The Iliad Characters

Front 1

Greek - Zeus' daughter; a warrior goddess, the goddess of wisdom

Role: Powerful ally of the Greek and protector of Odysseus; hated Trojans because of the judgement of Paris

Back 1

Pallas Athena

Front 2

Greek - son of Zeus who guides souls to the underworld; messenger god

Role: He is sent to guide Priam on his risky trip to the tent of Achilles for the ransom of the body of his son, Hector

Back 2

Hermes

Front 3

Greek - a sea goddess, wife of the warrior Peleus, and divine mother of Achilles

Role: She foretold Achilles' fate, intervened with Zeus on his behalf, mourned the death of Patroclus, and brought her son divine armor made by the god, Hephaestus

Back 3

Thetis

Front 4

Greek - the jealous wife - and sister - of Zeus

Role: vigorous patron of the Greeks because of her anger at the Trojans over the judgement of Paris, and bickers with Zeus about this sympathy for the Trojans

Back 4

Hera

Front 5

Greek - son of Cronus, brother of Zeus and lord of the sea

Role: Though a supporter of the Greeks, he later intervenes to save the Trojan warrior, Aineias, lest he be killed by Achilles against destiny

Back 5

Poseidon

Front 6

Greek - Mortal son of Atreus, king of Mycenae, brother of Menelaus, and most powerful Greek king

Role: His quarrel with Achilles sparks Achilles' anger and sets in motion the plot of the Iliad

Back 6

Agamemnon

Front 7

Greek - Mortal leader of the Myrmidons and central character of the Iliad; son of the goddess, Thetis, and the warrior, Peleus; immortal except for in one small place on his heel

Role: Central character, flawed hero who has too much pride and rage

Back 7

Achilles

Front 8

Greek - Mortal daughter of Zeus and Leda, step-daughter of Tyndareus' wife of Menelaus

Role: Eloped with Paris, causing the Trojan war; because of Aphrodite, she was said to be the most beautiful of all women, beauty could "launch a thousand ships"

Back 8

Helen

Front 9

Greek - mortal son of Atreus, brother of Agamemnon, lord of Lakedaemon (Sparta)

Role: Husband of Helen, until she runs away with Paris

Back 9

Menelaus

Front 10

Greek - Son of Laertes, lord of Ithaca, famed for his wisdom and trickery

Role: He rallies the troops, forms part of the embassy to Achilles, and urges Achilles to put aside his grief

Back 10

Odysseus

Front 11

Greek - Son of Menoitius and companion of Achilles. He was raised in Achilles' household.

Role: He accompanied Achilles to Troy. He enters the battle in Achilles' place and his death at the hands of Hector provokes Achilles' return to the battle. He then holds splendid funeral games.

Back 11

Patroclus

Front 12

Greek - the Aged king of Pylos and wise counselor who often uses stories from the past to advise and instruct the Greek warriors.

Role: He tries unsuccessfully to make peace between Achilles and Agamemnon, and he later helps persuade Agamemnon to offer compensation to Achilles.

Back 12

Nestor

Front 13

Trojan - Aged king of Troy, marries to Hecabe, father of fifty sons

Role: He ransoms the body of his son, Hector, from Achilles

Back 13

Priam

Front 14

Trojan - Son of Priam and Hecabe and leading warrior of the Trojans

Role: He leads the Trojan onslaught against the Greek ships. He kills Patroclus with Apollo's help and is later slain brutally by Achilles, Patroclus' bff

Back 14

Hector

Front 15

Trojan - famous archer and son of Lycaon

Role: Fights on the side of Troy, Shoots Menelaus and wounds him with an arrow, sabotaging a truce that could potentially have led to the peaceful return of Helen. Killed by Diomedes.

Back 15

Pandarus

Front 16

Trojan - Son of Priam; according to later legend, he had been asked to judge which of the three goddesses was the most beautiful, and chose Aphrodite because he wanted Helen

Role: In book three, he challenges Menelaus to a duel, but is rescued form the fight by Aphrodite

Back 16

Paris

Front 17

Trojan - goddess of love and daughter of Zeus, although in later legends she was said to have been born from the foam of the sea

Role: Protected Helen, to whom she gave great beauty, and, in book three, she rescues Paris from Menelaus, and brings him to Helen

Back 17

Aphrodite

Front 18

Trojan - the archer god, cause of plagues, god of prophecy and of music; the son of Zeus and Leto

Role: In the opening scene of the Iliad, he sends a plague upon the Achaeans because Agamemnon has dishonored his priest, Chryses. Later, he helps Hector in the killing of Patroclus and helps with the ransom of his body by Priam

Back 18

Apollo

Front 19

Neutral - son of Cronus and most powerful of the gods; brother of Poseidon, hades and the goddess, Hera, his wife; as lord of the sky, the thunderbolt is his most potent weapon

Role: He responds to Thetis' appeal by turning the battle against the Greeks, so that they will honor Achilles. Throughout the Iliad, he acts as an overseer: he ensures that fated events, like the deaths of Patroclus and Hector, take place, and he prevents Troy from falling at the hands of Achilles against fate. At Hera's insistence, he even allows his own mortal son, Sarpedon, to die, so that fate will not be overturned.

Back 19

Zeus