The Iliad and The Odyssey had nearly scriptural status in ancient Greece. What was their influence on Greek religion?
Was Homer actual, or was he constructed by Greek tradition?
Iliad
Book I
Look at the first line of the poem. What is the poem about?
What did Agamemnon and Achilles quarrel about? You do want to know, don’t you?
What god was punishing the Greeks? What for?
Who was Chryses, and what did he have to do with the Greeks’ punishment?
When Chryses offered a ransom for his daughter to Agamemnon, what did the rest of the Greeks think Agamemnon ought to do? What did he do?
By the way, why would Agamemnon have had Chryses’ daughter in the first place?
There is a plague. If you’re an ancient person, what obviously is wrong? What do you have to do about it?
Who is the leader of this expedition—supreme commander? Who should call the war council to solve the problem? Who does?
Who can tell them why the god is angry?
Why doesn’t he just speak up? Remember, it was Calchas who led the Greeks to sacrifice Agamemnon’s daughter, Iphigeneia, in order to sail for Troy in the first place.
What does Calchas now tell Agamemnon he has to do to lift the plague? Is this good news for Agamemnon? How does he react?
Does Achilles display even a grain of caution when he promises to defend Calchas, even if he has to defend him against Agamemnon?
If you are in the military or any other hierarchical organization, and you are in a subordinate position, what do you do when the old man is in a rage? Argue with him? What does Achilles do?
Why doesn’t Achilles just whip out his sword and run Agamemnon through?
Look up “myrmidons” in a good dictionary. What does that meaning have to do with the followers of Achilles?
After Nestor’s speech, Agamemnon demands to know if the gods have “put insults on [Achilles’] lips.” Have they? Which god?
Does the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus put you in mind of any other best-friends relationship we have looked at? Which one?
Why would Eurybates and Talthybius be leery of carrying out Agamemnon’s orders?
Achilles is deeply aggrieved at losing Briseis. Being a good Greek boy, what does he do?
What does he want Thetis to do? Why should Zeus do what Thetis wants?
From the description of the sacrifice to Apollo, how would you say the Olympian religion worked?
When Thetis finally gets to Olympus to ask Zeus for the favor, why is Zeus cautious?
When Zeus nods his head in assent to Thetis’s request, can she then slip away with no one the wiser? Why not?
What does Hera have to say to Zeus when he goes back home? How does Zeus handle her complaints?
Do these gods seem very godlike to you?
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