This may be my first time I’ve read the Iliad straight through in over a decade. I encountered some issues I want to look into more deeply, but some superficial things that I noticed about it include:
— there are some downright weird things that happen in this poem, like Achilles being addressed by his horses, or his dream with the recently deceased Patroclus, that had somehow escaped me on previous readings.
— the gods are much more heavily involved than I’d realized; really, equal partners with the mortals in this.
— the books have their own distinct characters. Maybe not in every book but in passels of them, certain similes, phrases, situations, themes, behaviors, are likely to predominate.
— the minor characters are more individual and subtly drawn than I’d previously credited them with being. Brisies’ brief eulogy of Patroclus, for instance, gives us a clear glimpse into his nature — Achilles’ gentler side.
— I found the ending quite moving, which I never had before. Poor Hector, poor Troy, sad situation.
— Finally, reconfirmed for myself that this is certainly a classic of world literature. Far more than an interesting story with good characters, it is a wonderfully structured work of art with a lot to notice and think about.
.i`` * ^ / . . . . . ` `~ 