Homer: Iliad Book IV

Book IV of the Iliad moves from the truce between Greeks and Trojans and the duel between Menelaos and Paris in Book III to the gods' decision that the Greeks will sack Troy, Athene's persuasion of Pandaros to break the truce by shooting at Menelaos, and the reciprocally and mutually destructive fighting between the two armies that ensues. This edition with commentary enables readers at all levels to interpret Book IV and Homeric poetry generally with heightened pleasure and understanding. It provides help with the morphology, grammar, syntax, and style of Homeric Greek, including the extended similes, speeches, and mythological allusions in Book IV. It also elucidates the poem's characterization of major and minor figures and its ethically charged representation of relations between gods and humans. Although intended primarily for undergraduates and graduate students, this edition also contains much of value for the scholar.