The+Characters+of+the+Iliad+and+the+Odyssey


 * Characters of the Iliad and Odyssey**
 * : Greek, a demi-god and son of Peleus and Thetis. Leader of Myrmidons from Pythia. The Iliad begins, ends and pivots on the Achilles' rage. His departure from battle causes Greek ruin. His reentry, guarantees the demise of Troy.
 * 1) **Aeneas:**Trojan, a demi-god and son of Anchises and Aphrodite. Captain and warrior who fights bravely on several occasions. He is rescued by a god each time he is wounded. Also destined to become the leader of the refugee Trojans. Founder of Rome. The central character of Virgil's epic, The Aeneid.
 * 2) **Agamemnon:**Greek, mortal and son of Atreus, brother of Menelaus. Greek King and leader of Greek armies from Argos and Mycenae. Achilles' chief instigator, responsible for his withdrawal from battle.
 * 3) **Ajax Telamon:**Greek, mortal, son of Telamon, half-brother of Teucer. Greek leader from Salamis. Also known as Greater Ajax. Giant warrior who meets Hector's challenge and also wounds Aeneas. A bulwark of the Greek line.
 * 4) **Andromache -** Hector�s loving wife, Andromache begs Hector to withdraw from the war and save himself before the Achaeans kill him.
 * 5) **Aphrodite:**Trojan supporter, a deity, daughter of Zeus and Dione, mother of Aeneas. Goddess of love and lust. Presented with the golden apple by Paris in exchange for the love of Helen. Aphrodite continues to struggle with Hera and Athena in this war, taking up sides with Paris and her son. She is wounded by Diomedes.
 * 6) **Apollo:** Trojan supporter, a deity, son of Zeus and Leto, brother of Artemis. Patron god of arts and archery. God of prophecy. Also associated with the sun. He actively fights with and inspires the Trojans throughout the epic. He continues to support the Trojans in Virgil's Aeneid.
 * 7) **Ares:**Trojan supporter, a deity, son of Zeus and Hera. God of War and destruction. Ares strengthens the Trojan line early on but is wounded. He does not return to battle until the end of the epic.
 * 8) **Artemis** - goddess of chastity, fighting, and wild animals. Artimis fights for the Trojans.
 * 9) **Athena:**Greek supporter, a deity, daughter of Zeus. Goddess of wisdom, also associated with cleverness and war. Patron goddess of Odysseus whom she continues to help in Homer's Odyssey. Athena inspires Greeks by taking the form of mortals. She also appeals to Zeus on several occasions and gets him to soften his anger.
 * 10) **Bellerophon:** son of Glaucus (king of Corinth) and Eurymede, and grandson of Sisyphus.He rode Pegasus, slew the monster Chimaera, and defeated the Amazons in battle.
 * 11) **Briseis:**Trojan, mortal. War prize of Achilles. Focal point of contention between Achilles and Agamemnon. She is given back to Achilles and mourns for the death of Patroclus.
 * 12) **Calcas:** An important soothsayer. Calchas�s identification of the cause of the plague ravaging the Achaean army in Book 1 leads inadvertently to the rift between Agamemnon and Achilles that occupies the first nineteen books of the Iliad.
 * 13) **Cassandra:** the child of King Priam of Troy, and she was considered to be Priam's most beautiful daughter.
 * 14) **Diomedes:** Greek, mortal, son of Tydeus. Greek leader from Argos. Though young, he is a powerful and effective warrior. He is an early mainstay of the Greek offense. His advice returns the captains to battle when the Trojans storm the camp.
 * 15) **Glaucus :**Trojan, mortal, cousin to Sarpedon. Co-leader of Lycian allies. He rallies the Trojan troops around the body of his fallen cousin, Sarpedon.
 * 16) **Hades:**A deity, brother of Zeus and Poseidon. God of the underworld. He is one of three brother gods: Zeus rules the sky, Poseidon rules the sea and Hades rules the underworld.
 * 17) **Hector:**Trojan, mortal, son of Priam and Hecuba, brother of Paris, husband of Andromache, father of Astayanax. Trojan Prince. Primary leader of Trojan forces. Without Hector, the city of Troy is doomed.
 * 18) **Hecuba:**King Priam's wife and mother of 19 children by him. Mother of Hector, Paris, and Cassandra.
