Homer. Iliad. Additional information about the poem. Analysis of Homer's poem Iliad

Homer's Iliad - a full-scale artistic discovery made in the cradle of world culture - Ancient Greece... The poet glorified in a majestic hexameter (poetic size) the events of the Trojan War - the confrontation between the Greeks and the Trojans. This is one of the first epic poems in human history. The basis of the work is mythology, so the reader is presented with a two-level composition, where the course of the struggle on earth is predetermined on Olympus. It is all the more interesting to observe the characters not only of people, but also of the Gods.

In the 13th century BC, the powerful tribes of the Achaeans came from the northern part of Greece, who spread throughout the Greek land, occupying the southern coast and the islands of the Aegean Sea. Mycenae, Tiryns and Pylos - Largest cities, each of which had its own king. The Achaeans wanted to get Asia Minor on the east coast, but the Trojan State was located there, the capital of which was Troy (Ilion). The Trojans interfered with the free trade of the Greeks in Asia Minor, since it was through Ilion that the Achaeans' trade routes passed. The desire to get the east coast and a free outlet for trade was the cause of the war in 1200 BC. The bloody struggle went down in history under the name of the Trojan, and the Achaeans and Trojans became its participants. Troy was surrounded by a battlement wall, thanks to which the Greeks spent 10 years besieging this city. Then the Achaeans built a huge horse, later called the Trojan horse, as a sign of admiration for the king of Ilion, and at night Greek soldiers came out of the wooden gift, who opened the gates of the city and Troy fell.

Researchers and scientists for a long time drew information about the events of the Trojan War from the works of Homer. History became the basis of the poem Iliad.

Topics and problems

Already in the first lines of the poem, Homer reveals the theme of the Iliad. One of the themes is the anger of Achilles. The problem of hatred is put forward by the author in a peculiar manner: he welcomes the belligerence of the opposing sides, but at the same time complains about thoughtless losses. No wonder the goddess of discord plays a negative role in the work. This is how the author expresses his desire for peace. Achilles' Wrath directs the course of the war, so we can rightfully call his emotional excitement the pivotal basis of the work. Human weakness is concentrated in it: we cannot resist when aggression takes over us.

For the first time, the hero burns with hatred for Agamemnon. The leader of the Greeks forcibly takes Briseis, the captive of Achilles. From now on, the hero does not take part in battles, such is the punishment of the king. The Greeks immediately begin to suffer defeat one after another, and Achilles does not enter the battle, even when the Trojans come close to his camp. Agamemnon returns Briseis to the hero, gifts are brought into the tent as an apology, but Achilles does not look at them. Light feelings do not have time to occupy the hero's head, story line Achilles' anger flares up again, this time over the murder of his friend Patroclus. Since Achilles did not participate in the battles, and the Greek army suffered serious losses, Patroclus volunteered to help the soldiers, donning the armor of a demigod, receiving his soldiers and a chariot. The thirst for military glory clouded the consciousness of young Patroclus, and, entering into a fight with Hector, he dies.

Achilles thirsts for revenge, now he unites with Agamemnon, because nothing brings you closer than a common enemy. The hero challenges Hector to battle, pierces his neck with a sword and brutally treats the body of the enemy, tying him to his chariot and dragging him all the way to the camp. For his cruelty, he pays in full, because he also falls on the battlefield by the will of the gods. So the author condemns the aggression and willfulness of the person.

The theme of honor is mainly revealed through the opposing warriors of Hector and Achilles, and the death of the Trojan leader is an omen of the fall of Troy. The act of Achilles in relation to the body of Hector is dishonorable, therefore it is punished by the gods. But the Trojan warrior was given due honors, because, according to Homer, he was a man of honor to the end.

The theme of fate is also touched upon by the author. Homer's heroes do not have free will, they are all hostages of their fate, predetermined by the gods. The inhabitants of Olympus completely control the lives of people, sorting out their relationships through them. The mythological consciousness of Homer's contemporaries imagined the world in this way - through the prism of myth. They did not consider any action to be accidental, finding God's providence everywhere.

The problematic of the work contains the main human vices: envy, vindictiveness, ambition, greed, fornication, and so on. Even the gods are overcome by these criminal passions. Everything begins with envy, revenge and selfishness of the goddesses, continues thanks to ambition, pride, greed and lust of people, and ends with their cruelty, cunning and stupidity. Each of these qualities is a problem that is nonetheless eternal. The author believes that vices were born together with people and they will also disappear, as phenomena of the same order. In bad features, he sees not only the negative, but also the source of the versatility of life. The poet, in spite of everything, praises people as they are.

Which translation is better to read?

Translation of Homer's Iliad, of course, can be considered hard creative work, each author tried to "touch" the events of Ancient Greece in order to fully convey and bring the reader closer to the original poem. There are 3 author's translations that are in demand among readers - A.A. Salnikov, V.V. Veresaev and N.I. Gnedich.

1. N.I. Gnedich strove with his translation to approach the Homeric style, he wanted to convey the atmosphere of the era, using High style, and, in our opinion, he did it. Gnedich's Iliad was written in hexameter, filled with archaisms and Slavisms. It is in this translation that the reader can feel the expressiveness of the language and plunge "headlong" into the Ancient Greek world, despite the fact that the text is rather succinct. This translation is rather difficult to read due to the abundance of obsolete words, and is designed for the "sophisticated reader".
2. V.V. Veresaev replaced the words "eyes", "breg", "in the hosts" with simpler and colloquial ones. Part of his translation was taken from Zhukovsky and Gnedin, and the author did not hide this, he believed that well-written fragments of other translators could be used in his works. This translation is easier to read than that of N.I. Gnedich and is designed for the "inexperienced reader".
3. Translated by A.A. Salnikov, the evenness of the rhythm of the poetic work appears. The text is adapted for the modern reader and is easy to read. This translation is best suited for understanding the plot of the Iliad.

The essence of the work

Homer's Iliad describes the course of the Trojan War. It all begins at the wedding of Peleus and Thetis (parents of Achilles), at which the goddess of discord throws a golden apple for the "fairest". This is the subject of a dispute between the Hero, Athena and Aphrodite, who ask the Trojan prince Paris to judge them. He gives the apple to Aphrodite, as she promised him the most beautiful of wives. It was then that Hera and Athena became irreconcilable enemies of Troy.

