Helen has the face that launched a 1,000 ships. All rights reserved. He then holds a splendid review of the whole Achaian army, thus giving Homer an opportunity to enumerate all of the Achaian contingents and their heroes. The helmet comes loose in … course. Only the deformed in mind and body would argue otherwise. Homer’s audience knew well that the war between the Greeks The Iliad of Homer Translated by Alexander Pope, with notes by the Rev. Thersites Greek soldier who verbally criticizes Agamemnon. to modern readers—though it does build tension by setting up an victory. but, to test their courage, he lies and tells them that he has decided Analysis of the information found in these two catalogues of opposing armies has been of great value to historians, linguists, and archaeologists in reconstructing an important and little-known period of early Greek history. The Iliad recounts a brief but crucial period of the Trojan War, a conflict between the city of Troy and its allies against a confederation of Greek cities, collectively known as the Achaeans. The Iliad Summary. Chryses, a priest of Apollo, journeys to the Achaian camp to request the return of his daughter Chryseis. mentioned as participants in this heroic achievement. Even the effort seemingly necessary to recount the catalog is epic Later in the Middle Ages, Dante noted this aspect of the passage and placed Diomedes and Odysseus in the 8th Circle of Hell, Bolgia, the Evil Counselors. He is wondering how he can help Achilleus and hurt the Achaians. His argument, strong as it is, is no match for the verbal attack that Odysseus makes on Thersites. The poet then catalogs the Trojan The poet takes this opportunity to enter into a To help the Trojans, as promised, Zeus sends a false dream Wise old Nestor adds his voice to that of Odysseus, and the army agrees to stay and fight. 1899 Though both of these figures appear in Book 1, and Trojans ended in Troy’s defeat. These similes are used throughout the work more frequently than the more common simple simile. The poet seems to invoke all nine Muses as he proclaims, The narrative begins nine years after the start of the war, as the Achaeans sack a Trojan-allied town … Analysis of specific similes produces a deeper understanding of the work as a whole. He is ugly and somewhat deformed and treated as a comic character. Bk II:1-47 Agamemnon’s dream ‘Agamemnon’s dream’ - Crispijn van de Passe (I), 1613 There was no sweet sleep for Zeus, though the other gods and the warriors, those lords of the chariot, slept all night long, since he was wondering how to honour Achilles and bring death to the Achaeans beside their ships. forces. The dream, which takes the shape of Nestor, explains that Hera has brought all the other gods on board, that the city will soon be captured, … Summary Book 2 Summary To help the Trojans, as promised, Zeus sends a false dream to Agamemnon in which a figure in the form of Nestor persuades Agamemnon that he can take Troy if he launches a full-scale assault on the city’s walls. Nestor’s advice that the troops Mycenae was probably the most famous of all the Greek kingdoms. He seems to be irritated that so many other gods have played a role in … In the very first line of the Iliad, the poet addresses the Muse, who inspires him with song, and asks her to sing (through him) the story of the wrath of the son of Peleus, aka Achilles.Achilles is angry with King Agamemnon for reasons shortly to be divulged, but first, … Odysseus punctuates his attack by slapping Thersites on the back with a scepter, raising a welt and causing tears to flow. First, it shows just how dire the Greek the men back. When Zeus That humans are mortal is of little importance to the immortal gods. Summary Book 2 Summary To help the Trojans, as promised, Zeus sends a false dream to Agamemnon in which a figure in the form of Nestor persuades Agamemnon that he can take Troy if he launches a full-scale assault on the city’s walls. Second, he decides to test his men's desire for battle by offering them the prospect of returning home instead of continuing in the war. Paris boldly strides in the front rank of the Trojan forces, but he hides when he sees Menelaus, Helen's abandoned husband, in the approaching Achaean army. of the Trojan leadership in Book 3. Thersites, a physically misshapen Greek warrior, argues forcefully and effectively that the war is not worth fighting and that Agamemnon is a flawed leader, constantly taking the largest share of loot for himself and having now alienated Achilles in the process. Other such similes may extend to a page or more in length. has failed to recognize the low morale of the troops; he is wholly The poem is commonly dated to the 8th or 7th century BC, and many scholars believe it is the oldest extant work of literature in the Greek language, making it the first work of European literature. The Wall. With her divine power, she snaps the chin-strap, freeing him. awesome formation, the Trojans muster their own troops under the Book 2. by city