Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8314 in Books
• Published on: 1987-08-27
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 528 pages

Synopsis
The story centres on the critical events in four days of the 10th and final year of the war between the Greeks and Trojans. It describes how the quarrel of Agamemnon and Achilleus sets in motion a tragic sequence of events, which leads to Achilleus' killing of Hektor and determines the ultimate fate of Troy. But Homer's theme is not simply war or heroism. With compassion and humanity he presents a universal and tragic view of the world, of human life lived under the shadow of suffering and death, set against a vast and largely unpitying divine background.

Customer Reviews

Full of typos
This version has typos on almost every page. I would recommend spending some more money on the other versions of the Iliad instead. It seems that Wordsworth Classics have just knocked the book out without really doing any proofreading at all.

Review of Martin Hammond's translation of the Iliad
This is specifically a review of Martin Hammond's translation of the Iliad (I've noticed that reviews for different editions often appear lumped together). This is by far the best translation of the Iliad I have ever encountered and it led me to finally read the Iliad from beginning to end without skipping bits or skimming. It is a modern prose translation but is also extremely faithful to the meaning of the original Greek (since the translator is not forced to try to turn his translation into verse). I simply cannot recommend it enough. Another touch that I like is that Hammond has given the different characters names that are far closer to the original Greek (e.g. Achilleus, Aias, Patroklos, Hektor).

Full of depth, and, well, violence...
The characterisation in this epic are second to none. The battle scenes are sometimes brutal and always surprising, but this is contrasted with an amazingly in depth story of love and loyalty. Well worth reading even if you aren't a classical scholar.