The reason for the war was the most beautiful of wives, Helen promised by Aphrodite, who was taken away by Paris from her lawful husband Menelaus. He would subsequently gather almost all of Greece for a war against his abuser. Achilles is fighting against Troy, but not for the sake of restoring justice and family reunification, he came to Troy for glory, because it is this war that will carry his name far beyond the borders of Greece.

The battles take place under the close supervision of the Gods, who, like puppets, control people, deciding the outcome of the battle.

Achilles was called to war by Agamemnon, but he is not a warrior of his King. Their mutual hatred for each other brings the first fatal quarrel. The course of the war changes after Agamemnon forcibly takes Briseis, who belonged, in the form of a war trophy, to the hero. The forces of the Trojans begin to outweigh dramatically after Achilles' exit from the battles. Only the death of Patroclus arouses in the hero a real thirst for revenge. He plunges a sword into the throat of Hector (the son of the Trojan king, the murderer of Patroclus), ties his body to the chariot and travels like that to his camp. Revenge obscures the hero's mind.

The king of Troy Priam asks to give the body of his son, appealing to the feelings of Achilles, he manages to awaken compassion in the soul of the hero, and he gives the body, promising as many days of peace as will be needed for the burial of Hector. The poem ends with a picture of the burial of the Trojan son.

main characters

1. Achilles- a son from the last marriage of God and an earthly woman (Peleus and Thetis). Possessed incredible strength and endurance, weakness was hidden in the heel. One of the main heroes of the Trojan War, he fought from Greece under the formal leadership of Agamemnon.
2. Agamemnon- the Mycenaean king. Self-seeking. His quarrel with Achilles is the central conflict in the Iliad.
3. Hector- the son of the Trojan king, fell at the hands of Achilles. A true protector of Troy, the theme of honor is revealed through this character.
4. Elena- the culprit of the war, daughter of Zeus, wife of Menelaus.
5. Zeus- God the Thunderer, decides the outcome of the war.
6. Priam- The Trojan King.
7. Patroclus- a friend of Achilles, whom he teaches military science. Dies at the hands of Hector.
8. Briseida- Achilles' concubine, falls in love with the hero. Became the cause of the quarrel between Agamemnon and Achilles.
9. Menelaus- Elena's husband.
10. Paris- the prince of Troy, the kidnapper of Helena.

How does the poem end?

Homer's Iliad ends with a painting of the burial of Hector (Priam's son). His face is a foreshadowing of the fall of Troy, although many more events will take place before the city walls are captured.

The Trojan King's grief for his son was great, he is ready to risk his life to say goodbye to Hector. Priam enters Achilles' tent unnoticed, the gods took care of this. The king brings gifts. Apollo asked the hero to pacify his cruelty, but anger for the death of a friend does not subside. The Trojan king falls to his knees and appeals to the feelings of compassion of Achilles, he is talking about the father of the hero Peleus, who is also waiting for his son from the war alive, and Priam is now alone, because Hector was his only hope. Selflessness and despair, which brought the Tsar to his knees before the warrior, touch the hidden corners of the soul of Achilles. The king asks for the body of his son to bury with honors, they cry together, the anger subsides, and the hero gives Hector to Priam. Achilles also promises as many days of peace and military inaction as it takes to bury the Trojan leader according to all the rules.

Troy cries over the body of the fallen warrior. The funeral pyre leaves only ashes from the body of Hector, which is placed in an urn and lowered into the grave. The scene ends with a memorial feast.

The meaning of the Iliad in culture

Homer opens a new literary page in history with the poems Iliad and Odyssey.

In the Iliad, history and myths merge, the gods are humanized, and people are as beautiful as gods. The theme of honor, raised here by Homer, is then repeatedly raised by other writers. The poets of the Middle Ages began to remake the poems "in their own way", supplementing the "Iliad" with "Trojan legends". The Renaissance era brought a large number of translators interested in Homer's work. It was during this period that the work is gaining popularity and in one century it takes on an appearance close to the text that we can read now. In the age of enlightenment, a scientific approach to the poem, its content and author appears.

Homer not only opened the literary page in history, but also inspired and still inspires readers. From the Iliad and Odyssey will appear artistic techniques, becoming the basis of creativity in the Old World. And the image of a blind author will fit into the ideas of a writer of the European type.

Interesting? Keep it on your wall!

In ancient times, there were storytellers in Greece who knew many legends about gods and heroes. They wandered through the cities and at feasts recited ancient myths in a chant to the sound of a lyre. Such a storyteller was Homer, the author of two poems - The Iliad and The Odyssey. No reliable information about Homer's life has survived. The Greeks themselves did not know where and when he lived. Seven cities argued among themselves for the honor of being called Homer's homeland. Most likely, Homer lived in the 8th century BC. e. There was a legend that Homer was blind. He collected and processed information about Trojan War, which were recorded in the VI century BC. e. In today's lesson, you will get acquainted with the heroes of the Trojan War, whose image Homer captured for centuries in his immortal poem The Iliad (Ilion was called Troy in ancient times).

"Homeric question"

In literature, the question of the authorship of this or that literary work quite often arises, but there are two most famous questions - these are the "Homeric" and "Shakespearean" questions. We do not know whether Homer actually existed, there is no documentary evidence of the reality of his existence, the name of the narrator has been carried to our days by the tradition of attributing these texts to him. The question of Homer's authorship and its existence in general arose in the 18th century, when the researchers of the Iliad and Odyssey split into two camps - unitarists and pluralists. The former believed that both texts were composed by the same author; the latter believed that the text belongs to the oral tradition, and at some point was recorded, which, for example, happened with the "Song of Roland" in Europe. The evidence on both sides seems quite convincing: the Unitarists wrote a number of works devoted to the integral composition of these two texts, which indicates that they belong to one author, in the extreme case, the Iliad was written by one author, and the Odyssey by another. Pluralists drew attention to plot inconsistencies in poems and their obvious similarities with oral tradition. A breakthrough in this controversy was made by researchers Perry and Lord, they proved that the Iliad and The Odyssey bear the imprints of the folklore epic tradition, they were passed from mouth to mouth for many generations, but they have come down to us in the processing of several ingenious aeds (performing epic poetry). Despite the significance of the findings of the studies of Parry and Lord, the "Homeric" question is still not resolved. Taking into account the theories of these two scientists, completely different and often opposite theories are now being put forward regarding the version of the existence of Homer, "Homers" or their complete absence.

