The Iliad

Set in the ninth year of the war between Troy and Greece the Iliad is an epic poem covering 41 days of this tragic war. The story centers around an argument between the two main heroes of the Greek side (or the Achaeans as Homer called them): Agamemnon, the king of Mycenae and commander of the Greek forces, and Achilles, the most powerful warrior in the Greek army. The affront to Achilles by Agamemnon wounds Achille's pride. He vows to stay out of the war and in doing so Zeus tilts the scales of fate to the Trojans. With the Greek army facing almost certain defeat Achilles sends Patroclus, his closest friend, to help the Achaeans. He warns Patroclus, however, not to push the Trojans back to their walls, but Patroclus didn't listen. He was killed in battle by Hector, the Trojan commander. This Trojan victory would, however, bring Achilles into the war and turn the tide of battle.The Iliad brings the horrors of war with startling detail. Men slashed to pieces on the Trojan plain aren't just nameless enemies they are real people. Homer tells us who they were. We know their names; we know something of their family. Homer makes us care about them. He gives us a clear insight into the mind of the soldier in the ancient world. With tales of courage, honor and principle one can almost feel the horror of this titanic battle.Robert Fagles does a masterful job in translating this epic poem; now more than 2700 years old. I found the reading easy and quite enjoyable but one would do well to set aside plenty of time for reading. The story is over 15,000 lines in length. Fagles provides a nice introduction, covering the major themes of the story, and a glossary of names and a pronunciation guide at the back of the book. I highly recommend the book as one that belongs on everyone's book shelf.

I long ago determined that the world of those interested in the Classical Literature of the Ancient Greeks that when it comes to Homer's epic poems there are those who prefer the "Iliad" and those who prefer the "Odyssey." My choice is for the story of the rage of Achilles. From Achilles fateful confrontation with Agamemnon over Briseis of the lovely arms to the magnificently emotional ending where King Priam comes to beg for the body of his slain son, Hector, from Achilles, I find this story has greater resonance than the tale of Odysseus. The epic story also seems to me to be more classically Greek, with the great hero who acts out of anger, comes to regret his folly, and seeks to make amends with a great deed. Achilles is similar to Hercules in this regard, and although they are both strictly considered demi-gods, the Achaean hero ultimately seems more human. Plus, Achilles stature is enhanced by his opposition to the noble Hector. Add to this the fact that all the gods and goddesses of Olympus are actively involved in the proceedings and I am convinced the "Iliad" is the more worthy book for inclusion into most classes dealing with Classical Mythology or the Ancient Greeks.This leads us then to the question of which edition to use, and in this regard I have found this translation by Robert Fagles to be vastly superior to anything else out there. Other reviewers have commented on the fantastic audio version read by Derek Jacobi and while I would endorse being able to listen to the "Iliad" being told as reflecting the oral tradition in which the epic poem was created, I would not advise having a class listen to the tapes in their entirety. But letting them listen to a book, probably the first one, would give them a sense for how it was done way back when. The supporting material is also more than adequate: The introduction covers both Homer's use of language and the various players involved in the Trojan War. In the notes at the end of the volume Fagles details some interesting points dealing with the translation and Pronouncing Glossary that also tells you the first book:line where each character appears. Final Note: If you teach Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex," see what Homer had to say about the king of Thebes in the "Iliad." You might find that to be of more than passing interest.

This is the third translation I have read of this book and probably my favorite version. This is an epic war story of love, lust, hate, despair, and the brutal realities of the mental and physical aspects of war. It doesn’t hold back and it’s quite graphic. The dialogue is amazing in this book. A pretty incredible literary work considering the time that it was composed. I have read a lot of Greek Classics. This might be one of my favorites.

This translation meant for the modern reader makes this complex masterpiece of epic warfare accessible, enjoyable, and memorable. A must.

Love this book. Bought a used copy

bought for my sister, no issues with the book

I read Robert Fagles' translation of Homer's The Iliad for brain exercise since I read The Odyssey before I retired from teaching. The Iliad contained Homeric similes which you really should know about if you are a true literature reader. Homer did not incorporate these similes in The Odyssey which he wrote after The Iliad. While there are a lot of characters and gods in the book, however, there is a glossary in the back of the translation to help you fit them all together; and, of course, there is always Google to help you connect the relationships. I must admit I cheated a little by printing notes from Spark Notes to help me understand and remember what I was reading and some of the most important quotes so I could understand the importance of armor, burial, honor, and other Greek traditions we've lost memories of over time it enriched my reading experience. I talk to people who say, "It's too big and complicated to read!" I disagree. I am 64 years old and a retired English teacher and I understood this book. I would recommend The Iliad for 11th grade - Sophomore college years. Robert Fagles made The Iliad a truly accessible, entertaining, instructive read.

