The Iliad, Book 15

Summary, Book 15

The Trojans are being driven into retreat by the Achaeans, thanks to Hector’s injury.  Zeus wakes up after his sex-coma and, needless to say, he is not at all pleased with Hera for the turn the battle has taken.  After some fairly graphic threats, Hera sputters that this is all Poseidon’s fault!  (I think that the Washington Post would toss her a few Pinocchios on that one.)

But then, Zeus does something interesting.  He reminds Hera, and by extension the readers/listeners, that he really doesn’t care about the Trojans.  The whole point of this drama is the promise that he made to Thetis to give Achilles some glory.  All of this drama, all of this back and forth, has really been to make things like dire for the Achaeans so that Achilles will be able to swoop in and be the hero.  As enthralling as the back and forth can be, not a single thing that has happened has been a matter of chance.  It is all pre-ordained.  And in fact, Zeus gives us a “Cliff Notes” version of the way the rest of the battle is going to go.

Zeus sends Hera to Olympus and orders her to send Iris and Apollo to him.  She does so, but while she is there she drops a little bomb by informing Ares that his son was killed in battle.  Ares is furious and is about to head down to get revenge when Athena stops him and says, in so many words, “Are you out of your mind?  Zeus will beat the crap out of you!”

Iris and Apollo head to Zeus, and Zeus gives Iris a message first.  She is to go down to Poseidon and tell him to leave the battle and stop intervening on behalf of the Achaeans.  Iris immediately does so.  Poseidon is beside himself and storms on for a time about his status as a god and Zeus overstepping his authority.  He tells Iris to send a message back to Zeus saying, essentially, “Shove it.”

Iris is… hesitant to convey this message:

“Dark-haired Earthshaker, is that the message
I’m to take from you to Zeus, these harsh,
defiant words? Or will you change your mind?
For the finest hearts can change. The Furies,
as you know, always serve the elder one.”

Poseidon then becomes resigned, and agrees to retreat to the sea.  Once he is out the picture, Zeus turns to Apollo and tells him to head down and breathe strength back into Hector and the Achaeans:

“Infuse him with great strength,                         
until Achaeans run back to their ships
and reach the Hellespont. From that point on,
I’ll figure out how in word and deed
Achaeans may get new relief from war.”

Apollo does as he is told.  He revives Hector, who had pretty much resigned himself to death, and leads the Trojans into battle himself.  Apollo and the Trojans destroy the Achaeans’ wall, as easily as one could destroy a child’s sandcastle (according to Homer.)  They come very near to invading the ships, but Ajax manages to hold them off.

Patroclus is still helping the wounded, rubbing some soldier’s back with ointment.  When he hears the Achaeans fleeing, he knows what he has to do.  He apologizes to the person he is caring for but says that he has to go and try to convince Achilles to join the battle.  If he does not, the Achaeans are done for.

The book ends with Hector seizing one of the ships and Ajax keeping the Trojans who try to do the same at bay.

Reading Notes

This book feels a little like filler.  Or, if not filler, just a platform on which to set the stage for the rest of the saga, which will be pretty much all downhill for the Trojans from this point on.  Unfortunately, that means that I do not have many insightful things to say.  But the good news is that, because this one was a very quick read, I might be able to do another one tonight!  Not much else to do on this cold, snowy evening!

-Lily