17 h 10 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 421 pagesHardcover · 6 × 9 in · 421 pagesAbout this book
What happens when an army’s greatest warrior lets his wounded pride matter more than the men beside him?
The Greek army besieges Troy, but a quarrel within its own camp threatens its strength. Agamemnon insults Achilles, his finest fighter, and Achilles withdraws from battle. In The Iliad, the long epic poem credited to Homer, a few weeks of war expose the terrible cost of anger and honour.
Across the battlefield stands Hector, Troy’s chief defender, a husband and father who fears for his city. Patroclus grieves for the suffering Greeks, while Odysseus tries to bring Achilles back. Above them, Zeus and the other gods shape mortal fortunes. Battles and councils carry the same urgent question: what does greatness demand from a human life?
What you’ll discover
- The anger of Achilles Follow a wounded sense of honour as it puts an entire army at risk.
- Hector beyond the battlefield Meet Troy’s defender as he turns from fighting to the family he loves.
- Gods in the struggle Enter a world where divine quarrels and promises weigh upon warriors facing death.
- Words before the weapons Hear warriors argue, plead, and challenge one another before they strike.
- The price of glory Explore how pride, loyalty, grief, and sacrifice complicate the desire to be great.
Is it for you?
This is for anyone who wants the plot and the ideas of the oldest great poem of the West, whether for study, for curiosity or before a first reading. It may suit you less if you want a tale with tidy heroes and villains.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A quarrel splits the Greek camp
- Achilles withdraws and Zeus makes a promise
- A duel is offered and a truce fails
- Diomedes fights and even gods bleed
- Hector says goodbye to his family
- Zeus tips the scales against the Greeks
- Achilles refuses the embassy
- Honour, anger and the shadow of death
- How Homer builds the poem for the ear
Who’s who
- AchillesThe strongest Greek warrior, son of the sea goddess Thetis, who withdraws from the war after Agamemnon takes his prize and wants his honour restored.
- AgamemnonKing of Mycenae and leader of the Greek army, a proud and powerful man who must learn the cost of insulting his best fighter.
- HectorPrince of Troy and its chief defender, a devoted husband and father who fights for his city though he fears its fall.
- PatroclusAchilles' dearest companion, a gentle and loyal man who grieves for the suffering Greeks and longs to help them.
- OdysseusThe clever king of Ithaca, a patient speaker and planner who tries to bring Achilles back to the Greek cause.
- PriamThe aged king of Troy, father of Hector and Paris, who rules a city under siege and sees his sons go to war.
- HelenThe woman whose departure with Paris led to the war, she lives in Troy ashamed and longs for her old home.
- ZeusKing of the gods, who grants Thetis her request and tries to keep the other gods from taking sides in the fighting.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 17 h 10 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in, 421 pages: 13,95 USD when you start free, 20,95 USD on its own.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in, 421 pages: 21,95 USD when you start free, 27,95 USD on its own.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works · 60-day guarantee
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, for the whole household.
- We remind you first. We email you 7 days before your first payment. Then your first year is 50% off: 0,14 USD a day, then 0,27 USD a day, never raised. Or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
60-day money-back guarantee. If the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear The Iliad in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Read it side by side
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- The whole household
Starts right away, on any device
Read free60-day money-back guaranteeRenews every yearCancel anytimeHow it works
Language: Italiano
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 9
A quarrel splits the Greek camp
The poem opens in the tenth year of the siege. A priest of Apollo named Chryses comes to the Greek ships with ransom, hoping to buy back his daughter Chryseis. Agamemnon, who holds her as a prize of war, refuses and sends the old man away with harsh words. Chryses prays to Apollo, and the god answers by sending a plague that falls first on the mules and dogs and then on the men.
For nine days the funeral fires burn. On the tenth day Achilles calls the army to an assembly and asks a seer to say why Apollo is angry. The seer, Calchas, fears the wrath of the king and asks Achilles for protection before he speaks. Achilles promises it, and Calchas names the cause: Agamemnon has dishonoured the priest and must return the girl.
Renews every year · Cancel anytime
The author
Homer
900 BC–800 BC · Ancient Greek epic poet
Reputed author of the Iliad and the Odyssey.
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, for the whole household. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - The whole householdUp to 5 readers
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
More by Homer
All 2 books
More like this
Free
Free
Free
FreeOur mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
Questions about The Iliad
Can I read it free?
Yes. The beginning, from the first page to the end of chapter 1, and the first 5 minutes of the audiobook are free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 90 days, with the eBook to keep. After that, your first year is 50% off. You also get 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy just the printed book?
Yes. The paperback costs 20,95 USD on its own. Start free and you pay the cost of printing: 13,95 USD for this paperback, and any other book at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print.
Can my family read too?
Yes. The whole household reads and listens: up to 5 readers, each with their own shelf and their own place in every book.
What if it is not for me?
Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. If you have paid and the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
What is the Iliad about?
It is about a few weeks in the tenth year of the Trojan War, when Achilles quits the fighting after a quarrel with Agamemnon. The poem follows the anger, loss and grief that result on both the Greek and Trojan sides.
Who is Achilles in the Iliad?
Achilles is the greatest Greek warrior at Troy, the son of King Peleus and the sea goddess Thetis. He is swift, proud and quick to anger, and he knows he may live a long life or win lasting fame, but not both.
Is the Iliad a true story?
It is a work of poetry, not history. A city at Troy did exist and was probably attacked in the Bronze Age, but the heroes and gods are legend. The poem took shape in the eighth or seventh century BC.
Popular in myths & legends
See all
Free
Free
Free
Free
