The Iliad, Book 1: Discussion and Summary
Summary
TLDRThis video delves into the first book of the epic poem 'The Iliad,' focusing on the major characters Achilles and Agamemnon, whose conflict sets the stage for the narrative. Achilles' tragic flaw of rage, coupled with Agamemnon's arrogance, leads to a devastating plague among the Greeks. The gods' interference, including Zeus's reluctant favor to Thetis, Achilles' mother, further complicates the war's outcome. The video also touches on the poem's themes of honor, fate, and the tragic consequences of strong emotions.
Takeaways
- 😀 The Iliad's Book One introduces us to the epic's major characters, including Achilles, Agamemnon, Nestor, Calchus, and several gods and goddesses.
- 😢 Achilles is portrayed as a tragic hero, destined to die young, which evokes pity, but also as violent and emotionally intense, causing problems for himself and others.
- 👑 Agamemnon is depicted as a powerful but arrogant and selfish leader, whose actions trigger significant conflicts and contribute to the war's continuation.
- 🏺 The conflict with Apollo arises when Agamemnon refuses to return a slave girl, Briseis, to her father, a priest of Apollo, leading to a plague among the Greeks.
- 🔮 Calchus, the seer, is a cowardly figure who, despite his ability to speak on behalf of the gods, hesitates to accuse Agamemnon of wrongdoing.
- 🌊 Thetis, Achilles' mother, is a sea goddess who grieves for her son's impending death and seeks to secure his honor by influencing Zeus.
- ⚔️ Achilles' rage and decision to withdraw from the war due to Agamemnon's mistreatment set the stage for much of the poem's action and highlight themes of honor and leadership.
- 🌩️ The gods' interference in human affairs, such as Zeus allowing the Trojans to win as a favor to Thetis, demonstrates the complex interplay between divine will and human destiny.
- 📜 The introduction to Book One uses poetic devices like the invocation of the Muse and in medias res to immerse readers in the ongoing narrative of the Trojan War.
- 🎭 The themes of rage, the tragic consequences of actions driven by strong emotions, the tragedy of war, and the meddling of gods in human affairs are established early in the book.
Q & A
What is the central theme of the epic poem 'The Iliad' as presented in the video script?
-The central theme of 'The Iliad' presented in the script is the rage of Achilles, which leads to the destruction of many of his own men and reflects the tragic consequences of strong emotions and actions.
Who is the protagonist of 'The Iliad' and why is he considered a tragic character?
-The protagonist of 'The Iliad' is Achilles. He is considered a tragic character because it is known from the beginning that he will die young, evoking a sense of pity despite his violent and intensely emotional nature.
What is the role of Agamemnon in the conflict presented in the first book of 'The Iliad'?
-Agamemnon is a powerful leader and general of the Achaean army. His arrogance and selfishness lead to a significant conflict with Achilles, which triggers most of the action in the first book.
How does the character of Calchus, the Seer, contribute to the plot of the first book of 'The Iliad'?
-Calchus, the Seer, serves as the mouthpiece of the Gods, specifically Apollo. He is aware of the cause of the plague affecting the Greeks and, with Achilles' protection, reveals Agamemnon's fault, which is the mistreatment of the priest of Apollo and the refusal to return the girl Crisaethus.
What is the significance of the gods and goddesses in the first book of 'The Iliad'?
-The gods and goddesses play a significant role in the first book of 'The Iliad' by influencing the actions of the characters and the outcomes of events. For example, Athena helps Achilles control his anger, while Apollo inflicts a plague on the Greeks due to Agamemnon's disrespect.
What is the catalyst for the conflict between Agamemnon and Achilles in the first book of 'The Iliad'?
-The catalyst for the conflict between Agamemnon and Achilles is Agamemnon's refusal to return the young slave girl Crisaethus to her father, a priest of Apollo, which results in a plague on the Greeks and further escalates when Agamemnon takes Achilles' prize, Briseis.
