ALL characters in the Iliad: major and minor

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The Iliad is, without a doubt, one of the great epics of Classical Antiquity. It is attributed to Greek poet Homer, who also composed another famous poem, the Odyssey. The Iliad It is an epic text that narrates the anger of Achilles based on the events that occurred during the Trojan War. The name of the work comes from Ilium, Greek name by which the ancient city of Troy was known. Both Homeric works are considered by experts as the two great lyrical compositions of the entire classical Greek literature, since both were used for a long time as didactic principles and morals.

In this lesson from a TEACHER we are going to analyze in depth each of the characters in the Iliad, both the main and the secondary ones. Keep reading and you will know the main and minor characters of the Iliad to be able to do your job correctly.

Index

1. The main character of The Iliad: Achilles
2. Héctor, another of the main characters in The Iliad
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3. Other main characters in the tragedy
4. Secondary characters of the Iliad
5. The Iliad: short summary

The most important character in the entire play is Achilles, protagonist of The Iliad. Achilles is regarded as one of the greatest greek heroes who participated in the Trojan War.

He was the son of Peleus and Thetis, which is why throughout the text, Achilles also receives the nickname "Pélida", and also, in he is sometimes described as "the one with the swift feet", as his quickness was one of his many qualities on the field of play. battle.

This hero is characterized by the enormous strength of him and because he was never defeated by any warrior who dared to challenge him in combat. Legend has it that when Achilles was just a child, his mother dipped him into the Éstige River and made him immortal. However, this she forgot to put the heel by which she was holding him in the water, and because of that, the invulnerability of the Greek hero vanishes when he is wounded precisely in heel.

Such is the fame of this legend that we have incorporated into our language the expression "the Achilles heel" to refer to something that is our greatest weakness, in relation to this classic myth.

Here we offer you a brief summary of The Iliadso that you can better understand the plot of this literary work.

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Along with Achilles, Héctor is another of the great heroes of the Trojan War. First-born son of the Trojan king Priam and husband of Andromache, Hector is the best warrior of the trojan side and the commander of the forces defending the city from the Greeks.

During the battle, Hector kills Patroclus, a close friend of Achilles and, therefore, the Greek hero decides take revenge and kill Hector, subsequently humiliating him by dragging his corpse outside the walls of Troy.

Faced with the unbridled anger of Achilles, we find Hector, a faithful and dedicated warrior to the protection of the city from him. While Achilles fights in the Trojan War with the sole goal of achieving immortal fame, Hector does it because he has no choice and, as a brave and honorable man, he must defend his town.

Hector's death is a decisive blow for the Trojan army.

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In addition to the two co-stars, there are also other main characters in The Iliad and that we will analyze below:

Paris

Parishe is Héctor's younger brother. It is the trigger for the Trojan War as he falls madly in love with Helen, the wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta. Paris decides to flee taking Helen with him to Troy, which unleashes the wrath of Menelaus, who asks helps his brother Agamemnon, King of Mycenae, to wage war against Troy and win back his his wife.

In front of his brother Héctor, Paris is a delusional and cowardly young man, who prefers to sacrifice the welfare of all Trojans in order to win the love of a woman.

Agamemnon

King of Mycenae and main head of the Greek side in the Trojan War. He is a selfish warrior and his ego causes him to have several direct confrontations with Achilles, his best soldier. When Troy falls, Agamemnon is proclaimed victorious and returns to Mycenae.

Menelaus

Younger brother of Agamemnon. Together with him, he rallies the Greek armies to march on Troy, retrieve his wife and thus save her honor.

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Along with the main characters of the Iliad, we now study the most important supporting characters from the Homeric text:

Helena

Helena of Troy she is the wife of Menelaus. Legend has it that the goddess Aphrodite was jealous of Helena's beauty and that is why she made Paris fall in love with her and they fled from her along with Troy, which is why the war began. It symbolizes, in the figure of a woman, the disastrous future of the city of Troy and of all Trojans.

Odysseus

One of the most cunning and daring warriors of Agamemnon's troops. He is the main character in the Odyssey, the other great Homeric work. Hers of hers was the idea of ​​building the famous Trojan horse, a huge wooden structure that the Greeks offered to the Trojans as a sign of peace but that nevertheless hid in its interior Greek warriors, who thanks to this device, managed to enter the city, avoiding the enormous walls that had resisted the invasion for so long previous.

Ajax

One of the bravest Achaean warriors, belonging to the armies of Agamemnon. He is known by the nickname "Ajax the Great". His fame precedes him, since he does not have the help of the gods and yet he is one of the most ferocious and feared warriors on the Greek side.

Patroclus

Achilles' best friend, as close as if she were his little brother. He accompanied him during the war until, in a battle, he decided to wear the armor of Achilles and, at the Hector saw him, he confused him with the great Greek hero and killed him, which led to the later anger and revenge of Achilles.

Now that you know which are the characters of the Iliad, both main and secondary, let's introduce ourselves slightly into the argument of this well-known literary work.

The Iliad It is a piece that presents us with Achilles' anger. The reason for the dispute is because Agamemnon has kidnapped Achilles' favorite slave girl and, to get revenge, Achilles withdraws the army from him. Faced with this situation, Patrocolus (Achilles' cousin) decides to take command of the battle and faces the son of the King of Troy, Hector. This battle will end with the death of Patrocolo.

As soon as Achilles learns of this death, he decides to take revenge and, therefore, launches an offensive against the Trojans that aims to kill Hector. He finally ends up succeeding and, as revenge, decides to drag the body of the vanquished on the ground. The reason for this cruelty is because the Trojans have not yet returned the body of his cousin, so he decides to take revenge in this horrifying way.

The King Priam, Hector's father, will beg you to return the body. Achilles will end up giving in to the plea and empathize with her loss and his sadness. This is the end of The Iliad, a story that closes with the reconciliation of both sides, devastated by the death of their families.

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