Patroclus has fallen and now the fight is on over who will get the body. The Trojans want it because it would a great victory for them; the Greeks want it because Patroclus was a liked and respected comrade. This battle like all the others is fierce, with no one getting the upper hand. Zeus then intercedes on behalf of the Trojans, and they push back the Greeks to the trench. Meanwhile four Greeks recover the body of Patroclus. Menelaus and Meriones carry the body while the two Ajaxes cover their retreat. Aeneas, and Hector lead the pursuit of the Trojans, the Greeks have been routed.
Book 16 The fight is raging about the ships, Patroclus goes to Achilles very upset about the current situation. He tells of the wounded Greek leaders, Diomed, Odysseus, and Agamemnon, and he chides Achilles for his refusal to fight. Achilles allows Patroclus to use his armor, but to return after he has driven the Trojans from the ships. Patroclus and the other men who came to Troy with Achilles join the fight. Finally the Trojans are driven back to the wall of Troy. Patroclus and Hector face off, the Greek god Apollo seriously wounds Patroclus and Hector finishes him off.
Book 15 Back across the trench the Trojans stop their retreat, Zeus wakes up with Hera at his side, getting up he realizes what has been happening. He sees Poseidon leading on the Greeks and Hector lying on the ground wounded in a bad way. Zeus sends Hera back to Mt Olympus but not before he sends Apollo to heal Hector of his wounds and Irus to tell Poseidon to leave the Greeks. Here Zeus tells how this battle is going to play out; Hector will drive the Greeks back to the ships. Achilles will send Patroclus into the fight; Hector will kill Patroclus in front of Troy, Achilles will then kill Hector, drive the Trojans back till the city of Troy falls. Apollo heals Hector and renews his strength, Hector leads the Trojans on and they drive the Greeks back to the ships. Now the Greeks are desperate with the Trojans at the ships and the sea at their back and nowhere to go
Book 14 Nestor Hears the fighting grows louder and louder while sitting in his tent with Machaon and Hecamede, he goes to investigate. Odysseus, Agamemnon and Diomed join him, and indeed, they realize the Trojans are fighting at the ships. Agamemnon seeing this again suggests withdrawing with the ships and men who are left. Odysseus rebukes him for saying this, and argues they sure stay and keep fighting or all or their effort would have been in vain. Meanwhile whose gods are again plotting and conniving, Hera comes up with a plan to distract Zeus, which she does, and her plan works for time. While Zeus is sleeping Poseidon helps the Greeks Nestor, Agamemnon, Odysseus, and the son of Tydeus rally the Greek troops. On the Trojan side Hector again sets the Trojans in array, Hector and Ajax go at it one to one in front of the armies, and Hector is struck with a bolder thrown by Ajax. The Trojans manage to remove him the field, and for a time the Greeks push the Trojans back across the trench.
Book 13 Zeus helps the Trojans, and this makes Poseidon angry seeing the Greeks being in such desperate straits. Poseidon in series of disguises advises the Greeks and they keep the Trojans from burning the ships. Book 13 puts the reader in the front lines up close and personal to the fighting, the struggles between Greeks and Trojans are somewhat graphic. Hector regroups the Trojans and again they charge the Greeks.
The Trojans are at the wall the Greeks built, they dismount from their chariots, and form up in five companies. Then, the Trojans charge; the Greeks desperately try to hold them back by raining stones down on them. The two Ajaxes lead the defense, the fighting is furious, and for a time the Greeks hold the line. Then Hector leads the Trojans on again, breaks down the gate, and urges the Trojans to scale the wall, while many come though the gate. The Greeks then flee in panic towards the ships, in panic and confusion.
Book 11: The battle resumes the next morning, both sides fighting fiercely. During the day, the Greek leaders receive wounds, first is Agamemnon. When Hector sees Agamemnon leave the field, he presses his attack. Paris wounds Diomed with an arrow though his foot. Odysseus comes to Diomed’s rescue by putting him on a chariot, sending him back to the Greek lines. Odysseus is now alone, and wounded, with the Trojans closing in. Menelaus and Ajax come to rescue Odysseus and send him back to the Greek lines. Next, the physician Machaon receives a wound; Nestor rescues Machaon with his chariot and takes him to the ships. Meanwhile Ajax is holding off the Trojans until Zeus strikes fear into the heart of Ajax, and Ajax retreats. The Greeks seeing this come to Ajax aid and rescue him, during this time Eurypylus receives a painful wound with an arrow shot by Paris. Achilles, seeing Nestor coming back to the ships with Machaon sends Patroclus to investigate; a woman named Hecamed’e starts to treat the wounded. Nestor then pleads with Patroclus do something, even if it is going into battle clad in Achilles’ armor.
