SEPTEMBER 5/6:   EPIC SCOPE: A CAST OF THOUSANDS
READINGS (Tuesday night class/Sept. 5): the Iliad, bks. 1-3 and 6, pp. 59-112, 153-67
READINGS (Wednesday class/Sept. 6): the Iliad, bks. 1-3, pp. 59-112
(Consult the Cast of Characters and the Outline of the Plot ; Read the Commentary on Books 1-3)
Summary: The first three books of the Iliad introduce us to the plot, some of the main characters, and important elements and themes of epic poetry (e.g., the role of the gods and goddesses, the heroic code, the concept of honor). As the plot unfolds, a simple quarrel between two warriors sets the stage for a deeper exploration of the individual’s place in society and the relationship between mortals and immortals. Homer enlarges this plot by placing it against the backdrop of the whole story of the Trojan war. The opening books also illustrate some of the telltale  features of oral poetry, and, by looking closely at similes, we will observe the artistry of the poet working within the oral tradition.
In books 3 and 6, a series of scenes (the duel between Paris and Menelaos; the conversation of Helen and Priam on the walls of Troy; Helen in Paris's bedroom; Hektor's meeting with his mother, Hekabe; and his farewell to his wife, Andromache, and baby son, Astyanax) provide closer views of the Trojans and different perspectives on the life and values of the warriors, and the status and roles of women in these societies.   

KEY TERMS/CAST OF CHARACTERS

GODS AND GODDESSES IN THE ILIAD
Aphrodite                Artemis               Hephaistos         Iris             Thetis
Phoibos Apollo        Pallas Athene      Hera                  Kronos        Zeus
Ares                        Hades                 Hermes              Poseidon

GREEK WARRIORS (called Achaians, Danaans or Argives, and sometimes referred to individually by their titles or by their fathers’ names, as I have indicated in parentheses)
Achilleus (son of Peleus, leader of the Myrmidons)
Agamemnon (son of Atreus)                                              Menelaos (son of Atreus)
Aias (Telamonian Aias)                                                     Nestor (aged king of Pylos)
Aias (son of Oileus)                                                           Odysseus (son of Laertes)
Diomedes (son of Tydeus)                                                 Patroklos (son of Menoitios)

OTHER GREEK CHARACTERS
Phoinix (aged tutor of Achilleus)                                         Kalchas (seer of the Greeks)
Helen (wife of Menelaos, eloped with Paris, the Trojan)

TROJANS AND THEIR ALLIES
Aineias (son of Anchises)                                                  Paris /Alexandros (son of Priam)
Andromache (wife of Hektor)                                           Priam (king of Troy)
Hekabe (queen of Troy)                                                   Sarpedon (mortal son of Zeus, ally of Trojans)
Hektor (son of Priam)

     Spellings of Greek names vary in different translations (Achilleus/Achilles, Aias/Ajax) because there are different ways of transliterating them into the Roman alphabet which we use today.  At the end of our text of the Iliad, there is a glossary of ALL names of persons and places.  Most are minor characters, but you should be familiar with the characters listed above, capitalized in the outline or discussed in class.

STUDY QUESTIONS: HOW THE PLOT DEVELOPS IN BOOKS 1 AND 2
-Why does Apollo send a plague on the Greek camp? Who calls the Greek assembly?  Why?
-How is Agamemnon identified as the cause of Apollo's anger?
-Is Agamemnon willing to send Chryseis back to her father?  What does Agamemnon want in return for Chryseis ?  How does his position change?
-Why do Achilleus and Agamemnon quarrel?  Find short quotations that sum up the reasons for each man's anger.  Identify the key points in the quarrel where each man “raises the stakes”.
-Why doesn't Achilleus kill Agamemnon (1.188-222)?
-How does Nestor try to settle the dispute (1.247-84)?
-What does Achilleus ask Thetis , his divine mother, to do?  Why?
-Why does Zeus grant Thetis' request (1.393-412, 495-527)?
-How does Zeus begin to fulfill his promise to Thetis?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: INTERPRETING AND APPRECIATING THE ILIAD (BKS 1-3, 6)
1.  THE COMPETITION FOR HONOR: QUARRELING MEN AND MEDDLING GODS
-What do you think could resolve the conflict between Achilleus and Agamemnon?  Can you find points where they might have compromised?  Why does it prove so difficult to resolve?
-Who bears responsibility for the quarrel?  Why?
-What is "honor" for the Greek warriors?  How is it won?  How is it measured?  Why does Achilleus link honor with his short life (1.352-55)?
-What is the basis for the power and authority of the Greek warriors (e.g., Achilleus, Agamemnon, Nestor and Odysseus)?  What does the treatment of Thersites (2.211-77) tell you about their world?
-Do these warriors follow any rules?  What responsibilities to others do they recognize?
-How are the goddesses and gods like and unlike the women and men in the Iliad?  Consider, for example, Chryses' prayer to Apollo (1.36-42) or Thetis' appeal to Zeus on behalf of Achilleus.
-How much do the gods and goddesses control or influence men and women and shape the plot?

2.  HOMER'S POETRY AND THE RICHNESS OF THE ORAL TRADITION
-Achilleus summarizes the story for his mother, Thetis (1.364-92), even though he says she already knows it.  Find other examples of how Homer repeats passages or summarizes parts of the story.
-Find examples of references to other legends in the Iliad.  How are they used?
-Do you remember our discussion of the difference between the plot of the Iliad and the story of the Trojan War?  What's book 3 got to do with it?
-How does Homer remind us of Achilleus' anger, while Achilleus is absent?
-Why does Homer mention the Muses three times (2. 484-93, 594-600, 761-62) in the Catalog of the Ships?
-How does Homer link together different SIMILES to describe the marshalling of the Greek warriors (2.455-83)?

3. THE TROJANS: A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE?
-How is Helen viewed by the Trojans?  How is her elopement and love affar with Paris viewed? Does she regret her actions?  Why or why not?
-Compare Helen's relationship with Aphrodite to the relationship between Greek or Trojan warriors and the gods and goddesses.
-How is Paris viewed by the Trojans?
-Does Hektor share the values of the Greek warriors?  What do you learn about his motives from what he tells his wife, Andromache (6.440-65)?
-What do we learn from Andromache’s story of her family’s fate (6.413-30)?
-In the opening lines, Homer refers to the will of Zeus (1.5) and asks the Muse which god brought Achilleus and Agamemnon into conflict.  Later, Priam tells Helen (3.164-65) that the gods are to blame for the Trojan War, and Hektor tells Andromache that no one has ever escaped his fate (6.487-89).  We also see how Zeus deceives Agamemnon (2.1-15) and how the gods arrange for the truce to be broken (4.1-72).  How much responsibility do women and men have for the events in the Iliad?
Iliad: plot summary
Iliad: commentary on books 1-3
Next class: September 11/12
SCHEDULE OF READINGS (Monday/Wednesday)
SCHEDULE OF READINGS (Tuesday night)
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