A review by ed_moore
The Iliad by Homer
adventurous
challenging
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The difference in The Illiad and The Odyssey completely surprised me, for whilst I didn’t enjoy the Odyssey I found the tale of the Trojan War to be so much more engaging and different in style to Homer’s other epic. I read the translation by Martin Hammond, which was unusually in prose whereas still written in poetic rhythm, which may have contributed to the different experience however. Whilst I was initially worried this would hinder my experience with The Iliad, I don’t believe it read too differently and I had an experience not too far from a poetic translation in my reading of Homer’s Epic. The Illiad recounts the days of the ten year long Trojan War, highlighting Achilleus as the protagonist figure for much focus is on his involvement, and ends just before his death at the hands of Paris and therefore before the Sack of Troy and Trojan Horse. This meant much emphasis was placed on the heroics of Achilleus, though Homer impressed me in his empathy for human life on both sides of the conflict amid the slaughter. Alike in Ancient Greek tradition where armies would fight over the bodies of fallen soldiers, Homer pays respect to each side in his descriptions of their strengths and lineage. There are frequent recurring descriptions, noting characters as ‘son of…’, ‘godlike’ and ‘master of the war cry’ to give the most frequent examples. Where there is an absence is in the female voices that shaped the Trojan War, the catalyst of it all Helen of Troy hardly gets a mention, and Briseis and Cassandra are rendered completely voiceless. Such absence leaves much of the motives for war untold, whereas in much of the poem focus is solely on battle and the honouring of heroics and fallen life. I cannot pretend that it wasn’t engaging throughout as a consequence of this, and whilst the Odyssey bored me a little, The Iliad did far from such and despite knowing the entire story beforehand it had me gripped.