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 Mount Olympus, the Greek gods are fighting, Zeus and Hera. Zeus makes a promise to Thetis, Achilles’ mother, to hurt the Greeks. The scene on Mount Olympus is almost comical, the Greek gods fighting, plotting, and going behind each other’s back.