The Iliad

The poet’s use of “swift ships” as opposed to “well-benched ships,” then, has nothing to do with a desire to emphasize speed over construction; the choice is determined only by the metrical phrasing that is needed.

Modern views range from the belief that Homer was the last and defining poet writing at the end of the long epic tradition; to the belief that there never was a Homer at all, but only a shared tradition passed down by generations of bards; and on to the extreme view that there is no single definitive Iliad, only versions of its various performances

from this point on, the Iliad cannot be mistaken for glorifying war’s destructive violence. Rather, it makes explicit the tragic cost of such glory, even to the greatest warrior.

But Achilles, during this unaccustomed absence from fighting, has come to see the value of his life.