The Iliad -- Study Guide #1 -- Ancient Studies Tuttle/Rogers

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Berniece Roberts
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1 Ancient Studies Assignment Bulletin - Unit 1: The Iliad Homer # Due Date Iliad Book: Lines Pages #1 T 9/6 Book 1: #2 W* 9/7 Book 1: #3 W* 9/7 Book 2: 1-54, W* 9/7 Book 3: #4 S 9/10 Book 3: Book 6: Student Name: #5 M 9/12 Book 9: , , Book 16: #6 T 9/13 Book 16: #7 W* 9/14 Book 18: W* 9/14 Book 19: #8 W* 9/14 Book 22: #9 F 9/16 Book 22: #10 T 9/20 Book 24: #11 W* 9/21 Discussion & Quiz in First Class #12 W* 9/21 Prep for Paper in Second Class #13 S 9/24 PAPER DUE AT END OF SECOND CLASS Paper Topic: Evaluate the character of Achilles. In your judgment, does Achilles act nobly and honorably, or selfishly and dishonorably? Does Achilles provide us with a positive model for a good life? In addressing this topic, consider both the words and actions (or inaction) of Achilles. Structure of the Paper: In this classic five paragraph essay, you should discuss Achilles interactions with any three (3) of the following figures from the Trojan War. You may choose to focus on Achilles own actions in these encounters, or you may compare and contrast Achilles with the other figure. Whatever your approach, you should devote a full body paragraph to each of your three episodes. In every instance, you should explain what we learn about Achilles in the encounter, and assess whether he acts admirably or not. Agamemnon Patroclus Odysseus Hector Priam Common Greek soldiers

2 Assignment #1 Book 1: (pages 1-10) In one sentence, explain the essence of the story of The Iliad, as stated in the first 8 lines (proem) of the poem. (book1.lines1-8) Why is the Greek camp suffering from a plague? ( ) Who is Chryses, and what does he want? ( ) What is the basis of the feud between Achilles and Agamemnon? ( ) Achilles becomes so angry that he is ready to kill Agamemnon. Who intervenes? What is this figure s advice? ( ) According to Nestor, who will be hurt the most, and who will benefit from the fighting between Achilles and Agamemnon? ( ) What threat does Achilles level against Agamemnon? ( ) What causes anger in our own lives? And what consequences can follow as a result? Is Hera redirecting Achilles from the course he would take on his own? Or do the gods simply incline us toward the actions where our own nature would lead us anyway? How independent are we really? Where do our sympathies lie when Achilles is ready to kill Agamemnon? Should he do it? Or would Achilles just be taking his treasonous insubordination to the extreme? How did it come to this? Who s right? Who s wrong? Are they both petty and petulant? Or do they both have good arguments on their side? What is really at stake in this feud? And who will suffer as a result? Have we experienced quarrels in our own lives that echo this argument in any way? What provokes own rage? And can we ever control it? Do we admire either man for sticking my his principles? Or do we reject their examples as selfish and destructive?

3 Assignment #2 Book 1: (pages 10-19) Achilles is feeling very sorry for himself. He feels that he has been cheated. He knows that he is destined for a short life. What was he supposed to get from Zeus as a trade-off? ( ) How would you describe Achilles relationship with his mother, Thetis? ( ) What does Achilles want Zeus to do to make the Greeks appreciate him? ( ) Why is Zeus reluctant to help? What does he fear? ( ) What can you say about the Greek conception of gods and their relationships? How are they similar to and different from mortals and their relationships? ( ) How do we feel about Achilles honor relative to the lives of others he is willing to sacrifice? Why does he not wish for Agamemnon alone to suffer? Is Achilles now any different than Agamemnon, who earlier had caused the deaths of many Greeks because he was unwilling to give Chryseis back to her father? Is he a hypocrite in this core wish?

