A Reading of the Iliad

This book offers a close account of the Iliad with a running commentary and translations of key passages. The author divides the poem into three large sections, providing a summary of each: The Exposition of the Plot, The Great Day of Battle, and The Aristeia of Achilles. Of special interest are Frazer's discussions of the type-scenes and parallel narratives, foreshadowing and suspense, the catalog style, the character of Achilles, Homer as the teacher of the Greeks, and the role of the Gods. The author suggests that the Iliad was constructed around two different angers of Achilleshis godlike wrath and his vengeance against Hector. Frazer's original discussion of the connection between Achilles' name and the Greek word for "grief" provides new insight into Homer's epic.