Assignment: Iliad 5-8
Due: Wednesday, September 12, 2007.
(Line numbers correspond to translation by Stanley Lombardo’s
translation)
Hand in answers to the questions that have the same last
digit as your University of Arkansas Identification Number.
Please type. No late answers will be accepted.
Study Questions: Iliad 5
1. Why does Athena grant Diomedes strength and daring? How does it work
in reality? (1ff.)
2. What happens when Athena takes the mist from Diomedes’ eyes? How does
this give him an advantage in this book? (140ff)
3. Why does Diomedes refuse Sthenelus’ suggestion to retreat? (268)
4. What is so special about Aeneas’ horses? (277)
5. Why is Diomedes unable to kill Aeneas with the gigantic rock? (327)
6. Why is Diomedes able to continue fighting even after being hit in
the shoulder by Pandarus’ arrow (207)?
7. Which goddess does Diomedes wound? What flows in her veins? Why does
bloodlessness mean deathlessness? (345ff.)
8. Who is Aphrodite’s mother, and how does she respond to her wounded
daughter? (401)
9. How do Hera and Athena respond to the wounding of Aphrodite? Why are
they so cruel to her? How does Hera joke about sex? (451)
11. Who likens herself to Stentor, and why? (830ff.) What does the English
word ‘stentorian’ mean?
12. Who pulls Sthenelus out of Diomedes’ chariot, and why? What is the
result? Why would Sthenelus be the wrong one for this job? (879ff.)
13. When Ares comes to Zeus to complain about being hurt by Diomedes,
Zeus replies in a most unkind and unsympathetic way (948). Compare this
speech to Agamemnon’s speech in book 1 to Achilles (lines 186ff). How do
you account for the similarity?
ILIAD 6
14. What happens to Adrastus in this book? (38) What does it show about
the intensity of this part of the Trojan War?
15. Who tells Hector to go back into Troy? [What is his occupation? What
is his relation to Hector?] What does Hector intend to do there? (75ff.)
16. Why does Diomedes tell Glaucus the story of how Lycurgus persecuted
Dionysus? Who are the “nurses of Dionysus”? (120ff.)
17. Why does Glaucus tell Diomedes the stories about Bellerophon? (120ff.)
18. Why does Diomedes grin in reaction to Glaucus’ speech? (218) Why
does Homer say “Zeus took away Glaucus’ good sense”?
19. How does Hector react to his mother Hecuba’s greeting? What does
this tell us about their relationship? (259ff.)
20. How do the Trojan women supplicate Athena? What is Athena’s reaction
to their actions? What will be important about this reaction? (311ff.)
21. How does Hector react when he sees his brother Paris in his room?
(328ff.) How does this compare to his words to Paris in book 3, lines 45
ff.?
22. How does Helen describe herself to Hector? How does Hector react
to Helen’s speech? (360ff)
23. What is the effect of Andromache’s description of the death of her
parents and brothers? That is, how do her words make the reader/hearer react
to her? (425ff.)
24. Why do Hector and Andromache laugh at little Astyanax? How would
you describe the relationship between Hector and Andromache? (491ff.)
25. What is Hector’s wish for his son? How will this wish be fulfilled?
(501ff.)
26. Hector knows that Troy will fall, and Priam’s people be defeated,
and tells Andromache as much. What does he later say to Andromache about
“fate” and “war”? (511ff.)
27. How does Hector react to Paris when Paris comes into battle (539ff)?
What does this say about their relationship?
STUDY QUESTIONS: ILIAD 7.
28. What kind of warrior is Paris at the beginning of book 7? How does
this compare to Hector’s taunt in book 3.45ff?
29. Why does Menelaus call his men “women, not men!” (100)?
30. What is the effect of Nestor’s speech about how he killed the great
hero Ereuthalion? What does this say about motivating Homeric soldiers?
130ff.)
31. Why do Ajax and Hector exchange gifts? (293ff.)
32. On what issue does Paris refuse to agree with Antenor and other Trojans?
(359ff.) How do the Trojans respond to his proposal? What does Idaeus do
to show what he thinks of Paris’ behavior? (403)
33. Why is Poseidon so upset at the Achaeans for building a wall around
their ships, and how does his brother Zeus react? What does this tell us
about the relationship between gods and mortals? (455ff)
Study Questions: ILIAD 8
34. What is Zeus’ boast to the other gods? Why does he make it? What
is the reaction of the gods? What kind of “king” is Zeus? (8ff.)
35. What does Zeus do when he goes to Mt. Ida? (71). Is he controlling
fate, or just showing what it will be?
36. While Zeus is throwing thunderbolts around Diomedes, what does Hera
suggest to Poseidon, and what is Poseidon’s reaction? Why does he react
like this? (198)
37. What does Athena say to Hera that shows that in her eyes Zeus is
being ungrateful in his treatment of her? What has she done for him that
he is not reciprocating? How can Zeus get away with this? (355ff.)
38. When Iris takes Zeus’ message to Athena and Hera, what does she add
to the original message that Zeus had not said? Why do you think she does
so? (420ff) What is Hera’s reaction to Iris’s speech?
39. What prediction about the future does Zeus make? (481ff) How certain
is this prediction?
40. Hector makes a boasting speech and plans strategy at the end of the
day’s fighting. What does the gods’ reaction to the Trojan sacrifices tell
the audience of the poem about the strength of Hector’s boasts? What kind
of tone does their reaction set for the future of the story? (509-561)
Return to Main Page: CLST 1003 Greece.
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