The Trojan War lasted ten years. The events described take place already in the tenth, last, year of the siege of Troy. The reason for the war was that the Trojan prince Paris stole the wife of the king of Sparta Menelaus, the beautiful Helen. Menelaus turned to his elder brother Agamemnon, the king of Mycenae. He gathered a huge army, which is described in detail in the "List of ships" in the second canto.

The war went on for nine years without much success for both sides. But the besieging Achaean Greeks were already ready to retreat. The greatest of the Greek warriors, Achilles, was inactive because of his resentment against Agamemnon, so the Achaeans lost heart. Then his friend Patroclus went into battle, putting on the armor of Achilles himself. The Trojans wavered, but Patroclus was killed. Achilles decided to join the battle, but he was left without armor, then the goddess Thetis ordered Hephaestus to forge him new ones, including the famous shield, which depicts the whole world. The next day Achilles and the entire Greek army rushed into battle, Zeus lifted all prohibitions, and now the gods could fight with each other. The Trojans suffered a crushing defeat, Hector (the eldest son of King Priam, heir to Troy) covered their retreat, but due to the intervention of the gods he had to fight Achilles, from whose hands he died. Achilles brought the body of the fallen Hector around Troy, in a chariot. On the walls of the city, King Priam and Hector's widow, Andromache, wept. At night, King Priam came to Achilles with gifts, he reminded the murderer of his son about his old father, and Achilles wept, Priam wept with him. In the end, Achilles gave Hector's body to Priam. A solemn funeral was held in Troy.

This ends the Iliad.

End of the Trojan War

We know about the end of the Trojan War from Virgil's "Aeneid". Troy was taken, but not by force, but by cunning, since Achilles died during the storming of the city from an arrow of Paris that hit him in the heel. The cunning Odysseus came up with the idea of ​​giving the Trojans a wooden horse, inside which the Achaeans were hiding, and they opened the gate. So Troy was taken. The city was plundered and destroyed, only Aeneas managed to save.

In ancient times, there were storytellers in Greece who knew many legends about gods and heroes. They wandered through the cities and at feasts recited ancient myths in a chant to the sound of a lyre. Such a storyteller was Homer (Fig. 1), the author of two poems - The Iliad and The Odyssey. No reliable information about Homer's life has survived. The Greeks themselves did not know where and when he lived. Seven cities argued among themselves for the honor of being called Homer's homeland. Most likely, Homer lived in the 8th century BC. e. There was a legend that Homer was blind. He collected and processed information about the Trojan War, which was recorded in the 6th century BC. e. In today's lesson you will get acquainted with the heroes of the Trojan War, whose image Homer captured for centuries in his immortal poem The Iliad (Ilion was called Troy in ancient times).

The reasons and course of the war are not stated in the poem. The poem describes the last - tenth year of the war.

"Anger, goddess, sing of Achilles, Peleev's son" - this is how the Iliad begins. The leader of the Greek army, King Agamemnon, took away his young captive from Achilles. Angry with Agamemnon, Achilles left the army. The news of this delighted the defenders of Troy, as it was predicted that the Greeks would not win without Achilles. The Trojans began to crowd out the Greeks. Fearless Hector - the son of the king of Troy Priam - led his soldiers to the camp of the Greeks. He smashed the gate with a huge stone, and Trojans rushed into the camp. The Greeks, driven back to the sea, fiercely defended themselves. Paris - the culprit of the beginning of the Trojan War - entered into single combat with Menelaus - the husband of the beautiful Elena, and only thanks to the help of Aphrodite did not die in this battle. But Achilles and his warriors never took part in the battle.

Then his beloved friend Patroclus turned to Achilles: “Give me permission to put on your beautiful armor. Perhaps, in the battle, taking you for me, the Trojans will stop the battle ... ”. Achilles heeded his friend's request and allowed him to change into his armor. Patroclus brought fresh reinforcements in time. The Greeks managed to push the Trojans back to the walls of Troy. Only Hector guessed that it was not Achilles in front of him. Apollo himself came to the aid of Hector, and with a blow of a spear, the Trojan hero pierced Patroclus.

The news of the death of a friend drove Achilles to despair. Thetis heard his groans and cries. At her request, the blacksmith god Hephaestus forged new armor for her son.

Mighty Hector, protector of Troy, returned for a short time to his city to say goodbye to his wife and little son. Hector knew that he was destined to die, but he was faithful to his duty. “I would be ashamed of Trojans and long-robe Trojans if I stayed away like a coward, dodging a fight,” he said to his wife Andromache (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2. Farewell of Hector to Andromache ()

Two mighty heroes met at the impregnable walls of Troy. The goddess Athena herself helped Achilles. She handed the spear, with which Achilles struck the mortal blow to Hector. The Achaean tied the body of the slain adversary to the chariot, hit the horses, "and they flew away." Dust rose like a cloud over Hector's body, “black hair was disheveled, the whole head, so beautiful before, was beating in the dust” (Fig. 3).

Fig. 3. The death of Hector ()

No one could hold back the old king Priam. He went to the enemy camp, threw himself at the feet of Achilles, begging him to give the body of Hector for burial (Fig. 4). Achilles gave his murdered son to Priam. At the time of the funeral, a truce was concluded. The body of the brave Hector was burned by the Trojans at a large fire. His bones were laid in a grave and heaped up a hill.

Fig. 4. Priam, asking Achilles for the body of the murdered Hector ()

“Thus they buried the horse-borne Hector's body” - this verse ends with Homer's poem The Iliad.

Bibliography

1. A.A. Vigasin, G.I. Goder, I.S. Sventsitskaya. Ancient world history. Grade 5 - M .: Education, 2006.
2. A.I. Nemirovsky History reading book the ancient world... - M .: Education, 1991.

1. To-name.ru ()
2. Izbakurnog.historic.ru ()
3. Mifyrima.ru ()

Homework

1. Why in modern science the question of the authorship of the poems remains controversial?
2. What actions of the heroes of the poem "The Iliad" evoke a feeling of respect in you?
3. What catchwords are associated with the history of the Trojan War, in what cases do we use them?