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This is a great book, I really enjoyed the read. Epic and brutal. War, gods, pride—hits hard and stays with you.

One of the few translations that use the Greek names of the gods/ goddesses. Very well made and came quick.

What can I say about The Iliad that hasn’t already been said? It’s intriguing, funny, full of action, and features some of the greatest writing ever put on paper. Buy it and read it. You’ll enjoy it.

I've seen several reviews on here stating that the page edges are rough and uneven and the buyers think their book is defective.To any potential buyers, this is a Deluxe edition of The Iliad and the book description clearly states that the book features deckle-edge pages.

This edition is badly marred by the evident failure of the publisher to have the obviously OCR’ed text copyedited before publication. I hope this has been corrected in subsequent edition(s). It is disappointing that purchasers of this edition have been left out in the cold. Additionally I question the “judgment” of omitting line numbers from the poem, or any other way for readers to connect the notes at the edition’s end to the text of the poem.For Homer and the translators, though: five stars.

Reading Homer is essential for any study of the great western works. I chose this version since it was recommended as "the best modern English translation" from The Young Heretics podcast.This is -the- translation to experience The Iliad if you too are working your way through the great works. It truly is the best war story ever told, and boy does Fagles tell it! The translation is written in free verse (9-14 syllables per line, usually), which flows marvelously well as the drama of the Trojan War reaches its climax. If you have only experienced the tale through the movies and television then you may be surprised by how vital the pantheon is to the story, the religious adherence of all involved, and the fact that the Iliad mostly covers one week of fighting. The story itself is about the rage of Achilles, so it naturally starts with Achilles becoming enraged and ends when his rage is soothed - and no, that doesn't happen with his death.In addition to the translation, this edition also contains a 60-page introduction/commentary by Bernard Knox. The commentary alone is worth the price of the book! It contextualizes how The Iliad (probably) came to be, who Homer may be, and how scholars study the work from a variety of perspectives. He then describes the main themes of the book and contrasts the character traits of the leading heroes. Feel free to skip this section to avoid spoilers (though bear in mind that the story spoils itself quite frequently, plus it's very likely you know most of the major plot points already), or if you want a bias-free experience. I found that it enhanced my understanding of the story rather than directing it, but I'll let you be the judge of that!Keep in mind that the Alexander Pope translation is still highly regarded as the best. It was translated in the early 18th century and is even written in iambic pentameter with rhyming couplets! However, the language of that translation is archaic, akin to reading the King James Bible. It also has not benefitted from the last 300 years of classical scholarship. If this doesn't bother you then it is certainly the version you should read. But if you prefer a (still beautiful) translation into modern English then you will not be disappointed with Fagles.

My first time reading this classic. Thrilling, engaging, enthralling story, couldn’t put it down, except to work and sleep and eat and use the lavatory. The story telling is fantastic but admittedly I’m not very well read. I will say I may be biased toward classical literature as opposed to the meaningless drivel which passes for literature these days, I mean who could compare the Iliad with Harry Potter or Twilight or whatever other ridiculousness is available.This and other classic works like The Odyssey or The Divine Comedy or the Aeneid are some of the origins of western thought and culture and should be read and appreciated.All of that being said, people who like to collect books would probably chew their tongues off if they saw the quality of this print. The binding is adequate, the cover is mediocre and the pages are not cut properly, with the pages themselves being of varying width with rough edges. The pages top and bottom are uniform though.I say who cares, the content is what matters to me, I put more stock in the enjoyment of the story than the disheveled appearance of the page edges.It’s a cheap print, so what.If I come across a collectible print of the Iliad which is under $100 I’d probably buy it just to look good on a shelf but that’s only after all my bills are paid and the wife & kids have had there full of ice cream and lollipops.

