are so humanising, their behaviour is so entertaining, while the Heroes are more brave and rational which seems ironic. The nature/animal analogies remain timelessly spine chilling. The repetition happens on so many levels to me it’s a rhythmic pattern that helps us absorb what’s going on especially read aloud. It’s like a riff or a drum fill, recurring melodies in a film score just verbalised. I can see why most translators choose verse as the text is so musical. Sometimes when reading in my head I get the urge to voice act the text, almost like singing to a song on the radio. The text literally jumps off the page at times. Language is being used in ways we are not used to in the modern west. The idea that every translation is like a new bard summoning the power of the muse just blows my mind, I could read Homer forever. The translations are so wildly different as well, it shows how much there is to take from the source, there’s so many good choices. The Lattimore introduction has some good comparisons of some more archaic translations that show how far we’ve come with translations in general. We are so lucky to have so much choice, and they are all so accurate compared to so many of the old translations, I really didn’t realise quite how bad some of the old ones were, even for the time period. If there wasn’t so much to read I would just keep going with translations of Homer forever, especially when taking into account the Odyssey as well, just awe inspiring pieces of art.

NicoleA
>>185734668

I loved your brilliant comments here and feel inspired to expand my reading of Homer.

Cynthia Ford

This is my first reading of the Iliad and I’m reading the Lombardo translation. I liked his translation of metamorphosis so much that I had no hesitation when choosing my translation for the reading. I found it difficult to get into a flow reading the book because of the theme of war, glory from killing others etc. Because of my dislike of the theme I had to set a limit to the minimum number of pages to read so that I will complete it. I’ve found the Gods to be just as petty as humans are with clique behavior and jealousy because a human forgot to offer 100 bulls. As if they always carry 100 bulls with them everywhere they go,just in case they need to make an offering. I finally got to chapter 8. I sided with the Greeks from the beginning because of Paris behavior of running away with another mans wife and then dragging others into his lustful deed to actually fight to keep her. Personally, I had an ethical crisis while fighting in the military to defend the very nation that allows discrimination to flourish so there is no way I would lay my life on the line for someone’s mistress. It annoys me that Zeus keeps protecting both Paris and Hector instead of letting them meet their fate. He always steps in right before their demise. I’m ready for them to be dispatched so everyone can go home. I come from a military family and even some of my children have served. I’ve often stated, as you commented on, that the people that make the decision to declare a conflict or war have no dogs in the fight nor have that trained or fought in a war nor have their children. They are so quick to send someone else’s child to die while they sit in the rear in government buildings where’s they are safe. I ve also said that it should be a requirement for any person that becomes president to have served in a war and I don’t mean just take the classes in War college but to see firsthand the horrors of it. They wouldn’t be so quick to endanger our men and women. Apparently I have a lot to PTSD from serving in the military, lol.

Ralph

Excellent!!

Ralph

I'm reading Caroline Alexander's translation. Thus far, I'm enjoying it.

Jack Twachtman

I was surprised during this read to find myself siding with the Trojans even though it’s fair to say they started it. It’s hard to say why beyond the arrogance of Agamemnon, although I also find Paris’s cowardice off-putting. I suppose it’s also something to do with the honor of Hector and the Trojans being the underdogs in terms of the Greek’s support by the gods (besides Zeus and Apollo). Reading the Wilson translation btw.