In the third season premiere, I look at the source material The Iliad by Homer and translated by Emily Wilson. After providing background on the author, and historical/cultural/mythological context, I run through the major players within the epic. I examine the first act of the story (Books I-IX), discussing key or interesting moments after I give a synopsis of each Book. Is Helen, daughter of Zeus, really to blame for the Trojan War? Listen and find out!
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Very in depth, as I expect from your looking into literature, Stella. There are a few things that I wanted to comment on.
1. I’ve always heard the name Priam pronounced “Pry-Am”, but you’re saying “Pre-Am”. I’m more than willing to bow to your expertise on this, but I was wondering where the difference comes from.
2. One of the central themes you have is “The Trojan War wasn’t Helen’s fault.” I don’t know about anyone else, but it never even occurred to me that it would be her fault. She’s the victim in all of this, why would she be blamed? Heck, Paris is even more to blame than I originally thought, as he broke the rules of hospitality by coming in as a guest and then kidnapping his host’s wife.
3. I never put together just how much in common the start of the Trojan War had with World War I. One bad act (kidnapping & murder, respectfully) gets exponentially worse due to the oaths and treaties dragging many more nations than are directly involved into the conflict.
4. I don’t think there’s any actual lore that puts Athena and Aphrodite at odds specifically, but I can imagine that the one of Goddesses of Virginity and the Goddess of Physical Love might have some disparaging opinions of each other.
I’m really looking forward to this series continuing. 😀
Thanks for a great first episode covering the war. A couple of things –
First off, like Gene, I have never ever ever thought this war was Helen’s fault. If anyone is a pawn in a the machinations of gods, it is poor Helen. Taken from her home, forced to be with Paris, trying her best. She doesn’t want any of this. If anything, it is Eris’ fault for stirring the pot. Why there isn’t a story where she gets taken to task for her role surprises me.
Two, like you, I have heard all the Patroclus and Achilles were more than friends talk but even when I am looking for it, I don’t see it. If anything, I think of them as Frat bros, with Patroclus a bit of a hanger-on, getting some shine for being Achilles buddy. That ‘they were in bed with two women’ sounds like orgy, not homoerotic to me.
Third, I feel like Aphrodite’s realm of using beauty/sex to achieve goals is probably nauseating to Athena who uses wisdom and power. My guess is Athena just dislikes Aphrodite.
Wonderful discussion and look forward to listening to the rest!
Dr. Anj,
I have always read Achilles and Patroclus as deeply in love. To me, they are the mirror couple to Hector and Andromache.
Great first episode!
The connection to my own literary show is, of course, that Hamlet makes the First Player do a speech from a play that involves the Trojan War. The speech: “Aeneas’ tale to Dido”. I’m listening to Dear Reader very attentively.
I read through the Iliad and the Odyssey back when I was in 7th or 8th grade, but haven’t reread them since then. So, I appreciate having these first two episodes as a refresher.
Like Gene and Anj, I don’t think I’ve ever blamed Helen for starting the war. Of course, if all of this was fated to occur, then can you really blame anyone for what happened?
When it comes to the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus, I’d like to think there’s more there than friendship, but it’s been too long since I read the Iliad to know if that’s supported by the original text. My teenage daughter is a diehard Achilles/Patroclus shipper, due to Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles. I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, but it’s one of my daughter’s favorite books of all time.
On a related note, I listened to this episode with my daughter, while we were driving to and from her swim meet last weekend, and you inspired her to dive back into the Iliad. (She’s been reading it on and off for the last year or so. In particular, the list of captains was a real slog). Though, she may go back and reread The Song of Achilles first.
Thanks for an excellent first episode.
Fantastic opening salvo into The Iliad. When I taught The Iliad, I used to divide my students up into gods, Trojans, and Achaean’s. The unit would culminate in a series of debates where groups would go up against each other to determine who is most at fault for the war. It was always so much fun to see the kids get deeply invested in a millennia old story.
One of my kids once said, “Everyone thinks The Iliad is this big deal book, but it’s really Jerry Soringer for the Ancient Greeks. That still makes me laugh.