The Iliad

The Iliad – is an ancient Greek epic poem by Homer that tells the story of the wrath of Achilles and the final weeks of the Trojan War. It is a foundational work of Western literature and explores themes of honor, fate, and the human cost of war. The conflict begins when Agamemnon takes Achilles’ war prize, the maiden Briseis, to replace his own prize, Chryseis, whom he was forced to return to her father to end a plague sent by the god Apollo. Enraged by this public dishonoring, Achilles withdraws his Myrmidon soldiers from the battle and prays to his mother, the sea nymph Thetis, to convince Zeus to turn the tide of war against the Achaeans.