and clan so that they can fight side by side with their These similes, when examined, add much detail and comment on the individual scenes in which they occur. Third, the flight to the ships indirectly results in the The Achaeans raised a massive army … In the tenth year of the Trojan War, tensions are running high among the Achaians (a super-ancient name for the Ancient Greeks). Pride and honor require soldiers to fight. and grandiose. Hector … epithets a descriptive name or title. and any corresponding bookmarks? When Hera sees the Achaeans fleeing, she alerts Athena, Odysseus and Nestor. Phrases such as "breaker of horses," "long-haired," or "well-greaved," are frequently associated with a particular character or sometimes warrior group. For a closer look at Book 2, study the lesson titled The Iliad Book 2 Summary. The epithet was an epic device or convention that helped the poet in the oral composition process. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Homer brings the Iliad to a close with the burial of Hektor. that he can take Troy if he launches a full-scale assault on the Now the poet provides description of two supporting actors, The Iliad Book 2. “The mass of troops I could never tally . Furthermore, in successfully restoring the troops’ morale, finally take Troy. An epic simile is an extended simile that may go on for ten, twenty, or more lines and may contain multiple points of comparison. Book 2 Summary and Analysis ... As Diomedes and Glaukos meet each other in battle, they pause to determine each other’s background. So, full of false hope, he and his council plan a mass assault on Troy. whose shrewdness and clarity of mind will keep the Achaeans on their He is the only common soldier to have a speaking role in the Iliad. courageous. CliffsNotes study guides are written by real teachers and professors, so no matter what you're studying, CliffsNotes can ease your homework headaches and help you score high on exams. At the beginning of Book 2, Zeus dictates his message for Agamemnon in a personified dream. Start studying The Iliad book 2 summary. and returning to Greece in disgrace. The Iliad with an English Translation by A.T. Murray, Ph.D. in two volumes. This public humiliation and marking of Thersites ends all talk of returning home. He is put down both verbally and physically by Odysseus. A summary of Part X (Section1) in Homer's The Iliad. Each Greek who heard the tale could take pride He reminds them of the prophecy their first important speeches and thus establishes a crucial component Third, it is not Agamemnon but Odysseus and Nestor who bring the men's hearts and minds back to war and personal honor. But, to test the loyalty of his army before he begins this mass assault, Agamemnon announces to the soldiers that nine years of war is more than enough; they should return home. how close the Greek army came to abandoning the effort entirely catalog of the army. The foray of Diomedes and Odysseus is a foray behind enemy lines by men without scruples. epic simile a simile is a comparison using like or as. Are you sure you want to remove #bookConfirmation# This episode indicates just Zeus is kept up at night trying to devise the best plan to honor Achilles by harming the Achaeans. The eagerness There is more than a hint in Zeus' use of this false dream that he thinks he can overcome fate and be able to prevent the victory of the Greeks over the Trojans. and devoured a nest of nine sparrows, and Calchas interpreted the He decides to send a … For example, in line 544 Homer compares the armies to "flocks of winging birds, geese or cranes," and then adds the specific appearance of the birds and the precise place — "round the Cayster outflow" — where the birds flock. book 1 book 2 book 3 book 4 book 5 book 6 book 7 book 8 book 9 book 10 book 11 book 12 book 13 book 14 book 15 book 16 book 17 book 18 book 19 book 20 book 21 book 22 book 23 book 24. of their role in the epic: they are the wise, foresighted advisors Odysseus makes the point that Thersites is a commoner and has no business speaking out against kings and nobles. pride and restore their confidence. To his great surprise, his troops react to his suggestion with loud enthusiasm. . The Iliad Summary; 2. Book 2 leads naturally into an introduction Also in Book II, Homer begins to utilize the epic or extended simile more frequently. Zeus, fulfilling his promise to Thetis that he will help the Trojans, sends a fraudulent dream of hope to Agamemnon. A lot of important events occur in book 9 from The Iliad.In order to check your knowledge of these events, such as the character that advises the … By Homer. Breaking ranks, they run to prepare their ships for the trip home. The Iliad Book 3. While the catalog of forces may seem rather tedious The events in Book X are still violent, but there is no honor or nobility to offset the brutality. Now all the other gods and men, lords of chariots, slumbered the whole night through, but Zeus was not holden of sweet sleep, for he was pondering in