The Robert Fagles translation is a page-turner. For those looking to be entertained, I'd recommend this edition. It certainly beats having to drudge through it. Unfortunately, the Kindle edition of Fagles' Iliad is currently littered with grammatical errors and spelling mistakes, but the format is fine.The events of the Trojan War are still referenced in popular culture; this was really the only familiarity I had with The Iliad. I was surprised to find that The Iliad is not a complete retelling of the events of the Trojan War. At the outset of The Iliad, the war has already been raging on for several years. Achilles, the best fighter among the Achaeans, is upset because Agamemnon has stolen his female captive, Briseus. The events of the Iliad basically follow the action of the war from the time that Achilles removes himself from combat until he decides to return to it. We do not read about the judgement of Paris, seduction of Helen, the invasion of the Achaeans, or much later, the death of Achilles, the use of the Trojan Horse, or the fall of Troy. The entire epic is essentially battle sequence after battle sequence, in which the Greek gods play an integral role. Almost everyone who kills or dies is named, and you can get a major insight into what the ancient Greeks valued in life.Besides the aforementioned Achilles and Agamemnon, there are some very amazing heroes in The Iliad. If you've seen the film Troy, you might be surprised at how some of your favorite characters are portrayed in the source material: Hector, Helen, Paris, Menelaus, Agamemnon, Achilles, Patroclus, and Ajax the Greater are quite different from their film counterparts. Many of the most impressive heroes, like Sarpedon, Diomedes, or Ajax the Lesser are not even mentioned in the film.

Reviewing and rating The Iliad and The Odyssey, both being among the oldest existing written works from Europe, and which continue to hold influence on Western literature, makes it almost unfair to judge with a contemporary mindset. The embraced ideologies, i.e. philosophies, religions, principles, and aesthetics that have influenced any given literary period, including any accepted or required structures or styles for a story, have evolved over thousands of years. Estimates indicate these two epics were written sometime between 1200 BC and 850 BC. Many contemporary readers will simply dismiss The Iliad or The Odyssey after reading only a few lines, finding them too complicated or confusing to embark upon. The differentiation of mortals from gods and goddesses is not immediately made clear in some translations—just names given. Redundant descriptions like “winged fowls” or a reference to Hades, Zeus, Calypso or a Muse can quickly lose the interest of an average contemporary reader. The repetition of words and phrases, where the author or authors (Homeric question considered) tried to duplicate the telling of these epics as they were originally sung by bards hundreds of years before into written epics, can also be off-putting, especially among the many translated interpretations over the years. How I might have rated either of these two epics had I lived and read them when they were first written is impossible to say. Having read a 20th century English translation of them within the current literary period of the 21st century, I give five stars without hesitation. After a little research, I chose Robert Fagles’ translation written in unrhymed iambic pentameter or blank verse, a style originating in the 16th century, for the best balance of accuracy and readability. I didn’t care for the popular translations by Alexander Pope, who translated both epics into heroic couplets—a form of rhyming poetry that came about in the 17th century—eloquent as they may be written. Richmond Lattimore’s translations are perhaps the most accurate English translations, attempting to maintain the dactylic hexameter in which the original epics were written. Homer’s epics were simply his written retelling of stories that minstrel poets had been singing for centuries before his time. I suppose translators are simply doing the same thing in their own writing style. When you hear someone detail an event that took place and then hear the same event recounted by someone else, one person’s version may appeal to you more than the other, right? In any case, The Odyssey was my favorite between the two, though both were exciting—sometimes emotional—great stories.

Homer's Iliad is a book I read excerpts from in my undergrad Humanities course in college, but I eventually got enough leisure time to read it in its entirety. The Iliad documents a time when the Greeks are first coming together and beginning to think about themselves as Greek; this would have been around 1260 BCE, and The Iliad itself was probably written circa 725 BCE. What is helpful in the Greeks' coming together and seeing themselves is a united people is a common enemy these people have in Troy, which is located in modern day Turkey, in the Anatolia.According to The Iliad, the Greeks sail to Troy to fight the Trojan War because one of the princes of Troy named Paris has stolen the wife of the Greek king Menelaus; her name is Helen and she is revered for her great beauty. Although the Trojan War frames most of the background, the real conflict of the book seems to be with king Achilles, who is a young, beautiful demigod, great hero, and great warrior, widely feared by men. The large bulk of the book concerns Achilles' refusal to fight for his Greek countrymen on account of the fact that a fellow Greek king Agamemnon has publicly shamed him in front of the Greek council and stolen away a woman of his, a woman who was among the spoils of war Achilles had captured.Some observations about the book: Achilles is not really the model citizen-soldier of the book, but rather the very real and brave and human Hector, prince of Troy, is. Whereas Achilles fights for glory, Hector fights to defend his country and his family. The best way I could express how strange it is that the hero of the most famous epic poem of the Greeks is Hector would be with the following comparison. Imagine if a famous work of American literature depicted King George III of England as the noble and righteous model for leadership during the American Revolution--by way of analogy to Achilles, General George Washington depicted as the young hothead, not to be admired. That is what I find most remarkable about The Iliad: that the true hero for the Greeks is the Trojan prince Hector. It is not until The Odyssey that we get to see what a model Greek looks like.

