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Ode On A Grecian Urn By John Keats

Introduction

The “Ode on a Grecian Urn” is one of the greatest Odes of English Literature written by ‘John Keats’, who was a great English Romantic Poet. The Poem was written in 1819 and published in 1820, anonymously in “Annals of The Fine Arts”. In this poem, Keats presents the complexity between art and reality. This poem is written in the form of an Ode, a type of lyrical poem that usually gives the writer personal emotions about a person or an object.

About John Keats

John Keats belongs to the second generation of Romantic poets, along with ‘Lord Byron’ and ‘Percy Bysshe Shelley’. Although he died of tuberculosis at the age of 25, “Ode on a Grecian Urn” was written when he was suffering from tuberculosis. During a painful and brief life, Keats wrote great poetry and shall always be remembered for their contribution to Literature, especially for his Six Odes:

Ode to A Nightingale
Ode On A Grecian Urn
Ode On Idolence
Ode On Melancholy
Ode to Psyche
Ode to Autumn

His reputation grew after his early death, and he was greatly admired in the Victorian Age. His influence can be seen in the Poetry Of Lord Tennyson and the Pre Raphaelites Poet.

Structure Of The Poem ‘Ode on A Grecian Urn’

The poem is written in Five Stanza and each Stanza has ten lines. The Rhyme scheme in stanza II, III and IV are AB AB CDE CDE and In stanza I and V are AB AB CDE DCE.

Summary And Analysis Of The Poem

In this poem poet elaborates the pictures of a fancy pot of Ancient Greek. The Urn was placed in the British Museum and Keats found it attractive to write on Ode.

In the first stanza, the poet has paid a glowing tribute to the Grecian Urn. He calls the Urn an “Untouched Bride Of Quietness”. According to the poet, the picture of Urn gives a more sweet tale than the writers could and thus he calls the Urn “Sylvan Historian”.

By calling the Urn a Historian, Keats looks at the Urn closely and he can see the borders by a line of leaves around the Pictures. He could see some images and speculate whether they are God or men, some girls are being chased by wild boys, musical instruments are being played and humans or gods become wild due to the music.

In the second stanza, the poet looks at the specific picture where a piper plays some music. Keats states that the songs of the piper will remain sweeter in fantasy or imagination and that music is not for the physical ear but for the spiritual ears. He then describes a young man who is playing a song by sitting under a tree.

As an Urn is immortal the young man will sing forever under the tree which will be full of leaves forever. There is a bold lover who cannot kiss his lady love though he is near her as the picture standstill. The painted lover and beloved will never lose their passion and beauty. The lovers’ freshness will never fade away:

“She cannot fade, though thou hasn’t not thy bliss,
Forever wilt thou love and she is fair”!

In the third stanza, Keats feels jealous about the Urn as it keeps everything immortal. He says that the tree in the picture remains happy as it does not shed its leaves and also enjoys the spring season forever. The pipers in the picture also are happy as they sing the new song. Keats imagines that the lovers are happier as they will love and enjoy forever. Their Love is above all the human passion.

            “More happy love, more happy happy love!
            Forever warm and still to be enjoyed,
            Forever painting, and forever young.”

The other part of the Urn with different scenery is presented to the readers by Keats. He sports a scene on the Urn where a group of people come for sacrifice. The little town by the riverside or by the seashore is built among the peaceful surroundings. All the people of the town have gone for the sacrifice on a pious day, the town is empty without people. Thus the little town will always be empty and the streets will be silent forever.

Keats addresses the Urn directly as the symbol of ‘Athenian Art’, beautiful in shape, carved on the embroidered space with the images of men and women. The poet calls the Urn “Cold Pastoral” to mean either its marble texture or as it remains still in time. The Grecian Urn teaches mankind that:

“Beauty is Truth, truth is beauty”.

Through these lines, the message is that beauty and truth are one and the same.

Conclusion

Thus, the poem “Ode on A Grecian Urn” is all about the beauty and expressive nature of the Greek pot. It is about the culture and tradition of Old Greek. Throughout the whole poem, the poet Only talks about the beauty of “Grecian Urn” because according to Keats:

“A thing of Beaty is a joy forever.”

This means beautiful objects, natural or artificial are always a source of enjoyment, happiness, and pleasure for the person or a group of people.