[i] Achilles was the son of King Peleus and the sea goddess Thetis. The mother endowed her son with immortality, but only the hero's heel - "Achilles' heel", for which Thetis held the baby, dipping into the waters of the sacred river, remained vulnerable.

The immortal poems "Iliad" and "Odyssey" are the first monuments of literature in all of Europe, which means they are the first works of ancient Greek literature known to us.

The very personality of the author causes discussion to this day, since almost nothing is known about the ancient narrator Homer. There is a theory that they lived in the 8th century BC. and was blind. And his two famous poems were most likely written in the 6th century BC.

Homer's Iliad: plot and meaning

The poem "Iliad" tells about Trojan War, and the name suggests that in ancient times Troy was called Ilion. The war itself is not fully shown in the poem, the poem does not say about the reasons for the start of the war, since this was known to all Greeks. The plot of the poem covers already the 10th year of the war, the events take place in the last fifty days. The poem tells about the indestructible and brave warrior Achilles, who was the son of the ancient Greek sea goddess Thetis. The Greek king Agamemnon takes the captive away from him and this causes the anger of Achilles. He leaves his army and refuses to participate in the war.

This is very beneficial for the troops of Troy, their prince Hector boldly opposes them, and in this battle the brother of Achilles - young Patroclus, who put on the armor of his mighty brother, dies. This leads Achilles to such despair that he again participates in the battle and defeats the equally brave Hector. Blinded by anger, Achilles ties the body of the deceased to his chariot and brutally drags it behind him. Hercules' father - Priam - goes to Achilles to beg his son's body on his knees and bury him with dignity. The poem ends with the burial of Prince Hector.

For a long time, the events described in the Iliad were considered simply interesting legend and fiction, but recently archaeologists managed to find the bedding of ancient cities, which Homer called Ilion.

Homer's Odyssey - Continuation of the Iliad

The poem "Odyssey" can be considered a continuation of the "Iliad", because it tells about the long-awaited return home of one of the heroes of the Trojan battle - the king of the island Ithaca Odysseus. The poem tells about what the Achaean hero had to endure during his wanderings, how many misfortunes and dangers he met on the way home. Odysseus and his companions fell into the hands of the evil one-eyed Cyclops Polyphemus, sailed past the island of sirens, which lured sailors with their enchanting voice into the abyss of death, ended up in the strait between two rocks on which the monsters Scylla and Charybdis lived.

For ten whole years, the wanderings of the protagonist continued, and twenty years have passed since his departure for the Trojan War. During this time, many men wanted to marry his wife Penelope in order to take over his throne. The image of Odysseus's wife is a faithful and devoted woman who does not believe that her husband is dead and is waiting for his return. But when he appears at home, Penelope does not recognize him and invites men to shoot her husband from the bow, and the one who can do this will become her husband. Only Odysseus succeeded, and only after that he opens up to Penelope.

The characters of the Odyssey are more complex, their characters are more sophisticated, and the relationship between them is more complicated than in the poem The Iliad, so the first poem is considered more original.

1) Features of the genre of the work. Homer's Iliad belongs to the genre of an epic poem, although the work has preserved traces of oral folk poetry.

2) Themes and problems of the work. The main theme of the Iliad - the poem about Ilion, that is, the Three - is the anger of Achilles, caused by his quarrel with Agamemnon. This event had fatal consequences for the Trojans and Greeks:

Anger, goddess, sing of Achilles, Peleev's son,
Terrible, who caused thousands of calamities to the Achaeans,
Many mighty souls of glorious heroes have cast down.
Into the gloomy Hades and spread them themselves for the greed of the carnivores
Birds and dogs. Zeus's will was done,
From that day on, when those who raised the dispute were inflamed with enmity,
Shepherd of the Atrid peoples and the noble hero Achilles.

3) Features of the plot of the work. The plot of the Iliad is taken from the cycle of myths about the Trojan War. According to the legend, all the Olympic gods were invited to the wedding feast of the hero Peleus and the sea goddess Thetis, except for the goddess of discord Eri-dah. The offended Eris entered the wedding unnoticed and threw an apple with the inscription "The Most Beautiful" to the feasting. Because of the apple, a quarrel broke out between the Hero, Athena and Aphrodite. By order of Zeus, Hermes took the three goddesses to Mount Ida, so that the shepherd Paris would judge them there. Paris was the son of the Trojan king Priam and his wife Queen Hecuba, but the parents left the newborn on Mount Ida at one time, since, according to the prophecy of the gods, he was to destroy the Trojan kingdom. The abandoned child was found and raised by the shepherds, and when he grew up, he himself began to graze the flocks on Ida. Each of the goddesses tried to seduce the young man with her gifts, hoping to get an apple from him. Hera promised Paris power, Athena promised him unsurpassed wisdom and glory, and Aphrodite - the love of the most beautiful woman in the world. Paris gave the apple to Aphrodite, provoking the indignation of both goddesses. Aphrodite revealed to Paris the secret of his birth, brought him to Troy, where he was gladly met by his relatives, and then helped him to kidnap Helena, the wife of the Spartan king Menelaus, from Hellas. The offended Menelaus and his brother Agamemnon gathered an army, equipped ships and sailed to Troy. The Trojans refused to voluntarily hand over to Elena and the treasures stolen with her. A war broke out that lasted ten years. Among the Greeks, who in the poems are called Achaeans, or Danaans, there were many powerful heroes: the young Achilles, the son of Peleus and Thetis, the leader of the entire army, Agamemnon, the wise old man Nestor, Diomedes, Ajax, Odysseus. The Trojan army was led by Priam's eldest son Hector. The Greeks managed to capture Troy only in the tenth year of the war. On the advice of the cunning and wise Odysseus, they pretended to leave Troy and return to their homeland. They left a large wooden horse on the seashore, and a defector was sent to the Trojans, who said that with this gift the Greeks wanted to appease the goddess Athena. In vain did their priest Laocoon remind the Trojans of the treachery of the Greeks. The horse was brought into the city, for which part of the city wall had to be dismantled, since the statue did not enter the gate. At night, when everyone in the city fell asleep, the soldiers hidden in it jumped out of the horse's belly and gave a signal to the rest of the Greeks, who at dusk again approached the fortress. The Trojans were killed, their women and children were taken into slavery, and Troy was destroyed and burned. But the victory did not bring the expected joy to the Greeks either. Only a few heroes returned home safely. The Iliad tells about the events of the tenth year of the war, which ended with the death of Hector. The Iliad is a military heroic epic, in which the story of events occupies the first place.