Book 9 Agamemnon despairs and suggests the Greeks go home while they still have ships. Diomed and Nestor rebuke him, and he sends Odysseus, Ajax, and Phoenix as envoys to Achilles. Agamemnon makes many promises to Achilles, and Achilles rejects his offers and the envoys go back to the Greek camp. The envoys report Achilles answer, the Greeks make plans for the next day and return to their tents. Book 10 Agamemnon and Menelaus cannot sleep; they summon the Greek leaders again. It decided Odysseus and Diomed would go on a late night recon mission, meanwhile Hector is asking the Trojans for a volunteer to do the same thing. A man named Dolon volunteers; he is a good runner, and the only son among five daughters. Odysseus and Diomed capture Dolon and gather information from him. Dolon begs to be taken back to ships and ransomed; Odysseus and Diomed will have none of that, they kill Dolon on the spot. They advance closer to the Trojan camp, come across group Thracian soldiers, kill the soldiers, and steal their fine horses. Then make a mad dash to the Greek camp, and make it there.
Zeus calls a council of the gods on Mt Olympus, and tells them in no uncertain terms not to help either side, if he catches any, he will beat them, and send them down to Tartarus.Then he goes to explain how much stronger he is than all of them put together, then leaves Mt Olympus to go and watch the Trojans and Greeks. The Trojans and Greeks are eating Breakfast, getting ready for the day, arming themselves. All the gates open and the fight is on, the Greeks fall back to their ships, and the Trojans manage to set several on fire. Hera is so angry Olympus shook, she inspires Menelaus to encourage the Greeks, and they manage to hold them. Soon darkness falls and both sides hold a council, then settle down for the night and wait for morning.
It was a beautiful day in western Washington on Sunday not a cloud in the sky as the following pictures attest to.
I followed what is called the Longfellow Creek Legacy Trail, and it starts near what is called the
WestwoodVillage shopping center. There is a Barnes & Noble book store in the shopping center that
was there I started from.
The trail follows a creek some of the time,
and sometimes it continues along residential streets.
This last picture at a park was the last picture I took before the batteries in my camera died. That will teach me to keep my batteries charged and to have extras on hand as well.
The trail ends in valley near a steel mill, from there I walk up to California Ave, that is on top of a ridge running North and South west from the trail. When I reached California Avenue I brought batteries for my camera and took these pictures along the avenue going south.
The mountains to the west are the Olympics.
It was getting on towards sundown at that time, and where wasn’t much light. The west Seattle area is a nice area to go walking, I may go back there and explore again next Sunday afternoon
Hector and Paris get back in the fight and the Trojans are starting to turn the tide of battle. The gods Apollo and Athene talk and decide to have Hector challenge the Greeks. The Greeks are embarrassed at this because no man comes forward; finally, Menelaus says he will meet Hector. Then his brother Agamemnon talks him out of it, at last the warrior Ajax comes forward to fight Hector. They fight, but of respect for each other, they decide to call it off, because it is getting dark. Both sides agree to let the other gather and burn their dead, while this is going on two things happen. The Greeks build a wall and dig a trench in front of their ships, and the Trojans have a meeting. Antenor mentions that Paris gives Helen and all her treasure back to the Greeks. Paris at refuses this suggestion; however, he offers to return her treason and some of his besides. The Trojan Idaeus go to the Greeks and makes this offer, the Greeks refuse, for a time both sides get some sleep.
Book 6 The battle continues to rage on going back and forth. Diomed continues to fight hard killing many Trojans, Nestor urges the Greeks on. Hector brother Helenus tells Hector to go back to Troy, have their mother pray in the temple of Athena with the other noble women. Hector then finds Paris and upbraids him again along with Helen. Being rebuked Paris says he will rejoin the battle, Hector goes ahead, sees his wife and young son; this is a very touching scene. Andromache begs Hector not to back into battle and make her a widow and their son an orphan. Hector says he must go back, he fears that his wife will be carried off into slavery to a far away land. Paris joins up with Hector as he talking to Andromache, and they go back into battle.
