Iliad

             Nine years after the Trojan War, the Greeks capture and rob a town allied with Troy called Chryse. The Greeks capture a pair of slaves named Chryseis and Briseis during this battle. The leader of the Greeks, Agamemnon, takes Chryseis as a prize, and the greatest Greek warrior Achilles takes Briseis. Apollo is prayed to by Chryses (father of the slaves) for the return of his daughters and sends a plague to the Greek camp. Agamemnon tries to find out the cause of the plague so he contacts the prophet Calchas. He finds out that Chryseis was the cause so he gives up his slave and takes Briseis from Achilles. Achilles becomes angered with this action and refuses to fight in the war. He strongly wishes that the Greeks become destroyed and ask his mother Thetis (sea-nymph) to enlist the services of Zeus (king of Gods). The Trojans and Greeks cease fire with each other but the Trojans breach the treaty so Zeus came to their assistance.
             Now the Greeks suffered greatly without the support of Zeus and Achilles refusal to fight. Also the great Greek warrior Diomedes proved fruitless. Some major battles occur for several days including Hector and Ajax, and Paris and Menelaus. The Greeks were forced back by the Trojans to protect their ships. Greeks get some hope when one night Diomedes and Odysseus get information about the plans of the Trojans. The next day several Greek commanders become wounded and the Trojans break through the Greek ramparts advancing all the way to the boundary of the camp and setting fire to a ship. Greeks felt that defeat was coming on because they would be stranded at Troy without the ships. Meanwhile, Achilles showed concern for his fellow Greeks and agreed to a plan by Nestor that allowed Achilles' good friend Patroclus to go in his armor to battle for him. The presence of Patroclus proved helpful for the Greeks since the Trojans were pushed away from the ships and back to the city walls. Hector soo...

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Iliad. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 11:09, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/3093.html