Iliad

VIII century BC  e.

Summary poems

Read in 10 minutes

The myths of most peoples are myths primarily about gods. The myths of Ancient Greece are an exception: in the greater and better part of them, they tell not about gods, but about heroes. Heroes are the sons, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of the gods from mortal women; they performed feats, cleared the land of monsters, punished villains and indulged their strength in internecine wars. When the Earth became hard from them, the gods made it so that they themselves killed each other in the greatest war - the Trojan:"... and at the walls of Ilion / The tribe of heroes perished - Zeus's will was accomplished."

"Ilion", "Troy" - two names for the same mighty city in Asia Minor, near the coast of the Dardanelles. According to the first of these names, the great Greek poemabout the Trojan War is called the Iliad. century. This episode -"The wrath of Achilles" the greatest of the last generation of Greek heroes.

The Trojan War lasted ten years ... On the march to Troy, dozens of Greek kings and leaders gathered on hundreds of ships with thousands of soldiers: the list of their names takes several pages in the poem.The main leader was the strongest of the kings - the ruler of the city of Argos Agamemnon; with him were his brother Menelaus (for whose sake the war began),mighty Ajax, ardent Diomedes,cunning Odysseus, old wise Nestor and others; but the bravest, strongest and most agile was the youngAchilles, son of the sea goddess Thetis, who was accompaniedhis friend Patroclus . Trojans ruled gray-haired king Priam , at the head of their troops stood valiantPriam's son Hector , with himhis brother Paris (because of which the war began) and many allies from all over Asia. The gods themselves participated in the war:the Trojans were helped by the silver-eyed Apollo , and to the Greeks - the heavenly queen Hera and the wise warrior Athena. The supreme god, the thundererZeus watched the battles from high Olympus and did his will.

The war started like this ... The wedding of the hero Peleus and the sea goddess Thetis was celebrated - the last marriage between gods and mortals. (This is the same marriage from which Achilles was born.) At the feast, the goddess of strife threw a golden apple intended for the "fairest." Three of them argued over the apple: Hera, Athena and the goddess of love Aphrodite. Zeus ordered the Trojan prince Paris to judge their dispute. Each of the goddesses promised him their gifts: Hera promised to make him king over the whole world, Athena - a hero and sage, Aphrodite - the husband of the most beautiful of women. Paris gave the apple to Aphrodite. After that, Hera and Athena became the eternal enemies of Troy. Aphrodite helped Paris to seduce and take to Troy the most beautiful of women - Helen, daughter of Zeus, wife of King Menelaus. Once upon a time the best heroes from all over Greece wooed her and, in order not to quarrel, they conspired as follows: let him choose whom she wants, and if someone tries to recapture her from the chosen one, all the rest will go to war with him. (Everyone hoped that he would be the chosen one.) Then Helen chose Menelaus; now Paris recaptured her from Menelaus, and all her former suitors went to war with him. Only one, the youngest, did not woo Elena, did not participate in a common agreement and went to war only in order to show off valor, to show strength and gain glory. It was Achilles. So that, as before, none of the gods intervened in the battle. The Trojans continue their onslaught, led by Hector and Sarpedon, the son of Zeus, the last of the sons of Zeus on earth. Achilles coldly watches from his tent as the Greeks flee, as the Trojans approach their very camp: they are about to set fire to the Greek ships. Hera from above also sees the flight of the Greeks and in despair decides to deceive in order to divert the stern attention of Zeus. while Zeus sleeps, the Greeks gather their courage and suspend the Trojans. But sleep is short-lived; Zeus awakens, Hera trembles in front of his anger, and he says to her: "Be able to endure: everything will be your way and the Greeks will defeat the Trojans, but not before Achilles pacifies his anger and goes into battle: so I promised the goddess Thetis."

But Achilles is not yet ready to “lay down his anger,” and his friend Patroclus comes out to help the Greeks in his place: it hurts him to look at his comrades in trouble. Achilles gives him his warriors, his armor, which the Trojans are used to being afraid of, his chariot drawn by prophetic horses that can speak and divine. “Reflect the Trojans from the camp, save the ships,” says Achilles, “but do not get carried away by the pursuit, do not put yourself in danger! Oh, let all the Greeks and Trojans perish - you and I alone would take possession of Troy! " And indeed, seeing the armor of Achilles, the Trojans wavered and turned back; and then Patroclus could not resist and rushed to pursue them. Sarpedon, the son of Zeus, comes out to meet him, and Zeus, looking from above, hesitates: "Shouldn't he save his son?" - and unkind Hera reminds:

"No, let fate be fulfilled!" Sarpedon collapses like a mountain pine, a battle begins to boil around his body, and Patroclus rushes further, to the gates of Troy. "Away! - Apollo shouts to him, "Troy is not destined to take either you or even Achilles." He does not hear; and then Apollo, enveloped in a cloud, hits him on the shoulders, Patroclus loses his strength, drops his shield, helmet and spear, Hector deals the last blow to him, and Patroclus, dying, says: "But you yourself will fall from Achilles!"

The news reaches Achilles: Patroclus perished, Hector flaunts in his, Achilles' armor, friends with difficulty carried the hero's dead body out of the battle, triumphant Trojans are pursuing them. Achilles wants to rush into battle, but he is unarmed; he comes out of the tent and shouts, and this cry is so terrible that the Trojans, shuddering, retreat. Night falls, and all night Achilles mourns his friend and threatens the Trojans with terrible revenge; meanwhile, at the request of his mother, Thetis, the lame god-blacksmith Hephaestus forges a new wondrous weapon for Achilles in his copper smithy. This is a shell, a helmet, leggings and a shield, and the whole world is depicted on the shield: the sun and stars, earth and sea, a peaceful city and a warring city, in a peaceful city court and wedding, an ambush and a battle in front of a warring city, and around - countryside, plowing , harvest, pasture, vineyard, village holiday and a dancing round dance, and in the middle of it is a singer with a lyre.

Morning comes, Achilles puts on divine armor and summons the Greek army to a meeting. His anger has not died away, but now he is turned not to Agamemnon, but to those who killed his friend - the Trojans and Hector. He offers Agamemnon reconciliation, and he accepts it with dignity: "Zeus and Fate blinded me, but I myself am innocent." Briseis was returned to Achilles, rich gifts were brought into his tent, but Achilles almost does not look at them: he is eager to fight, he wants to take revenge.

