| Acknowledgments | p. ix |
| Introduction | p. 1 |
| The Purpose and Plan of This Book | p. 1 |
| Homeric Style: Some Basic Features | p. 2 |
| The Scale and Structure of the Poems | p. 7 |
| Characteristics of Homeric Poetry | |
| The Bard, Oral Poetry, and Our Present Text | p. 15 |
| The Bard in Homer | p. 16 |
| Homer the Singer | p. 19 |
| The Techniques of Oral Poetry | p. 21 |
| The Establishment of the Text | p. 23 |
| Narrative: The Poet's Voice | p. 29 |
| Language | p. 42 |
| Meter and Formulae | p. 45 |
| Word Order and Emphasis | p. 55 |
| Story Patterns and Use of Myth | p. 61 |
| Large-Scale Story Patterns | p. 62 |
| Small-Scale Patterns | p. 64 |
| Homer's Adaptation of Myth | p. 67 |
| Type-Scenes and Expansion | p. 71 |
| Battle Scenes | p. 78 |
| Description | p. 82 |
| Speeches, Soliloquies, and Characterization | p. 88 |
| Speeches | p. 89 |
| Soliloquies | p. 94 |
| Characterization | p. 96 |
| Paradigms and Aphorisms | p. 98 |
| Similes | p. 102 |
| Metaphors | p. 111 |
| Symbolism | p. 114 |
| Sound | p. 117 |
| Word Play and Significant Names | p. 120 |
| Gods, Fate, and Mortality | p. 124 |
| The Gods as the Religion of the Characters | p. 125 |
| The Gods as a Compositional Device | p. 131 |
| Mortals and the Gods | p. 138 |
| Personification and Psychology | p. 143 |
| Honor, Proper Behavior, and Warfare | p. 149 |
| Honor | p. 150 |
| The Proper Way to Behave | p. 152 |
| Warfare | p. 154 |
| History and Society | p. 159 |
| Ionia in the Time of Homer | p. 160 |
| Archaisms from the Mycenaean Age | p. 163 |
| Society and Weapons in the Homeric Poems | p. 164 |
| Commentaries | |
| Iliad Book 1 | p. 173 |
| The Proem (1-12a) | p. 174 |
| The Priest's Appeal and the Plague (12b-52) | p. 176 |
| The Assembly and the Quarrel (53-305) | p. 178 |
| Achilles and Thetis (306-492) | p. 182 |
| The Assembly of the Gods (493-611) | p. 184 |
| Iliad Book 3 | p. 188 |
| Challenge to a Duel (1-120) | p. 190 |
| Helen and Priam on the Wall (121-244) | p. 191 |
| The Duel and the Rescue (245-382) | p. 194 |
| Helen and Paris (383-461) | p. 195 |
| Iliad Book 6 | p. 198 |
| The Battle Continues (1-118) | p. 200 |
| Diomedes and Glaucus (119-236) | p. 201 |
| Hector with Hecuba and with Helen (237-368) | p. 206 |
| Hector and Andromache (369-529) | p. 208 |
| Iliad Book 9 | p. 214 |
| The Greeks Decide to Approach Achilles (1-181) | p. 216 |
| The Three Envoys and Their Reception (182-221) | p. 218 |
| Odysseus's Speech and Achilles' Response (222-431) | p. 221 |
| Phoenix, Meleager, and Achilles (432-622a) | p. 224 |
| Ajax and Achilles, and the Envoys' Return (622b-713) | p. 229 |
| The Significance of Achilles' Decision | p. 231 |
| Iliad Book 13 | p. 238 |
| Iliad Book 14 | p. 246 |
| The Greek Council (1-152) | p. 246 |
| The Beguiling of Zeus (153-353) | p. 247 |
| Poseidon Rallies the Greeks (354-15.4a) | p. 250 |
| Zeus Awakens (15.4b-261) | p. 251 |
| Iliad Book 16 | p. 254 |
| Achilles and Patroclus (1-100) | p. 257 |
| Patroclus Prepares for Battle (101-256) | p. 259 |
| Patroclus and Sarpedon (257-683) | p. 261 |
| The Death of Patroclus (684-867) | p. 263 |
| Iliad Book 18 | p. 267 |
| The Mourning of Achilles (1-147) | p. 270 |
| The Recovery of Patroclus's Body (148-242) | p. 273 |
| Hector's Decision (243-313) | p. 274 |
| The Lament for Patroclus (314-67) | p. 275 |
| Thetis Visits Hephaestus (368-477) | p. 276 |
| The Shield of Achilles (478-616) | p. 278 |
| Iliad Book 22 | p. 287 |
| Preliminaries to the Duel (1-91) | p. 290 |
| Hector's Soliloquy (92-130) | p. 291 |
| Hector's Flight before Achilles (131-213) | p. 292 |
| Achilles' Victory (214-404) | p. 295 |
| The First Laments for Hector (405-515) | p. 298 |
| Iliad Book 24 | p. 301 |
| Achilles' Continuing Grief (1-142) | p. 304 |
| Preparations for the Ransoming (143-321) | p. 306 |
| Priam's Journey to Achilles (322-468) | p. 306 |
| Priam and Achilles (469-676) | p. 308 |
| The Funeral of Hector (677-804) | p. 313 |
| Afterword: The World-view of Homer | p. 317 |
| Bibliography | p. 325 |
| Index | p. 337 |
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