4 Assignment #3 Book 2: 1-54, (pages 20-23) Book 3: (pages 28-35) What plan does Zeus form to honor Achilles and hurt the Greeks? (2.3-11) Achilles hates Thersites, because he is ugly and is always provoking the nobles. The two are, however, in agreement about the war. How are they in agreement? ( ) How does Odysseus respond to Thersites argument? ( ) What is Hector s opinion of his brother Paris? What is Paris response? ( ) What is Paris proposal for settling the conflict? How do the Greek and Trojan troops feel about this proposal? ( ) Priam reassures Helen that she is not to blame for the war. Who does he say is responsible? ( ) How does Helen describe Odysseus? ( ) Consider our understanding of dreams do they come from within us, or are they sent from without? Or is it really a combination of both? Does Agamemnon s own pride and arrogance mislead him?] The class bias is striking the Thersites episode: the nobles are both wise and beautiful, while the common man is ugly and foolish. How much do we associate appearance with other qualities in our society today? Do you agree with Thersites that is it not right for a commander to lead his troops into trouble? Are there circumstances when doing so is appropriate? How would we respond if anyone spoke like Odysseus at Asheville School? Could a teacher speak this way about a student who questioned something Mr. Montgomery did? Helen consistently is hard on herself, often calling herself a bitch Why does she do this? Do we agree that she is to blame? Is she really at fault for inciting this war? Or is her fate determined by the gods, beyond her control?]

5 Assignment #4 Book 3: (pages 35-42) Book 6: (pages 49-56) Menelaus is a superior fighter to Paris, yet he is unable to take him down. Why? ( ) What do Helen and Aphrodite argue about? ( ) What is Helen s opinion of herself? ( ) What does Andromache mean when she says, Hector, you are my father, you are my mother, / You are my brother and my blossoming husband. ( ). What is she afraid of? ( ) What is Asytanax reaction when his father reaches to embrace him before he leaves for battle? ( ) What do we think of Helen after her scene in Book 3? Is she the bitch she calls herself multiple times? And what about Paris? Does he deserve any respect at all? Is he just the pretty boy coward that both Hector and Helen call him? Or is he right that We don t get to choose the gifts the gods give us? Is he at fault for making the most of the gifts that Aphrodite has given him? Should we fault anyone for their good fortune?? In Book 6, Helen shows no respect for her husband Should she do more to defend him? Or is she right to show more respect both for Menelaus and Hector?] Can we imagine any of the Greek heroes wishing that their sons surpass them, as Hector wishes Astyanax will do? Or are the Greeks too caught up in their own sense of honor?

6 Assignment #5 Book 9: , (pages 56-63, 68-71) Book 16: (pages 79-82) What is Achilles doing as Odysseus, Phoenix, and Ajax come upon him? ( ) What gifts does Agamemnon offer Achilles as a bribe to return to the battle? ( ) What does Odysseus offer as an even greater reward for returning to the battle, even if Achilles will not accept Agamemnon s apology? ( ) Why does Achilles refuse to change his mind? ( ) What does Achilles know about his destiny? ( ) What is Patroclus opinion of Achilles stance? What does he propose? ( ) Would you take the deal that Agamemnon offers to Achilles? Why, or why not? What about Odysseus argument? Would that work on you? In his response to Odysseus, we see Achilles at his least heroic and his most dismissive about the war for now he is rejecting the idea that there could be any higher meaning for the war. But do we agree with him about life in general: Should we really conclude that it makes no difference whether we slack off or work? Does work have no higher meaning than just slacking off? Achilles laments that Agamemnon took Briseis from him. But how would Briseis feel about being taken in the first place? Can we give voice to her feelings in this matter? What is our judgment of Achilles in Book 9? Petulant, or principled? Should we respect his example, or reject it? Is it fair or proper for Achilles to allow Patroclus to fight in his place? Or is Achilles recklessly and selfishly putting his friend s life at risk?

7 Assignment # 6 Book 16: (pages ) Zeus considers challenging the Fates, but Hera talks him out of it. What does he want to do? ( ) Again Zeus considers intervening in the case of Patroclus and Hector. What does he consider doing? ( ) Achilles had warned Patroclus not to get carried away in the battle and press on to Troy. Does he heed Achilles warning? What does he do and why? ( ) Who interferes in the fight between Patroclus and Hector? How? ( , ) How does Hector behave as Patroclus is dying? How does Patroclus respond? ( ) What do we think of Patroclus words and actions when he kills Cebriones? Classless? Does Patroclus have any right to expect better treatment when he too faces death? The death of Patroclus is what incites Achilles to return to battle; he will want revenge against Hector. But has this scene justified Achilles in redirecting his rage away from Agamemnon and toward Hector? Or do the gods continue to orchestrate each step?

