June 01, 2023

Iliad of Homer

6 hours 3 minutes

Lecture 1 sets the stage for our reading of the Iliad by providing an introduction to the plan of the course and summarizing the mythological background assumed by both the Iliad and the Odyssey (also available as a course taught by Dr. Vandiver).

Lecture 2 addresses the question of the 400- to 500-year gap between the events described in the Iliad (and, subsequently, the Odyssey) and the time when they were first written down.

It describes the Iliad's

relationship to traditional orally transmitted poetry, and considers

the implications of that oral tradition for the question of who "Homer"

was.

Lectures 3-12 address the plot, characters, and interpretations of the Iliad itself. Each focuses on a particular scene, character, or theme as we read through the Iliad.

Lecture 3 introduces the cultural concepts of kleos (glory) and timê (honor) and explains their significance for understanding the wrath of Achilles.

Lecture 4

moves inside the walls of Troy to discuss Homer's presentation of the

Trojans as sympathetic characters, rather than stereotypical enemies.

Lecture 5 looks in detail at Book IX of the Iliad, where three of Achilles's comrades try to persuade him to return to battle, and discusses how the concepts of kleos and timê factor into his refusal to do so.

Lecture 6 is devoted to a fuller discussion of the concept of kleos, which demonstrates that it is one of the key elements in the Iliad 's examination of the human condition.

Lecture 7

turns to an examination of the gods in Homer, discussing what types of

beings they are and what their presence in the narrative adds to the Iliad.

Lectures 8 and 9 give a detailed reading of the most important events of the day of Hektor's glory and Patroklos's death—the Iliad 's longest day, which lasts from Book XI through Book XVIII—with Lecture 8 focusing on Hektor and Lecture 9 on Patroklos.

Lecture 10

covers Achilles's return to battle, discussing the implications of his

actions, his divinely made armor, and his refusal to bury the dead

Patroklos.

Lecture 11 examines Hektor and

Achilles together, highlighting the contrasting elements in their

characters and the inevitability of their final encounter in battle.

Lecture 12 concludes the course with a discussion of the resolution of the Iliad, which is brought about by Achilles's encounter with his dead enemy, Hektor's aged father, King Priam.

The

encounter of these two enemies offers one final opportunity to take

from this great work a true understanding of the nature of mortality,

the Iliad's constant underlying theme.

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By Rita

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