 * 19) **Helen:** Greek, demi-god, daughter of Zeus and Leda, wife of Menelaus, lover of Paris. Primary object of the Trojan war. Although she is from Greece, she views the entire war from the Trojan walls. Hated by Greeks and Trojans alike.
 * 20) **Hephaestus -** God of fire and husband of Aphrodite, Hephaestus is the gods� metalsmith and is known as the lame or crippled god. Although the text doesn�t make clear his sympathies in the mortals� struggle, he helps the Achaeans by forging a new set of armor for Achilles and by rescuing Achilles during his fight with a river god.
 * 21) **Hera:**Greek supporter, a deity, daughter of Cronus, wife and sister of Zeus, mother of Hephaestus and Ares. Queen of the gods. Primary immortal champion of the Greek armies. Hera seduces Zeus and thwarts his decrees. In Virgil's Aeneid, she continues to persecute the refugee Trojans.
 * 22) **Hermes -**The messenger of the gods. Hermes escorts Priam to Achilles� tent in Book 24.
 * 23) **Idomeneus:** Greek, mortal. A captain from Crete and a powerful warrior. He is instrumental in many Greek offensives.
 * 24) **Iris:** A deity. Messenger goddess. Responsible for delivering Zeus' commands to men and gods. Most of Zeus' decrees and interventions are carried out by her.
 * 25) **Menelaus:**Greek, mortal, son of Atreus, brother of Agamemnon, husband of Helen. The siege of Troy is primarily on his behalf, in order to return Helen to him, although other characters are more central to the epic. Menelaus fights bravely during the storming of the camps.
 * 26) **Muses:** The Muses are the Greek goddesses who preside over the arts and sciences and inspire those who excel at these pursuits.
 * 27) **Nestor:** Greek, mortal, son of Neleus, father of Antilochus. Greek leader from Pylos. Old counselor to the Greeks. Advises Agamemnon on strategy. Famous for his chariot driving ability.
 * 28) **Odysseus:**Greek, mortal, son of Laertes. Captain from Ithaca. The central figure of Homer's Odyssey. Instrumental in advising Agamemnon and controlling the army.
 * 29) **Paris:** Trojan, mortal, son of Priam and Hecuba, lover of Helen. Paris, although an infrequent character in the epic, is one of the primary antagonists behind the Trojan War. His choice of Aphrodite as the most beautiful goddess and his stealing of Helen from her husband's house began the conflict.
 * 30) **Patroclus:** Greek, mortal, son of Menoetius. Captain of the Myrmidons. Companion to Achilles. Instrument of Achilles' re-entry into battle. He leads the Myrmidons back into battle dressed as Achilles.
 * 31) **Phoenix:**A kindly old warrior, Phoenix helped raise Achilles while he himself was still a young man. Achilles deeply loves and trusts Phoenix, and Phoenix mediates between him and Agamemnon during their quarrel.
 * 32) **Poseidon:** Greek supporter, a deity, son of Cronus, brother of Hades and Zeus. God of the Sea also associated with earthquakes and horses. Poseidon strives with the Greeks against the will of Zeus.
 * 33) **Priam:**Trojan, mortal, son of Laomedon, father of Deiphobus, Hector, Helenus, Paris and Polydorus, husband of Hecuba. Wealthy king of Troy. Although his son Hector leads the army, he is the central leadership figure of the city.
 * 34) **Sarpedon:**Trojan, demi-god, son of Zeus, cousin of Glaucus. Co-leader of Lycian allies. Singlehandedly holds the breach in the Greek wall. Dies to Zeus' dismay.
 * 35) **Teucer:** Greek, mortal, son of Telamon, half-brother of Ajax. From Salamis. Famous archer. Instrumental in the defense of the Greek camp.
 * 36) **Thetis:** Greek supporter, a deity, daughter of Nereus, mother of Achilles, wife of Peleus. Queen of the sea nymphs. Thetis protects and aids her son. Her appeal to Zeus causes the Greek losses which require the return of Achilles. She gets Achilles his new set of armor.
 * 37) **Zeus:** A deity, son of Cronus, husband of Hera, brother of Hades and Poseidon, father of Aphrodite, Ares, Athena, Helen and Sarpedon. King of the gods. God of the sky and thunder. Also regarded as the god of justice. Zeus dictates the ebb and flow of the war, although the appeals of men and gods often decide his policy for him.