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Futility By Wilfred Owen War Poem Analysis

Literature, Poem Analysis, Summary

Introduction

The poem “Futility” written by Wilfred Owen was an Anti-War poem. It is one of five poems published in Wilfred Owen’s lifetime. It was appeared in ‘The Nation’ in 1918. It is written in the form of a lament for the soldiers who lost their lives in World War 1, which started in 1914 and continued up to 1918. In France, there was a bottle field on which an English Soldier succumbed to fighting. His death was shocking, tragic, and heart-rending. This incident led Owen to write the poem ‘Futility’.

About Poet

Wilfred Owen was a war poet of the Modern Period. He was regarded in the First World War and was mostly known for his war poetry based on the horror of trench warfare. He was influenced by John Keats and by his mentor ‘Siegfried Sassoon’. Among his best-known poems include – ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’, ‘Strange Meeting’, ‘Spring Offensive’ and Dulce Et. Decorum Est.

Themes Wilfred Owen’s Poem

“Futility” is a powerful exploration of the themes of life, death, and the Futility of War. The poem is set in the aftermath of a battle, and the speaker is contemplating the dead body of a soldier. The speaker’s initial hope that the sun might be able to revive the soldier is quickly dashed by the realization that death is inevitable. This realization leads the speaker to question the very meaning of life and he concludes that the act of creation is ultimately futile in the face of death.

The poem is also notable for its use of symbolism. The sun, for example, is a symbol of life and hope, but it is also a reminder of the inevitability of death. The seeds that are “Gently awakened” by the sun are a symbol of the cycle of life and death, but they are also a reminder of the transient nature of life.

In addition to the themes of life, death, and futility, “Futility” also explores the themes:

• The dehumanizing effect of war.

• The psychological impact of war on soldiers.

• The futility of trying to find meaning in death.

Form and StructureOwen’s “Futility” is a 14-line poem, hence, a sonnet. It is divided into two stanzas of seven lines in each. The poem has a unique rhyme scheme of abadccc. Its format is a short elegiac lyric. Source of The Poem FutilityThe poem, “Futility” was first brought out in the year 1920. Several battles were fought in the First World War, which started in 1914. In France, there was a battlefield on which an English soldier succumbed to fighting. His death was shocking and tragic. This incident led Wilfred Owen to write the poem, “Futility”. The poem is taken from the volume “Collected Poems” published in 1920.

About The Title of The “Futility” Poem

The title of the poem, “Futility” can be justified variously. The word ‘Futility’ means uselessness. The poem exposes the uselessness of the creation of life by the sun while many a life ends so carelessly in war before its time. In another sense, we find in war nothing glorious, nothing noble, and even nothing praiseworthy. It results only in the huge loss of life. So war is futile.

On the other hand, the poet speaks about the futility of the work of the sun to bring life of Birth. The sun is the great giver of life. Sunbeams are the source of energy that mold the earth with the thrill of life. But the poet thinks that the sun’s effort has been fruitless or futile as wars kill millions of young people before they can manifest into meaningful existence. This justifies the title of the poem, “Futility”.

Analysis Of The Poem

The first stanza, very poignantly describes how a deceased soldier is moved to the sun with the hope that the gentle rays of the sun will revive his consciousness. The speaker by line,
Move him into the Sun…
Gently its touch awoke him once,
At home, whispering of fields half-sown.

Suggests that the soldier whose life is curtailed by the war is young and it is eagerly wished that the sun, which is a life-giver, will once again bring the dead soldier to life because half of his life experiences are yet to be received. It was always the sun that somehow woke him up while he was at home or in France.

However, the speaker mentioned that even the sun could not bring life into him on this snowy snoring. Even though the speaker tried to bring in the image of light in the image of light through the sun, the first stanza ends in a state of despair for the soldier is dead. The soldier who fought in the war and died there was not prepared to die, he joined the war with the hope of securing his home and his nation.

In the second stanza, the speaker asks questions regarding life. The sun and the soil that lead to the growth of seeds are suggestive of how despite the soldier’s death, life has to go on. It signifies the paradox of life and death, while the sun and the soil give light and life on the one hand, it is disturbing for the speaker to acknowledge that:
“What made fatuous sunbeams toil
To break earth’s sleep at all?”

