Homer’s Iliad

Martha Krieter-Spiro, Stuart Douglas Olson, Benjamin Millis, Sara Strack

• Publisher: De Gruyter
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN:
  9783110568868
• eBook ISBN:
  9783110569407
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Ancient & Classical Literary Criticism
• Index: Literature

The renowned Basler Homer-Kommentar of the Iliad, edited by Anton Bierl and Joachim Latacz and originally published in German, presents the latest developments in Homeric scholarship. Through the English translation of this ground-breaking reference work, edited by S. Douglas Olson, its valuable findings are now made accessible to students and scholars worldwide.

Commentary

Book 14 continues the portrayal of the events of Day 26 of the action of the epic, corresponding to Day 3 of the battle (STR 21 Fig. 1). After a confrontation with Agamemnon, Achilleus withdrew from battle, while his mother Thetis wrested from Zeus a promise that he would allow the Achaians to be forced all the way back to their ships by the Trojans (1.12b–2.47). Eventually, the Trojans managed to cross the ditch and the wall in front of the encampment of ships (Books 8–12). Against this background, a retardationP that extends across Books 13 and 14 is inserted into the narrative: Poseidon, a member of the pro-Achaian party among the gods, exploits Zeus’ distraction to secretly support the Achaians. The Achaians offer resistance, but are increasingly under pressure (Book 13). Book 14 shows their response: the leaders, incapable of fighting, anxiously consult regarding future tactics and are eventually spurred on by Poseidon (1–152). At that point, Hera, who has always supported the Achaians, decides to deceive Zeus and distract him from the battle action entirely; she successfully executes her plan (153–353). While Zeus is asleep, Poseidon can aid the Achaians openly, and he does so to such a degree that Hektor is rendered incapable of fighting and the Trojans finally retreat across the wall and the ditch (354–522; in Book 15, these Achaian successes are undone once more; on the overall course of the battle, LATACZ 1977, 103 f.). The focus of the narrative is thus on Hera’s ‘deception of Zeus’ (the basis for the references to the Book as the Diós apátē already in antiquity), around which the framing story – set among human beings – is structured (ring-compositionP).

The following lemmata in the commentary provide an overview of the action in Book 14 (see also the Overview above at p. 9 f.): 1–152n., 153–353n., 354–522n., 354-401n.; on the chronology specifically: 1–152n., 147–152n., 354–401n., 402–439n.

Individual details:

• on individual characters: gods: Aphrodite 170–186n., 187–223n., 198b–199n., 214n.; Athene 178–179n.; Hephaistos 167n., 168n., 231–291n., 231n., 238n., 239–240n., 257n., 327n., 338n.; Hera 153–353n., 153n., 155–156n., 157–158n., 170–186n., 187–223n., 202–203n., 222–223n., 225–230n., 231–291n., 249–261n., 267–268n., 292–353n., 295–296n., 301–311n., 304–306n., 313–328n., 327n., 330–340n., 347–351n.; Hypnos 231–291n., 231n., 259–261n., 264–266n., 353n., 354–356n.; Okeanos 200n., 201n., 203b–204n., 205n., 246n., 271n.; Poseidon 135–152n., 135n., 136n., 139–146n., 155–156n., 354–401n., 363–377n., 385–387n., 386n., 390–391n., 510n.; Zeus 53b–54n., 65–81n., 85b–87n., 153–353n., 203b–204n., 249–261n., 256–261n., 257n., 292–353n., 293n., 313–328n., 347–351n., 352–15.4n., 353n., 386n., 390–391n., 414n., 522n.; on Herakles: 249–261n., 255n., 323n.; on human beings: Achilleus 42–51n., 139–146n., 141n., 363–377n., 440–505n.; Agamemnon 42–51n., 65–81n., 103–108n., 105n., 113–125n., 134n., 139–146n., 153–353n., Aias 402–439n., 404–406n., 440–505n., 509n.; Diomedes 29n., 108n., 110–132n., 113–125n., 120n., 133n.; Hektor 42–51n., 363–377n., 390–391n., 402–439n., 402n., 406n., 408n., 413n.; Nestor 1n., 9–12n., 13–15n., 20–24a n., 52–63n., 110–132n.; Odysseus 29n., 65–81n., 83–102n., 85b–87n., 103–108n.
• on the relationships of the gods to one another (conflicts, etc.) 135–152n., 153–353n., 256–261n., 257n., 274n., 386n.
• on Near Eastern parallels (selected) 135n., 153–353n., 169n., 170–186n., 181n., 201n., 203b–204n., 214n., 216–217n., 256–261n., 259–261n., 279n., 321n., 322n., 347–351n., 384n.
• on the motif of revenge 440–505n., 470–475n., 479–485n., 484b–485n., 493–500n.; on the ships and the encampment 4n., 30–36n., appendix, 42–51n., 51n., 53a n.; on the wall 13–15n., 15n., 31–32n., 52–63n.; on genealogy 113–125n., 470–475n.; on comic elements 153–353n., 187–223n., 231–291n., 274n., 292–353n., 313–328n., 330–340n., 347–351n., 353n.; on the exchange of weapons 9–12n., 370–377n.
• on type-scenesP and themesP (in alphabetical order): ‘A throws a missile at B but misses his target; B wounds A’ 402–420n., arrival and visitation scenes 188–210n., change of location of a deity 225–230n., 281–285n., considering two options 20–24a n., contemplating the optimal approach 159–166n., delivery of a message 354–356n., dressing 170–186n., oath 271–280n., prayer 188–210n., 233–241n., seduction 153–353n.
• on catalogues 313–328n., 511–522n., on similesP and comparisonsP: 16–22n., 20–24a n., 147–152n., 185n., 290n., 386n., 394–401n., 394–395n., 396–397n., 398–399n., 413n., 414–417n., 415b–417n., 499n.

