I just finished listening to the Illiad (unabridged). I thought this book ended with the sack of Troy, not with a cease fire. I know what happens to Troy and Achilles, but apparently I don’t know where the tale is told…
Anyone care to enlighten me on ancient greek literature?
The fall of Troy is seen in flashbacks in both The Odyssey (ostensibly by the same Homer) and The Aeneid (by Vergil). After both of those, a poet named Quintus of Smyrna wrote an *Iliad *sequel, published in English as The War at Troy, based on material from those earlier sequels.
Some scholars insist that the real central character of the Iliad is not Achilles, but Hector. Consider how Hector is consistently shown as the noblest warrior, and that the poem ends abruptly with the weeping and wailing that takes place at his funeral. Hector’s death, of course, forshadows the inevitable downfall of Troy.
Other sequels include
The Trojan Women by Euripides- Hecuba (Priam’s queen), her daughters and daughter-in-law, now captive, discuss life, the universe & everything (with everything including Andromache’s son Astyax being flung from the walls of Troy). Unusual in that in this version, Helen gets it in the end.
Agamemnon by Aeschylus- tells the story of Agamemnon’s “triumphant” return home to his queen Clytemnestra (Helen’s mortal twin/half-sister- same mother but different egg [literally- their mama Leta laid two eggs, one containing two demigods and one containing two mortals]) with his prize Cassandra (daughter of Priam) and other Trojan booty. If you haven’t read it, it’s one of my favorite of the Greek tragedies (though you’ll need to read its prequel, Iphigenia at Aulis, to understand it).
Thanks for the information… I liked the Illiad so I’ll probably continue with the Odyssey and see where that goes although the others sound intriguing as well.
As a side note, I saw Troy right after I finished the book. The film ended where I thought the Illiad was supposed to. All in all it was a pretty bad movie.
Hector is, I think, the only male character in the “Iliad” who doesn’t come off as an ass, but I think he’s the foil for Achilles rather than being the central character.
What a great poem. Must go read for the bajillionth time.
Most people I’ve talked to prefer the “Odyssey.” It has more fun stuff, I’ll admit, but the character of Odysseus never appealed to me. And it lacks the grandeur of the “Iliad.”
But read it! Then read Vergil. And then read Dante. You won’t regret it. 