How does the character of Nestor attempt to resolve the conflict between Agamemnon and Achilles?
-Nestor, an old warrior with wisdom, tries to create peace between Agamemnon and Achilles by giving a speech about the importance of leaders not fighting each other, as it only benefits the Trojans. However, his efforts are not successful in changing Agamemnon's stance.
What is the role of Thetis, Achilles' mother, in the first book of 'The Iliad'?
-Thetis, a sea goddess and Achilles' mother, is portrayed as a grieving figure who knows her son is destined to die young. She hears Achilles' lament and, despite her fear that it will lead to his death, asks Zeus to honor Achilles by allowing the Trojans to win temporarily.
What is the significance of the introduction to the first book of 'The Iliad' in terms of its poetic features and themes?
-The introduction to the first book of 'The Iliad' is significant for its use of poetic features such as the evocation of the Muse and being in media res, as well as establishing major themes like the tragic nature of Achilles, the consequences of actions driven by rage, the tragedy of war, and the meddling of the gods in human affairs.
How does the video script describe the portrayal of war in 'The Iliad'?
-The script describes the portrayal of war in 'The Iliad' as tragic and filled with pain, loss, and horror. It emphasizes that despite the presence of heroes, the violence of war is never portrayed positively and is always accompanied by the idea that it makes the world more painful and ugly.
Outlines
📜 Introduction to The Iliad and Major Characters
This paragraph introduces the epic poem 'The Iliad', focusing on Book One. It discusses the major characters, including Achilles, Agamemnon, Nestor, Calchus, and various gods and goddesses. Achilles is portrayed as a tragic hero, destined to die young, yet also violent and emotional. Agamemnon is depicted as a powerful but arrogant leader, whose actions set off the plot's conflicts. Nestor is an old warrior with wisdom, Calchus is a seer who speaks for Apollo, and the gods, including Hera, Athena, Apollo, and Thetis, play significant roles in the narrative. The paragraph sets the stage for the conflicts that arise from the characters' actions and the influence of the gods.
🛡 Conflicts and Divine Intervention
This section delves into the conflicts between Agamemnon and Achilles, as well as the plague sent by Apollo due to Agamemnon's disrespect towards the priest of Apollo, Chryses. Achilles calls for a meeting to address the plague, and Calchus reveals Agamemnon's fault. Agamemnon's arrogance leads to a heated exchange with Achilles, who challenges Agamemnon's leadership and fairness. The tension escalates, and Achilles nearly attacks Agamemnon but is stopped by Athena, sent by Hera. The paragraph highlights the human and divine elements that drive the narrative, showcasing the complexity of the characters and the consequences of their actions.
😢 Achilles' Anguish and Thetis' Plea to Zeus
The paragraph explores Achilles' emotional response to Agamemnon's actions, as he feels dishonored and decides to withdraw from the war. Nestor attempts to mediate the conflict, but both Agamemnon and Achilles remain defiant. Achilles, in his anger, prays to his mother, Thetis, to intervene on his behalf. Thetis, despite knowing this will lead to her son's death, asks Zeus to honor her son by allowing the Trojans to prevail until the Greeks realize their need for Achilles. This section underscores the themes of honor, grief, and the influence of the gods on human affairs.
🎭 Key Features of Book One: Rage, War, and Fate
The final paragraph discusses the literary and thematic elements introduced in Book One of 'The Iliad'. It highlights the evocation of the Muse, the use of in media res to immerse readers in the ongoing war, and the exploration of complex emotions towards characters like Achilles. The paragraph also emphasizes the tragic nature of war, the role of the gods in human destiny, and the idea of fate versus free will. It sets the stage for further analysis of these themes throughout the epic.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡The Iliad
💡Achilles
💡Agamemnon
💡Nestor
💡Calchas
💡Hera
💡Athena
💡Apollo
💡Thetis
💡Zeus
💡In media res
Highlights
The major character in Book One of The Iliad is Achilles, whose actions set up the plot.