1–152 Nestor recognizes the danger the Greeks face and provides information concerning the current state of battle to the wounded leaders Agamemnon, Odysseus and Diomedes, who – alarmed by the noise of battle – approach from their ships, which have been hauled up onto the beach. The leaders consult with each other and return to the battle raging further inland in order to spur on fighters who are hanging back. Poseidon encourages the Greeks and initiates their push against the Trojans.

1–152 Books 12 and 13 laid out how the Trojans overran the wall surrounding the encampment of ships and advanced, while the Achaians (15n.) defended the ships in intense combat. At the end of Book 13 (13.833 f.), the Trojans begin a new offensive, but the Achaians stand firm (13.835 f.). At this moment of enormous tension, the narrator interrupts his portrayal of the battle (similar interruptions at critical junctures occur at 15.746/16.1 and 18.1 ff.; SCHADEWALDT [1938] 1966, 91). – The beginning of Book 14 links to both Book 11 and Book 13: in Book 11, the narrator offered an account of how Machaon was wounded and removed to the safety of his hut by Nestor, who subsequently fed him (11.504–520, 11.597 f., 11.618–643; the care of the wounded Eurypylos, depicted at 11.806–848, is similarly picked up again at 15.390–404: REICHEL 1994, 207). In addition, in Book 11 the leaders Agamemnon, Diomedes and Odysseus were injured and withdrew to their huts in the encampment of ships (11.251–253, 11.267–283, 11.369–400, 11.434–438, 11.487 f.). At this point, these four leading individuals return to view, while the two strands of the narrative – events in the Greek camp and on the battlefield – are gradually merged. The increased intensity of battle cries, which triggers Nestor’s meeting with the other leaders, is a reference to the threatening cries at the end of the previous Book (13.834–837). Nestor’s information regarding events on the battlefield (8–15) serves as the basis for the leaders’ consultation (WILAMOWITZ 1916, 231). The situation by the ships – depicted from the point of view of Nestor (4n., 13–15n., 52–63n.) and the narrator (24b–26n.), respectively – now appears threatening enough to them to require a decision.

The story thus presupposes the events laid out in Book 13; the chronology of WHITMAN/SCODEL 1981 (followed by JANKO, p. 149 and on 1–152; STANLEY 1993, 153 f.) is different: they maintain the conventional view that in Homer concurrent events are narrated as consecutive in accord with the ‘continuity of time’ principleP. Given that the Achaian situation in the battle is much more dramatic at the beginning of Book 14 than at the end of Book 13, the same principle should be posited here: the shouting Nestor hears and is alarmed by should correspond chronologically to the clamor, mentioned at 12.471, that follows after the Trojans overrun the wall. The consultation by the leaders and Poseidon’s help (1–152), like Hera’s deception of Zeus and Poseidon’s increased support for the Achaians (153–522, nn.), should be understood as coincident with the fighting described between 12.470 and 13.837. The chronological breaks would then be repeatedly marked by battle cries. But the narrator offers no hint of such contemporaneity (LEAF, Introd. on 14, RENGAKOS 1995, 26 f. n. 78), and there are repeated linguistic and contextual links to Book 13 (1n.: the increased noise of battle; 42–51n.: Agamemnon’s concern caused by the Achaians’ defeatist attitude, cf. Poseidon’s remarks at 13.108 ff.; 60n: reference to the enormous battle din at 13.837; 135–152n.: Poseidon’s intervention as a continuation of his earlier support; later 153–156n.: Hera’s response; 425–426n.: mention of the Trojans protecting Hektor): RENGAKOS 1995, 26–28; DANEK 1999, 76–80. For the objection that the situation at the end of Book 13 i...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• Preface to the English Edition
• Notes for the Reader (including list of abbreviations)
• 24 Rules Relating to Homeric Language (R)
• Overview of the Action in Book 14
• Commentary
• Appendix topographica: the encampment of ships and the battlefield, by Joachim Latacz
• Bibliographic Abbreviations