Denton Independent School District / Overview



Read The Iliad by Homer.Iliad Discussion Questions Source: Dr. Fredricksmeyer ambrosia.Book 1What emotion identified in the first line is central to the entire Iliad?What two gods are angry at the Greeks and why?Try to think of ways in which the opening lines of the Iliad and the Odyssey are similar, and also different. (Ignore this question in classes in which we have not read both of these works.)Explain in what way the quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon and its results are the equivalent of the plague.Does the response of Achilles to the disrespect of Agamemnon seem to you out of proportion? Or, to put it another way, do you think that T. S. Eliot was right to call Achilles “little more than a superhuman adolescent”?Book 2What happens in this book to further undermine the authority of Agamemnon?Book 3Do you think that the outcome of the duel between Menelaus and Paris, and the subsequent activities of Paris in Book 3 characterize Paris negatively or not? In your explanation, make sure to comment on the nature of the relationship between Paris and Helen. Scenes in which men fight over a woman are common in literature starting with Homer. Typically, such scenes are narrated from the point of view of the males, and the woman is merely the object for whom they compete. To what extent does the passage in this book with Helen and the Trojan elders adhere to this conventional scene? Throughout Book 3, to what extent does Helen strike you as a common or uncommon female character (within a highly patriarchal society)? Explain. Book 4Who breaks the truce between the Trojans and Greeks that started in Book 3, how does he break it, and do you think that he is morally responsible for doing so?Book 5What mortal, in an “ascending scale of conflict,” goes on a killing spree in this book, and what treacherous Trojan character first seen in Book 4 does he kill? What god does this same mortal defeat in battle, and why is this surprising?How is this defeated god depicted in his conversation with Zeus, and what does this characterization imply about the Greek attitude toward warfare? Book 6 Whom does Hector visit last in an “ascending scale of affection”?Near what city gate does he find her?Identify ways in which this book characterizes Paris and Helen negatively and, in contrast, Hector and Andromache positively.How does Agamemnon again fail to abide by the law of compensation in this book?Explain the term noblesse oblige, and name the two characters who talk about his concept in this book. Book 7Central to this book is a duel between what two characters?Why is the duel aborted, who’s winning when the duel is aborted, and for which side does the likely outcome of the duel not bode well (as suggested by their desperate assembly in this book)?Book 8Which side suffers a setback in this book (that leads to their desperate assembly in the next book)? Book 9Describe the attitude of Achilles to Odysseus, on the one hand, and Ajax on the other. Look especially at the first words uttered by Achilles in response to each of their speeches.After Odysseus’ speech, what difficult choice does Achilles say he (and all other warriors) must face?What do you think is the point of the story of Phoenix? Or, to put it another way, how could the situation of Achilles eventually come to parallel that of Meleager?What implicit moral imperative of Homeric society (violated by Agamemnon in Book 1) does Achilles violate in this book?Book 10What is the name of the Trojan treacherously killed by Diomedes and Odysseus in this Book?Book 11What harm does Agamemnon suffer in this book, and what does this harm force him to do?Book 12What military success does Hector achieve at the end of this book?Book 14What trick does Hera play on Zeus, and by exactly what means?What catalogue follows the description of this trick?Which side gains the advantage after Hera pulls her trick?Book 15Which side gains the advantage once Zeus awakens?Does divine intervention on the battlefield in Book 14, its reversal in this book, and the consequences for humans suggest divine justice or its absence? Explain.What military success does Hector almost achieve at the end of this book that would have been catastrophic for the Greeks?Book 16Explain how Achilles now finds himself possibly facing the same situation that Meleager did in Phoenix’ story in Book 9?What strategy suggested by Patroclus does Achilles agree to in this book?How many warnings does Achilles give Patroclus about going into battle, and what are these warnings?How many times is Patroclus struck in his death scene? Book 17Which side gets the body of Patroclus, and which side the armor of Achilles?Book 18When Achilles last saw his mother in Book 1, what did he wish for, and how has this wish been ironically fulfilled (as Achilles realizes in Book 18)?Book 19With whom is Achilles reconciled in this book?Recall what Achilles’ name means in Greek, and consider whether his name has been fully or only partially realized up to this point.What female character more than any other weeps for Patroclus in this book, and why does she weep for him. What other women also weep for him?Book 20What ally of the Trojans narrowly escapes Achilles in this book because, according to Homer, he had a different fate than to die at Troy? What is the name of the Roman epic about this character?Book 21Can