Iliad

The Iliad

Focus Questions

Book I

1. What do the first six lines tell us about Achilles? The first six lines tell us that Achilles might be a military general or some one who can lead Greeks into battle, It states that Achilles is full of rage also that he is murderous, and doomed. I would think this meant that he would be going to “hell” for all the bad and murder that he has done. It says that he has killed a lot of people “hurling down to the House of Death so many sturdy souls”(stanza 1, line 3). This also means that he is strong and a great fighter because he has killed so many men but the men that he killed were sturdy so he must be strong and skilled to be able to bring down many sturdy men.

2. What does the priest, Chryses, ask for? What happens when his request is rejected? Chryses asks Agamemnon for his daughter Chryseis back that he had kidnapped. Agamemnon rejects his request for his daughter and tells Chryses that Chryseis will spend the rest of her life in his house sharing a bed with him and if Chryses ever comes back to his ship to beg for his daughter or offer a ransom he will kill him. Chyses leaves the ship and prays to Apollo to send a plague to the Greeks, and Apollo answers his prayers and sends a plague to them.

3. What is Calchas’ explanation for the “plague” destroying the Argives? What solution does he give to solve the problem? What is Agamemnon’s response? Calchas’ explanation

of the plague is that it is not because the Argives have not kept a vow or a sacrifice but because Agamemnon spured his priest and refused to free his daughter back to him and even refused the ransom. Calchas’ solution to get rid of the plague is to return the girl Chryseis to her father, without any price or ransom paid for her return and to carry a sacred hundred bulls to Chryse town. Agamemnon gets mad at Calchas’ response and accuses him of only foreseeing bad fortune. Agamemnon agrees to return Chryseis but he wants another prize in her place so that his pride isn’t damaged and makes the comment that maybe the prizes that the other Argives had won should be given to him and if they don’t he will just simply take it from them.

4. Why does Achilles become so angry with Agamemnon? Why does he finally grant Agamemnon’s demand? Achilles becomes mad with Agamemnon because him and the other Argives had earned their treasures but Agamemnon fights no battles and still gets the biggest share of every thing. “whenever we sack some wealthy Trojan stronghold my arms bear the burnt of the raw, savage fighting, true, but when it comes to dividing up the plunder the lion’s share is your…”(p108, stanza two, lines 193-196). Also Agamemnon orders Achilles or one of the other leading captains to return Chryseis to her father, instead of himself. Achilles tells him no and Agamemnon threatens him that if he leaves and returns home he will be there to take his girl from him. “I will be there in person at yours tents to take Briseis in all her beauty, your own prize”. (p108, stanza 4, lines 217-28). This out rages Achilles so much that he draws his sword to kill Agamemnon, but Hera and Athena appeared before Achilles and Athena asked Achilles to put his sword down and not fight Agamemnon because Hera loved both of them the same and did not want to see them fight. Athena also assured Achilles that Agamemnon’s arrogance would soon be the cause of his death and that there is treasure in Achilles future that is three to four times in fold to what he has now.

5. What is Nestor’s advice to Agamemnon? Nestor’s advice to Agamemnon is to not seize the girl (the girl he threatened to take from Achilles is he left).

Book XVI

1. Why doesn’t Zeus intervene to save Sarpedon from death? Zeus doesn’t save Sarpedon because his wife Hera reminds him that Sarpedon might be his son but he is still a mere mortal and if he saves his life than other God who all have many mortal son’s will be tempted to save their lives as well, also if he saves Sarpedon the deathless God’s will no longer praise him.

2. Why is Sarpedon important to Zeus? What does this relationship show regarding the Greek view of their gods? Sarpedon is important to Zeus because he is his son. Zeus’ relationship for his son shows even though the Gods are immortal and revered in the highest they still have feeling of mortals. “But he showered tears of blood that drenched the earth”(p151, stanza 2, line 47) Zeus cries tears of blood for his son when he is about to dye, this shows how Zeus the king of the God’s feels love, pain,