Oath Breaking. Troop Marshaling.

Aristeia. Return to Troy. Women.

Duel. Trojan Advance.

Key ConceptsAristeia

Xenia (Guest-Friendship)

Supplication

Reading Questions

1. Battle Consider the descriptions of fighting in these books. How graphic are the descriptions of fighting, wounding and death? How does Homer describe death? What similes does Homer use to describe the behavior of combatants?

2. Minor Characters What kinds of things does Homer tell us about the minor characters who appear only to be killed? Why does he give us these details? Note the fate of the following: Simoisius; Axylus; Phereclus; Aegialia; Adrastus.

3. Aristeia Book 5 presents the first aristeia (sequence of continued excellence in battle) of a hero. Take note of the events that lead to Diomedes’ aristeia and how his activities are differentiated from the other combatants.

4. Gods What is Zeus’ attitude towards his fellow Olympians? How does the relationship between heroes and gods differ from the relationship between the rest of humanity and the gods? Many of the minor Trojans in this book are favorites of various gods or priests. Do these divine connections help them survive?

5. Homeric Narrator Now that you have read a significant section of the Iliad, what can do we know about the narrator? Pay attention to how the narrator transitions between more detailed scenes. What are some common techniques?

6. Xenia When Diomedes and Glaucus meet on the battlefield they exchange taunts and then discover that their grandfathers were good friends. What does their oath of friendship say about heroic loyalty? What do you (and the narrator) make of their exchange of armor?

7. The Women of Troy Who does Hector encounter in Troy? What is his relationship between each? How does each attempt to delay Hector? Consider how Hector's encounters with Hecuba, Helen, and Andromache reference different aspects of a lost peacetime existence.

8. Supplication Based on what we know of Heroic society, how do you interpret Adrastus’ failed supplication of Menelaus? Does Chryses’ failed supplication of Agamemnon in Book 1 and its disastrous consequences cause you to read this episode in a different light?

9. Hector Beginning in Book 7 and climaxing just before his death in Book 22, Hector become increasing arrogant and reckless. Notice his shifting goals as the narrative progresses. Here, what is his reaction to Diomedes’ retreat? What reason does the narrator give as the true cause of Diomedes’ retreat?

Reading Guide for Iliad 4–8

Day 22-25

“Hector and Andromache” by J. H. Tischbein (1700s)

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The first essay will be related to this question...

Key Characters

Hera

Athena

Poseidon

Zeus

Hephaestus Ares Aphrodite (& Dione) Apollo

Iris

Menelaus

Agamemnon

Machaon

Locrian Ajax

Telemonian Ajax

Nestor

Odysseus

Diomedes

Antilochus

Idomeneus

Patroclus

Paris

Pandarus

Aeneas

Hector

Glaucus

Helen

Andromache

Hecuba

Anstyanax/Scamandrius

Helenus

Lexica Classica

As lineage is very important in the world of the Homeric hero, some characters are indicated by their patronymic (‘father-name’). These include the Atrides or Atridae, or the ‘The Son(s) of Atreus’ (i.e. Agamemnon and Menelaus). Sometimes related characters are mentioned together without using their patronymic, like the Aeantes, or the ‘The Two Ajaxes’.

: Provide a key activity each of these accomplish in this section of reading

Priam

Teucer