you identify any aspects of Book 21 that could be understood to characterize the wrath of Achilles as excessive?What earlier scene in the Iliad parallels the scene in this book between Achilles and Lycaon? Explain.How does the analysis of Jonathan Shay in Achilles in Vietnam suggest that Achilles’ killing spree in this book is psychologically realistic?Book 22How many times does Hector run around Troy, and how can Athena’s role in his death be seen as both malevolent and benevolent? (And what do these two terms mean?)Near what city gate does Hector die?How does the analysis of Jonathan Shay in Achilles in Vietnam suggest that Achilles’ mistreatment of Hector’s corpse in this book is psychologically realistic?Book 23To honor Patroclus, how many times do Achilles and the Myrmidons drive their horses around his body?Can you identify acts of Achilles during this book that serve as further examples of his dehumanized state of mind?Book 24What god escorts Priam to the tent of Achilles, and what natural and man-made borders do this god and Priam cross?In what sense is Achilles in this book the equivalent of the god of the Underworld, Hades, who controls the souls of the dead?How exactly does the Iliad end, and do you find this ending emotionally satisfying or not? Explain.Read The Odyssey by Homer.The Odyssey QuestionsSource: I: 1. Where is Odysseus? 2. What or whom is Athena disguised as? 3. Why do Telemachos and his mother need Odysseus? 4. Why does Odysseus’s wife have suitors? 5. What does Athena advise Telemachos to do? Book II: 6. Describe the trick that Penelopeia plays on her suitors. 7. What specifically does Athena do to help Telemachos in this book? Book III: 8. What is Nestor’s opinion of Odysseus? 9. Describe Nestor’s reaction when he realizes that Telemachos’s companion is Athena. Book IV: 10. What clues cue Menelaos and Helen that Telemachos is Odysseus’s son? 11. What is Menelaos’ opinion of Odysseus? 12. Describe Antinoos’ plan to destroy Telemachos. Book V: 13. Who is Hermes, and what is his mission? 14. What can Hermes do with his wand? 15. Who is holding Odysseus captive? 16. What is Calypso’s reaction to having to let Odysseus go? 17. What is the main problem Odysseus faces while traveling by sea? 18. What happens to Odysseus at the end of Book 5? Book VI: 19. What “subliminal” message does Athena give to Nausicaa while she lies sleeping? 20. Who is the only person who doesn’t run away from the terrifying Odysseus? Why doesn’t she run away? 21. Is it pure luck that Nausicaa helps Odysseus? Explain. 22. What does the fact that Odysseus won’t bathe in front of the girls tell us about the kind of person he is? 23. Does Nausicaa believe her parents will help Odysseus? 24. Why won’t Nausicaa let Odysseus ride in her cart? 25. What instructions does she give Odysseus?Book VII: 26. What craft are the Phaiacians best known for? 27. How is Odysseus treated as a guest? Book VIII: 28. Describe the activities that King Alcinoos arranges to entertain Odysseus. 29. Who is Demodocos? 30. How is King Alcinoos helping Odysseus to get home? 31. What is Odysseus’s reaction whenever Demodocos sings about the Trojan War? Book IX: 32. What was the effect of the Lotus plant? 33. How heavy is the door of the Cyclops’ cave? 34. What is the first villainous thing the Cyclops does? 35. Why doesn’t Odysseus kill the Cyclops when he has the chance? 36. What does Odysseus give the Cyclops as a gift? 37. What gift does the Cyclops give in return? 38. What does Odysseus tell the Cyclops that his name is? 39. How do Odysseus and his men sneak out of the Cyclops’ cave? 40. What foolish thing does Odysseus do? 41. What did a soothsayer once predict would happen to the Cyclops? 42. What does the Cyclops ask his father Poseidon to do for him? Book X: 43. Who is the god of wind? 44. What favor does he do for Odysseus and his men? 45. What stupid mistake do some of the men make on the ship? 46. How do even more men die after the bag accident? 47. What does Circe do to some of Odysseus’s men? 48. How does Odysseus get her to release his men? 49. What instructions does Circe give Odysseus? Book XI: 50. What does Odysseus do to call the souls of the dead to him? 51. Who is Teiresias and what does Odysseus want from him? 52. What does Teiresias predict for Odysseus? 53. What should Odysseus do to the suitors at his house? 54. What does Teiresias say Odysseus should do after dealing with the suitors? 55. What is the name of Odysseus’s mother and how did she die? 56. Why can’t Odysseus hug his dead mother? Book XII: 57. Why should Odysseus be wary of the Sirens? 58. What should he and his men do to keep safe from the Sirens? 59. Describe Scylla. 60. What will Charybdis do if Odysseus’s ship gets too close? 61. What does Odysseus keep secret from his men? 62. Describe the circumstances of Odysseus’s shipmates’ deaths. Is it Odysseus’s fault? Book XIII: 63. Describe Odysseus’s journey home from Scheria. 64. What does Poseidon initially want to do to the Phaeacian ship? 65. What decision does Alcinovs make because of the wrath of Poseidon? 66. Why and for how long does Athena want Odysseus to be in disguise? 67. What does Athena instruct Odysseus to do now that he has returned to Ithaca? 68. Whom does Athena instruct Odysseus to visit first? Book XIV: 69. What is the name of the swineherd? 70. What does Odysseus tell the swineherd about himself? 