Humanities 101

Fall 2014
Classics in Conversation
Stiemsma
Iliad Reading Guide Part 1
Use the following guide to help you to fill in the blanks on books or
parts of books skipped, and fill out the sections for yourself on the
assigned portions as you read them.
Bk Ll.
1
All

Summary

Quotes

1583

All

489
630

Lists of names
of soldiers,
families,
homes, etc.,
Greek then
Trojan.
This is called
the catalogue
and is an epic
convention
now.

Discussion ?? Other/Notes
What is
the view
of war put
forth?
Why is
Achilles so
angry?
Find and
analyze an
On Achilles
epic simile Multiple
Acheans: But
in this
invocatio
they had no
book.
ns of the
lust (782-85) Why so
muse.
Why?
On Aeneas: And
many
the noble son
invocation
(930-32)
s?

Zeus suggests
that Menelaus
has won and
that the war
should be
over, but Hera
and Athena

Zeus orders
Athena: see
that the Trojans
break the sworn
truce first
(81-84)
Agamemnon

Compare
the
characters
of Paris
and
Menelaus
Compare
the epic
similes
used to
describe
the two
armies.

437 ff
recounts
the story
of
Oedipus
kids

cant accept
this, and so
Athena gets
the Trojans to
break the
truce by
attacking
Menelaus
5

**

Diomedes
goes after
every Trojan
in sight,
wounding
Aeneas, and
even
attacking
Aphrodite,
Apollo, and
Ares, as well
as people
whose name
does not start
with A
Hector strikes
back, with
Ares on his
side

after Menelaus
injury: The son
of Cronus, /
Zeuswill
brandish over
their heads
(191-95)

Athena to Ares
(ironic?): why
not let these
mortals flight it
out (34-38)
Diomedes
prayer:
prayed and
Athena heard
his prayer, / put
spring in his
limbs (13348)
Brave Aeneas:
No talk of
turning for
home (24252)
Re: Diomedes:
Doesnt the son
of Tydeus know,
deep down, / the
man who fights
the gods does
not live long?
(465-66), That
daredevil
Diomedes, hed
fight Father
Zeus (52729)
Ares after injury:
We everlasting
godsAh what
chilling blows/w
suffer(1008-

Why does
Homer
give such
intense
descriptio
ns of
violence in
the
battles?

**

Lots more

fighting, back
and forth, lots
of killing
The Greeks
seem to be
winning, so
Hector goes
back into Troy,
sees his wife
and child, and

brings Paris
back to the
front

**

Hector,

15)
Agamemnon to
Menelaus,
concerning
mercy: Why
such concern for
enemies No
baby boy in his
mothers
belly,/not even
he escape (6470) (ouch!)
Hector to Paris:
What on earth
are you doing?
Youd be the
first to lash out
at another
anywhere/you
saw hanging
back (38492)
Helen to Hector:
But since the
gods ordained it
allZeus
planted a killing
doom within us
both, /so even
for generations
still unborn/we
will live in song
(407-26)
Stallion
metaphor for
Paris: Nor did
Paris linger
(601-12)
Hectors
significant
subjective: If
Zeus will ever
let us raise
(628-31)
How the gods

Androma
che calls
herself
Hectors
widow

spurred by
Apollo and
Athena,
challenges
the Greeks,

who send
forth Ajax to
fight him. The
two spur, but
Zeus calls off
the fight, and
both armies

retire.
Both armies
desire to bury
their dead,
and no truce
is reached.

**

Amidst more

back and forth

between the
armies,
Hector and
the Trojans
begin to

dominate by
the will of
Zeus.
Zeus orders
that the gods
are to remain

relate: So
Apollo staged
the action
(49 ff)
Hector requests
respect for his
body: But give
my body to
friends to carry
home again
(92-105)
Ajax on winning
the right to fight
Hector: ...the
lot is mine and it
fills my heart
with joy! (219230)
Hector himself,
his heart
pounding
against his
ribs 248 ff)
FEAR!
Paris refuses to
give up Helen
(415-418)
Perfect ending:
Then down
they lay at last
and took the gift
of sleep (558)
Intro continues
from before:
Now as the
dawn flung out
her golden
robe (1 ff)
Zeus on his own
power: Hang a
great golden
cable down from
the heavens,/lay
hold of it, all you
gods, all

out of the
fighting, and
they fear him
and agree,
but they
dont.

All

goddesses
too:/you can
never drag me
down from sky
to earthBut
whenever Id set
my mind to drag
you up,/in
deadly earnest,
Id hoist you all
with ease (2031)
Zeus
foreshadowing
regarding
Hector: This
powerful hector
will never quit
the fighting,/not
till swift Achilles
rises beside the
ships (54651)

Based on
his words
and
actions
here, has
Agamemn
on
changed?
What are
the
various
appeals
made to
Achilles?
How
effective
is each
speaker?
Why does
Achilles
respond
as he

does?
What does
he want?
10 **

11 908
101
5

12 All

Diomedes and
Odysseus
sneak to spy
on the
Trojans,
discover a
Trojan spy,
get
information
from him, kill
him, and then
use his
information to
slaughter
many
Thracians that
night.
The next
morning, the
fighting
continues with
great
intensity, with
Agamemnon,
Diomedes,
and Odysseus
all receiving
injuries.
Hector has a
brush with
death, but
continues his
attack
Patroclus

Diomedes kills
Dolon the
informant:
just as Dolon
reached up for
his chine/to
cling with a
frantic hand and
beg for life,/
Diomedes struck
him swuare
across the
neck (51540)

The gods as
responsible:
But Zeus drove
a swirl of panic
deep in their
linesZeus was
bent on hurling
down/to the
House of Death
a rout of sturdy
fighters (60-63)
Metaphor for
Agamemnon:
Think of a
lion (132-42)
Rough justice
from
Agamemnon:
(142-165)

Characteri
ze Hector
thus far in
the epic.
How is he
like Greek

heroes?
How is he
not?
Consider
the
relationshi
p between
human
actions
and the
will and
actions of
Zeus.
How doe
the other
gods fit in
this
picture?