Questions and Answers for Iliad
Iliad
Why does a conflict take place between Agamemnon and Achilles in the Iliad?
The conflict between Achilles and Agamemnon over the sex slave Briseis may seem somewhat trivial on the face of it. But to both these men with big egos, this is a matter of honor. As far as...
Iliad
Why Does Achilles Refuse To Fight
Achilles is a Greek hero, and this means he has character flaws. Achilles is enraged when Agamemnon takes Briseis, and this action threatens his pride. Achilles is egotistical and craves glory and...
Iliad
Human feelings are always mixed, and there is no true unconditional love. Explain this statement byanalyzing the...
As we see in book 3 of the Iliad, Helen and Paris have mixed feelings for one another. Especially in Helen, lust and an extreme desire for Paris mix with a sense of sorrow and disgust at the...
Iliad
What epic elements do you find in Homer's Iliad?
The structure and themes of Homer's epic poem the Iliad have become the exemplar for many of the subsequent epic poems in the Western literary canon. For your assignment, consider the following...
Iliad
How do you interpret the involvement of the gods and goddesses in human life in the Iliad? Do you think that they...
In the Iliad, the gods and goddesses play a very important part. In order to answer your question, you might want to explain that this is because the ancient Greek faith believed that the gods were...
Iliad
Human feelings are always mixed, and there is no true unconditional love. Explain this statement by analyzing the...
Even if one accepts that there really is such a thing as unconditional love between humans, it’s notable by its absence from the relationship between Helen and Paris. To a large extent, this is...
Iliad
From the conversation between Hector and Andromache in the Iliad, choose details which show great love between the...
The scene in which Andromache bids farewell to Hector on the eve of battle is one of the most tender in the entire poem. Hector appears in body armor, a long plume emerging from his helmet, to say...
Iliad
How does Homer portray the relationship between gods and humans? What roll do gods play in human life? How does this...
The gods and goddesses portrayed in Homer's Iliad are anthropomorphic, meaning that they take forms like those of human beings. Even though they are immortal and have great powers, the gods have...
Iliad
What are the two reasons Hector left the battlefield and returned to Troy in the Iliad?
It's not enough for the Trojans to fight bravely on the field of battle. If they're going to prevail against the Achaeans, they're going to need some divine assistance. That's one of the reasons...
Iliad
What relevance does the Iliad have in modern times?
First of all, The Iliad is extremely important as a historical document and a lens through which we can examine the ancient past. Through this epic, we can gain insights into the religious life of...
Iliad
What is the relationship between gods and mortals in Homer's Iliad?
The gods have a complicated but important role in The Iliad. On the one hand, they are far more powerful than human beings and are depicted as having the ability to shape and manipulate human...
Iliad
How do you interpret the involvement of the gods and goddesses in human life in the Iliad? Do you think that they...
The gods and goddesses of ancient Greek mythology regularly intervene throughout the Iliad. They get involved at key points, invariably driving the action forward. In doing so, they show themselves...
Iliad
Was Helen abducted or did she fall in love with Paris and run off with him voluntarily?
Both versions appear in antiquity. Neither is "correct" or "incorrect". They are just two different versions of a story.
Iliad
What does the Iliad reveal about the earliest days of Greek culture?
The Iliad reveals much about Greek culture as it existed before the Classical Age. As other contributors have already pointed out, we see within this poem the primacy of warfare in the era....
Iliad
What angered Hector, making him face Achilles in Homer's Iliad?
Achilles became angered by Hector when in Book 17 Hector killed Achilles' dear friend and half brother Patroclus. In Book 17, Achilles sends Patroclus to help defend the Achaian ships from the...
Iliad
Why does Achilles refuse to fight for Agamemnon and the Greeks until the death of Patroclus?
In Book 1 of the Iliad, Agamemnon is forced to return the girl Chryseis to her father, a priest of Apollo, in order to end a mysterious plague that has been afflicting the Greek army. Agamemnon is...