Book 5 The Greek warrior Diomed fights with might and main in book 5 of the Iliad. These are some of his exploits. He kills Pandarus, whose arrow wounded Menelaus, and started this latest round of fighting, wounds Aeneas. Diomed also wounds and drives from the field Aphrodite and Ares, Hera and Athene enter the fight to help the Greeks (Argives) the Greeks hold their line.
Book 4 opens with the Greek gods meeting on MountOlympus. After a lengthy exchange between Zeus, Hera and Athene, his decision is that Athene will contrive to get the Trojans to break the truce. Athene does this by taking the form of Laodocus and convincing a man named Pandarus to shoot an arrow at Menelaus. Menelaus falls wounded and has to leave to field and the battle is on, Agamemnon encourages the Greeks to attack the Trojans. The fighting is fierce and at the end of the day many Greeks and Trojans “lay stretched side by side faced downwards upon the earth.” P66
The Greeks and the Trojans march out and meet on the plain in front of Troy.
The armies face off and Paris comes forward to challenge the Greeks. Menelaus cannot pass this up since Paris stole Helen from him, he is only to glad to fight Paris. What happens next is embarrassing for the Trojans, Paris hides behind his men, then his brother Hector upbraids him for being so cowardly. Rebuked, Paris says he will fight Menelaus and the better man gets Helen and her wealth. Both sides agree to this, and they finalize this by sacrificing four sheep.
Meanwhile Helen is prompted by the goddess Iris goes to the city walls to witness the coming fight. Several elder statesmen of Troy make this comment about Helen “Small wonder that Trojans and Achaeans should endure so much and so long, for the sake of a woman so marvelously and divinely lovely. Still, fair though she be, let them take her and go, or she will breed sorrow for us and our children after us.” Helen points several of the Greek warriors to the Trojans, among them Odysseus and Ajax. What Helen does not realize that her two brothers Castor and Pollux lay buried in their own land of Lacedaemon.
Paris and Menelaus finally fight it out, and it does not go well for Paris. They face off on measured ground, brandishing spears, threatening each other. Paris throws his spear first, hits Menelaus shield, and does not piece it. Menelaus then throws his spear and it nicks Paris, next he draws his sword and strikes Paris’s helmet. Much to Menelaus surprise, the sword shivered into pieces in his hand. Menelaus angered flies at Paris, caught the horsehair plume of Paris helmet, and starts to drag him back to the Greek lines. The gods intervene again, Aphrodite breaks the ox hide strap on Paris helmet and under a cloud of darkness takes him to his own bedchamber. She then gets Helen who upbraids Paris again; they make up and lay down together. Meanwhile Menelaus is searching indeed everyone, Trojans included, is searching for Paris, no one had a reason to hide him. Book 3 ends with Agamemnon declaring that the victory goes to Menelaus.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
BOOK 2 To fulfill his promise to Thetis, Zeus sends a false dream to Agamemnon who in turn, to test his men’s resolve, tells them that he is ready to go home. Much to Agamemnon surprise, the men run to their ships, only Odysseus can get them to change their mind and go back to camp . Nestor tells Agamemnon to marshal the Greeks by city and region, which he does. As a result, the men go into battle with closest friends. Next Homer names the Trojans and their allies and commanders; the stage is set for the next battle.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Lately I have become interested in reading the classics, Here are some notes I made while reading The Iliad
NOTES ON THE IIIAD
BOOK1
A conflict within a conflict is at the beginning of the Iliad, conflict in introduced at the very beginning of the story. Agamemnon and Achilles are arguing about two girls they have taken as prisoner, Chrysies and Briseis. Agamemnon has Chrysies and Achilles has Brisies. Chrysies father comes to the Greek camp, with a large ransom, to get his daughter back. Agamemnon refuses to return her, to her father, Chrysies, a priest of Apollo, gets Apollo to send a plague upon the Greeks. Finally, Agamemnon has the girl sent back to her father and takes Briseis from Achilles. Achilles is furious asks his mother to intercede with Zeus in destroying the Greeks, and refuses to fight any longer until his honor is restored in the war. The next scene takes place on MountOlympus, the Greek gods are fighting, Zeus and Hera. Zeus makes a promise to Thetis, Achilles’ mother, to hurt the Greeks. The scene on MountOlympus is almost comical, the Greek gods fighting, plotting, and going behind each other’s back.
