The Iliad begins with Chryses. a prophesier of Apollo. coming to a Grecian cantonment and offering valuable “penalty tokens” bespeaking the return of his girl who the Greeks had captured in a foray. Because Agamemnon believed she was truly his. he refused. Most of his fellow Greeks wanted him to return her in order to avoid struggle. In order to continue his clip ( award. regard. value ) . Agamemnon brings danger to them all. Chryses prays to Apollo and a pestilence is released upon the Achaeans. Achilles. a basileus in the Grecian ground forces. suggests seeking penetration from the prophesier Calchas. Upon making so all are informed that Agamemnon is responsible for the pestilence because he refused to return his geras ( award ) . the girl of Chryses.
In order to continue his clip and alleviate the load of the pestilence. Agamemnon decides to take person else’s geras. He threatens to takes Achillesgeraand this make the destructive choler of Achilles “sing” . However. Athena intercedes and causes him to keep himself. Agamemnon’s work forces seize hisgera. Briseis. and Achilles refuses to contend. Necessitating him for a successful conflict. they offer him his gera and more. but he refuses. His fury is kindled against Agamemnon. Achilles rejects the system upon which epic civilization was built. Because he receives his clip from Zeus. he doesn’t care what people think.
Upon hearing about the decease of his comrade Patroclus. Achilles attacks the Trojan forces and putting to deaths Hector. Patroclus’s slayer. He drags his organic structure behind his chariot for yearss wishing he would hold fought sooner and prevented the decease of his friend. When Priam. Hectors father comes to run into with Achilles. they celebrate a common regard for the lives lost and for each other and they make peace. Hector is buried and the metropolis still stands.
The Odyssey opens with Zeus reflecting on mortal personal businesss. He spoke among the deathless 1s about the foolishness that persons suffer by their ain custodies. Aegisthus. cousin of Agamemnon committed criminal conversation with Clytemnestra. Agamemnon’s married woman. and so helped her to slay Agamemnon. He went on to explicate how Orestes. boy of Agamemnon. so killed Aegisthus and his female parent to revenge his father’s decease and how this all could hold been avoided if he would hold taken the warning that Hermes gave him before all this happened to bosom and abstained from criminal conversation. Yet. persons blame the Gods for all evil. “when truly it’s through their ain folly they suffer. even more than necessary. ”
Then Athena rises in the Godhead assembly and petitions that the righteous Odysseus is released from imprisonment on the island of Calypso. Zeus so sends Hermes to put him free. The narrative focus’s on Odysseus who escapes from the island and sails upon the sea in a raft. But his enemy Poseidon. as the narrative attests. causes a storm that destroys the raft and makes Odysseus swim for three yearss until he lands on the island of Phaeacia. where King Alcinous regulations. The virgin princess Nausicaa meets him on shore and takes him to the castle. After uncovering his individuality. Odysseus recounts his rovings to the Phaeacians.
After go forthing Troy. he and his work forces. with 20 boats. came to the land of Thracians and lost many work forces in a foray. After going. a storm takes them to the land of the Lotus Eater. If anyone eats the Nelumbo nucifera. they will bury their intent. to travel place once more. Then Odysseus comes to the land of the Cyclops where many of his work forces are eaten alive and he is imprisoned in a cave. Odysseus tricks the Cyclops and flights.
He so comes to the island of Circe. “hawk. ” Then Odysseus additions the regard of the enchantress Circe with the aid of Hermes and him and his work forces bask a twelvemonth on the island. Then Circe tells him that he must confer with the spirit of the prophesier Tiresias to larn what awaits him. He sails off and speaks with liquors. The spirit of the murdered Agamemnon praises Odysseus’ married woman Penelope for being faithful and warns Odysseus to mind of adult females when returning place.
Traveling on. they pass by the island of the Sirens. whose seduce work forces with their vocal. Odysseus prevents his work forces from hearing their vocal and they make it past. Following. he passes by the monster Scylla and the vortex Charybdis. Five work forces are eaten. and the remainder go to the island of Helios Hyperion. the Sun. Circe warned him non to eat the cowss but they did anyhow. When they sail off. Zeus destroys their boat to penalize their impiousness. Odysseus entirely escapes. He eventually comes to the island of Calypso. where the narrative began.
In the text. “The Greeks. History. Culture and Society. ” writers Morris and Powell comparison and contrast the Iliad and the Odyssey as such. “The singular Odyssey…has a tripartite secret plan. but moves more in spirals than in a consecutive line. Whereas the Iliad describes a adult male at odds with his society. a adult male apart. the Odyssey describes a adult male who journeys far. suffers much so returns to his proper topographic point in society…the Iliad is tragic. the Odyssey is amusing [ intending the narrative ends in harmoniousness and credence ] . ”
In the Iliad. people die in combat. frequently times honest work forces against honest work forces. Ethical motives are a major subject expressed in the Iliad. Continuing a province of honestness. restraint. subject. award. and regard are of import features that are sought for. The Odyssey trades with Odysseus endeavoring to return place and the ethical motives of persons are critiqued by Zeus. While Achilles challenges his commanding officer Agamemnon and abhors oblique behaviour. Odysseus uses hocus-pocus to last and get the better of obstructions.
The Iliad and the Odyssey compliment each other by stating two different narratives that both give penetration into the Trojan War. the Trojan Horse. the funeral of Achilles. and the return of Menelaus and Helen to Sparta. They both trade with the battles and adversity of mortal life. The pureness of adult females is praised in these narratives. Nausicaa is an esteemed virgin princess and Penelope is known and respected as a virtuous adult female who staves off lubricious work forces seeking to kip with her. while Clytemnestra dishonours her hubby and dishonours herself by perpetrating criminal conversation.
They both trade with the Gods mediating in human personal businesss. Human behaviour is portrayed in both narratives along with the challenges of life. The persons in both narratives have to fight against fright. choler. and other ego-based dimensions of human being. Both narratives give us insight into the heads of the dwellers of the Earth during this clip period and their perceptual experience of world. The world of the “gods” . supernatural existences. was common cognition for most people during this clip. Today. the being of the Gods is dismissed by most. questioned by many. and known by few. Reality. as they perceived it. was similar in many ways as it is today. but it was besides really different. Both narratives help up us reflect and gain a deeper apprehension of life in ancient Greece.