Achilles is portrayed as a tragic character destined to die young, evoking pity, yet also seen as violent and emotionally intense.
Agamemnon is depicted as a powerful but arrogant and selfish leader, causing significant conflict with Achilles.
Nestor, the old warrior, is introduced as a wise peacemaker among the generals.
Calchas, the Seer, represents the voice of the gods but shows cowardice when confronting Agamemnon.
Gods and goddesses, including Hera and Athena, play a role in the conflict, siding with the Greeks and influencing events.
Apollo is shown as a god who punishes the Greeks with a plague after being disrespected by Agamemnon.
Thetis, Achilles' mother, is a goddess of the sea and a grieving figure, knowing her son's impending death.
Zeus, king of the gods, is depicted as trying to maintain balance in the war but is drawn into favoring the Trojans.
The conflict begins with Agamemnon's refusal to return a slave girl, Crisis, to her father, a priest of Apollo.
Achilles calls for a meeting of generals to address the plague sent by Apollo, revealing Agamemnon's fault.
Agamemnon's arrogance leads to a heated exchange with Achilles, who threatens to quit the war.
Achilles' restraint is highlighted when Athena intervenes to prevent him from attacking Agamemnon.
Achilles swears not to fight for the Achaeans and predicts their downfall without him.
Thetis pleads with Zeus to honor Achilles by letting the Greeks suffer defeats in his absence.
Zeus agrees to Thetis' request, despite knowing it will cause strife among the gods.
Hera's displeasure with Zeus' decision to favor the Trojans is evident, setting the stage for divine conflict.
The introduction to Book One features the evocation of the Muse and establishes themes of rage, tragedy, and divine intervention.
Transcripts
hey welcome back today we're going to be
talking about the epic poem The Iliad
and looking at book one let's start by
talking about the major characters in
this book
the most important character in book one
of The Iliad is Achilles and in fact
it's the actions surrounding this
character that leads to the overall plot
of the poem Achilles is set up as a
character about whom we have mixed
feelings he's a tragic character in that
we find out about him very quickly that
he's going to die young and so from the
very beginning he evokes a kind of pity
however he's also seen as violent and
intensely emotional both of which have
serious consequences in this book and so
although we feel sorry for him and the
tragedy looming in his near future we
also see how he brings problems on his
own head as well as on the heads of all
of his friends the second important
character in book one is Agamemnon
Agamemnon is the great General and
leader of the akian army and although he
is a powerful Warrior and a commanding
leader he's portrayed in this book as a
colossal jerk he is arrogant and selfish
and because he is so self-absorbed and
so determined to get what he wants he
not only hurts his friends and followers
but feels absolutely no remorse for his
power plays and his grasping nature his
arrogance leads to a significant
conflict with Achilles
which again triggers most of the action
in this book in book one we also meet
Nester the old Warrior who's been around
and had lots of opportunity to advise
people in the past his experience and
his age give him wisdom and give him the
opportunity to try to make peace among
the warring generals we also meet calcus
the Seer calcus is the mouthpiece of the
Gods he's able to speak on behalf of
Apollo but he's a little bit of a coward
and when he realizes that he has to
accuse Agamemnon he begs Achilles to
protect him it's no fun angering a
powerful leader we also meet several
gods and goddesses in this book there is
Queen Hera who very much sides with the
Greeks and when she sees them fighting
amongst themselves sins Athena down to
put a stop to it Athena is the other
goddess who really sides to the Greeks
and she's happy to step into the action
in this case she helps Achilles check
his anger and keeps him from starting an
actual fight we also see Apollo who does
not like being disrespected by those
humans and when his priest is mistreated
by Agamemnon he rains down a plague on
the Greeks we also meet thetas who is
Achilles mother she is a goddess a
goddess of the sea but in this book
she's also portrayed as a grieving
mother she knows her son is going to die
and so she has all of this conflicting
emotion which ties in nicely with some
of the major themes of the book finally
we have the king of the Gods Zeus and
although Zeus is usually depicted in
this book as trying to create balance
