The Iliad / The Odyssey
by Homer

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Book Reviews of The Iliad / The Odyssey

Book Review: Fascinating - 4.5 stars
Summary: 4 Stars

However, it is still a powerful poem. The story is not what you might expect. There is no Trojan horse, no golden apples. It starts in the ninth year of the siege of Troy as Achilles, enraged by the actions of Agammemnon, breaks from the Argives and sulks in his tent. This sets in motion a chain of events that will result in a clash between himself and the great Trojan hero Hector. All of this unfolds next to a second tale - the fighting amongst the Olympian gods as they determine the destiny of Troy and the heroes from both armies fighting for it.

The Iliad unfolds novelistically. We start with the rage of Achilles in the plains of Troy. Gradually, slowly, the background is revealed - the reason for the Argive invasion of Troy, the reason for the rage of Achilles. It is only very late in the book that the reasons for Hera's hatred of Troy and the tight bond between Patroclus and Achilles is explained.

Although there are many characters in the book, Achilles is the most powerful. Passionate, temperamental, arrogant, brutal and courageous. In many ways, he comes across as the villian. He is opposed by Hector -- also arrogant and brutal, but a family man. Hector is both admired and loved by the Trojans. Achilles is admired by the Greeks, but not loved. The characters of Patroclus, Odysseus and Agamemnon are also well-defined.

The Odyssey is a completely different sort of work. Whereas the Iliad is grand in scope and tells many overlapping stories, the Odyssey is tightly focused on the story of Odysseus's return to his beloved Ithaca. The Iliad is about war and glory, the Odyssey about home and family. One is clearly the work on an older Homer, assuming they come from the same author at all. The Odyssey is more descriptive, less crude in its imagery and the narrative line is cleaner, mostly because of the narrowed subject matter. One wonder if Homer intended it as part of a series of poems about the Greeks returning from troy.

The Odyssey was again not what I expected. It start with Odysseus's son, Telemachus, watching Penelope's suitors devour the fruits of his father's kingdom. Telemechus leaves on a voyage to find word of his father. This segues into Odysseus's return from a seven-year stay with Calypso. He is shipwrecked on Phaeacia, where, after being received by the King of Phaeacia, he unfolds the tale of the journey that landed him on Calypso's isle. The last half of the book deals with eventual return to Ithaca and his dealing with Penelope's suitors.

Homer's style is still songlike and lyrical. His description of the journey to the underworld is especially vivid. And Odysseus is expanded into a complex character - cunning, brave, suspicious - and of course the tragic flaw that creates the Odyssey - proud.

Fagles translation is probably the most unique you will run across. It translates the poems into vivid, song-like language that probably best reflects what the poems sounded like when Homer sang them. I find some fault with his occasionaly use of modern idiom (the overuse of phrases like "cut -and-run", etc.). But it is an easier and more enjoyable read than the more classic translations that favor more stilted prose.

Also, read the introductions. Although they are long, they are fascinating, especially in the discussion over the debate on the origins of the Iliad and the Odyssey. It will also help you appreciate some of the phrases used repeatedly in the poems ("swift-footed Achilles", "long-haired Argives", etc.").

Summary of The Iliad / The Odyssey

Classics Books

• Subjects > Literature & Fiction > Classics
• Poetry
• Literary