The Iliad Events Quotes

and its devastation, which put pains thousandfold upon the Achaians, hurled in their multitudes to the house of Hades strong souls of heroes, but gave their bodies to be the delicate feasting of do...

(Odysseus:) Kalchas straightway spoke before us interpreting the gods' will: "Why are you turned voiceless, you flowing-haired Achaians? Zeus of the counsels has shown us this great portent: a thin...

(Antenor:) But when the other drove to his feet, resourceful Odysseus, he would just stand and stare down, eyes fixed on the ground beneath him, nor would he gesture with the staff backward and for...

(Odysseus:) What is this word that broke through the fence of your teeth, Atreides? How can you say that, when we Achaians waken the bitter war god on Trojans, breakers of horses, I hang back from...

Yet, as it was not the destiny of great-hearted Odysseus to kill with the sharp bronze the strong son of Zeus, therefore Athene steered his anger against the host of the Lykians. (5.674-676)

(Hektor:) Poor Andromache! Why does your heart sorrow so much for me? No man is going to hurl me to Hades, unless it is fated, but as for fate, I think no man has yet escaped it once it has taken i...

(Zeus:) Come then! After once more the flowing-haired Achaians are gone back with their ships to the beloved land of their fathers, break their wall to pieces and scatter it into the salt sea and p...

(Hektor:) Oh if I only could be as this in all my days immortal and ageless and be held in honour as Athene and Apollo are honoured as surely as this oncoming day brings evil to the Argives. (8.538...

(Achilleus:) For my mother Thetis the goddess of the silver feet tells me I carry two sorts of destiny toward the day my death. Either, if I stay here and fight beside the city of Trojans, my retur...

"Take us alive, son of Atreus, and take appropriate ransom. […]" Thus these two cried out upon the king, lamenting and in pitiful phrase, but they heard the voice that was without pity: "If in tr...

(Idomeneus:) […] there man's courage is best decided, where the man who is a coward and the brave man show themselves clearly: the skin of the coward changes colour one way and another, and the h...

She spoke, and from her breasts unbound the elaborate, pattern-pierced zone, and on it are figured all beguilements, and loveliness is figured upon it, and passion of sex is there, and the whispere...

(Hektor:) He who among you finds by spear thrown or spear thrust his death and destiny, let him die. He has no dishonour when he dies defending his country, for then his wife shall be saved and his...

(Zeus:) Ah me, that it is destined that the dearest of men, Sarpedon, must go down under the hands of Menoitios' son Patroklos. The heart in my breast is balanced between two ways as I ponder, whet...

But the horses of Aiakides standing apart from the battle wept, as they had done since they heard how their charioteer had fallen in the dust at the hands of murderous Hektor. […] They were u...

(Hektor:) If it is true that brilliant Achilleus is risen beside their ships, then the worse for him if he tries it, since I for my part will not run from him out of the sorrowful battle, but rathe...

(Agamemnon:) 'This is the word the Achaians have spoken often against me and found fault with me in it, yet I am not responsible but Zeus is, and Destiny, and Erinys the mist-walking who in assembl...

(Zeus:) For if we leave Achilleus alone to fight with the Trojans they will not even for a little hold off swift-footed Peleion. For even before now they would tremble whenever they saw him, and no...

(Achilleus:) Poor fool, no longer speak to me of ransom, nor argue it. In the time before Patroklos came to the day of his destiny then it was the way of my heart's choice to be sparing of the Troj...

(Hektor:) Ah me! If I go now inside the wall and the gateway, Poulydamas will be first to put a reproach upon me, since he tried to make me lead the Trojans inside the city on that accursed night w...

The ghost came and stood over his head and spoke a word to him: You sleep, Achilleus; you have forgotten me; but you were not careless of me when I lived, but only in death. Bury me as quickly as m...

(Hekabe:) How can you wish to go alone to the ships of the Achaians before the eyes of a man who has slaughtered in such numbers such brave sons of yours? The heart in you is iron. For if he has yo...