Reading Order
The Iliad Reading Order
The Iliad (c. 8th century BCE, traditionally attributed to Homer) is the foundational work of Western literature — the epic poem about the wrath of Achilles and the final weeks of the Trojan War that established the conventions of the epic form and the questions that European literature has been asking ever since. The poem opens with the quarrel between Achilles (the greatest Greek warrior) and Agamemnon (the commander of the Greek forces) over the captive girl Briseis; Achilles withdraws from battle in anger, and the Greeks begin to lose without him. The poem traces the consequences of this withdrawal — the Greeks pushed back to their ships, Hector killing Achilles's companion Patroclus, Achilles's return to battle in grief and rage, the killing of Hector, and the poem's final scene in which Priam, Hector's aged father, kneels before Achilles to ask for his son's body back. The Iliad is not primarily a poem about the glory of war (though it contains more than any other text the most honest account of what war's glory costs): it is a poem about grief, about the mortality that makes all human greatness tragic, and about the relationship between the individual hero's desire for honor and the community's need for his service.
Where to start
The Iliad (c. 8th century BCE) — the complete poem, in a good modern translation. The Emily Wilson (2023) and Caroline Alexander (2015) translations are the best current options; Robert Fagles (1990) is still widely used; Richmond Lattimore (1951) is the most literal. Best Homer reading order: The Iliad → The Odyssey.
Complete The Iliad Book List
- 1Buy
The Iliad
Homer·-750·The complete poem in a good modern translation — Emily Wilson (Norton, 2023), Caroline Alexander (Ecco, 2015), or Robert Fagles (Penguin, 1990). 24 books; the quarrel, the battles, the death of Patroclus, the return of Achilles, the ransom of Hector's body - 2Buy
The Odyssey
Homer·-720·The companion — Odysseus's return home. The companion as the other half of Homer: where the Iliad is organized around the greatest warrior and the question of honor, the Odyssey is organized around the most intelligent man and the question of homecoming and recognition - 3Buy
The Aeneid
Virgil·-19·Virgil's companion — the founding of Rome. The companion as the primary classical continuation: Virgil wrote the Aeneid in explicit conversation with Homer, using the same epic conventions and beginning his poem at the point where Homer's end — Aeneas's journey from the ruins of Troy - 4Buy
Paradise Lost
John Milton·1667·Milton's companion — the Fall of Man. The companion as the primary English epic: Milton wrote Paradise Lost in explicit dialogue with Homer, using the same epic conventions and the same in medias res opening, but transforming them for the Christian subject matter - 5Buy
The Divine Comedy
Dante Alighieri·1320·The companion — Dante's journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. The companion as the medieval epic that is in sustained dialogue with the Homeric tradition: Dante meets Ulysses (his name for Odysseus) in Hell, and the Divine Comedy is organized partly as a Christian transformation of the same journey structure that Homer uses in the Odyssey - 6Buy
The Trojan Women
Euripides·-415·Euripides's companion — the Trojan women after the fall of Troy. The companion as the dramatic investigation of the Trojan War's consequences for the defeated: where the Iliad investigates the war from the perspective of the combatants, The Trojan Women investigates it from the perspective of the women who are left behind - 7Buy
Achilles
Elizabeth Cook·2001·Cook's companion — a lyric retelling of Achilles's story. The companion as a modern poetic retelling that draws on the same traditions - 8Buy
The Song of Achilles
Madeline Miller·2011·Miller's companion — the retelling of the Iliad from Patroclus's perspective. The companion as the modern novel most directly based on the Iliad's events: Miller's retelling focuses on the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus, reading their friendship as a love story, and won the Orange Prize for Fiction
The Iliad — Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Iliad about?
The Iliad is about the wrath of Achilles during the final weeks of the Trojan War. The poem opens with a quarrel: Agamemnon, the Greek commander, takes the captive girl Briseis from Achilles, the greatest Greek warrior. Achilles, furious at this insult to his honor, withdraws from battle. Without Achilles, the Greeks are pushed back toward their ships by the Trojan forces led by Hector. In the poem's turning point, Achilles's closest companion Patroclus puts on Achilles's armor to inspire the Greeks, is killed by Hector, and Achilles returns to battle in grief and rage. He kills Hector, mutilates his body, and refuses to return it. The poem ends with Priam, Hector's aged father, traveling alone to the Greek camp to beg Achilles for his son's body; Achilles, moved by the sight of an old man grieving for his son, agrees. The poem ends with Hector's funeral.
What is the best translation of the Iliad?
The best translation of the Iliad depends on what you want. Emily Wilson's 2023 translation (Norton) is currently considered the most accurate and most readable modern translation; it is metrically regular (iambic pentameter) and linguistically precise, and its introduction and notes are exceptional. Caroline Alexander's 2015 translation (Ecco) is also highly regarded for its accuracy and its close attention to the Greek. Robert Fagles's 1990 translation (Penguin) is the most widely used in American universities and is excellent for its dramatic energy, though some scholars find it loose. Richmond Lattimore's 1951 translation is the most literal and gives the clearest sense of the Greek hexameter, but is harder for modern readers. For readers coming to Homer for the first time, Emily Wilson or Robert Fagles is probably the best choice; for students, the Norton Critical Edition (which uses the Lattimore translation with extensive notes) is the scholarly standard.
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