Written over 2,500 years ago, the Iliad narrates the tale of the Trojan War - the war between the Greeks and their rivals
(the Trojans) - in Asia Minor. This is a tale of sacrifice, adventure, war and love. Though the War begins with the abduction of Helen (by Paris, prince of Troy), and only ends with the fall of Troy some ten years later; the events
described in the Iliad begin with the quarrel between Achilles and
Agamemnon, and end with the death of Hector. It should be understood that the Iliad of Homer is only one of many accounts dealing with the events surrounding the Trojan War.
In essence, the Iliad is the story of Achilles, but it is also the story of the noble Hector. The story of the Trojan War was so well known that the poet Homer did not consider it neccessay to relate each and every event that took place during its unfolding. However, he does refer to some past event or the other, assuming that the audience (the readers) know what he is talking about. A reading of the Illliad thus presupposes a basic knowledge of the events surrounding the Trojan War.
Homer, the author of the Odyssey, is also the author of the Illiad. Strictly speaking, it would be incorrect to regard the Odyssey as a continuation of the story of the Illiad, because the two works are different in style. However, for the general audience, this distinction may be glossed over. The two books also contain many passages from each other, thus confirming that they are - indeed - the work of the same person or persons.
In its dramatic aspects, the Illiad of Homer is the story of an angry young warrior (Achilles) who refuses to fight the enemy as he has been wromged by his leader Agamemnon. However, when he returns to the battlefield - after his friend Patroclus is slain - he does so with such force and fury that the entire strength of Troy cannot contain him.
The historicity - or otherwise - of Homer's account has often been questioned. The reasons are not far to seek: in Homer's account, the men and the gods interact with each other on a regular basis, and events take place both upon the earth and in heaven (Olympus). This may be somewhat difficult for a modern audience to understand. But, the events described in the Illiad are neither myth nor mythology, they have a definite historical basis. The characters described in the epic poem are not creations of the poet's imagination; their development, however, is left to the discretion of the poet.
In other words, the poet does not invent the characters, he merely puts (his) words into their mouths!
Interestingly, Paris and Helen - to whose elopement the entire Trojan War is attributed - are only minor charachters in the epic. In fact, they are almost reduced to the status of mere by-standers, as other, greater persons take sides in the quarrel they have caused! Besides Achilles, the main characters in the poem are Agamemnon, Nestor, Odysseus and Patroclus (on the Greek side of the conflict). On the Trojan side, the main protagonists are Hector - the commander of the Trojan forces - and Aeneas, who survived the war.