The Iliad of Homer is just one of the many works written by the Greeks to tell the story of the Trojan War. It is in question as whether or not this war even occured, as the case is with a lot of ancient history. The war may have occured long before Homer's time (around 750 B.C.) and been remembered through the generations, or it may have just been a small battle that was exaggerated into a huge war. Either way, the Iliad is great in scale with over 100,000 soldiers on the Achaian (Greek) side. Homer was trying to tell the story of one man, Achilleus (Achilles), and his role in the Trojan War.
The first place Homer tells Achilles' story is right at the beginning when he gets in an arguement with Agamemnon. The arguement occurs because Agamemnon has no woman in Troy (where they're fighting) so he steals Achilles'. Achilles had fought hard to get that woman and he becomes infuriated. He decides to leave the Achaian Army after 9 years of fighting with them. Here Homer could have told of how Agamemnon desired to have a woman, but instead he tells how Achilles' woman is stolen.
In Book 18 (The Iliad is divided into 24 books) Homer shows Achilles' status as the hero. The Achaians were hard pressed against their ships by the Trojans and were fighting just to save them. Then, in the nick of time, his good freind Patroklos persaudes Achilles to let him lead his men into battle wearing Achilles' armor. Patroklos leads them into battle and the Trojans think it's Achilles and they retreat, saving the Achaians. Achilles failed to come out for real at first and that inaction is what causes Patroklos' death at Hektor's hands. Throughout the work his indecision and emotion interfere with his success, making him a tragic hero.
After Patroklos dies Achilles is overcome with sadness. He decides to go out and avenge his friend who was killed by Hektor. Hektor is wearing Achilles' armor which he took from the corpse of Patroklos, but Achilles is practically invulnerable, after being bathed in the river Styx. He kills Hektor, but while his blood is high he chooses to parade Hektor's body by dragging it around Troy with a chariot. This makes Apollo mad and he shoots an arrow in Achilles' heel that didn't get dipped in the river Styx. His death at Apollo's hand is a harsh blow to the Achaians, but they still win the war without him.
In his effort to tell Achilles' story from among the thousands of men in the battle, Homer succeeds. We now know exactly what Achilles felt, why he chose different paths, how great a man he was, and his side of the story. This work doesn't just tell Achilles' story though, it also tells of events and surroundings that directly or indirectly affected him. The Iliad definitely captures the feel of an epic war.
Lattimore, Richmond. Introduction included in The Iliad of Homer. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press., 1951.