The fourth battle is coming. Zeus lifts prohibitions: let the gods themselves fight for whoever they want! The warrior Athena converges in battle with the frantic Ares, the sovereign Hera - with the archer Artemis, the sea Poseidon must meet with Apollo, but he stops him with sad words: “Should we fight with you because of the mortal race of man? / The sons of man are like short-lived leaves in the oak forest: / Now they bloom in strength, and tomorrow they lie breathless. / I do not want to quarrel with you: let them be at enmity themselves! .. "

Achilles is terrible. He grabbed Aeneas, but the gods snatched Aeneas out of his hands: Aeneas is not destined to fall from Achilles, he must survive both Achilles and Troy. Furious with failure, Achilles destroys the Trojans without counting, their corpses clutter the river, the river god Scamander attacks him, overwhelming the ramparts, but the fiery god Hephaestus pacifies the river god.

The surviving Trojans run in droves to flee to the city; Hector alone, in yesterday's Achilles armor, covers the retreat. Achilles swoops in on him, and Hector turns to flight, voluntary and involuntary: he is afraid for himself, but wants to distract Achilles from others. Three times they run around the city, and the gods look at them from the heights. Once again Zeus hesitates: "Should we save the hero?" - but Athena reminds him:

"May fate be fulfilled." Once again Zeus lifts the scales on which two lots lie - this time Hectors and Achilles. Achilles' bowl flew up, Hector's bowl tilted towards the underworld. And Zeus gives a sign: Apollo - to leave Hector, Athena - to come to the aid of Achilles. Athena restrains Hector, and he converges with Achilles face to face. “I promise, Achilles,” Hector says, “if I kill you, I will take off your armor, and I will not touch your bodies; promise me the same and you. " "There is no place for promises: for Patroclus I will tear you to pieces and drink your blood!" - shouts Achilles. Hector's spear strikes Hephaestus' shield, but in vain; the spear of Achilles strikes Hector's throat, and the hero falls with the words: "Fear the revenge of the gods: and you will fall after me." "I know, but first - you!" - answers Achilles. He binds the body of a slain enemy to his chariot and drives horses around Troy, mocking the dead, and on the city wall old Priam is crying for Hector, the widow Andromache and all the Trojans and Trojans are crying.

Patroclus is avenged. Achilles arranges a magnificent burial for a friend, kills twelve Trojan prisoners over his body, celebrates a commemoration. It would seem that his anger should subside, but it does not subside. Three times a day Achilles drives his chariot with the tied body of Hector around the Patroklov mound; the corpse would have broken on the stones long ago, but Apollo was invisibly guarded by it. Finally Zeus intervenes - through the sea Thetis, he announces to Achilles: “Do not rage your heart! After all, you have not long left to live. Be human: accept the ransom and give Hector for burial. " And Achilles says: "I will obey."

At night the decrepit king Priam comes to the tent of Achilles; with him - a cart full of ransom gifts. The gods themselves allowed him to pass through the Greek camp unnoticed. He falls at the knees of Achilles. Equal grief brings the enemies closer together: only now the long anger in Achilles heart subsides. He accepts the gifts, gives Priam the body of Hector and promises not to disturb the Trojans until they betray their hero to the earth. Early at dawn Priam returns with the body of his son to Troy, and mourning begins: the old mother is crying over Hector, the widow Andromache is crying, Elena is crying, because of whom the war once began. A funeral pyre is lit, the remains are collected in an urn, the urn is lowered into the grave, a mound is poured over the grave, a memorial feast is celebrated for the hero.“So the sons buried the warrior Hector of Troy” - this line ends with the Iliad.

Many events remained until the end of the Trojan War. Having lost Hector, the Trojans no longer dared to leave the city walls. But other, more and more distant peoples came to their aid and fought with Hector: from Asia Minor, from the fabulous land of the Amazons, from distant Ethiopia. The most terrible was the leader of the Ethiopians, the black giant Memnon, also the son of the goddess; he fought with Achilles, and Achilles overthrew him. It was then that Achilles rushed to the attack of Troy - it was then that he died from the arrow of Paris, which was directed by Apollo. The Greeks, having lost Achilles, no longer hoped to take Troy by force - they took it by cunning, forcing the Trojans to bring a wooden horse into the city, in which the Greek knights were sitting. The Roman poet Virgil will tell about this later in his "Aeneid". Troy was wiped off the face of the earth, and the surviving Greek heroes set off on their way back

Odyssey

VIII century BC  e.

Summary of the poem

Read in 20 minutes

The Trojan War was started by the gods in order to end the time of heroes and come the present, human, iron age. Whoever did not die at the walls of Troy, he had to die on the way back.

The Iliad - a heroic poem, its action takes place on the battlefield and in the military camp."Odyssey" - a fabulous and everyday poem, its action unfolds, on the one hand, in the magical lands of giants and monsters, where Odysseus wandered, on the other, in his little kingdom on the island of Ithaca and in its environs, where his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus were waiting for Odysseus ... As in the Iliad, only one episode was chosen for the narration, “the wrath of Achilles,” so in the Odyssey, only the very end of his wanderings, the last two passes, from the far western end of the earth to his native Ithaca. About everything that happened before, Odysseus talks at a feast in the middle of the poem, and tells very succinctly: all these fabulous adventures in the poem account for fifty pages out of three hundred. In the Odyssey, a fairy tale sets off everyday life, and not vice versa, although readers, both ancient and modern, were more willing to re-read and remember exactly the fairy tale.

