ENGLISH 10 GRADE 10

1ST QUARTER

The Mythological Background and Introduction to The Iliad

I. The Background of the Iliad

⚫ Achaeans - another name of the Greeks
⚫ The Iliad is an ancient Greek epic poem written by Homer.
⚫ It narrates the Trojan war fought between the Achaeans (Greeks) against the Trojans.
⚫ The epic narrative takes up events prophesied for the future, such as Achilles’ looming death,
and the fall of Troy.

II. Homer: The Blind Poet

⚫ He is credited with writing down the two oldest epics: The Iliad and The Odyssey.
⚫ He is blind and would typically have a lyre with him.
⚫ Now, some critics do not believe that one man could have written the whole epics.
⚫ Most modern scholars regard him as the foundation of Western Canon.

III. The Birth of Paris

⚫ Paris is one of the sons of King Priam of Troy and his wife, Hecuba.
⚫ While pregnant, Hecuba had a dream in which the child she was carrying was a firebrand.
⚫ Cassandra prophesied that the child Hecuba was carrying was destined to destroy the city.
⚫ However, Cassandra was fated never to be believed.

IV. The Wedding of Peleus and Thetis

⚫ In the beginning, Zeus and Poseidon were interested in the sea-nymph Thetis.
⚫ But she was fated to give birth to a son who would be stronger than his father.
⚫ Upon learning this, the Gods were eager to marry her off to someone else.
⚫ Every God and Goddess was invited except for Eris, the Goddess of Discord.
⚫ Eris was offended, and thus the Judgment of Paris happened.

V. The Judgement of Paris

⚫ Eris threw a golden apple labeled “for the fairest”.
⚫ Three Goddesses each believed that it should belong to her: Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite.
⚫ The Goddesses went to Zeus to put an end to the dispute, but he doesn’t want to be involved in
the matter.
⚫ He told the Goddesses that Paris, the handsomest of all, will be an excellent judge of beauty.
⚫ Athena said that she would lead the Trojans to victory against the Greeks and lay Greece in ruins.
⚫ Hera promised to make him the Lord of Europe and Asia.
⚫ Aphrodite bribed him by giving him the most beautiful woman in the world.
⚫ He gave the apple to Aphrodite.

VI. The Abduction of Helen

⚫ Helen is the daughter of Zeus and Leda.
⚫ Paris decided to take a trip to Sparta; he was accepted into the house of Menelaus, the king of
Sparta.
⚫ Menelaus had to journey to Crete, so Helen was left to take care of the guests.
⚫ Paris absconded with Helen.
⚫ Menelaus invoked this oath and asked Helen’s previous suitors for their help to fight against
Troy.
SUMMARY OF THE ILIAD

ACHILLES, THE SWIFT RUNNER

⚫ He possesses superhuman strength and has a close relationship with the Gods.
⚫ He may strike modern readers as less than heroic.
HECTOR, BREAKER OF HORSES
⚫ Homer developed him as a tender, family-oriented man.
⚫ He is the most tragic figure in the story.
⚫ Give me a sword and I shall unsheathe it, With valiant efforts; war, I will face it. I am the
mightiest Trojan.

AGAMEMNON
⚫ I am the king of Mycenae, And for that I need a prize that fits a king, truly.

PATROCLUS
⚫ The kindred spirit to the swift runner, He is most loyal companion

Other important Characters SETTINGS

⚫ Odysseus - 10TH year/final year of the Trojan War
⚫ Nestor - Troy
⚫ Priam - Sparta
⚫ Paris - Zeus’s Hall
⚫ Menelaus

PLOT
Initial Situation
⚫ The Achaeans angered the God Apollo, who sends a plague upon the Achaean camp.

Conflict
⚫ After his falling out with Agamemnon, Achilles refuses to fight, and the Achaeans start getting
killed. Not even the offer of gifts can turn him around.

Complication
⚫ Nestor suggests that Patroclus lead the Myrmidons, wearing Achilles' armor. He does so and is
killed by Hector.

Climax
⚫ Achilles gets new armor; comes back to battle; kills lots of Trojans, then kills Hector.

SUSPENCE
⚫ Achilles begins abusing the body of Hector, which the Gods will not permit to decay or be
destroyed.

Denouement
⚫ The Gods take pity on Hector, and they send Achilles' mother Thetis to instruct him to give the
body back. They also tell Priam to go ask for it. Priam goes to Achilles' tent and they connect
with one another as human beings, share a meal, and negotiate the surrender of the body.

Final
⚫ The Iliad ends with the burial of Hector.

MOTIFS AND SYMBOLISMS

1. ARMOR - Homer often portrays a hero’s armor as having an aura of its own, separate from its
wearer. In one of the epic’s more tender scenes.
2. BURIAL - The Iliad’s interest in burial partly reflects the interests of ancient Greek culture as a
whole, which stressed proper burial as a requirement for the soul’s peaceful rest.
3. FIRE - Fire emerges as a recurrent image in The Iliad, often associated with internal passions
such as fury or rage, but also with their external manifestations.

THEMES
1. The Glory of Way - To fight is to prove one’s honor and integrity, while to avoid warfare is to
demonstrate laziness, ignoble fear, or misaligned priorities.
2. The Impermanence of Human Life and Its Creations - The poem emphasizes the ephemeral nature
of human beings and their world, suggesting that mortals should try to live their lives as honorably as
possible, so that they will be remembered well.
3. The Influence of Fate - Fate plays a crucial role in The Iliad. Not only does the poet use fate as a
narrative means to foreshadow future events, but he also uses it as a thematic means to underline
the significance of heroism.