Composed around the eighth century BC, Homer’s Iliad is one of the oldest and most profound works of Western literature. Set during the final weeks of the decade-long Trojan War, it focuses on the devastating consequences of the great warrior Achilles’s wrath — his quarrel with King Agamemnon, his withdrawal from battle, the death of his companion Patroclus, and his terrible vengeance against the Trojan hero Hector.
The Iliad’s unflinching portrayal of war’s glory and horror, and its compassionate treatment of soldiers on both sides, has given it an enduring moral power. Download this free EPUB from Better Gutenberg to read one of humanity’s oldest and greatest stories.