Iliad
In The Iliad, what happens because of Achilles's anger? What are three consequences?
Achilles is the pre-eminent warrior among the Achaeans, and his status as such makes his rage the primary driver of events in the Iliad. Wherever his rage is directed, the action of the poem...
Iliad
What was Achilles's reaction to Patroclus's death in the Iliad?
Homer's Iliad opens with thematic lines: Anger be now my song, immortal one, Akhileus' anger, doomed and ruinous, That causes the Akhaians loss on bitter loss And crowded brave souls into the...
Iliad
Is The Iliad an epic?
Homer's The Iliad is one of the most famous examples of Classic Greek poetry. Epic poetry is characterized by lengthy narrative and themes of heroism or a journey. Many other genres have been...
Iliad
Mention three things that would make a woman precious. Why is Andromache called the "precious wife" of Hector in the...
Andromache is precious to Hector for the following three reasons. First, he knows she loves and cares about him. As she tells him, he is her everything: a husband, a beloved companion, and also,...
Iliad
In The Iliad, who is responsible for the death of Achilles and who helps him?
Achilles death is not described in the text of The Iliad. The story of his death is part of later Greek myths. However the death of Achilles is predicted by Hector in Book 22, as he is dying by...
Iliad
What is the moral of the story of the Iliad of Homer?
As readerofbooks suggests, there may be many morals in a work of such length and complexity as Homer's Iliad. As his post also suggests, "the costs of pride" can be argued to be the central moral...
Iliad
If you were Paris, whose bribe would you choose? Athena? Aphrodite? Or Hera?
Answers will vary for this opinion-based question. It is important to provide reasons to back up and explain your answer. Zeus is reluctant to bestow the golden apple. He says Paris, a Trojan...
Iliad
What is 'In medias res'? How it is used in the Homer's Iliad?
As noted by gcarden498, "in medias res" is a Latin phrase meaning "in the middle of things." With respect to Homer's Iliad, because other poems in the Greek epic cycle dealt with the events leading...
Iliad
How does Achilles change over the course of the Iliad?
Achilles comes into the Iliad a glorious and prideful hero, demanding due respect and prizes for the acts of glory and talent he displays on the battlefield at Troy. This can be seen in Book One...
Iliad
What is the name of Achilles's horses?
Achilles' stallions were named Balios and Xanthos, born of a union between the harpy Podarge and Zephyros (the West Wind). The horses, who were immortal, were given by Poseidon as a gift to...
Iliad
What caused the Trojan War referred to in Homer's Iliad and The Odyssey?
Historians have now dug up enough facts to believe that something like the Trojan War may have really occurred. However, the story of how it began and what started it is part of Ancient Greek...
Iliad
What is the implication of this statement: "The Trojan women have gone to Athena's temple to make supplications"? The...
To offer supplications to a god is to pray to them and ask for favors. The Trojan women are terrified and turning to Athena, the goddess of wisdom, for protection against the invading Greeks. In...
Iliad
Who is the central hero Of Homer's Iliad?
In a story full of heroic characters it can be hard to identify the central hero. The other educator answer here makes a good case for Hector. He does seem to be the most heroic hero in the epic...
Iliad
Why is Andromache called Hector's "precious wife"? Mention three things that would make a woman precious in the Iliad.
Andromache is called Hector's precious wife quite simply because she is precious to him. The entire war is caused by Paris's love for Helen, and the squabble between Agamemnon and Achilles which...
Iliad
What is the importance of arete in the Iliad?
Arete is honor and excellence. Males achieved arete in the Ancient Greek world by becoming valiant warriors. War was the chief source of male honor in life and after death, for courageous fighters...
Iliad
In Homer's Iliad, what is the narrator's point of view?
The narrator of Homer's Illiad speaks from a third-person omniscient point of view. Specifically, the narrator is the poet himself. Homer appears to know the gist of the historical events that he...
Iliad
Why does Apollo help Hector and the Trojans?
