Iliad

Homer's epic poem Iliad tells the story of the final year of the ten-year siege of Troy. The events center on the great hero Achilles, who angrily withdraws from the war when his slave woman, given as a prize to Achilles, is taken by his commander-in-chief, Agamemnon. Consequently, the Greeks suffer many defeats and have lost heart when Patroclus, Achilles' cousin, is killed by the Trojan Prince Hector. Achilles returns with his fierce warriors to avenge his cousin's death. He kills Hector and defiles his body. Hector's father, King Priam, ransoms his son's body to honor and bury him. The poem ends with Hector's funeral.