The Iliad, Book 14 summary

What happens

1. Nestor finds the wounded kings, and Ulysses rejects Agamemnon’s proposal to launch the fleet during battle.
2. Diomedes persuades the kings to encourage their troops without entering spear range, while Neptune restores Achaean courage.
3. Juno borrows Venus’s enchanted belt and secures Sleep’s help by promising him marriage to Pasithea.
4. Juno entices Zeus into an embrace on Ida, and Sleep puts him to sleep before informing Neptune.
5. Neptune leads the reorganized Achaeans, and Ajax strikes Hector with a stone, forcing his comrades to carry him away.
6. Both sides kill warriors and exchange boasts, but fear spreads among the Trojans as the Achaeans press their attack.

In this book

What to notice

Ulysses explains why preparing an escape during combat threatens the army. His objection makes Agamemnon accept discussion of another plan.

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