There are probably at most a few hundred people in the world with the knowledge and competence to critique Robert Fagles' translation of the Iliad into English. First, one would have to be fluent in Greek and in particular the ancient dialects of Greek that Homer used to compose his poem. Since I am not in this exalted category of people I will have no comment on the translation. My interests lie more in the poem itself, its possible historicity, and other issues. Although I had read the Iliad long ago in college I had forgotten much. My recent foray to read it again had more to do with certain claims that Julian Jaynes made in his book "On the Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind" which is an old classic of psychological literature from the 1970's. According to Jaynes the characters in the Iliad show no sign of modern consciousness but rather they are the playthings of the gods who issue commands which must be obeyed. Indeed, according to Jaynes' theory the gods are auditory hallucinations in people's heads and so we see Athena telling Achilles not to smite Agamemnon. After rereading the Iliad I don't find Jaynes' theory to be compelling. There are signs of human consciousness everywhere with both humans and gods judging and making decisions according to the best data they have available. So the characters seem to have an entirely modern consciousness as far as I can tell. Indeed, in Book 5 the Greek hero Diomedes attacks two of the gods in person (Aphrodite and Aries) and even wounds them. That certainly doesn't fit the bicameral mind theory.So putting Jaynes' theory aside, the next big issue is why it is the Trojan War which is the historical event that Homer chooses to write about. From the archaeological record we know that the greatest historical event between Troy being attacked and Homer was the Bronze Age collapse which resulted in the complete destruction of the Mycenaean civilization. So why is that not the theme of the poem? Why not an invasion of barbaric Sea Peoples attacking the Achaean defenders who valiantly fight to defend their cities in a losing cause against superior numbers? Perhaps that topic was too raw emotionally to deal with and so Homer chose a more remote war in which the Greeks were victorious. There may be an echo of the Bronze Age collapse when Hera says to Zeus that he can destroy the three cities she loves the most which are Mycenae, Argos, and Sparta. Perhaps Homer's audience knows that these cities have indeed been sacked. Or perhaps Troy itself becomes the poetical equivalent of the entire Bronze Age Greek civilization which is doomed to die. We can probably never know for sure why the Trojan War was picked as the topic.Another anomaly that the forward to the book points out is that the Iliad was likely first written down between 725 and 675 BCE not long after the Greeks adopted the alphabet from the Phoenicians. It is thus one of the first pieces of Greek literature to be written using the new writing system since Linear B had been long forgotten. We usually don't expect a masterpiece to be the first thing written, but rather several short stumbling efforts leading up to further sophistication and then the masterpiece. That is not the historical record of the Iliad. The masterpiece comes first with almost complete preservation and then we only have fragments of other Greek poems from the 7th century. So the history of Homer, the Iliad, and the Odyssey is indeed very peculiar and is not what we would expect from a Greece just recovering from a Dark Age lasting three centuries. Perhaps that is because of the genius of some individual named Homer or it has some other unknown cause, but we should rejoice that we have such an excellent and long piece of Greek literature from such an early age.There are still plenty of mysteries regarding the Iliad and its author. Each generation can find its own particular enjoyment in these poems.A few other comments are in order concerning historicity. Book 2 of the Iliad concerns the catalog of ships and how many came from various places in Achaea (Greece) and who their commanders were. So we see Agamemnon commanded 100 ships from Mycenae which was the biggest contingent. On the Trojan side it says that the allies of Troy speak a thousand different tongues and they come from all over Asia Minor. This matches the historical record of Asia Minor in the 13th century BCE which was dominated by the Hittite Empire in the center but with many satellite kingdoms surrounding it, each with its own language. There is some speculation that the language of Troy (called Wilusa by the Hittites) was Luwian, not Greek. And there would have been as much religious diversity as linguistic diversity although the poem does not show this. So the catalog of ships has always struck scholars as peculiar as a literary form unless it has some historical basis. It seems that most of the places listed in ...