The speaker again refers to hope that is futile, even when the soldier is buried, as the seeds in the soil, cannot be brought back to life.
If the sun, symbolizing God has created man then why is he silently witnessing the end of mankind? Indeed, the seriousness of the poem is reflected in the last two lines in which the speaker is clueless as to the notion of life and death. Therefore, it is only silence that pervades at the end of the poem.

Conclusion

Thus, through the poem “Futility” Owen is trying to say this war is pointless. From start to finish poem foregrounds the wastefulness of war. Displaying this truth through great imagery, Owen brings a candid opinion of what occurs during war.

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Daddy By Sylvia Plath Summary & Analysis

Literature, Poem Analysis

Introduction

The poem entitled “Daddy” is one of the most popular poems written by ‘Sylvia Plath’. It was written in October 1962 and published posthumously in 1965 as part of the collection ‘Ariel’. It was the last phase of her life when she separated herself from her husband ‘Ted Hughes’, and began to live in London. Four months later, Path was dead, but she wrote some of her best poems during that turbulent period.

Although it has sometimes been regarded as Sylvia Path’s most disturbing and confessional poem. It is a dark at times painful allegory that uses metaphor and other devices to carry the idea of a female victim finally freeing herself from her father. In Plath’s words:

“Here is a poem spoken by a girl
with an Electra Complex.
Her father died while she
thought he was God.

Her case is complicated by
the fact that her father
was also a Nazi and her
mother very possibly Jewish.

In the daughter, the two strains
marry and paralyze each other.
She has to act out the awful
little allegory once over
Before she is free of it.”

About Sylvia Plath

Sylvia Plath was a popular American poet, novelist, and short story writer. She was known for her painful life and tortured soul. Her poems are mostly confessions about her painful life. Her father Otto Plath, was a German émigré and her mother, Aurelia Schober, was an American of Australian Jewish descent. She loved and worshipped her father ardently. He died when she was eight. The death of her father was a traumatic event of her childhood. She married a British poet Ted Hughes in 1956 and had two children. The couple separated in 1962.

Sylvia Plath’s first book of poems ‘The Colossus’ was published in 1960. Her only novel “The Bell Jar” appeared in 1963. ‘Ariel’, ‘Crossing the Water’, and ‘Winter Trees’ were published posthumously.

Daddy- Biographical Context

Sylvia Plath had a complicated relationship with her father. He was a German immigrant who taught biology and married one of his students. He was diabetic but ignored the signs of his failing health. He put off going to the hospital for so long that by the time he did seek medical help, his foot had to be amputated and he died from the resulting complications, Plath was 8 years old.

Her father was reportedly cruel and despotic but Plath loved him deeply and was forever affected by his death. When she married fellow poet Ted Hughes, who turned out to be abusive and unfaithful, Plath claimed that she was trying to reunite with her father by marrying a man similar to him.

About The Title

The poem ‘Daddy’ addresses the speaker’s father directly, and her relationship with her deceased father is the main focus of the poem. So the title of this poem is apt and appropriate.

Structure

The poem contains a total of 16 stanzas, 5 lines in each stanza, which means a total of 10 lines. There is no specific rhyme scheme used in this poem.

Themes Of The Poem

The poem “Daddy” by Sylvia Plath is a very complex poem that explores a variety of themes including:

The oppressive nature of patriarchy

The speaker of the poem feels suffocated by her father’s memory and the patriarchal system he represents. She sees him as a Nazi, a vampire, and a boot that crushes her spirit.

The Haunting Power of Trauma

The speaker’s father died when she was young, but his absence still haunts her. She struggles to come to terms with her grief and anger. She feels trapped by her past.

The Search for Freedom

The speaker desperately wants to be free from her father’s influence and the oppressive patriarchy he represents. She imagines killing him, which symbolizes her desire to absorb his power.

The Duality of Love and Hate

The speaker’s relationship with her father is complex and contradictory. She loves him and hates him at the same time. She is attracted to his power and strength, but she is also repelled by his cruelty and fascism.

In addition to these central themes, “Daddy” also explores other important issues such as fascism, and the Holocaust. It is a deeply personal poem but it also speaks about the universal human experience of loss, grief, and Trauma.