within the war in this section he gets
called upon to do a favor leading to the
Trojans winning for a while he knows
that picking
him into conflict with some of the Gods
and he's not very enthusiastic about
that okay now let's look at the content
of book one
after a short introduction that is
packed with all kinds of cool poetic
features which we'll talk about in a few
minutes the book begins by setting up
certain conflicts between Agamemnon and
achilles as well as between Apollo and
the Greeks the achaeans have been at war
with Troy for nine years
they sailed over and parked their boats
on the beach and they have been camped
there fighting against the city of Troy
but unable to get inside her walls
during that time they have had several
successful raids though and they've
sacked various Villages around Troy
taking trophies and spoils the conflict
begins because in one of those raids
Agamemnon took a young slave girl named
crisius her father crises just so
happens to be a priest of the god Apollo
and he comes with gifts and begs
Agamemnon to give back his daughter most
of the akians think that's a great idea
they say respect the priest accept The
Shining Ransom but Agamemnon being very
proud and haughty and selfish says no
I'm keeping the girl you get out of here
never again old man let me catch sight
of you by the hollow ships not loitering
now not slinking back tomorrow the staff
and wreath of the God will never save
you then the girl I Won't Give Up the
girl long before that old age will
overtake her in my house in Argos far
from her Fatherland slaving back and
forth at the loom forced to share my bed
now go don't tempt my wrath and you may
depart alive we very quickly get an
unfavorable opinion of Agamemnon
he is a selfish jerk his treatment of
crisius as well as of crises is
deplorable and although crisis is driven
away he prays to Apollo and asks Apollo
to help him which Apollo does in a
powerful description the god Apollo
strides forward pulls out his bow and
begins to shoot arrows of plague on the
Greeks
dying Achilles calls the generals
together and says hey we've got to
figure out what's going on here or we're
doomed and so they call calcus up to
seek information from the gods calcus
knows what's going on he knows it's
agamemnon's fault but he's hesitant to
say so because Agamemnon is a scary dude
when Achilles promises to back him up
calcus confesses that he knows it's
agamemnon's faults for stealing crisius
and for refusing to get her back and for
mistreating the priest of Apollo and
just as one would expect Agamemnon does
not take the news well
Seer of misery never a word that works
to my advantage always misery warms your
heart your prophecies never a word of
prophet said or brought to pass now
again you divine God's will for the
armies brute it about as fact why the
deadly Archer multiplies our pains
because I I refuse that glittering price
for the young girl crisius and
fur or by far the girl herself I want
her mine in my own house I rank her
higher than clitimnestra my wedded wife
she's nothing less sin build or breeding
in mind or works of hand but I am
willing to give her back even so if that
is best for all what I really want is to
keep my people safe not see them dying
but fetch me another prize and straight
off too else I alone of the archives go
without my honor that would be a
disgrace you are all witness look my
prize is snatched away so not only does
he say a lot of slights about his own
wife which is going to come back and
haunt him
later on in mythology we find out that
his wife kills him when he gets home but
then he acts like he's so great like
he's gonna give back this girl for the
good of everyone but you better give me
another girl just as good right now I
want my own prize so I don't have to go
without he's selfish and brutish and
awful Achilles steps up and says hey
Agamemnon
um that's really unfair after all all of
the treasure has already been passed out
to everybody if you start snatching
other people's prizes and treasures
we're gonna have problems that would be
dishonorable and then Achilles offers
hey why don't you just wait until we
take Troy and then you can have first
pick of everything but Agamemnon will
not be dissuaded and he says if you're
not gonna give me one I'm just going to
take yours Achilles Achilles accuses
Agamemnon of being incredibly selfish of
always letting his Heroes do all the
work for him while he gets the best
rewards after all Achilles doesn't
really have a reason to be out here
fighting he's only fighting for
Agamemnon one's sake remember it's
agamemnon's brother Menelaus who had his
wife stolen which led to this whole War
