He is celebrated for his argument tying the creation of the Greek alphabet to the recording of the Homeric Poems, but is also well known for his textbooks on Greek myth and Greek history and his work on the history of writing. The Odyssey" is a far easier read, and found by many to be more exciting than "The Iliad" (which can, at times, be somewhat tedious). Each segment is introduced by a short and clear summary of its contents that includes also precise indications about the time of the involved events. But it's still `The Iliad', a story which I love and always will, though certainly a story that isn't for everybody.

Yet both of these gifts bring him tragedy as well as joy, and Jody is taught not only the harsh lessons of life and death, but made painfully aware of the fallibilty of adults. This timeless poem vivdly conveys the horror and heroism of men and gods battling amidst devastation and destruction. As to how the time / aidos issue affects the reaction of Achilles and his desire of revenge, Jones nevertheless later talks of “revenge for his own [Achilles] slighted honour” (p. Jones describes how the shots gradually become wider by showing Homer (a) as setting the scene first in the context of the battle between the Greeks and Trojans, then within the broad context of the whole history of the ten-year Trojan war; (b) as dealing with his personages like a “vast cast” (p.

Fagles occasionally smoothes over the brazen, weird archaism of Homer's phrasings - so old they seem new - with cliches, a stab at contemporaneity the poem doesn't need, even if we do; Poseidon's voice 'like a shock wave'? Achilles' the supposed hero is vain, vengeful and spiteful, the villian Hector is seen a reluctant defender who mourns his wife and child even before his death. and through the wondrouspowers and arts in the minds of these twotranslators: Robert Fagles or Martin Hammond. Jones’ asking-device frequently occurs in the detailed notes where the challenge to the readers sometimes becomes excessive because of the absence of answers.

Later in the commentary he does give some details about both food and blood, but there is something wrong. Some of the best bits are the dialogues with women (generally rare), but they tell their men that whilst they understand what is driving the conflict, their warriors also need to remember the possible fates of those left behind after battle. Nothing is known of his life, though the main ancient tradition made him a native of the island of Chios in east Aegean. Yet it has been argued that the Homeric use of aidos could be ambivalent as in Hesiod and in this perspective, preserving the l. In these notes, Jones often focuses on what the Greek word or sentence means, which translation is preferable, and why.

Despite the ugly fact that it was his family that sacked and destroyed her home, I was still moved by this astonishingly poetic statement, which also helped me care for Hector. The Iliad" is the oldest surviving work of Western literature, but the identity - or even the existence - of Homer himself is a complete mystery, with no reliable biographical information having survived. could be misleading since, in the underworld, Achilles is sad and wishes to be still alive not just to compete: it is not accidental that Achilles asks Odysseus about his son and his father (11. Jones’ interpretation seems to be based on what is generally considered as being a bard’s misinterpretation of the adjective ambrotos in Il. Ancient mythology often digress, very frequently, to subplots that may not be related to the core story.

It still feels breathtaking to see the representation of many moral, philosophical issues that remain relevant today. To save this article to your Dropbox account, please select one or more formats and confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. Even taking into account the declared limited scope of this book, I have to notice that Jones misses mentioning Hainsworth’s work; yet, he usually cites the bibliographic references after other specific topics are discussed. In conclusion, it is unfortunate that a certain unevenness in quality weakens the potential force of this book, whose basic idea of comparing three translations is to be applauded especially when one considers that the translation itself may be a major issue for everybody.Patroclus never saw him coming,moving across the deadly rout, shrouded in thick mistand on he came against him and looming up behind him now--slammed his broad shoulders and back with the god's flat handand his eyes spun as Apollo knocked the helmet off his headand under his horses' hoofs it tumbled, clattering on with its four forged horns and its hollow blank eyesand its plumes were all smeared in the bloody dust. A question ritually asked in literary circles is, "Which do you like better, The ILLIAD or The ODYSSEY? First of all, some specific connections between archaeological evidence and poetry cannot be completely neglected. Rieu's translation of `The Odyssey' was actually the very first Penguin Classics book and so, from a historical perspective, it should come as no surprise that that and his `Iliad' are considered "classics" in of themselves.

This eBook can be accessed through the free Dymocks eReader app, ( iOS, Android, Windows), or downloaded via Adobe Digital Editions (and other . What an age can read in Homer, what its translators can manage to say in his presence, is one gauge of its morale, one index to its system of exultations and reticences. I never thought that the day would come, but here I am, much to my dismay, writing a largely unfavourable review of one of mankind's greatest achievements, Homer's `The Iliad'. And, if you absolutely must read a prose translation, Rieu and son have done about as much as they can for it.This prose translation features an excellent introduction and textual commentary by the translator, Martin Hammond.