Analysis Of Daddy Poem

The poem tells the story of an extremely dysfunctional relationship between a daughter and her father. The poem begins with the speaker describing her father in several different ways. In the very first Stanza, she compares him with a “Black Shoe” and the speaker herself has felt “Like a Foot” that has been forced to live thirty years in that shoe. The stanza reveals that the speaker felt not only suffocated by her father but fearful of him as well.

In fact, she expresses that her fear of him was so intense that she was afraid of even breather or sneezing. The first four stanzas give us the emotions of Sylvia Plath towards her father. As she writes;

“You do not do, you do not do
Anymore, black shoe
In which I have like a foot
for thirty years, poor and white
Barely daring to breathe or Achoo.”

She had even wanted to kill her father, though he had died before she actually got a chance to do so. She calls her father as a ‘Bag full of God’, which gives us an idea of her view regarding God, which is fearful just like a huge statue, who is enormous figure and has no heart beating now. The speaker then compares her father with the “Freakish” Atlantic Ocean. The word Freakish refers to something very unusual, and strange. Thus this implies that her father was a beautiful human being but there was something strange about him. At some points during his illness, she had even prayed for his recovery.

Next, the speaker wonders about her father’s origin. He grew up in a Polish town, where he spoke in German language. The town that he grew up in had seen a lot of wars. But, she couldn’t recall the name of the town as it was a common one. For this reason, the speaker could never remember where her father actually came from. She could never gather the courage to ask him about it. She says that she felt as if her tongue had stuck in her jaw whenever she tried to talk to her father. This idea is contained in the following line:

“I never could talk to you
The tongue stuck in my jaw
It stuck in a barb wire snare
Ich, ich, ich, ich
I could hardly speak
I thought every German was you.
And the language absence.”

The speaker even says that she felt just like a Jew under the reign of the Germans. This is an important comparison to demonstrate the oppression that the speaker faced under her father’s guidance. It was an extremely painful experience, just like the Jews had faced at the hands of the Germans during the Holocaust. She felt like a Jew, being oppressed, without a voice. Hence she says that she could be related to the Jews and considered herself as one. She says that her ancestors were gypsies. Gypsies, just like the Jews were also oppressed by the Nazis.

The speaker says that she was always afraid of her father. She believed that he had something to do with the German Air Force. He was a symbol of fear, with a neat mustache and bright blue eyes just like the German Nazis. She compares him with a German tank driver, as she calls him a ‘Ponzer man.’

Then, the speaker compared her father to the symbol of “Swastika”. The Swastika is an ancient Indian symbol which was by the Nazis. Her father was a huge black swastika that covered the entire sky blocking the light. Then she mockingly tells that every woman adores a Fascist, someone who is cruel and oppressive. Women for some reason, fall in love with ‘brutes’. Then, the speaker imagines her father standing in front of the blackboard. Her father was actually a professor.

The speaker considers her father as the devil, he had a cleft in his chin, instead of his foot. His soul is dark, which makes him a ‘Black Ma’. She says that her father had torn her soul, and broken her heart. Even if he was a cruel brute, the poet had loved him as a child. Her father died when she was eight. She had cried for his death until she was twenty years old.

In her adulthood, she couldn’t continue to mourn for her father and ignored her vices. At one point, she even thought to kill herself in order to see him again. She tried committing suicide at twenty but was saved. However, her life changed completely after this incident.

The speaker had created an imaginary model of her father who had a Meinkampf look, referring him to Hitler, the author of Meinkampf. The man she had married had perfectly recreated the role of her father, and she did not need to be reminded of her father. The speaker says that she had been accused of killing her father. However, she explains that he died before she could get the opportunity to do so. She says that if people think she has killed one man, she has actually killed two others, another one being her husband. She refers to her husband as a vampire because he had drained out life from her.

In the last stanza, the poet says that even though her father died long ago, his memory has been haunting her just like a vampire. Thus, her father must be killed just like a vampire is killed, with a wooden stake pierced through his heart. In the ending lines, the poet says that although her father had been dead for multiple years, it was his memory that had been haunting her throughout these years. To prevent these things from happening, the speaker called him a “Bastar” and moved on.

