A BRIEF HISTORY OF 'THE ILIAD' WRITTEN BY HOMER

One of the foremost achievement in western literature, Homer's Iliad tells the story of the darkest episode in the Trajan war. At it's centre is Achilles, the greatest warrior- champion of the Greeks, and his refusal to fightafter being humiliated by his reader Agamennon. But when the Trajan Hector kills Achilles close friend Patroclus,he storms back into blttle to take revenge although knowing this will ensure his own early death.

The Greeks believed that THE ILIAD was composed by Homer. In our ignorance of the man, his life and his work, we are free to believe it or not.Received opinion dates him 700 BC and places him in Ionia, the GREEK inhab
ited coast and islands of central western country Turkey. The Greeks believed the same man composed The Odyssey.

THE FOCUS OF THE ILIAD

As Aristotle saw, Homer decided not to work through the whole Trajan War year by year but to direct the action of the epic round a single theme- the anger of Achilles announced in the first line of the epic, which brought endless suffering to his own side and ultimately himself. As a result THE ILIAD is distinguished by tight economy of action. For example four- fifths of the action occurs on a mere four days and intervening nights.

The story centres round the aristocratic heroes not the general mass of troops. Very many heroes are named but Homer selected about twenty characters in all from both sides to concentrated on. the human action takes place either in or around the Greek camp on the beach or in Ilium or in the battle field.While the divine action takes place on MOUND OLYPUS or one of the mountains around Troy, for example mound IDA.