Original Reviews

          Caroline Alexander’s argument is well-taken. The Iliad is not a glorification of warfare as often purported to be. Rather it is a sorrowful account of the battle between the Achaeans (the Greeks of Mycenae) and the Trojans (most likely an Indo-European folk related to the Hittites). Based on archeological evidence, the siege of ancient Troy occurred around 1250 BC. Homer’s magnificent creation was composed from oral traditions between 750 and 700 BC.

          Homer, Alexander suggests, raises timeless questions about the war experience. Is a warrior ever justified in challenging the commander of a military force? Must he be ready to die for a cause in which he believes that he has nothing at stake?  If he “gives his life for his country,” is he betraying other obligations – to his family and community? How is a catastrophic war allowed to happen in the first place? How can it be ended?

          The war that killed Achilles is said to have been provoked by the abduction of Helen of Sparta by a Trojan prince, Paris. Perhaps it was the result of a Trojan raid into the Peloponnese. Alexander hints at an alternative to the captivity narrative. Helen may have preferred the youthful, dashing Paris over her older husband – and eloped.

          Achilles is from Thessaly. He is the leader of one of the legendary twenty-nine contingents in the Achaean (Mycenaean) army and clearly the hero of the Iliad. He has openly challenged the ineffectual leadership of Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, before an assembly of all the Achaeans. Despite an embassy sent to dissuade him, Achilles intends to depart back to Thessaly along with his fighting unit, the Myrmidons.

          Homer has woven together various strands of older folk stories and fantastical tales. But he manages to transform these legends, Alexander argues, into haunting poetry and a story-line worthy of its subsequent popularity in the Greek world, in the Roman empire, and later amongst admiring northern Europeans. His craftsmanship as a writer also involves leaving out those parts of that tradition which aren’t relevant to his story line or don’t heighten the drama of the battlefield that stretches out below Troy.

          To make sure that we comprehend the violence of warfare, Homer gives us graphic descriptions of the wounding and killing. Heavy swords can wreck havoc on the human body when wielded by a warrior in a frenzied rage. Having rejoined the battle after the companion of his youth was slain by the Trojan, Hektor, Achilles goes berserk. Alexander compares his wrath to a description of soldiers during the Vietnam War described by Jonathan Shay in his book Achilles in Vietnam; Combat, Trauma, and the Undoing of Character.

          Alexander calls the reader’s attention to the fantastical in the Iliad, particularly the various interactions between mortals and the Olympian gods. Achilles, himself, was the result of a union between a divine mother, Thetis, and a mortal father, Peleus. Although they have a reputation for being aloof, in fact the Olympians have favorites and intervene on their behalf to salvage honor, if not life. They also had foreknowledge of the fates of their favorites, including their deaths.

          The gods Thetis, Zeus, Hera, Athene, Poseidon, and Apollo have important roles in the Iliad. Homer has given them personalities, but noticeably, no principles. They are fascinated with our antics, our quarrels, tears, vengeance. They are thrilled as spectators of the great game of bloody warfare. They have no concern for the morality of human struggle.

          Alexander has used the Lattimore translation of the Iliad, except for her own translation of Book 22, the account of Hektor’s death at the hands of Achilles quoted in full. She describes, in detail, scenes involving women: mothers and wives, mostly in mourning or pleading with their husbands and fathers to end the slaughter. It would have been interesting to have had a woman’s translation of those powerful battle scenes as well.