all the rest of these Greek heroes are
just along for the ride they made a
promise to defend Menelaus okay but they
don't really have any beef with the
Trojans Achilles says my honors never
equal yours whenever we sack some
wealthy Trojan stronghold my arms bear
the brunt of the raw Savage fighting
true but when it comes to dividing up
the plunder the Lion's Share is yours
and back I go to my ships clutching some
scrap some pittance that I love when I
have fought to exhaustion and at this
point Achilles says if you're gonna keep
being such an abusive leader I'm gonna
quit
so Achilles is the greatest fighter
among the Greeks he is their most
powerful asset and he is fed up with
Agamemnon on selfishness and so he's
ready to bow out and quit and as we look
at this scene we can see what a crummy
leader Agamemnon is being
how abusive he is being with his power
and I think that most of us can side
with Achilles here Achilles has been
very reasonable very logical he's tried
to talk through the situation he's tried
to make Agamemnon see reason whereas
Agamemnon has been blustering and angry
and abusive and at this point Achilles
is saying I'm not going to continue
working under these conditions and most
of us can say okay that seems reasonable
Agamemnon doubles down and says fine I'm
taking your girl bryceus away from you
and at that moment Achilles almost snaps
he reaches for his sword ready to attack
Agamemnon head-on but just in that
moment Hera and Athena step in to try to
stop him Hera sends Athena down to tap
on Achilles shoulder freeze the moment
and say you guys can't fight each other
we don't want either of you dead and
achilles puts his sword away
again Achilles was angry enough to kill
Agamemnon but he resists the anger With
a Little Help from the gods and yet even
if he did have Athena's help it shows
restraint on Achilles part Agamemnon is
the one who looks bad here so although
the book sets up this story about
Achilles rage we've seen Achilles keep
himself in check so far and so Achilles
swears that he will not fight for the
akians anymore and he also says you all
are going to regret driving me away when
Hector starts tearing you all apart and
he throws down his scepter Nestor stands
up and tries to create peace between the
two of them he's kind of depicted as a a
bit of an old wind bag here
yes he's got all this good advice but he
was always like in my day people used to
listen to the elders and he gives a big
speech about how the leaders should not
fight each other the only one who wins
in this situation are the Trojans and
agamemnon's like yes we should be
peaceful but he's the one who needs to
back down and achilles is like yeah but
think about how worthless I'd be if I
followed an abusive leader like you and
so they both growl at each other and
then walk away
Agamemnon keeps his word and sins
crisiest home and the plague stops
but he also goes and get brysius out of
that Achilles tent and bryceus is Led
away weeping from Achilles Achilles is
so emotional and enraged in this moment
that he begins to weep and cry and pray
to his mother the sea god fetus mother
you gave me life short as that life will
be so at least Olympian Zeus thundering
up on high should give me honor but now
he gives me nothing atreya's son
Agamemnon for all his flour flung
kingdoms the man disgraces me seizes and
keeps my prize he tears her away himself
so he wept and prayed and his Noble
mother heard him so Achilles begins to
cry and complain to his mother and up to
this point I think we've been able to
decide with Achilles pretty well he has
a lot of self-pity In This Moment
he knows that he's going to die and he's
going to die young but at least he could
have honor while he lives right so why
am I being so Dishonored he says and
when his mother arrives he tells her the
whole story and she also Grieves knowing
that his actions will ultimately lead to
his death she says oh my son my sorrow
why did I ever bear you all I bore was
Doom would to God you could Linger by
your ships without a grief in the world
without a torment doomed to a short life
you have so little time and not only
short now but filled with heartbreak too
more than all other men alive doomed
twice over so there's this sense of
grief thedus has for Achilles he's not
dead yet but he's going to die we see a
lot of grieving parents throughout this
book and so she sort of sets that tone
from the beginning but Achilles asks her
please go to Zeus and call in a favor
for me please let the Greeks be beaten
really badly while I sit out and I think
this is the moment when Achilles sort of
oversteps we can all agree that quitting
when your leader is abusive seems fairly
