Questions for Iliad 17-20.
Line numbers match Stanley Lombardo's translation.
Answer the questions whose numbers are the same as the last digit of your U of AR Identification number.
Due: Friday, September 21, 2007 No late papers allowed.
Click HERE to see the cover and an excerpt from Christopher Logue's poem:
all day permanent red
the first battle scenes of homer's iliad
rewritten
Iliad 17
1. What do Menelaus and Euphorbus discuss? What are they fighting about? What is the outcome of their interaction? (1ff).)
2. The poet of the Iliad compares Menelaus to a lion (58) and a horsefly (578). How are each of these images appropriate in their contexts?
3. How do Achilles' horses react to the death of Patroclus? What was Automedon's problem? What is Zeus' reaction to the horses? How does he help?(436-499)
4. How do Athena and Apollo affect the battle over Patroclus' corpse? (558-603)
5. How does Zeus use the aegis? (607ff.) How does Ajax recognize its power? (641ff.)
6. Why is Hector's donning of Achilles' armor such a momentous event, according to Zeus? (181ff.)
7. How does Zeus' nod (199-209) compare to his nod at 1.549-563?
8. Why does the poet compare Menelaus to a lion? (672)
9. Why does the poet compare Menelaus to an eagle? (689ff.)
10. Why does the poet compare the two Ajaxes to trees? (762ff.)
Iliad 18
11. Why does Achilles say of his dead best friend Patroclus "Damn him!"? (15)
12. How do Achilles, the women in his camp, Thetis, and the Nereids in the sea react to Patroclus' death? (22-68)
13. What does Achilles tell Thetis about his own role in Patroclus' death? (85) What does he tell her about the result of mortals mating with the gods? (91ff)
14. What is Achilles' wish for his own life, now that Patroclus is dead? How does he compare himself to Heracles? (99-135)
15. What does Achilles tell Thetis about strife, anger, and pride? (101-138)
16. How does Achilles save Patroclus' body without armor and without a fight? How do Iris and Athena help him? (177-255)
17. What plan does Achilles have for Patroclus' funeral, and for his own dead body after he dies? How do these plans show his rage and his love? (345ff.)
18. How is XENIA involved when Thetis comes to Hephaestus' home? (395-502)
19. What are the major characteristics of Hephaestus' personality and physique in this book? (395-460) How is his appearance in book 18 similar to or different from the picture of him in book 1? (602ff.)
20. After the rout of the Trojans at the shout of Athena and Achilles, Polydamas advises the Trojans to retreat to the walls of Troy, but Hector opposes the idea. What reason(s) does Hector give? Why do the Trojans approve of Hector's counsel instead of Polydamas's? (260-334)
21. Why do you think the poet spends so much time describing the Shield of Achilles? What is its purpose/function in the epic? (515-655)
22. How does the assembly scene on the shield mirror or parallel the plot of the Iliad? (535)
23. How does the war scene on the shield mirror or parallel the plot of the Iliad? (548)
Iliad 19
24. How is Achilles' reaction to his new armor different from that of the other Myrmidons? (1-29)
25. What reasons does Agamemnon give for his original anger? How much responsibility does he take for his earlier actions? (88-158)
26. What is Achilles' attitude towards Briseis in his speech renouncing his wrath? (68ff) How does this compare to his earlier attitude towards her? (9.349ff) How do you account for the difference?
27. What is so pathetic about Briseis' lament over Patroclus? (299-322)
28. How does Achilles' grief over Patroclus compare to his imagined grief over the death of his father and son? (338-361)
29. Why won't Achilles eat? Why does he not starve to death? (322-375)
30. What is unique about Achilles' spear? What is its history? (415)
31. What is unique about Achilles' interaction with his horses in this book? Give details. (427ff)
32. Summarize Achilles' interaction with his horses (409ff.). What significance does it have?
Iliad 20
33. What is Zeus' attitude towards mortals at the beginning of this book? What in the text supports this? (1-32)
34. Which gods fight on which side? Make a list of the divine allies of Troy and the Greeks. (35-78)
35. Who is Xanthus? Why is he a natural ally of the Trojans? (see Glossary of Names, p. 494) What is so elemental about his opposition to Hephaestus?
36. This book deals with gods and their interference with the battle. The action centers on two important duels: Aeneas vs. Achilles, and Achilles vs. Hector. Why does Achilles triumph in neither conflict? (352, 455)
37. What is Hades' role in this book? (65) Cite at least one passage.
38. What is the substance of Poseidon's conversation with Hera about watching the battle (115-145)? What does this tell us about their attitude towards humans, and towards the other gods?
39. What is the substance of Poseidon's conversation with Hera about Aeneas (295-325)? What does this tell us about their attitude towards humans?