Although I’m partial to Richmond Lattimore’s 1951 translation of The Iliad (the version I read in college), I’m enjoying reading Emily Wilson’s new and highly accessible translation of The Iliad (2023). In her Translator’s Notes at the start of the book, Wilson makes the observation that one of our oldest recorded books still matters immensely today. She writes:
“For a twenty-first century reader, there is nothing unfamiliar about a partisan society riven by constant striving for celebrity, dominance, and attention, where rage and outrage are constantly whipped up by extreme rhetoric and the threat of humiliation, and where grief and loss constantly bleed into yet more rage and aggression.”
Of course, the world of today is vastly different from that of the 12th and 13th century BCE. But human nature still tends to get stuck in troubling ruts. A key difference today, however, is the motivation for destructive behavior. What was once a matter of honor, glory, and renown, Wilson points out, now seems to be more a matter of seeking status, fame, and celebrity.
Much of The Iliad is painful to read — especially the treatment of women. But as I work my way through this cautionary tall of hubris and violence, overlaid with the complex question of free will and fate, I can’t help but think about our times. Maybe the gods are still messing with us, but I’m rooting for peace, love, and understanding.