reasonable
but if you're gonna quit and then if
your team keeps winning after you quit
it makes you look bad
Gillies doesn't want that to happen and
so he wants to be able to sit out and he
wants his team to get completely trashed
so they all come crying to him and say
please come back and he can sit there
and be like yeah you needed me didn't
you why didn't you think of that before
and it brings them all kinds of Glory
although fetus is afraid that this will
ultimately lead to his death she agrees
to do so because she wants her son to
have honor so she flies up to Zeus and
kneels before him now there was an event
a long time ago where she saved Zeus
from being chained up
by the rest of the Gods and so he really
owes her a favor so when she asked this
request all those Zeus doesn't want to
do it he's already promised her a favor
and he has to commit so Zeus agrees
although he knows it's going to bring
trouble between him and Hera as well as
the other gods
he's gonna let the Trojans win for a
while so that Achilles can be brought a
lot of honor and Glory Hera gets wind of
this and she gets very upset and she
goes before Zeus and begins to complain
she does not want those Trojans to win
they didn't pick her in the beauty
contest and so she wants them all to die
and when she starts trying to get on to
Zeus for maybe agreeing to let the
Trojans win
he yells at her and tells her to leave
him alone what are going to be the
repercussions of all of these actions we
will see through the rest of the book
let's look at a few of the key features
of this book
first of all there's the introduction to
book one
rage got us sing The Rage of pelea's son
Achilles murderous doomed that cost the
akians countless losses hurling down to
the house of death so many sturdy Souls
great fighter Souls that made their
bodies carrying feasts for the dogs and
birds and the will of Zeus was moving
towards its end began Muse when the two
first broke and clashed Agamemnon Lord
of men and Brilliant Achilles this
introduction establishes many of the
themes of the story as well as a lot of
the major ideas first of all it has the
key poetic feature of the evocation of
the Muse much epic poetry begins with
calling out to the Muse for inspiration
and here the poet calls on the Muse to
help him tell the story of Achilles rage
it also begins with a poetic feature of
being in media rests which is a Latin
expression meaning in the middle of
things
epic poetry begins in media rests and
here we don't begin at the beginning of
the Trojan War but rather nine years in
which helps to establish this feeling
that war just goes on and on and on and
there's no real escape from it we begin
with a conflict between generals and
then have to go back and fill in some of
the details about why this is happening
there's also a lot of major themes
established by this introduction first
of all we established the idea that
we'll have conflicting feelings about
many of the characters particularly the
character Achilles we see him as
murderous but but also doomed
he is a violent man but he is also to be
pitied because of this tragedy
surrounding him and then as soon as we
establish those conflicting feelings we
hear that Achilles is going to lead to
the destruction not of the other side
but of his own men that cost the akians
countless losses and so we see the idea
of consequences of our actions
especially actions that are driven by
strong emotion it's the Rage of Achilles
that's going to lead to the death of so
many of his friends next we also have a
lot of description of the tragedy of War
this book is a war story but it never
lets us forget that war is full of pain
and loss and horror and ugliness
although there are heroes in this story
the violence is never portrayed as a
good thing it is always punctuated by
the idea that it makes the world more
painful and more ugly finally we get the
idea that the gods are going to be
meddling in everything although the
human beings make decisions and their
decisions have consequences there's also
the constant feeling that the gods are
meddling in our Affairs which ties in
with the idea of Fate how much of our
Lives can we control and how much is
controlled by circumstances Beyond us
that's a key question throughout this
book and there are characters who are
going to fight against their Fates as
well as characters who in spite of all
the things they attempt to do are still
broken on the wheel of fate we'll look
at more features next time in book two
thanks for watching you can click to
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I'll see you next time bye
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