In this video, I’ll summarize the plot of The Iliad in about four minutes and give you an analysis of the story.
1. The Rage of Achilles
The Iliad begins in the final year of the Trojan War, a brutal conflict between the Greeks (Achaeans) and the Trojans. The Greek hero Achilles, the mightiest warrior of the Achaeans, quarrels with Agamemnon, the leader of the Greek forces. Agamemnon has taken Chryseis, the daughter of a Trojan priest, as his war prize. When the priest prays to Apollo, the god sends a plague upon the Greek army. Agamemnon agrees to return Chryseis but demands Achilles’ prize, the maiden Briseis, in compensation. Enraged by this insult, Achilles withdraws from battle, refusing to fight for the Greeks. He even prays to his mother, Thetis, to ask Zeus to punish the Achaeans in his absence.
2. The Tide Turns
With Achilles gone, the war begins to favor the Trojans. Hector, the prince of Troy and their greatest warrior, leads his forces in a relentless assault against the Greeks. Meanwhile, the gods take sides—Zeus initially aids the Trojans at Thetis’ request, while Hera, Athena, and Poseidon favor the Greeks. The battle intensifies, and the Greek forces suffer heavy losses without Achilles. The Trojans, emboldened by their success, push the Greeks back toward their ships, threatening to burn them and destroy the entire army.
3. Achilles’ Return
Desperate to save the Greeks, Patroclus, Achilles’ closest companion, dons Achilles’ armor and leads the Myrmidons into battle. He fights bravely and even drives the Trojans back, but Hector ultimately kills him, believing he is Achilles. The loss of Patroclus devastates Achilles, and his grief quickly turns into a thirst for vengeance. He resolves to return to battle, despite knowing that doing so will seal his own fate.
4. Achilles’ Revenge
Achilles receives new armor, forged by the god Hephaestus, and re-enters the war with unstoppable fury. He slaughters countless Trojans and finally faces Hector outside the walls of Troy. Hector, realizing he is doomed, initially runs, but Achilles chases him around the city three times before finally slaying him. Instead of honoring Hector’s body, Achilles desecrates it by dragging it behind his chariot, seeking to further humiliate his fallen enemy. However, this excessive rage begins to trouble the gods and Achilles’ allies.
5. Priam’s Plea
The Iliad concludes with a powerful moment of reconciliation. Priam, the aged king of Troy and Hector’s father, bravely sneaks into the Greek camp and begs Achilles to return his son’s body. In an emotional exchange, Priam appeals to Achilles’ humanity by reminding him of his own father. Moved by Priam’s grief, Achilles finally relents and returns Hector’s body, allowing the Trojans to give him a proper burial. The epic ends not with the fall of Troy, but with a moment of shared sorrow between enemies, emphasizing the cost of war and the fleeting nature of glory.
Theme 1: Honor and Glory
One of the central themes of The Iliad is the pursuit of honor (kleos) and personal glory. Achilles, Hector, and many other warriors fight not only for their people but to secure their own legacy. The poem examines the cost of this desire for glory—Achilles gains immortality in legend, but at the price of his closest friend and, eventually, his own life. Even Hector, who fights for his homeland, knows he is doomed but chooses to face Achilles rather than die a coward. The epic suggests that honor is both a noble pursuit and a dangerous obsession.
Theme 2: Fate and Free Will
Throughout The Iliad, fate plays a crucial role in the lives of the characters. Achilles knows from the beginning that he is fated to die young if he returns to battle, yet he chooses to fight anyway. Similarly, Hector is warned not to face Achilles but accepts his destiny. The gods influence events, yet humans still make choices that lead them toward their fates. This tension between free will and destiny underscores the tragedy of war, where even the greatest heroes cannot escape their ultimate end.