The Iliad

Wrath, honor, and the battle for Troy — mapped.

Begin the story
Tiles © OpenStreetMap • Network by D3
  1. Before the Poem: Why Troy?

    Setup

    Paris carried off Helen from Sparta. The Greek coalition sails to the Troad to demand her return.

    Consequence

    Nine years of stalemate. Our story opens in the tenth.

    Evidence

    Iliad 1 (prologue); Epic cycle tradition.

  2. I. A Prayer and a Plague

    Setup

    Greek camp on the beach. Priest Chryses begs ransom for his daughter.

    Provocation

    Agamemnon insults the priest and refuses.

    Response

    Chryses prays; Apollo sends a plague.

    Consequence

    Forced assembly; Agamemnon must return the girl and demands a replacement prize.

    Evidence

    Book 1: “Apollo heard him” — plague-arrows on the camp.

  3. II. The Wrath of Achilles

    Setup

    With the plague raging, Agamemnon returns Chryseïs but insists on recompense.

    Provocation

    He seizes Briseïs, Achilles’ prize.

    Response

    “I shall not fight.” Achilles withdraws from battle.

    Consequence

    Greek strength collapses without its greatest warrior.

    Evidence

    Book 1: the assembly quarrel; Briseïs led from Achilles’ hut.

  4. III. Thetis and Zeus

    Setup

    On Olympus after Achilles’ appeal to his mother.

    Provocation

    Thetis kneels to Zeus: make the Greeks lose until they honor Achilles.

    Response

    Zeus nods assent — a binding sign among gods.

    Consequence

    Trojans surge; the war tilts toward Troy.

    Evidence

    Book 1: Zeus “bent his dark brows” and agreed.

  5. IV. Menelaus vs. Paris

    Setup

    A truce: one duel to end the war.

    Provocation

    Menelaus overpowers Paris.

    Response

    Aphrodite rescues Paris, breaking the truce.

    Consequence

    Fighting resumes; trust dissolves.

    Evidence

    Book 3: Aphrodite whisks Paris away to Helen.

  6. V. Hector and Andromache

    Setup

    Troy’s walls.

    Provocation

    Andromache begs Hector to stay off the plain.

    Response

    Hector chooses duty over safety.

    Consequence

    Foreboding of his death — and Troy’s.

    Evidence

    Book 6: their farewell with infant Astyanax.

  7. VI. The Embassy to Achilles

    Setup

    Greeks falter; hope turns to Achilles.

    Provocation

    Odysseus, Phoenix, Ajax offer rich gifts and honor.

    Response

    Achilles refuses: no price for a dishonored life.

    Consequence

    Greeks face the next assault without him.

    Evidence

    Book 9: Achilles vows to “sail home at dawn.”

  8. VI½. Poseidon’s Aid

    Setup

    At the ships; Zeus distracted.

    Provocation

    Poseidon defies Zeus’s tilt toward Troy.

    Response

    He breathes strength into Ajax and Odysseus.

    Consequence

    The Greek line holds — barely.

    Evidence

    Books 13–14: the earth-shaker rallies the Greeks.

  9. VII. Patroclus in Achilles’ Armor

    Setup

    Ships burn; the Greeks beg.

    Provocation

    Achilles lets Patroclus wear his armor to save the fleet.

    Response

    Patroclus drives Trojans back but presses too far.

    Consequence

    Hector kills Patroclus; Achilles’ grief turns to rage.

    Evidence

    Book 16: “Bring fire no nearer” — then the fatal charge.

  10. VIII. The Death of Hector

    Setup

    Hector stands outside Troy’s walls.

    Provocation

    Athena tricks Hector to face Achilles.

    Response

    Achilles gives chase; duel and death.

    Consequence

    Achilles defiles the body; mourning in Troy.

    Evidence

    Book 22: “Darkness veiled his eyes.”

  11. IX. Priam’s Ransom

    Setup

    By night in the Greek camp.

    Provocation

    Guided by Hermes, Priam begs for Hector’s body.

    Response

    Achilles weeps with him and relents.

    Consequence

    Trojan funeral honors close the poem.

    Evidence

    Book 24: “Remember your own father.”