What did Homer write about in the Iliad and the Odyssey?
The Iliad is set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Greek kingdoms. The Odyssey focuses on the ten-year journey home of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, after the fall of Troy.
What is Homer’s Iliad written about?
The Iliad is an epic poem written by the Greek poet Homer. It tells the story of the last year of the Trojan War fought between the city of Troy and the Greeks. Achilles – Achilles is the main character and the greatest warrior in the world. He leads the Myrmidons against the Trojans.
Why are the poems the Iliad and the Odyssey so significant?
Attributed to the singular ancient Greek poet Homer, the Iliad and the Odyssey are considered to be, not only, the most important works of ancient Greek literature but the oldest extant works of Western literature. The Odyssey tells the epic tale of the journey of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, after the fall of Troy.
Are the Iliad and Odyssey poems?
The Iliad and the Odyssey are just two of the eight poems from the Epic Cycle that narrate the Trojan War.
Is the Iliad an epic poem?
The Iliad is an epic poem in 24 books that is traditionally attributed to the ancient Greek poet Homer.
How old is Homer’s Odyssey?
The Odyssey, attributed to Homer, is commonly dated to around 800 BC, written on the author’s home Iona, now the oceanside coast of Turkey. Interestingly, there are some who feel that the story actually comes from around 1170. That’s almost 400 years older than previously thought.
Is the Odyssey older than the Bible?
Moses is considered to have written the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) in approximately 1400 B.C., or about 600 years before the writing of the Odyssey.
At what age did Odysseus die?
I would loosely estimate that Odysseus was 45–50 years old upon his return.
Why did Hector kill Patroclus?
The god Apollo sides with the Trojans, like Zeus, and Apollo steps in to stop Patroclus, who is wounded. At the end of Book 16, Hector kills Patroclus, fulfilling Zeus’ prophecy. Hector is bold, telling Patroclus as he kills him that ”here the vultures shall eat you. / Wretch!
Was Hector afraid of Achilles?
In fact, Hector is actually too scared to face Achilles, which is why Achilles chases him around the city walls. Hector does not have the courage to face Achilles until the goddess Athene appears beside Hector in the form of his brother Deiphobos.
Why is Hector better than Achilles?
From Cicero’s framework, Hector was clearly the better man than Achilles. His actions in the Iliad are largely driven by what Cicero would see as morally good. He fights to keep his community intact, even if on the battlefield he, like all fighting men that Homer depicts, was not above brutality.