I have several points to make in this review. The first is to explain why I recommend the Fagles translation over that of Lombardo. The choice of translation is at one and the same time easy, personal and fraught with consequence.It is easy because all the translations that I am familiar with (Fitzgerald, Fagles and Lombardo) are excellent and have their own excellencies. It is personal because because I believe it is largely a matter of individual aesthetic. But it is fraught with consequence.Let me explain that last part. In Homeric Moments, Eva Braan points out the passage in Book 18 when Achilles first talks to Thetis after hearing that Patrocles has been killed by Hector. Fagles (p. 470, Line 96) translates the line as "I've lost him". Lombardo parses the line as "And I killed him" (Lombardo, p. 357, Line 86). Braan suggests that the alternate to lost should be "destroyed" (Braan, p. 11). This crux epitomizes my loss at not knowing Greek and having to read translations. I lose out on those moments, those flashes of shifting insight that knowing that the word I am reading can imply loss, guilt and transgression all at the same time.Knowing that there are trade-offs of insight to win or lose on the choice of a translation, I recommend you read several. Pick a main translation. And at the moments of consequence in the story, consult the others. Lombardo is flat out better at making Book 2(the catalogue of ships) not only readable but purposeful. Homer in that one chapter is giving all the islands, all the kingdoms and cities of Greece a place in the national epic of the country. He is giving everyone in Greece a hero to look back on as their own.But in general I find Lombardo to be, for lack of a better term, coarser. And, I think it has a lot to do with his methodology. I read his intro as saying that he works his translation out over the coarse of time by performing it (fair enough since we are reading Homer, the singer of epics). But, as a result of those readings perhaps, his translation has passages that are real clunkers.For example, I laughed out loud when I read this:"Well let me tell you something. I guaranteeThat if I ever catch you running on at the mouth againAs you were just now, my name isn't Odysseus..." (Lombardo, p.28, Line 279-281)I read those line and what I see is young Marlon Brando in The Wild Ones not Odysseus.Compare Fagles:"I tell you this, so help me it's the truth:If I catch you again, blithering on this way,let Odysseus' head be wrenched off his shoulders" (Fagles, p. 108, Line 301-303).That line count is also an issue- Lombardo's methodology leads him to leave out words, phrasesand lines because they are unneccessary to performance. I can't go with that.I could go on but I think you see my argument. To sum up: I don't read/speak a bit of Greek. My ear when reading aloud leads me to prefer the Fagles translation but the Lombardo is a valuable adjunct to that reading. Since both translations are also interpretations, to read them both is to probably get a little closer to Homer.And, by the way, both contain useful introductions although I think Knox's intro to Fagles' translation is better than Murnaghan's to Lombardo's translation.Finally, why should you care? I have hinted at it in my review title and my remark on the catalogue of ships. Homer's poetic style reveals so much more than an epic on force or whatever the critical summation de jour is. He creates a world. Not just a world at war but through his similes a world of crafts, work, weddings, births, murders, kinships, friendships, of gods, of monsters, of countries and of history. Toward the end of the book, the God Hephaestus creates for Achilles a new shield. Homer describes in detail the working on the shield, the two cities, one at war, one at peace and the whole universe that surrounds them. It is the perfect simile for the effect of Homer's poem as a whole.The other reason you should read this book is the central conflict between Hector and Achilles. Both men are doomed and know it. Both are aware that the success of their side is dependent on them.Achilles is the more god-like but Hector is the better man, the more humane human being. You should care about reading about these two because in their conflict, they are tracing out what is was for the men of ancient Greece to live and to die. And their story continues to carry the weight of the ways that they faced their fate down to our own time.Which brings me to my final reason for preferring Fagles over Lombardo. Brando in The Wild Ones was a marvel. There is nothing wrong at all with Brando from The Wild Ones. Brando from On the Waterfront was even better. But Brando is not Hector, he is not Achilles, he is not Odysseus or Diomedes or Great Ajax. To my ears, all too often Lombardo give us Brando. Fagles gives us the Greeks. At least, to my ears and my soul. Try the two of them out and let me know how you feel. And if anyone wants to argue the merits of differen...