8 Assignment #7 Book 18: (pages ) Book 19: 1-87 (pages ) Achilles was brooding with premonitions (18.4). What does he fear has happened? ( ) Why does Achilles curse Patroclus? - Damn him! ( ) What decision does Achilles make that he knows will determine his fate? ( ) Although he does not have the protection of his armor, how is it that Achilles strikes fear in the hearts of the Trojans (and their horses) as he rescues the body of Patroclus? ( ) As he returns to the battle, Achilles addresses the troops. What does he say to them that sets them cheering? ( ) In Book 18, we see Achilles realization of the costs of his own wrath. Is this whole epic a celebration of Achilles rage? Or is it a condemnation? When Achilles says, And conquest our pride / Because we must, is he voicing the main lesion of the epic? Must Achilles glory come at a cost to others? Has he overcome his rage, or merely channeled it in a new direction? What do we think of Achilles reaction in Book 18? Should he be surprised that his friend died in his place? Does he or should he feel guilt for getting his friend killed? What do we make of Achilles motivation in Book 19? Is he going back to fight for a common cause? Has he seen the error of his ways? Or has he merely redirected his rage to a new target? And is this new target any more or less justified than the original? Or should Achilles direct his anger at himself, for letting his friend die in his place? Or might Achilles realize this already? Does he see himself as a true hero? And do we?

9 Assignment #8 Book 22: (pages ) Apollo taunts Achilles. How does Achilles respond? Why do you think he does not fear arguing with the god? ( ) How does Priam attempt to persuade Hector not to fight Achilles? ( ) Homer compares Hector to a snake waiting Tense and coiled / As a man approaches / Its lair in the mountains, Venom in its fangs / And poison in its heart, Glittering eyes Glaring, from the rocks ( ). What is Hector waiting for? Why doesn t he just put down his weapons and not fight? ( ) Why does Zeus wish to save Hector? Who talks him out of it and why? ( ) What is Zeus weighing in his golden scales? ( ) What do we make of the guilt trip that Priam lays on Hector before the battle? Would the old man s fate really be worse than the fate that Andromache anticipates as a widow? And do we even agree that there can be beauty in the death of a young man? How would you respond if your coach gave you a pep talk like this right before the big game? When Hector and Achilles meet in combat, which is the more heroic? Why do you think so?

10 Assignment #9 Book 22: (pages ) What is the deal that Hector asks Achilles to agree to? What is Achilles response? ( ) In what way is this battle between Hector and Achilles not a fair one-on-one fight? Explain ( ) When Hector throws his first javelin and it strikes only the shield, he asks Deïphobus for another but he is not there. What does Hector realize at this point? ( ) How does Achilles know where the weak spot in Hector s armor is? ( ) How does Achilles answer Hector s plea to respect his corpse? ( ) What do Hector s final words prophesy? ( ) What does Achilles do with Hector s corpse after the battle? ( ) The members of Hector s family poignantly lament his death. What is Andromache s greatest sorrow? ( ) Should we expect Achilles to be more gracious in his final battle with Hector? Could he not get his revenge while still showing some respect for his opponent? Is his rage under control? Or is it now worse than ever? Hector experiences a crucial moment of recognition and acceptance right before his death: I hear the gods calling me to my death (22.325). But note that he shares Achilles concern for doing great deeds that will live on past his death. What is more striking to us? The similarities or the differences between the Greeks and the Trojans? Between Achilles and Hector? Achilles expresses the desire to cut Hector s flesh and eat it raw (22.385). He then desecrates Hector s corpse by dragging it behind his chariot Does Achilles deserve our respect? Can he ever be a role model for us? Or are his actions justified?

11 Assignment #10 Book 24: (pages ) Who finally softens Achilles heart, enabling him to let go of his rage? How does he do this? ( ) Two jars / Sit at the doorstep of Zeus ( ). What is the significance of those two jars? What arguments does Priam use to persuade Achilles to give Hector s body back? ( ) What is Achilles response when Priam asks for Hector s body back? ( ) How do Achilles and Priam end the day? ( ) Describe (one sentence for each) the lamentations of Andromache, Hecuba, and Helen. ( ) Questions to consider: Has Achilles in fact put aside his rage in returning Hector s corpse to Priam? Has this final episode made him an admirable hero in your eyes? Homer concludes his epic with the funeral of Hector, not with the end of the war or the death of Achilles. Why do you think he does this? ( )

Dear Incoming Students,

Dear Incoming Students, Welcome to the Classical Education track at Bishop Machebeuf High School! I am looking forward to an exciting and unique year with you. This Summer we will be reading Homer s The