Conclusion

Thus, “Daddy” is a poem that conveys fear, confusion, anger, and even sometimes hope. Although the speaker’s father died, when she was just eight, She married a man who resembled her father. Instead of erasing bad memories from her life, her husband added more misery to her life. Unlike a vampire, he drank her blood for seven years. It seems that the speaker has been caught in a vicious circle of male dominance.

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In Memoriam by Alfred Tennyson

Literature, Analysis, Poem Analysis, Summary

Introduction

“In Memoriam” by Alfred Tennyson is one of the greatest poems of the Victorian age. This poem is also known as ‘In Memoriam A. H. H. It is an elegy for his Cambridge friend ‘Arthur Henry Hallam’, who died at the age of twenty-two years, in Vienna in 1833. Tennyson wrote this poem in his memory. He first published the poem in his memory.

Tennyson first published the poem anonymously in 1850 and is nearly anonymously in 1850 and is nearly 100 pages long. The poem has 133 cantos, and each stanza contains four lines. The rhyme scheme is ABBA, in iambic tetrameter, a form known as “Memoriam Stanza” due to its melancholy effect. The poem is divided into three main parts:

◽ The Prologue
◽ The Poem
◽ The Epilogue

About Alfred Tennyson

Alfred Tennyson was an English Poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria’s reign. His works not only explore the relationship between science and religion, but the importance of perseverance and remaining optimistic in front of despair. Two of his best known poems are – ‘In Memoriam A.H.H.’ and ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’. Tennyson also held high standing in Victorian society, having the title of ‘1^st Baron Tennyson of Aldworth and Freshwater.’

Some of his other most famous works include – ‘The Lady of Shalott’, ‘Ulysses’ and ‘Idylls of a King.’

Themes of “In Memoriam” Poem

In Memoriam A.H.H. is a long and complex poem, and it explores a wide range of themes. Some of the most important themes include:

The Meaning of Life
Mystery of Death
Grief as a form of Love
Doubt strengthens Religious faith
Grief and Loss
Faith and Doubt.
The relationship between the individual and the universe.

The Meaning of Life

The poem explores the meaning of life. Tennyson asks questions about the purpose of existence, and he searches for answers in nature, in history, and in his own faith.

Mystery of Death

After his friend Hallam’s death at a young age, the speaker asks two significant questions about the mystery of death – Is there life after death for humans? And can the living still love and communicate with the dead?

The speaker believes death ends the life of Hallam’s physical body, but not his soul, personality, or memories.

Grief as a form of Love

The speaker says in Canto 1, that without love, there would be no grief, love is essential to grief. His deep sorrow at Hallam’s death proves his deep love for his friend in life. The Speaker’s grief often takes the form of singing and music both expressions of praise and deep emotion.

Doubt Strengthens Religious Faith

Formally a steadfast, but perhaps somewhat rote, believer in the Christian religion the speaker grapples with uncertainty. He can’t prove his beliefs are true. He has no evidence of an afterlife where Hallam’s soul will live in eternity.

Grief and Loss

The poem is a meditation on the death of Tennyson’s friend Arthur Hallam. Tennyson’s grief is raw and honest and he does not shy away from expressing his sorrow. The poem offers comfort to those who have lost loved ones, and it shows that grief is a normal and healthy response to loss.

Faith and Doubt

The poem also explores the themes of faith and doubt. Tennyson is a devout Christian, but he also struggles with his faith in the face, of Hallam’s death. He questions God’s goodness and justice, and he wonders if there is any meaning in life without Hallam. The poem shows that faith is not always easy, but it can offer comfort and hope in the face of loss.

The Relationship between the Individual and the Universe

The poem explores the relationship between the individual and the universe. Tennyson Contemplates the place of humanity in the cosmos and he wonders how to find meaning in a vast and indifferent universe.

These are just some of the themes explored in ‘In Memoriam A. H. H. The poem is a complex and profound work of art, and it continues to offer insights into the human condition.

Summary Of The Poem

The poem opens addressing Jesus, discussing how God made both life and death. He uses the image of Jesus with his foot on a Skull to show him as the conqueror of Death. Humanity is humbled in the presence of God, as our ‘systems’ are finite. We are unable to see God’s plan.