71. Describe Odysseus’s disguise. Book XV: 72. How has Eumaios proven his faithfulness in this and previous books? 73. Who do you think will be the first person to know Odysseus for who he really is? Book XVI: 74. What does Telemachos call Eumaios? Why? 75. Describe Athena’s changes to Odysseus’s appearance. 76. Who does Telemachos think Odysseus is when Athena removes his disguise? 77. What do Odysseus and Telemachos plan to do? 78. Describe Penelopeia’s confrontation with Antinoos. Book XVII: 79. What does Theoclymenos prophesy to Penelopeia? 80. How does Odysseus test the suitors? 81. Who recognizes Odysseus right away? How does he recognize him? 82. Describe Melanthios. 83. Who makes Odysseus extremely angry? 84. Why does Odysseus want to test his servants and his wife before revealing his identity? Book XVIII: 85. Why does Odysseus get in a fight with Iros? Who wins? 86. What trick does Penelopeia play on the suitors in this book? 87. Which three characters anger Odysseus in this book? Book XIX: 88. What does Odysseus the beggar tell Penelopeia about Odysseus? 89. How does Eurycleia recognize Odysseus? 90. How did Odysseus get the scar on his leg? 91. Describe Penelopeia’s challenge for the suitors. Book XX: 92. Name two people who are cruel to Odysseus the beggar. 93. Who proves himself to be a kind and faithful servant? 94. What do you think Odysseus is going to do to the suitors? Book XXI: 95. Whom does Odysseus trust to help him defeat the suitors? 96. Why don’t the men want Odysseus to try to string the bow? 97. How does Odysseus prove his true identity? Book XXII: 98. What did Odysseus prove about his abilities when he shot the arrow through the twelve axes? 99. Whom does Odysseus kill first and why? 100. How does Eurymachos plead his case with Odysseus? 101. Whom does Telemachos catch raiding the storeroom of weapons and what do they do with him? 102. Which two servants who spared? 103. How does Odysseus identify the unfaithful maids? 104. What does Odysseus do to the unfaithful maids? 105. What is done to Melanthios? Book XXIII: 106. How does Penelopeia test Odysseus? 107. Why does she test him? 108. Describe the one last task that Tieresias told Odysseus to complete. What will be his reward for this task? 109. After Odysseus tells Penelopeia about all his adventures, he sets off again. What does he go to do? What does he tell Penelopeia to do? Book XXIV: 110. How does Odysseus prove that he is really Laertes’ son? 111. What is Laertes afraid of? 112. Who comes to battle Odysseus? Whom are they led by? 113. Whom does Odysseus kill? 114. Who stops the battle?Read The Aeneid by Virgil. Questions for Vergil's?Aeneid*from 1-2Compare the opening lines of the?Aeneid?to the opening lines of the?Iliad?and/or the?Odyssey.? Can you identify any similarities or differences?What kind of hero is Aeneas?? How do his actions compare to those of Gilgamesh, Achilles, and Hector?? In what ways is his situation similar to or different from that of the other heroes?In what ways is the?Aeneid?a retelling of Homer's epic poems?? In what ways is it not?What does Carthage look like?? What does Aeneas see when he enters the city?? How does he respond to what he sees?How is Aeneas received by Dido???How does Aeneas describe the Trojan War?? How has he been affected by it?What do Aeneas's actions during the sack of Troy suggest about his character?How does Aeneas remove his father from Troy as it burns?? Is there a symbolic significance to this?Book 4What is Dido's role in the?Aeneid?? How does she compare with the female characters we encountered in Homer and Aeschylus?Why is Dido reluctant to reveal her love to Aeneas?? Is there more than love at stake here, for both Dido and Aeneas?Is Aeneas in love with Dido?? How do you know?How would you characterize Aeneas's behavior towards Dido after Mercury reminds him of his obligation to go to Italy?? Who behaves in a more dignified manner, Aeneas or Dido?What role have the gods played in the affair of Dido and Aeneas???Book 6Why does Aeneas visit the underworld in Book 6?What does the underworld look like?Who does Aeneas meet in the underworld???What does Anchises tell Aeneas about the future of Rome?? How does he tell him to behave when he conquers the native Italians?Books 8, 10, 12What is depicted on the shield of Aeneas???Compare Homer's description of the shield of Achilles to Vergil's description of the shield of Aeneas.How would you characterize Aeneas's treatment of Magus, Mezentius, and Lausus?? Does Aeneas's behavior in this episode change the way you feel about his character?? Does it cause you to think about his mission in a different way?Compare Homer's description of the death of Hector to Vergil's description of the death of Turnus.??Compare the ending of the?Aeneid?to the ending of the?Iliad.?In what ways is the?Aeneid?a work of propaganda that supports Rome under Augustus?? Is it possible that it also undermines the ideals of Augustan Rome?? At the end of the poem Aeneas has conquered his enemy, he will establish the settlement that will eventually become Rome under Augustus, the descendent of his son Ascanius (Iulus, cf. Julius, as in Julius Caesar, Augustus's adoptive uncle), and everyone from Gibraltar to the Levant will live happily ever after under the?pax Romana.? But what has Aeneas sacrificed in order to achieve this?? Is it worth it?? ................
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