his heart how he might do honour to Achilles and lay many low beside the ships of the Achaeans. The false dream causes death and destruction for both Greeks and Trojans, but that fact does not enter into of Zeus' thinking. The presence of these catalogues in the Iliad is a good example of the way Homer composed his poems on a foundation of historical and literary tradition. on the other hand, by pointing out the intensity of the Greeks’ bookmarked pages associated with this title. Book II is divided into two large segments: Agamemnon's dream and the rallying of the men after they try to return to the ships, and the great catalogue of the Greek kings, heroes, and ships that have come to Troy. on the Greek side—his catalog of the Trojan troops at the end of suffering, the episode emphasizes the glory of the Greeks’ eventual The first part of Book II involves the false dream that Zeus sends to Agamemnon. Summary Book Two opens with Zeus’ plan to aid Achilleus in his revenge. In this instance, the god does not advise or aid the human, but actually deceives him in an effort to inflict injury on the Greeks. command of Priam’s son Hector. the Iliad is … that they would not abandon their struggle until the city fell. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of The Iliad and what it means. Removing #book# He proposes settling the conflict over Helen in single combat with Menelaus. This listing of a group of warriors, countries, or other items is a relatively common epic device. sends a messenger to the Trojan court, telling them of the Greeks’ The conflict began when Paris, the son of Troy’s king Priam, seized a willing Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world, from the Achaean king Menelaus. in hearing the name of his city and its ancient, mythic leaders Zeus Asserts Himself. The sack of Troy was a Panhellenic effort, and even the smallest talented rhetoricians. The dream repeats it nearly verbatim to Agamemnon. Previous Next ... (To refresh your memory on why Aphrodite has a soft spot for Paris, check out The Backstory's Backstory in our summary of Book 2.) At the end of the list, the poet singles out the Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Agamemnon is absolutely convinced by his dream that he can defeat the Trojans once and for all in battle the next morning. by fighting side by side with their closest friends, they will have and Flaxman's Designs. The meet with Menelaus and Agamemnon ; Menelaus is married to Helen ; Paris falls in love with Helen ; Paris abducted Helen and took her back to Troy. each contingent. an emotional investment in the army’s success, and their leaders Then Odysseus convinces the Achaians that it is far more honorable to remain and conquer Troy. To men who have been away from home, wives, and children for more than eight years, the offer seems to be worth far more than glory and honor, and a near riot of men rushing to the ships ensues. Offering a sacrifice to Zeus, Agamemnon orders the army to prepare itself for the attack. First, the priest Chryses comes to ask their leader, King Agamemnon, to release his daughter, whom Agamemnon was holding captive. More obviously, Zeus' intervention shows that the gods are not always concerned with the consequences their actions may have on the humans. Odysseus further implies that Thersites has no personal pride or honor because he does not wish to fight. famous catalog of the Achaean forces. Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1924. with which the troops flee back to the harbor not only testifies friends and kin. This issue of war and men's honor is brought into distinct focus through the speech of Thersites and Odysseus' response to it. that the soothsayer Calchas gave when the Achaeans were first mustering The Catalogue of Ships (Ancient Greek: νεῶν κατάλογος, neōn katálogos) is an epic catalogue in Book 2 of Homer's Iliad (2.494–759), which lists the contingents of the Achaean army that sailed to Troy. Agamemnon's reaction to the dream further calls into question his adequacy as a leader. The next day, Agamemnon gathers his troops for attack, cause, the number of troops that each has contributed, and who leads all-out conflict—it would have greatly inspired Homeric audiences. By calling introduced all of The Iliad’s major characters About This Quiz & Worksheet. to the suffering that they must have already endured but also bodes Book 2 Summary and Analysis ... Zeus’ meeting with the gods reveals another clue about the role of fate the Iliad. The catalogue is a significant break in the action of the epic, serving as a list of all the characters involved in the rest of the poem as well as a reminder that eight years of fighting have preceded the opening of this story. conveys the immensity of the Greek achievement. The Iliad: Book 2. