Outline of Homer’s Illiad

Here is an outline of Homer’s Iliad:

I. The Wrath of Achilles
A. Agamemnon angers Achilles by taking his war prize, Briseis
B. Achilles withdraws from battle and requests his mother, Thetis, to ask Zeus to support the Trojans
C. Zeus agrees, and the Trojans begin to gain the upper hand

II. The Trojan War Continues
A. The Achaeans struggle against the Trojans without Achilles
B. Diomedes, with Athena’s help, leads the Achaean attack
C. Paris wounds Diomedes, Hector rallies the Trojans
D. Hector returns to Troy to arrange a sacrifice to Athena and bid farewell to his wife Andromache

III. The Duel Between Menelaus and Paris
A. Paris challenges the Achaeans to single combat; Menelaus agrees
B. Paris is defeated but saved by Aphrodite
C. The truce is broken, and the war resumes

IV. The Achaeans Push Forward
A. The Achaeans advance, Agamemnon and Diomedes perform well
B. Hera seduces Zeus, allowing Poseidon to help the Achaeans
C. Hector is wounded, and the Trojans are pushed back to the walls

V. Patroclus Fights and Dies
A. Achilles sends Patroclus to fight in his place wearing his armor
B. Patroclus succeeds in pushing the Trojans back but is killed by Hector

VI. The Vengeance of Achilles
A. Achilles grieves for Patroclus and decides to avenge his death
B. Thetis brings Achilles new armor from Hephaestus
C. Achilles returns to battle and kills many Trojans

VII. The Death of Hector
A. Achilles confronts Hector outside Troy’s walls
B. Hector tries to negotiate, but Achilles refuses
C. Achilles chases Hector, kills him, and drags his body behind his chariot

VIII. Priam’s Request
A. Priam, guided by Hermes, goes to Achilles to request Hector’s body for burial
B. Achilles relents and agrees to a truce for Hector’s funeral
C. The Iliad ends with Hector’s funeral

This outline covers the main events and key turning points in the epic poem. The wrath of Achilles and its consequences form the central theme that drives much of the narrative.

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After the events of the Iliad, the Trojan War continues. Although not described in the Iliad itself, later Greek epics and other ancient sources recount the following events:

1. The death of Achilles: He is killed by Paris with an arrow guided by Apollo, which strikes Achilles in his heel, his only vulnerable spot.
2. The Trojan Horse: Odysseus devises a plan to sneak into Troy by hiding Achaean warriors inside a giant wooden horse, which the Trojans bring into the city believing it to be a gift.
3. The fall of Troy: The hidden Achaean warriors emerge from the horse at night, open the city gates, and allow their army to enter. Troy is sacked and burned.
4. The death of King Priam: Achilles’ son Neoptolemus kills Priam at the altar of Zeus.
5. The escape of Aeneas: The Trojan hero Aeneas escapes the city with his father, son, and other survivors. His journey is later described in Virgil’s Roman epic, the Aeneid.
6. The returns of the Achaean heroes: Many Achaean heroes face hardships on their journeys home, most famously Odysseus, whose ten-year voyage is recounted in Homer’s Odyssey.
7. The death of Agamemnon: Upon his return home, Agamemnon is murdered by his wife Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus, as revenge for sacrificing their daughter Iphigenia.

These events conclude the Trojan War and set the stage for further developments in Greek mythology, literature, and drama, exploring themes of war, heroism, fate, and the human condition.