I'm studying the classical world of Ancient Greece and Rome as part of a degree course - don't ask, it's my sort of mid-life crisis. The subject fascinates me, but in a sort of general readership way. This doesn't fit so easily with, as someone put it to me, the forensic nature of academic analysis and essay writing. As a counterbalance I'm going to air a few of my thoughts from time to time on this blog , far from the reach of any tutor.

The title of this post is the first line of Homer's Iliad, as translated by Robert Fagles - although I changed it a bit to make a "better" blog title. What he really wrote was "Rage - Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus' son Achilles". A more striking comparison is with the translation by Richard Lattimore which goes "Sing, goddess, the anger of Peleus' son Achilleus". The Fagles version has a resounding ring to it that is missing from the more matter-of-fact Lattimore version. This was intentional I think - his idea was to produce an attractive translation for modern audiences. It is certainly more enjoyable to read than Lattimore's, even if for scholars it maybe distorts some of the Homeric signatures.

The great thing about the Iliad, is that the entire 15,000 line epic revolves around that first sentence, its ramifications and their outcome. Once you understand this the entire poem becomes much easier to enjoy, and evolves as a concise and logically structured narrative - not the rambling and seemingly endless series of encounters between warriors and squabbles among gods.

As a refresher, the Iliad concerns a short period during the Trojan war. The war arose when Paris, son of Priam (king of Troy) abducted Helen (allegedly) from Menelaus, king of Sparta. Menelaus and his brother Agamemnon, in an alliance of Greeks lay siege to Troy in order to retrieve Helen, and more importantly to seek honour, glory, riches etc etc. The top Greek warrior is Achilles - the top Trojan is Hector. (NB You may know these better as Brad Pitt and Eric Bana)

The poem is divided into 24 books. Here are my potted highlights.

Book 1 is essential to understand how it all started - why Achilles quarrels with Agamemnon and withdraws from the fighting.

Book 6 describes the Trojan hero Hector, his status as the citizen-warrior, and tellingly as the family man, movingly told in his exchanges with his wife Andromache.

Book 9 is crucial as the Greeks try to convince Achilles to re-enter the fray - they are doing badly without him - and he replies by clearly stating why he won't fight.

Books 16-18. The crux, and turning point of the drama. Achilles allows his friend, and perhaps lover, Patroclus to take to the battlefield wearing Achilles' armour. Hector kills Patroclus and the shame and grief that this arouses in Achilles propels him with a vengeance back into battle.

Book 22 describes the contest between Achilles and Hector, with a memorable soliloquy by Hector as he reasons with himself about whether or not to face the Greek hero. Great imagery of Achilles as well. Hector's resolve weakens, but eventually he faces Achilles, and dies - the rest, as they say is history. Well, not quite

Book 24 draws it all together. Achilles has taken his vengeance too far with the desecration of Hector's body. The gods decide enough is enough and intervene, with Priam, king of Troy and Hector's father entering the Greek camp and pleading, successfully for the return of his son's body. Achilles is for the most part redeemed, and will soon die himself, as he knows.