In the Trojan War, Odysseus did a lot for the Greeks - especially where they needed not strength, but intelligence. It was he who guessed to bind Elena's suitors with an oath to jointly help her chosen one against any offender, and without this the army would never have gathered on a campaign. It was he who attracted the young Achilles to the campaign, and without this victory would have been impossible. It was he, when, at the beginning of the Iliad, the Greek army, after a general gathering, almost rushed out from under Troy on the way back, managed to stop him. It was he who persuaded Achilles, when he had a falling out with Agamemnon, to return to battle. When, after the death of Achilles, the best warrior of the Greek camp was to receive the armor of the slain, Odysseus received them, not Ajax. When Troy did not succeed in taking a siege, it was Odysseus who came up with the idea of ​​building a wooden horse, in which the bravest Greek leaders hid and thus penetrated into Troy - and he was one of them. The goddess Athena, the patroness of the Greeks, loved Odysseus most of all and helped him at every step. But the god Poseidon hated him - we will soon find out why - and this is Poseidon

It begins, as in the Iliad, with Zeus's Will. The gods hold council, and Athena intercedes before Zeus for Odysseus. He is held captive by the nymph Calypso, who is in love with him, on an island in the very middle of the wide sea, and languishes, wanting in vain "to see even the smoke rising from his native shores in the distance." And in his kingdom, on the island of Ithaca, everyone already considers him dead, and the surrounding nobles demand that Queen Penelope choose a new husband for herself, and a new king for the island ... Penelope tried to deceive them: she said that she had vowed to declare her no solution before weaving a shroud for old Laertes, Odysseus's father, who is about to die. During the day, she weaved in full view of everyone, and at night she secretly unraveled the woven. But the maids betrayed her cunning, and it became more and more difficult for her to resist the insistence of the suitors.

The first adventure is at the lotophages ... The storm carried the Odysseus ships from under Troy to the far south, where the lotus grows - a magical fruit, having tasted which, a person forgets about everything and wants nothing in life but a lotus. The lotophages treated the Odysseus companions with a lotus, and they forgot about their native Ithaca and refused to sail further. By the force of them, crying, they took to the ship and set off on their way.

The second adventure is with the Cyclops. They were monstrous giants with one eye in the middle of their forehead; they tended sheep and goats and did not know wine. Chief among them was Polyphemus, son of the sea Poseidon. Odysseus with a dozen companions wandered into his empty cave. In the evening, Polyphemus came, huge as a mountain, drove a herd into a cave, blocked the exit with a block, asked: "Who are you?" - "Wanderers, Zeus is our keeper, we ask you to help us." - "I'm not afraid of Zeus!" - and the Cyclops grabbed two, smashed them against the wall, ate them with bones and began to snore. In the morning he left with the herd, again blocking the entrance; and then Odysseus came up with a trick. He and his comrades took a Cyclops club, large as a mast, sharpened it, burned it in the fire, and hid it; and when the villain came and devoured two more comrades, he brought him wine to put him to sleep. The monster liked the wine. "What's your name?" - he asked. "No one!" - answered Odysseus. "For such a treat, I will eat you, Nobody, last!" - and the intoxicated Cyclops snored. Then Odysseus and his companions took a club, approached, swung it and thrust it into the only giants' eyes. The blinded cannibal roared, other Cyclops came running: "Who offended you, Polyphemus?" - "No one!" - "Well, if there is no one, then there is nothing to make noise" - and dispersed. And in order to get out of the cave, Odysseus tied his comrades under the belly of the Cyclops rams so that he would not find them, and so, together with the herd, they left the cave in the morning. But, already sailing, Odysseus could not stand it and shouted:

"Here's an execution from me for the insult to the guests, Odysseus from Ithaca!" And the cyclops fiercely prayed to his father Poseidon: "Do not let Odysseus swim to Ithaca - and if it is so destined, then let him sail a long time ago, alone, on someone else's ship!" And God heard his prayer.

The third adventure - on the island of the god of winds Aeolus ... God sent them a fair wind, and tied the rest in a leather sack and gave Odysseus: "If you swim, let go." But when Ithaca was already visible, the tired Odysseus fell asleep, and his companions untied the bag ahead of time; a hurricane arose, they rushed back to Aeolus. "So the gods are against you!" - Aeolus said angrily and refused to help the disobedient.

The fourth adventure is with the Laestrigones, wild man-eating giants. They ran to the shore and brought down huge rocks on the Odysseus ships; of the twelve ships, eleven perished, Odysseus with a few comrades escaped on the last.

The fifth adventure is with the sorceress Kirka, the queen of the West, who turned all aliens into animals. She brought wine, honey, cheese and flour with a poisonous potion to the Odyssey messengers - and they turned into pigs, and she drove them into the barn. Escaped alone and in horror told Odysseus about it; he took the bow and went to the aid of his comrades, not hoping for anything. But Hermes, the messenger of the gods, gave him a divine plant: a black root, a white flower, and the spell was powerless against Odysseus. Threatening with a sword, he forced the sorceress to return the human form to his friends and demanded: "Take us to Ithaca!" - "Ask the way of the prophetic Tiresias, the prophet of the prophets," - said the witch. "But he died!" - "Ask the dead!" And she told how to do it.

The sixth adventure is the most terrifying: the descent into the realm of the dead ... The entrance to it is at the end of the world, in the country eternal night... The souls of the dead in it are disembodied, insensitive and thoughtless, but after drinking the sacrificial blood, they acquire speech and reason. On the threshold of the kingdom of the dead, Odysseus slaughtered a black ram and a black sheep as a sacrifice; the souls of the dead flocked to the smell of blood, but Odysseus drove them away with a sword, until the prophetic Tiresias appeared before him. After drinking the blood, he said:

“Your troubles are for insulting Poseidon; your salvation - if you do not offend the Sun-Helios as well; if you offend, you will return to Ithaca, but alone, on a strange ship, and not soon. Your house is being ravaged by Penelope's suitors; but you will overpower them, and you will have a long reign and a peaceful old age. " After that, Odysseus admitted other ghosts to the sacrificial blood. His mother's shadow told how she died of longing for her son; he wanted to hug her, but there was only empty air under his arms. Agamemnon told how he died from his wife: "Be careful, Odysseus, it is dangerous to rely on wives." Achilles told him:

"It is better for me to be a farm laborer on earth than a king among the dead." Only Ajax did not say anything, not forgiving that Odysseus, and not he, got the armor of Achilles. From a distance I saw Odysseus and the infernal judge Minos, and the eternally executed arrogant Tantalus, the cunning Sisyphus, the insolent Titius; but then terror seized him, and he hurried away, towards the white light.

The seventh adventure was the Sirens - predators, seductive singing luring sailors to death. Odysseus outwitted them: he sealed his companions with wax, and ordered himself to be tied to the mast and not let go, no matter what. So they sailed past, unharmed, and Odysseus also heard singing, which is not sweeter.

