Just had a quiz in my mythology class about the Iliad...?

Question

The question is as follows:

What is the focus of the Iliad?
a) the fall of Troy
b) Odysseus
c) year one of the war
d) Achilles
e) Helen

I'm pretty sure this question is total garbage because the Iliad tells the story of the last few weeks of the Trojan War, or in other words, the fall of Troy. (Which is the answer I chose)

However, the end of the war was definitely focused on Achilles, since he was needed for Troy to fall.
And to complicate matters even more, the whole Trojan War was started because of Helen.

So which answer is the most correct?!

xx_villainess_xx · Accepted Answer

You've already tried to use the process of elimination to find an answer, and rather than tell you the answer outright, I'll help you narrow down that list even more before giving you the answer (which believe it or not, is really quite simple). 

Even though the Trojan War was a ten-year war, the poem mainly focuses on the last couple  weeks in the final year of the war. Thus, we can eliminate "c".

It is not until you have read the poem to completion that you truly know the city of Troy falls. Thus, the fall of Troy is not the focal point and we can also eliminate "a".

Odysseus plays a pretty significant role in the war, as great commander on the side of the Achaeans (Greeks), but it is not until the Odyssey that he plays the MAIN role. Thus, we can eliminate "b".

The abduction of Helen, the fair lady with "the face that launched a thousand ships" may have seemed like the sole reason that the Achaeans decided to wage war against the city of Troy, but in fact there were other reasons as well. The Achaeans were just looking for a reason to attack Troy, and the abduction of Helen just happened to be the catalyst. So we can eliminate "e".

Do you recall the first lines of the Iliad? If not, you may want to go back and re-read them. Within those lines you will find your answer: the wrath of Achilles. Achilles is the focal point of the Iliad ;)

? · Answer

Put in footnotes that it is subjective, all myths are subjective to what the listener chooses to focus upon.Either that or Helen, all is fair in Love and War.

Just had a quiz in my mythology class about the Iliad...?

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