The Composition of the Poem

Homer: Iliad

In this course, Professor Barbara Graziosi (Durham University) explores Homer’s Iliad. In the first module, we focus on the so-called ‘Homeric Question’, focusing on how and when the poem was composed, who composed it, as well as what it was like in performance. After that, we turn our attention to the driving force of the poem—namely, the rage of Achilles. In the third module, we think about the scope of the poem—both geographical and chronological—despite the fact that the narrative itself only covers eleven days of the ten-year war. In the final two modules, we focus on the character of Hector—first his appearance in Book 6, where he meets several members of his family, and then his appearance in Book 22, where he is killed by Achilles.

The Composition of the Poem

In this module, we think about the Homeric Question, including the question of how and when the poem was composed, who composed it, and what it was like in performance.