Tennyson asks for God’s forgiveness for the nature of his words, as he fluctuates between faith and doubt throughout the poem. He says he has “Wild and wandering words’ as he tries to make sense of the death of his friend. He prays for wisdom and regrets his wasted youth. The poet describes how he grieved. He once believed that men would slowly rise from death into eternal state, he once believed in God, but in his grief, he wishes he could fast forward through time to skip the grieving period.

Tennyson addresses a yew tree in a graveyard. He imagines that the roots are wrapped around a body buried beneath. The seasons, and nature, move on in their patterns beating out the “little lives of men”. Here he questions the existence of God and an afterlife. He sometimes believes he is sinning by writing of his grief.

He argues that even though the loss of a loved one is common to the human race, it doesn’t make him less bitter, but more so knowing that every day someone else’s heart is breaking. He imagines families who are still waiting for their dead family members, like a mother who waits for her son who has drowned at sea.

Arthur’s body was returned to England from Italy by ship. He spends a lot of time addressing and describing the ship that brought his friend’s body. By winter, Tennyson’s woe is causing “Wild Unrest” in him. He confronts this change in canto 16, wandering that sorrow could cause him to feel both wild and calm. Only the Bible comforts him.

As he questions the meaning of death and life, he concludes that humans have souls allowing them to live on after death and that their purpose on earth is to gain knowledge. As the author was a good and intelligent man, he believed that Arthur’s soul must be alive somewhere. He imagines meeting with him again.

The epilogue finds Tennyson at his sister’s wedding while he has lost a close friend, he has gained a brother-in-law. Arthur Hallam and Tennyson became friends in 1829 at Cambridge. Hallam met Tennyson’s sister, Emily, and the two were soon engaged. Hallam also wrote poetry and he and Tennyson planned to one day publish a collection together. He died of a brain hemorrhage while visiting Vienna with his father at the age of twenty-two. Emily would later marry and name her first son after Hallam.

Queen Victoria met with Tennyson in 1833 to tell him the poem had been a comfort to her following the death of her husband, Prince Albert.

Conclusion

Thus, “In Memoriam” by Alfred Lord Tennyson was specifically composed as a heartfelt lament for the untimely passing of his dear friend, Arthur Henry Hallam. The poem is undeniably an elegy, intended to evoke a prevailing sense of mourning. However, some critics believe that the elegiac quality of the poem is overshadowed by its religious scientific, and philosophical aspects. It is also a reflection of the intellectual and cultural climate of the Victorian age, which was marked by both scientific advancement and religious crisis.

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Iliad By Homer | The Iliad | Iliad Characters

Literature, English Literature, Poem Analysis

The Iliad is an epic poem, meaning a grand, very long poem about gods and heroes. Homer wrote down the Iliad around 750 B.C. It is the oldest written poem in western civilization.

Iliad Characters

Achilles – Protagonist

Achilles is the leader of Myrmidons who fight on the side of the Achaeans against Troy. He is the son of Thetis, a sea goddess, and Peleus a mortal.

Hector

Hector is a brave and fierce warrior and prince of Troy. He is fighting for his city and family as much as honour and glory.

Agamemnon

Agamemnon a powerful and proud man is the top commander of the Achaean army. He is a good fighter, but his leadership style is harsh, but his leadership style is harsh, and he shows no mercy is harsh, and he shows no mercy to enemies. Agamemnon is often called Atrides.

Thetis

Achilles’s sea-goddess mother protects and advocates for him throughout the poem.

Paris

Brother of Hector and 2^nd son of Priam.

Patroclus

Friend of Achilles. They were raised together.

Menelaus

The King of Sparta, the younger brother of Agamemnon.

Odysseus

The next great warrior of Geeks after Achilles.

Hecuba

The Queen of Troy.

Priam King of Troy

Character Map

Introduction

The Iliad is an epic poem, meaning a grand, very long poem about gods and heroes. Homer wrote down the Iliad around 750 B.C. It is the oldest written poem in western civilization. Greece had suffered several hundred years of a dark age – as in no writing prior to this. It is the story of Achilles and the Iliad, which Homer himself did not invent was told by word of Mouth.