The eighth adventure was the strait between the monsters Scylla and Charybdis : Scylla - about six heads, each with three rows of teeth, and twelve paws; Charybdis is about one larynx, but such that it pulls the whole ship in one gulp. Odysseus preferred Scylla to Charybdis - and he was right: she grabbed six of his comrades from the ship and devoured six of his comrades with six mouths, but the ship remained intact.

The ninth adventure was the island of the Sun-Helios where his sacred herds grazed - seven herds of red bulls, seven herds of white rams. Odysseus, remembering the covenant of Tiresias, took a terrible oath from his comrades not to touch them; but opposite winds blew, the ship stood, the companions were starving, and when Odysseus fell asleep, they killed and ate the best bulls. It was scary: the ripped skins moved, and the meat mooed on the spits. The Sun-Helios, who sees everything, hears everything, knows everything, prayed to Zeus: "Punish the offenders, otherwise I will go down to the underworld and will shine among the dead." And then, as the winds died down and the ship sailed from the coast, Zeus raised a storm, struck with lightning, the ship crumbled, the satellites drowned in a whirlpool, and Odysseus, alone on a piece of a log, rushed across the sea for nine days, until he threw him on the shore of the island of Calypso.

This is how Odysseus ends his story.

The king of Alkina fulfilled his promise: Odysseus boarded the Phaeacian ship, plunged into an enchanted sleep, and woke up already on the foggy coast of Ithaca. Here he is met by the patroness Athena. “The time has come for your cunning,” she says, “hide, watch out for the suitors and wait for your son Telemachus!” She touches him, and he becomes unrecognizable: old, bald, beggar, with a staff and a bag. In this form, he goes into the interior of the island - to ask for shelter from the good old swineherd Evmey. He tells Eumey that he was from Crete, fought near Troy, knew Odysseus, sailed to Egypt, fell into slavery, was with pirates and barely escaped. Evmey calls him into the hut, puts him at the hearth, treats him, grieves about the missing Odysseus, complains about violent suitors, pity Queen Penelope and Tsarevich Telemachus. The next day, Telemachus himself comes, returning from his wanderings - of course, Athena herself also sent him here, Before him Athena returns to Odysseus his real appearance, mighty and proud. "Aren't you a god?" Telemachus asks. “No, I am your father,” Odysseus replies, and they embrace and cry with happiness.

The end is near. Telemachus goes to the city, to the palace; behind him wander Eumey and Odysseus, again in the form of a beggar. At the palace threshold, the first recognition is made: the decrepit Odysseus dog, who for twenty years has not forgotten the voice of the owner, raises his ears, crawls up to him with his last strength and dies at his feet. Odysseus enters the house, walks around the room, asks for alms from the suitors, endures ridicule and beatings. The grooms play him against another beggar, younger and stronger; Odysseus unexpectedly knocks him over with one blow. The grooms laugh: "Let Zeus send you for this what you want!" - and do not know that Odysseus wishes them a speedy death. Penelope calls the stranger to him: has he heard news of Odysseus? “I heard,” says Odysseus, “he is in the near-distant land and will soon arrive.” Penelope cannot believe it, but she is grateful to the guest. She tells the old maid to wash the stranger's dusty feet before going to bed, and invites him to be in the palace for tomorrow's feast. And here the second recognition takes place: the maid brings in a basin, touches the guest's feet and feels a scar on the lower leg, which Odysseus had after hunting a wild boar in his young years. Her hands trembled, her leg slipped out: "You are Odysseus!" Odysseus squeezes her mouth: "Yes, it's me, but shut up - otherwise you will ruin the whole thing!"

The last day is coming. Penelope summons the suitors to the banquet room: “Here is the bow of my dead Odysseus; whoever pulls it and shoots an arrow through twelve rings on twelve axes in a row will become my husband! " One after another one hundred and twenty suitors try on the bow - not a single one can even pull the string. They already want to postpone the competition until tomorrow - but then Odysseus stands up in his beggarly form: "Give me a try: after all, I was once strong!" The grooms are indignant, but Telemachus stands up for the guest:

“I am the heir of this bow; I give to whom I want; and you, mother, go to your women's affairs. " Odysseus takes the bow, easily bends it, rings the bowstring, the arrow flies through twelve rings and pierces the wall. Zeus thunders over the house, Odysseus straightens up to his full heroic growth, next to him is Telemachus with a sword and a spear. "No, I have not forgotten how to shoot: now I will try another target!" And the second arrow strikes the most arrogant and violent of the suitors. “Oh, you thought Odysseus was dead? no, he is alive for truth and retribution! " The grooms grab their swords, Odysseus strikes them with arrows, and when the arrows run out - with spears, which the faithful Eumey brings. The grooms rush about the ward, the invisible Athena darkens their minds and deflects their blows from Odysseus, they fall one after another. A pile of dead bodies is piled up in the middle of the house, faithful slaves and slaves crowd around and rejoice at seeing the master.

Penelope did not hear anything: Athena sent a deep sleep on her in her room. The old maid runs to her with the joyful news: Odysseus has returned. Odysseus punished the suitors! She does not believe: no, yesterday's beggar is not at all like Odysseus, as he was twenty years ago; and the suitors were probably punished by the angry gods. “Well,” says Odysseus, “if there is such an unkind heart in the queen, let them make my bed alone.” And here comes the third, the main knowledge. “All right,” says Penelope to the maid, “bring the guest into his resting place from the king’s bedroom.” “What are you saying, woman? - exclaims Odysseus, - this bed cannot be moved from its place, instead of legs it has an olive tree stump, I myself once hammered it on it and fixed it. And in response, Penelope cries with joy and rushes to her husband: it was a secret, they only know the omen.

This is a victory, but it is not yet peace. The fallen suitors still have relatives, and they are ready to take revenge. An armed crowd they go to Odysseus, he comes out to meet them with Telemachus and several henchmen. The first blows are already thundering, the first blood is being shed, but Zeus's will puts an end to the incipient discord. Lightning flashes, striking the ground between the soldiers, thunder rumbles, Athena appears with a loud cry: "... Don’t pour blood in vain and stop evil enmity!" - and the frightened avengers retreat. And then:

“By sacrifice and oath, she sealed the union between the king and the people / The bright daughter of the Thunderer, the goddess Pallas Athena.”

The Odyssey ends with these words.