Iliad Book IV English Translation | Summary | Major Figures | Notes | Iliad Study Guide
The gods in council discuss what to do about Paris and Menelaus. Athena and Hera do not want Troy to remain unscathed. Hera tells Zeus to let Athena get involved and make the Trojans break their agreement and attack the Greeks (NB: Homer refers to them mostly as Achaeans, and sometimes Argives or Danaans; Greek is our term). She looks for Pandarus and tells him to shoot an arrow at Menelaus. She tells him the Trojans will be grateful if Menelaus were slain. Pandarus does as bid, but Hera blocks the arrow so it strikes his belt and grazes the skin.
Agamemnon sees the blood and declares the Trojans have broken the oath. He summons Machaon, son of Asclepius, to tend to Menelaus.
Meanwhile, the Trojans have renewed the fight. Agamemnon encourages his own men who were eager to fight and rebukes the others. He pays special attention to the Cretan leader Idomeneus. Then he goes to the two Ajaxes, Nestor, the Athenians, and Odysseus, who had not yet heard the battle cry. Agamemnon rebukes them for standing around. Odysseus is angered and Agamemnon withdraws his criticism. Agamemnon goes to Diomedes, son of Tydeus, and Sthenelus, whom he scolds for standing around. Diomedes is ashamed, but Sthenelus accuses Agamemnon of lying in the way he reproached them. Diomedes urges Sthenelus to show off with him in battle.
The two sides meet in battle, inspired by Ares, Athena, Panic, and Strife. Antilochus is the first to slay a Trojan warrior (Echepolus). Many Greeks and Trojans are slain on this day.
