Did Alexander Pope translate the Iliad?

Alexander Pope’s version of The Iliad – Homer’s Greek epic poem – was drafted on scraps of paper, often using the backs of his letters and notes. Pope laboured on this English translation for over six years, and published it, by subscription, in six parts between 1715 and 1720.

When did Alexander Pope translate the Iliad?

1715
Pope published the first four books of his translation of the Iliad in 1715; he completed the project in 1720. In the Preface to his translation of Homer’s Iliad, Pope discusses Homer’s singular strengths.

Who first translated Iliad into English?

Arthur Hall
The first translation of Homer into English consisted of the first ten books of the Iliad by Arthur Hall in 1581. Hall did not base his translation on the original Greek but on the French version by Hugues Salel published in 1555.

What books did Alexander Pope translate into English?

In addition to his credentials as the third most quoted literary figure by The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, topped only by Shakespeare and Tennyson, and a celebrated poet and essayist, Pope is best known for his translations of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey.

What made Alexander Pope an outsider?

Alexander Pope (1688–1744) was an outsider in his own society, struggling for acceptance and using his literary talents to succeed. As a Catholic, he was barred from attending English universities or from taking positions reserved for men of his own class, such as naval or military commissions.

Did Alexander Pope know Greek?

Barred from attending public school or university because of his religion, Pope was largely self-educated. He taught himself French, Italian, Latin, and Greek, and read widely, discovering Homer at the age of six.

Who is Alexander Pope compared to?

18th century English authors, Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift, were friends and rivals, and while they wrote on similar topics, their styles of satire were markedly different.

Which translation of the Iliad is the best?

The Fagles translation is far and away the best English translation, in my opinion. The rhythm and flow of his free verse is impeccable. That said, I encourage people to check out my own ongoing translation, in which I am attempting to reproduce the original meter of the Greek.

What is the best English translation of Iliad?

Has a woman ever translated the Iliad?

Anne Dacier translated Homer’s Iliad into French prose in 1699 and his Odyssey nine years later. The Aeneid, perhaps the most canonical Latin text, was translated into English by a woman (Ruden) for the first time in 2009. The first English translation of The Iliad by a woman (Alexander) came out last year.

What disease afflicted Alexander Pope?

English poets Alexander Pope and William Ernest Henley both had Pott disease.

What did Alexander Pope believe in?

Religion played an important role in Pope’s personal life from its very outset: he came of a Roman Catholic family, and he remained a Catholic, though not a particularly fervent one, when it was still decidedly disadvantageous and even dangerous to be so.

How did Alexander Pope translate the Iliad and Odyssey?

The publication of Pope’s translations of the Iliad and Odyssey was a carefully planned enterprise that ultimately provided him with financial independence for the rest of his life. Pope’s method of translating Homer was not very different from those of the translators who were not Greek scholars.

Who was Alexander Pope and what did he do?

Alexander Pope (1688–1744) was an outsider in his own society, struggling for acceptance and using his literary talents to succeed. As a Catholic, he was barred from attending English universities or from taking positions reserved for men of his own class, such as naval or military commissions.

Why did Alexander Pope translate Homer into French?

Moreover, for the scholarly annotations and the tone of his translation, Pope relied heavily on the French versions by Anne LeFevre Dacier. Along with other authors of the France of Louis XIV, Madame Dacier saw the need to make Homer available to a wider public by stressing the sublime qualities of the poems.

How many pentameters are there in the Iliad?

In turn, a pentameter is a succession of five iambic feet, each of which contains an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. In the following video we will listen to verses 578-643 of the last book of the Iliad in Pope’s translation.