The Iliad and Odyssey are just two of the eight poems in the Epic Cycle that tell the story of the Trojan War. Created by an unknown poet around 1200 B.C., these two poems describe the battles between the Greeks and the Trojans. They are among the most important ancient works of literature.
Briefly, the story told in the Iliad begins with the anger of Achilles, who has not been included in the war games between the Greeks and Trojans. He refuses to fight until he has received a gift from his father Zeus. Only then will the gods have fulfilled their promise that he should be the greatest fighter at Troy. The other heroes go to war without him but are defeated by the Trojans. There is a truce to bury the dead but soon after the war starts up again with more fighting. In the end, Hector's body is brought back to Agamemnon for burial. After that, there is peace between Greece and Troy for three years while they prepare for another battle.
In the Odyssey, Odysseus escapes from Troy with only his dog Argos as his companion. He travels home to Ithaca where his family has been worried about him.
Homer's epic poem The Iliad was composed in Greek. It depicts the final year of the Trojan War, which was fought between the city of Troy and the Greeks. The Iliad is made up of 24 books or "strophes" (lines) of poetry. Each book has three hundred and sixty-five or more lines of narrative verse.
According to some scholars, The Iliad and The Odyssey, two other Homeric epics that have survived into modern times, are actually one single work written by the same author over a period of fifteen years or more. They argue that The Iliad describes events that occur in the last year of the war, while The Odyssey covers events from the previous ten years. This theory is called the "Ionic view" after the ancient language in which it was first proposed. It is now generally accepted among academics who study ancient literature.
The Iliad tells the story of the battles that take place during this final year of the war. The conflict begins when the king of Troy, Agamemnon, picks his fighting men from among the citizens of Troy to participate in a war games festival. He is looking for talented fighters who will make up his army.
We learn about the Trojan War and life during this era through these group of poets (25) who are attributed with the famous epic poems, the Illiad and the Odyssey. The Illiad is about the war between Greece and Troy, while the Odyssey is about Odysseus' adventures after the war has been over for years. Both poems are set in ancient Greece but were probably not intended to be read as a whole.
Greece was known for its powerful warriors at the time of the Trojan War. But despite the fact that they were vastly outnumbered by the Trojans, some historians believe that it was mainly because of their unique fighting style that enabled Greek soldiers to unite against Troy. Although each soldier was given a bronze sword when he joined the army, they did not use them to slash at the enemy with as such weapons were designed more for slashing than for cutting down large numbers of people. It is also believed that the poet who wrote the Illiad wanted to show that bravery was needed if Greece were to survive against Troy.
In order for us to better understand the world of the Trojan War and what life was like back then, we need to look at other forms of literature available at the time. There were several major authors who have been credited with writing various parts of these epics.
The Odyssey is one of the ancient epic texts that are intricately linked to ancient civilization. Stories from this poem and The Iliad influenced Greek identity, patriotism, and nationalism, as well as works of art and theater. The Odyssey also served as a guide for future travelers - including the founders of America's first colony at Jamestown.
The Odyssey is about an aging king of Odysseus' country who travels home for his death. His son, Telemachus, takes charge but lacks his father's courage. So, the family needs a new leader who has the bravery and wisdom like their former one. This is where Zeus, the king of gods, comes into play. He decides to test Odysseus by having him go to many different places around the world and return home safely. When he finishes the journey, everyone believes that he has been killed in the war, but really he had been traveling all along.
In today's society, people often use the Odyssey as a guide for making life decisions. Some people say that you should never turn your back on your homeland because if you are being chased, it makes more sense to run toward than away from home. Also, some claim that you should always leave home before seeking adventure because once you step out of bounds, there is no going back.
Homer (/'hoUm@r/; Ancient Greek: Omeros [home: ros], Homeros) was the presumed author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, two epic poems that are the foundational works of ancient Greek literature. The Iliad is set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Greek kingdoms. It describes over one hundred individual battles between characters on both sides of the conflict.
Homer's life is shrouded in mystery. We know only what scholars can deduce from his writings and from archaeology. Some believe he was a real person who lived in Greece around the 11th century BC, but there is no evidence for this theory. What we do know for certain is that Homer was a member of an elite family who played an important role in society. He may have been a priest or a king's adviser, and it is even possible that he took part in the wars described in the Iliad.
Homer's poetry has had a profound influence on European culture. His descriptions of battle and death were attractive to medieval poets seeking inspiration. The Iliad is also the main source for many details about the Trojan War itself. It is because of this reason that the poem is often called "the encyclopedia of ancient warfare".
Homer's own country Greece made no attempt to preserve his memory after his death. But thanks to the interest shown by foreigners in his work, he has never been entirely forgotten.