The wrath of the brave Achilles is at the heart of the Iliad. When Agamemnon, the leader of the Greek army, shows contempt and disrespect to the great hero, Achilles decides to withdraw from the war. Meanwhile, Hector, prince of Troy, leads the Trojans from one victory to another. But when Hector kills Patroclus – Achilles' faithful friend – the great hero reunites with the war effort with revenge as his fierce and consuming goal. The clash between Achilles and Hector, and the greater conflict between Greeks and Trojans that unfolds throughout the epic, is a portrait of the many forces that drive us to war: honor, pride, love, revenge, and the desire for glory.

The Iliad covers a relatively short period of time (fifty-one days of the ten years of bloody battle), but captures the essence of an entire war and explores the complex human emotions and motives that define it. The Iliad is an invitation to enter the world of the ancient Greeks and explore the rich heritage of one of the greatest works of literature ever written. This abridged edition includes the ancient Greek text and the English translation.