Book one of The Iliad is entitled The Quarrel Between Agamemnon and Achilles. In this book, Homer introduces the conflict between Agamemnon and Achilles. The story of Book 1 begins nine years after the war began. In the tenth year of the Trojan War, Achilles, the greatest fighter for the Achilles, is furious.

About the Homer

Homer is known for his two epic poems – The Iliad and The Odyssey. He was the greatest poet of ancient Greek. He lived during the era of the Trojan war in the early 12^th century. It is uncertain where exactly he was born and lived. Plato, Aristotle, Dante Joseph Conrad, and James Joyce were very much influenced by Homer’s work. He was also known as Blind Bard. He composed a collection of poems that depicts the events of the Trojan War in a book of poetry titled the Epic Cycle. He also included a collection of 33 Greek songs honoring various gods.

Theme Of The Iliad

Iliad covers a bunch of universal topics from love and friendship to honor and glory as presented in the epic poem. There are some important themes in the poem:

Honor and Glory
The Intervention of The Gods
Love
Mortality
Fate and Free will
Pride

The setting of The Poem

The Iliad is written in a dactylic hexameter. It is as dominant in Greek and Latin poetry as iambic pentameter is in English. The dactylic foot is formed with one long followed by two short syllables. It has a total of six feet.

For example: _UU_UU_UU_UU_UU_UU_

Here ( _ ) symbol is for long syllables and (U) is used for short syllables.

Book 1 Of The Iliad Summary

In the beginning, Homer invokes the Muse to help him tell this story. The story is about the rage of Achilles, the greatest Greek hero to fight in the Trojan War. The story starts with Priam the king of Troy having two sons – Ilector and Paris. Once Paris starts liking the Queen of Sparta name Helen, who is already married. Helen is the wife of Menelaus the king of Sparta.

Helen also started liking Paris and both of them secretly leave for Troy. This incident enrages Menelaus and he goes to his brother Agamemnon for help. Agamemnon promised to help her and then calls all the kings of Greece. Which included the King of Ithaca, Odysseus, the great warrior Achilles, his cousin Patroclus, Ajax, etc. Together they all start marching on Troy.

Price Paris challenges Menelaus to sword fighting but Paris is defeated by Menelaus. Soon a fight breaks out between the armies of both countries. One day some soldiers of Greece capture two beautiful girls. Chryseis and Briseis are brigs with them. Agamemnon commander in chief of the Achaean army takes Chryseis as his Prize. Achilles one of the Achaean’s most valuable warriors, claims Briseis. Chryseis’s father a man named Chryses who serves as a priest of the god Apollo, begs Agamemnon to return his daughter and offers to pay an enormous ransom. When Agamemnon refuses, Chryses prays to Apollo for help.

Apollo sends a plague upon the Greek camp causing the death of many soldiers. After ten days of suffering, Achilles calls an assembly of the Achaean army and asks for the cause of the plague. Calchas a soothsayer reveals the plague as vengeful and strategic more by Chryses and Apollo. Agamemnon says he will return the girl if Achille gives him, his prize, the girl, Briseis. Agamemnon’s demand humiliates and infuriates and proud Achilles. Agamemnon threatens to go to Achilles’s tent in the army’s camp and take Briseis himself. Achilles stands poised to draw his sword and kill the Achaean commander. Athena’s guidance, along with a speech by the wise advisor Nestor, finally succeeds in preventing the duel.

That night, Agamemnon puts Chryseis on a ship back to her father and sends heralds to have Briseis escorted from Achilles’s tent. Achilles prays to his mother the sea – goddess Thetis to ask Zeus, King of the Gods, to punish the Achaeans. Meanwhile, the Achaean commander Odysseus is navigating the ship that Chryseis has boarded. When he lands, he returns the Chryseis. Chryseis, overjoyed to see his daughter, Prays to the god to lift the plague from the Achaean camp. Apollo acknowledges his prayer.

But the end of the plague on the Achaeans only marks the beginning of worse suffering. Ever since his quarrel with Agamemnon, Achilles has refused to participate in battle and after twelve days Thetis makes her appeal to Zeus, as promised, asking him to honor her son by granting the Trojans victory while Achilles remains out of the battle. Zeus is angered and says that helping the Trojans would force him into a fight with his wife. Hera supports the Achaeans. However, he agrees and bows his head as a sign of promise.