The Essential Iliad characters

Appears from the start

The finest warrior in the Greek army besieging Troy and the son of the sea goddess Thetis. When Agamemnon publicly takes Briseis from him, Achilles treats the act as an intolerable attack on his honor and withdraws himself and his Myrmidons from the war.

Appears from the start

King of Mycenae and commander of the Greek coalition. Forced to return his captive Chryseis to end Apollo's plague, he claims Achilles's captive Briseis as compensation, placing his authority over the army's need for its greatest fighter.

Appears from the start

A priest of Apollo and father of Chryseis. He comes to the Greek camp with ransom for his captive daughter, and Agamemnon's harsh refusal leads him to ask Apollo to punish the army.

Appears from the start

God of archery and disease, allied with Troy. He answers the prayer of his priest Chryses by sending a deadly plague through the Greek camp until Chryseis is returned.

Appears from the start

Goddess of wisdom and war, firmly committed to the Greek cause. She appears to Achilles when he is ready to attack Agamemnon and restrains him, redirecting his anger from immediate violence to words.

Appears from the start

Achilles's divine mother, a sea goddess who understands that her son is destined for a short life if he pursues glory at Troy. She carries his grievance to Zeus and asks that the Greeks suffer until they recognize his value.

Appears from the start

Ruler of the gods and final arbiter of the conflict on Olympus. Bound by competing divine loyalties, he agrees to Thetis's request that the Trojans temporarily prevail so the dishonor done to Achilles will have visible consequences.

Also known as Alexander

First appears in chapter 3

A Trojan prince whose departure from Sparta with Helen helped cause the war. He proposes single combat with Menelaus but depends on Aphrodite's intervention when the duel turns against him.

First appears in chapter 3

Troy's leading warrior, a son of Priam and brother of Paris. Hector bears responsibility for defending the city and repeatedly places public duty above his fear for his wife Andromache and their young son.

First appears in chapter 3

The Spartan queen now living in Troy as Paris's wife. From the city wall she identifies Greek leaders for Priam and speaks with shame and sorrow about the war and the home she left behind.

First appears in chapter 3

The aged king of Troy and father of Hector and Paris. No longer a battlefield leader, he watches the armies from the walls and treats Helen with compassion rather than blaming her for the destruction around them.

First appears in chapter 6

Hector's wife and mother of their infant son. Having already lost her birth family to war, she begs Hector not to return to the fighting, while understanding the sense of honor and duty that makes him refuse safety.

First appears in chapter 9

A resourceful Greek king known for persuasive speech and practical judgment. He helps maintain order in the army and joins the embassy charged with offering Agamemnon's restitution to Achilles.

First appears in chapter 9

Achilles's closest companion, who remains beside him during his withdrawal. Gentle where Achilles is uncompromising, Patroclus becomes increasingly distressed as the Trojans drive the Greeks back toward their ships.