Book 13
Whose side is Poseidon on?
Book 14
Do you think the simile Homer uses for Nestor's state of mind is a good one? Notice that both Agamemnon and Diomede are kings. Remember that Greece is a land of city states. Odysseus is also a king, as is Menelaus. How can Odysseus get away with speaking to Agamemnon as he does?
Why is Poseidon called "the Shaker of Earth"? Where is Samothrace? Notice that the Greek gods are shape shifters. What is the role of "shouting" in battle (why do men do it)?
What do you think of Hera's ethics (look it up)? The Greeks oil their bodies, both to soften them and to give them a healthy sheen. Is Athene a seamstress? Do you think Aphrodite ever acts ethically? Are Oceanus and Tethys gods? Find Thrace on the map on p. 6. Find Mt. Athos on the northernmost peninsula in the Thracian Sea; it's just a hop from there to the isle of Lemnos.
What a strange collection these dieties are! The Olympian gods, the giants, the Titans, and then a "god" like Sleep, brother of Death. What do you think of the gods at this point (can you imagine believing in them)? Who is Hephaestus? Who is Heracles? Could Zeus destroy Sleep itself?? How does Hera get what she wants? Any oath sworn by the River Styx was most solemn. One dared not break such an oath. (The adjectival form of Styx is Stygian, as in "Stygian darkness.") Where is the River Styx? What gods are "under all with Cronos"? Mt. Ida is right in the middle of Crete, just north of Gortyn (there is an inset--green--on p. 6, but if you find Crete on the map on p. 4 you'll have a clearer idea where it is). Zeus "loves" quite a few women. (see p. 130) What does Homer mean by "love"?
Who is "Telemonian Ajax"? How does Hector fall under the huge rock he throws?
Book 15
Can the gods do "evil"? How can Hera swear such a thing? The contrast between her oath and that of her husband on p. 134 is pretty stark. Look carefully at Nestor's prayer. This is called "laying under obligation"; if you ask for something, you first express an obligation the other has to you. For instance, you might say, "If you were my friend, you wouldn't go out with him." The obligation is friendship. Are you beginning to see any pattern in the similes Homer uses in this work (p. 135)? Compare the similes on pp. 135-36, one concerning Ajax, the other Hector. What is the effect on the reader of such different images (horseman and eagle)?
Book 16
What do you make of Achilles' response to Patroclus' tears? What does Patroclus mean, "Never may such anger as this grow in me, O you only good for the wounding of others."? Why does Patroclus deny Achilles' parentage? Who are the Myrmidons? What do you think of Achilles' "permission" speech? What is Achilles concerned about? Notice the way he prepares for prayer (to Zeus). The partial answer to prayer is very common in Greek literature, as well as the lack of knowledge of the supplicant (look it up) as to which part will be answered and which will not.
Do wasps seem like a good comparison with the Myrmidons? Why? Hector has fantastically good intuition (look it up) in battle; that is what makes him a "super" hero. Does the simile in the second half of the paragraph on p. 142 strike you as apt or puzzling? Sarpedon's fate overrides Zeus' will? But didn't he fortell it on p. 134? Can Zeus counteract fate? Why would the gods be angry if Zeus tried?
What do you make of Apollo's healing of Glaucus' arm? Could such a thing actually happen? Is the "noise of woodcutters" a good simile? Could Patroclus have done otherwise than he did? Apollo says not even Achilles will take Troy. Who will? How? What do you make of Patroclus' speech on p. 146? How does it make you feel? Who is Ares? What is this "terrible cry" he cries? Why does Homer switch into second person (know what second person is)? Why is he killed by three instead of one?
Book 17
Try to imagine the effect of Book 17, even though you will not read it. What is missing is what gives the "epic effect" to this work.
Book 18
Why does Achilles pour "dark dust" over his head? Notice, in Thetis' speech the repeated foreshadowing that Homer uses to remove all suspense but to increase the foreboding in the work. What other effect does this kind of "knowing what's going to happen" have on the reader? Isn't there something odd about Achilles' oath of vengeance against Hector when Patroclus made very clear that Hector was not the one responsible for his death? What do you make of Achilles' wish in the middle of p. 151?
What is the aegis of Athene? Why/how does he shout?
Polydamas is the nestor of the Trojans. I hope by now you've seen the informality of this war. Some days the Trojans sally out and fight on the plains between the city and the shore. At other times, the Greeks beseige the walled city. The ebb and flow of evenly-matched battle lends itself to similes involving the sea. Hector's response to Polydamas illustrates perfectly the statement at the top of p. 154. Cremation makes sense on the battlefield; the Greeks and Romans were partial to it in all cases. What do you think of Achilles' plan for Patroclus' funeral?
Why is Hephaestus "crook-footed"? In The Odyssey Hephaestus is said to be married to Aphrodite (much the commoner story), but here his wife is Charis. Why is his body described as "the great hard-breathing mass of him"? How great a craftsman is he?
Look carefully at the shield he makes. It is both beautiful and meaningful, two adjectives that might seem inappropriate to war gear. What do you make of the scenes on the shield? Shield, breatplate, helmet, and leg guards (greaves)--that's it. Why?
Rev 9/96