'The war has gone far beyond Trojans and Greeks. The Greeks are fighting the immortal gods.'
Welcome back to the Trojan War, where the two armies continue to spill blood beneath a sky filled with warring Olympians. Today we’re arming ourselves and breaching the first eight books of Homer's Iliad.
We're discussing the heroic code, honour vs dishonour, momento mori, rage, pride, xenia, sublime poetry, military prowess, why we wage war, mimesis, ekphrasis, the ephemerality of life, how Homer's epics gift us wisdom today, and much more.
Please do feel free to enjoy the discussion even if you haven't read these parts of Homer's Iliad yet. You can enjoy our talk before, during, or after your reading in the way that best suits you.
Timestamps:
0:00 ‘Rage, sing, Goddess…’
2:00 Heaven & Hell in ancient times
4:00 the politics of Mount Olympus
6:00 Agamemnon angers Apollo
8:00 pride is punished by wrath
10:00 nine days of raining arrows
11:00 do heroes have autonomy?
13:00 the Oresteia of Aeschylus
14:00 Agamemnon vs Achilles
16:00 Briseis is taken away
18:00 is rage ever cathartic?
20:00 wisdom of Marcus Aurelius
21:00 standing up for yourself
22:00 goddess Athena intervenes
24:00 manhood & memento mori
26:00 Nestor’s wisdom of age
27:00 two different types of pride
28:00 male anger is actually a mask
29:00 what caused the Trojan War?
30:00 Prince Paris & Queen Helen
31:00 the ancient code of xenia
32:00 why are the Greeks fighting?
33:00 sea-nymph mother Thetis
34:00 the quarrel of Zeus vs Hera
36:00 Agamemnon’s false dream
38:00 rallying Trojan troop morale
40:00 sublime military roll call
41:00 Achilles & the Myrmidons
43:00 hero as personified ideal
44:00 bie/power vs metis/cunning
45:00 Hector, Aeneas & Pandarus
47:00 animal/nature metaphors
48:00 Paris vs Menelaus in combat
50:00 Helen weaving the story
52:00 comedy & anti-climax
54:00 Helen’s rebuke of Paris
56:00 strife on Mount Olympus
57:00 why do we wage war?
58:00 when Menelaus is wounded
59:00 speeches in Homer’s epics
1:00:00 why your word is your bond
1:01:00 how to motivate your men
1:03:00 which side are you on?
1:04:00 Diomedes on the battlefield
1:06:00 the wounding of Aeneas
1:08:00 supernatural aid in battle
1:09:00 the wounding of Aphrodite
1:10:00 the mortals fight the gods
1:12:00 goddesses prepare for war
1:14:00 this ancient epic is still fresh
1:15:00 power of communal reading
1:16:00 the wounding of Ares
1:18:00 Menelaus kills Adrestus
1:19:00 what is the use of honour?
1:20:00 why strip enemy armour?
1:22:00 praying to Athena for mercy
1:23:00 first & greatest tragic poet
1:24:00 dangers of literary mimesis
1:25:00 Glaucus vs Diomedes
1:26:00 the ephemerality of life
1:27:00 bound by ancestral friendship
1:29:00 Hector & Helen vs Paris
1:31:00 Hector & Andromache
1:33:00 shame, honour & heroism
1:35:00 Little Iliad of the Epic Cycle
1:36:00 no man ever escapes his fate
1:38:00 Hector vs Ajax in combat
1:39:00 divinity puts an end to war
1:40:00 honour, fighting & saving face
1:42:00 ‘Dawn in her saffron robe…’
1:44:00 the golden scales of Zeus
1:45:00 the gods are on both sides
1:46:00 yearning for Achilles’ return
1:47:00 our next reading assignment
1:48:00 how are you finding Homer?
Resources to Explore:
Poetry: There are many great poetic reimaginings of Homer's epic that are sure to be rewarding for any reader who has fallen in love with the Iliad. We'll continue to have curated recommendations, corresponding to upcoming episodes, as we move through the epics, but here are some great ones to get started with. Christopher Logue's War Music is a sublime, radical, and modern reconfiguration of the story that gives me chills. And here is a wonderful reading. You might also enjoy Alice Oswald's Memorial, an 'excavation' of the Iliad that honours the many fallen dead. There's a great article on the poem here.
Theatre: You might like to use your reading of Homer as an opportunity to swim through the tradition. Treat yourself to some great plays that fill in the stories of the characters we have met so far in the Iliad. As mentioned in the lecture, the Oresteia and Seven Against Thebes by Aeschylus are very rewarding works (and to hear more about the importance of this playwright in the evolution of theatre, we have a lecture on him here). Orestes and The Trojan Women by Euripides and the Theban Plays of Sophocles are marvels too. For fun, you might also like to read Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida or enjoy our discussion of that play here.
Translation: How are you finding your chosen translation of Homer's Iliad? If you're interested in historical discussions around translating this great bard, check out Matthew Arnold's 'On Translating Homer', the printed version of a series of lectures this Professor of Poetry gave at Oxford University. He makes comment upon historically influential and significant translations, like those of Chapman and Pope, and comes to some very interesting conclusions on the art of translating this classical titan of literature and the four cardinal qualities of Homer.
Non-Fiction: Like with Shakespeare, it's really rewarding to read widely around the epics of Homer. There are always new exciting works coming out on both the history of Ancient Greece and the influence of Homer. Here are some recommended works I've enjoyed recently. Bryan Doerries produces performances of Greek tragedies for soldiers returned from conflict and struggling with trauma, and his The Theatre of War is a fascinating exploration of what the Greek myths and stories can teach us today. Robin Lane Fox, who has a fantastic biography of Alexander the Great, has a very interesting work called Homer and His Iliad in which he takes his years of passionate teaching and uses it to answer some enduring and compelling questions about Homer. And Edith Hall's Introduction to the Ancient Greeks explores ten ways the Ancient Greeks shaped the modern world, from poetry to theatre to politics to medicine and science.
Documentary: If you're as fascinated with the oral tradition as I am, you may like this documentary that seeks to show how it's possible to transmit an extensive story by singing and speech in a time before such works were committed to written record. The documentary visits a contemporary bard on the coast of the Ireland. And for a fun discussion about reading Homer aloud and the original rhythm, this chat with three classical scholars is wonderful.
Action Exercise: Choose a passage from the first eight books of the Iliad that you would like to commit to memory. Read it aloud, either to yourself or share it with someone close to you. What is it about that passage that speaks to you specifically? Is it the way the translator has handled the rhythm and rhyme? Is it the imagery and narrative force? Or does it contain philosophy, wisdom, and life advice that you would like to learn by heart and carry around with you? Let us know which passage you would like to possess by memory.
Reading Assignment:
Our next discussion will cover books nine to sixteen of this sublime epic masterpiece. And we will be discussing this next leg of the battle this coming weekend.
Now we're going to find out what it takes to bring Achilles back to the fight. So continue bringing yourself to Homer's epic, making notes on any themes or ideas that capture your attention and imagination.
Questions to Consider:
1) Can you relate to the rage of Achilles?
2) What did you make of the opening of the Iliad?
3) What does it mean to be a good friend? A good host? And a good guest?
4) Whose side are you on: the Trojans or the Greeks? Or does Homer make us sympathise with both sides?
And please do share with us your impressions, favourite passages, and striking ideas from the opening of Homer's Iliad. If this is your first reading, does the epic meet your expectations? If this is a reread, is the experience any different this time around?
Happy reading, everybody!