My Thoughts On The Iliad

I have completed the first of four books in my journey of ancient Greek literature.  I must say, I’ve enjoyed Homer’s The Iliad much more than I thought I would.  It’s no secret that I don’t enjoy poetry very much, but I was very surprised to see The Iliad didn’t read like a poem.

The story is definitely an interesting one, war, revenge, love, manipulation.  Yes, definitely manipulation.  I see war between Greece and Troy, as depicted, as one to further the god’s entertainment, those gods being Zeus, Hera, Athena, Apollo, etc.  The pivotal role of the gods did catch me by surprise, as going into this book, I thought it would simply be about war.

Overall, a very enjoyable experience for me, and a good first book for me to read as my introduction to ancient Greek literature.  I definitely recommend this book if you enjoy a good story about war, and for a good introduction to ancient Greek literature.