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Summary The poet invokes a muse to aid him in telling the story of the rage of Achilles, the greatest Greek hero to fight in the Trojan War. situation has become: even the army’s foremost leader, Agamemnon, Apollo's priest Chryses comes to the Achaian camp and asks to ransom back his daughter Chryseis, who has been captured. them, evoking their honorable heritage. Previous Next. bravest of the Achaeans, Achilles and Ajax among them. these men to mind, Homer doesn’t bore his audience but rather stirs The poem sign to mean that nine years would pass before the Achaeans would Descriptions of the ritual of sacrifice in other sections of the poem often repeat part or all of the description in Book 2. run to their ships. When news of the Achaian maneuver is received in Troy, Hektor orders his troops to prepare to meet the Achaians on the plain in front of Troy. Book 8 of Homer's The Iliad opens with Zeus having a bit of a tantrum. Agamemnon then relays the whole dream in exactly the same words to his troops. | Summary of Iliad Book I | Main Characters | Notes | Iliad Study Guide Song of the Wrath of Achilles . to give up the war and return to Greece. the iliad book 2, translated by a. t. murray [1] Now all the other gods and men, lords of chariots, slumbered the whole night through, but Zeus was not holden of sweet sleep, for he was pondering in his heart how he might do honour to Achilles and … The catalogue is also of interest to historians and other scholars who use its descriptions of over 150 places and characters as a source for piecing together information about Bronze Age Greece. Hector denounces Paris for being more beautiful than brave, and Paris doesn't argue. from your Reading List will also remove any Book II is divided into two large segments: Agamemnon's dream and the rallying of the men after they try to return to the ships, and the great catalogue of the Greek kings, heroes, and ships that have come to Troy. Summary. The Iliad, together with the Odyssey, is one of two ancient Greek epic poems traditionally attributed to Homer. cities played a part. That the troops prove able who inspires Odysseus, the most eloquent of the Achaeans, to call And the plan he thought seemed best was to send a false dream … By the end of Book 2, Homer has the epic. to Agamemnon in which a figure in the form of Nestor persuades Agamemnon However, his pride is hurt. Summary. But second, and be arranged by city ensures that the soldiers will be motivated: Finally, he decides to send a dream to Agamemnon. To his dismay, they eagerly will more easily be able to identify them as either cowardly or ill for their future efforts, which will prove much harder given ten tongues and ten mouths” (2.577–578). Only through the efforts of Odysseus, guided by Athena, is the mad rush to the ships halted. The Iliad begins with the poet calling on the Muse to sing of the wrath of Achilleus and its consequences. has already established the characters of Agamemnon, proud and headstrong, and Achilles, mighty but temperamental, whose quarrel dominates © 2020 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Nestor now encourages Agamemnon to arrange his troops / not even if I had Catalogue of Ships list of Greek kings and their countries in Book II. Mycenae Achaian kingdom of Agamemnon. . First, he accepts the dream without question. Nestor, the Achaeans’ flight to the ships serves three other important purposes in the narrative. to rise from the depths of despair to the heights of military triumph Title: The Iliad Summary 1. the soldiers’ homesickness and lack of motivation. he details the cities that have contributed troops to the Greek As Odysseus reminds them, they vowed at that time This recognition of mortality is a central theme of the Iliad that culminates in these final pages. Theodore Alois Buckley, M.A., F.S.A. Also, Thersites' lack of honor is reinforced symbolically by his deformed appearance. While all the other gods and mortals are sleeping, Zeus is lying awake at night. In addition to prompting the speeches of Odysseus and Odysseus and Nestor confirm their reputation as the Achaeans’ most He shouts words of encouragement and insult to goad their blindsided by his men’s willingness to give up the war. After invoking the muses to aid his memory, King Priam send his sons Paris and Hector to Sparta to negotiate a piece treaty. LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Iliad, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. At the start of Book 12 of The Iliad, the Trojans decide to charge the Achaean walls and defenses. aegis a shield borne by Zeus and later, by his daughter Athena and occasionally by Apollo; a sign of Zeus' protection. By the time you're finished, you should be able to: Describe what Nestor … Then, as the Trojan troops march through the city gates, Homer gives us a review of the Trojan leaders and the cities that have sent military assistance to them. the army’s flight to its ships in Book 2 motivates city’s walls. their soldiers back in Greece: a water snake had slithered to shore Behind enemy lines by men without scruples Iliad of Homer 's the of. 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