Iliad Lesson Plan

How does the poet depict the battles between the Greeks and the Trojans?

The Iliad is a profoundly violent poem, and it doesn't shy away from explicit descriptions of the harm which its characters inflict upon one another. These descriptions are often gory, anatomically detailed, and have a certain artistry to them – as if killing itself were something that could be made beautiful by a warrior's skill. The result is morbidly fascinating for many readers – indeed, one way to think about The Iliad is as an ancient, orally-recited version of a Hollywood action blockbuster, whose violent spectacle entertains us on a certain instinctual level.

How were death and killing...