Thank you ma'am this is a big help for me to understand the story of the book of Iliad. Much better to listen than to read because it's easily to take note the importance of this story.
The role of divine intervention in Books 1 and 2 does not play as large a part as it does in later books when the gods change the ending in the deus ex machina aspect of the poem. In Books 1 and 2, Zeus, Hera, and Thetis do use their influences (divine powers) to change the minds of one mortal in particular: Achilles. He has a choice to make- to live a long life and remain unknown throughout later generations or to die young and go out in a blaze of glory. However, his name will be remembered forever. His is given this opportunity by his mother Thetis who goes to Zeus and asks for it in his behalf. She is owed a favor by Zeus. She used to have a relationship with Zeus. (He is currently married to Hera.). Thetis thinks this favor is owed to Achilles because he has been slighted by Agamemnon who took Briseis- his woman/war prize from the last battle. Achilles said he and his men would not fight with the Greeks until they were in such desperation that they begged for him to come back and save them. So Zeus gives the power to make that happen.
it promotes a sense of pride within those who serve and fight for their own country: the Spartans (Menelaus and Agamemnon), the Mymidons (Achilles), the Ithacans (Odysseus)- remember all of the Greek fighters were made up of smaller sects of city-state soldiers- plus the Trojans. Also- these epic poems were also told in the oral narrative tradition. They would be told in a great hall or something of the like. People would gather around and listen. Homer wrote these stories approximately 500 BC yet the story took place around 1500 BC. The listeners were very familiar with the names of the people listed in the poem- especially in the intensely long catalogue sections of the poem when he goes into great detail listing all of the soldiers who fought. Those listening would hear their family name or those they knew or hear their country mentioned, and it would evoke a great sense of pride.
It is Latin for in the middle. You are dropped in to the middle of the story- in to the middle of the action. Keep in mind that the people of Homer’s day were familiar with this story, so the plot was not that foreign to them. You as the listener/reader are thrown into the action mid way. You now must hear the back story to understand what happened to bring them to this current situation. You eventually catch up to current time (where the story actually began at the start of the book) then you keep going to get the conclusion. I say listener - keep in mind these stories were originally told in the oral tradition.
