Probably written in the ninth century and based on an actual historical event that occurred in the thirteenth century B.C., Homer's Iliad is one of the great epic poems of the Western world. The poem essentially tells the story of a few days near the end of the ten-year-long Trojan War, detailing the destructive quarrel between the great warrior-hero Achilles and King Agamemnon, the battle between Paris and Menelaus for Helen of Troy, the Greek assault on the city, the Trojan counterattacks, the intervention of the gods on the part of their favorites on either side, and numerous other incidents and events. Vast in scope, possessing extraordinary lyricism and poignancy, this time-honored masterpiece brilliantly conveys the inconsistencies of gods and men, the tumultuous intensity of conflict, and, ultimately, the enormous waste of life that results from war. This inexpensive edition reproduces the celebrated Samuel Butler prose translation, admired for its simple, unadorned style, clarity, and readability.