Apollo helps Hector and the Trojans because the god is angry at the Greeks for dishonoring his priest. According to Homer: And which of the gods was it that set them on to quarrel? It was the son...
Iliad
Discuss significant epic conventions that are found in the Iliad.
Homer's poem The Iliad is a classic example of an epic poem because it adheres to the traditional epic form in so many ways. For instance, the story takes place over a wide area. Specifically, The...
Iliad
How did Hector die in Homer's Iliad?
There are two ways in which to answer this. Let me give you two types of answers. One from a human point of view, and another from a divine point of view. From a human point of view, Hector died...
Iliad
What is the influence of the Iliad in today's world?
Plato called Homer the teacher of Greece and Homer has continued to be widely read, referred to, and imitated throughout subsequent western literature, from Virgil's Aeneid to Walcott's Omeros. As...
Iliad
In the Iliad, what qualities of Hector and Andromache are revealed?
The Iliad reveals the loyalty and devotion which are integral parts of Hector's and Andromache's characterization. Hector and Andromache are two of the most loyal characters in the Iliad. They...
Iliad
How does the Iliad exemplify the ancient definition of tragedy?
One of the most poignant aspects of Homer's Iliad is his development of the ancient definition of tragedy. Homer is able to display characters who are poised between equally desirable, but...
Iliad
What is the message Homer wants to tell us by giving a vivid description of the bloodshed and carnage of the Trojan...
Homer's world is very different than our world. This might be an obvious statement, but it is a necessary point to make. In Homer's world, certain characteristics were valued like courage, honor,...
Iliad
How did King Priam react after his son Hector was brutally killed by Achilles ?
The most famous description of Hector's death occurs in Book 22 of Homer's Iliad. In this book, Achilles, having reconciled his quarrel with Agamemnon, returns to the fighting and is intent on...
Iliad
How can the Iliad be described as an epic?
Homer's poem The Iliad is consistently described as an epic poem, but does it meet those criteria? An epic is typically a very long narrative piece that follows a single hero or group of heroes,...
Iliad
What are two examples of the gods interfering with the war?
You could argue that before the story began, the Trojans had already received the help of Poseidon in building their wall, but thanks to their lack of tribute he had withdrawn his protection, so...
Iliad
How does Helen feel about Paris in the Iliad?
Although she has a small role in Homer's epic poem The Iliad, Helen has a profound impact on the action of the plot. She is, after all, the primary cause of the Trojan War, during which the poem is...
Iliad
Who are the heroes and villains in The Iliad?
This is a complex question. The title of the poem does not give us any guidance, either. The Aeneid, for example, is named after Aeneas, literally the story of Aeneas, which helps us to understand...
Iliad
What is the climax of the Iliad?
The word "climax" is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as: The culmination, peak, or apex of something; the most important or exciting part of a film, contest, etc., usually happening near...
Iliad
What are some good quotes about Odysseus being a hero who thinks things through in the Iliad by Homer?
Odysseus is a prominent figure in the story about his journey home after the Trojan War, The Odyssey; however, he is merely a supporting character in the Iliad by Homer. When we do see him, he is...
Iliad
Why was it dangerous for King Priam to ransom the body of Hector in the Iliad?
It was dangerous for King Priam to claim the body of his son Hector because he had to go into the Greek camp all by himself. He might have been killed or taken prisoner before he ever reached...
Iliad
How do the immortals act like the mortals in The Iliad?
The gods and goddesses in The Iliad act out of self-interest and sometimes pettiness, which makes them very much like mortal humans. With a few exceptions such as Zeus, the deities take sides in...
Iliad
How can I write a strong thesis statement for The Iliad?
I think it is a common mistake of students to take on subjects that are too big. Unless you are specifically required to write about Homer's Iliad as a whole, you ought to choose a single character...
Iliad
What does The Iliad show about ancient Greek civilization, history and culture?
Of the many realities shown about the Greek culture, I think Homer does a good job of showing how savage the society truly is. There is much in way of glory that is displayed, and much more in way...
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