The Judgment of Paris: Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena Menelaus and his brother, the great Mycenean King Agamemnon demand retribution: they gather kings and warriors from throughout the Pelleponessus: Nestor, Ajax, Diomedes, Achilles (whose mother Thetis hides him), and Odysseus (who plays mad to escape the draft). The Sacrifice of Iphigenia at Aulis enables the fleet to sail. The Iliad tells the story of four weeks during the tenth year of the siege of Troy. The warriors on both sides have fought each other to a standstill, gods (Hera, Athena and Poseidon) vs. gods (Apollo, Aphrodite) and men (Agamemnon, Menelaus, Diomedes, Ajax, Odysseus, and Nestor) vs. men (Hector, Paris, Aeneas, and Priam). Achilles falls out with Agamemenon over a trophy of war, the Trojan woman Chyseis. He refuses to fight and his men, the Myrmidons, retire from the field. The Trojans, led by Hector, drive the Greeks back into the sea and threaten to burn their boats. Patroclus, wearing Achilles' armor, leads a counterattack but is killed by Hector. Achilles joins the battle and revenges the death of his friend by slaying Hector.  He desecrates Hector's corpse and drags the body behind his chariot around  the walls of Troy. Priam comes alone to Achilles camp and begs Achilles to surrender the corpse of his son. The Iliad ends with the burial of Hector. Achilles is killed in battle, shot in the heel. In the tenth year of the war, Odysseus devises a plan to break the siege: the Greeks pretend to give up the battle and leave behind a great wooden horse as a gift. The Trojans jubilantly draw the horse within their gates where a contingent of Greek warriors hidden in the belly of the horse emerge and set fire to the city. Troy is sacked and pillaged.

Notes to Book One  (Page references are to the Fitzgerald translation)  77 Achaeans - Greek forces who seek to win back Helen from the Trojans Agamemnon - leader of the Greek forces; ruler of Argos; brother of Menelaos; both are the sons of Atreus. Zeus - the most powerful of the gods The son of Zeus by Leto - a reference to the god Apollo, archer, singer, and god of wisdom 78 Chryses - priest of Apollo whose daughter Khryseis had been captured by the Greeks Argives- another name for Greek forces Olympus - home of the gods Priam's city - the city of Troy, ruled by King Priam Danaans - another names for the Greeks 79 Achilles - Greek warrior who tries to persuade Agamemnon to return Chryseis Hera - goddess who is wife of Zeus; she supports the Greeks against the Trojans Calchas - Greek priest who interprets signs from the gods 80 The Archer - another name for Apollo 81 Clytemnestra - the wife of Agamemnon [she will murder him upon his return from war] 82 Ajax, Odysseus, Idomeneus - Greek heroes  83 Myrmidons - Greek forces directly under the command of Akhilleus Briseis - slave girl whom Akhilleus has taken captive and kept as his own prize Son of Peleus - Akhilleus, whose father Peleus was mortal but whose mother Thetis was divine 84 Pallas Athena - Goddess of wisdom, justice, and the hunt; she supports the Greeks against Troy Hera- Goddess of marriage and fidelity who is the wife of Zeus and supports the Greek side against Troy 85 Hector- hero of the Trojan army Nestor - elder statesman among the Greeks; from the city of Pelos 87 Patroklos - close friend of Akhilleus [only after Hektor kills Patroklos will Akhilleus fight again] 88 Odysseus - the central figure in the Odyssey; the craftiest of Greek heroes 90 Mother of Achilles - the goddess Thetis 96 Son of Cronos - Zeus Hephaistos - son of Hera; craftsmen for the gods