Study Guide for The Iliad by Homer (Alexander Pope Translation) Prepared by the Students of John Marshall high School in Los Angeles Fall, 2003 Chapter 1 Cell 1- King Agamemnon refuses to give Chryseis back “For Chryses sought with costly gifts to gain his captive daughter from the victor's chain.” King Agamemnon refuses to give back Chryses daughter, Chryseis, who was captured by the king as a war prize. Why doesn’t King Agamemnon want to give up the gal? “An angry man- there is my story: the bitter ______ of Achilles, prince of the house of Peleus, which brought a thousand troubles upon the Achaian host. a. rancour b. sword c. taste d. thought Would you rather keep Chryses daughter or would you give her up? Is she worth all this trouble? Chapter 1 Cell 2- Apollo answers Chryses’ prayer “ ‘O Smintheus! Sprung from fair Latona’s line, thou guardian power of Cilla the divine, thou source of light! Whom Tenedos adores, and whose bright presence gilds thy Chrysa’s shores. If e’er with wreaths I hung thy sacred fane, or fed the flames with fat of oxen slain; god of the silver bow! Thy shafts employ, avenge thy servant, and the Greeks destroy.’ “ When King Agamemnon refused to give back Chryseis, Chryses prayed to the god, Apollo Shootafar. The god hears his prayer, ascends from Mt. Olympus and shot chaos upon the Danaans. Why did Apollo answer Chryses’s prayer? Does he favor him? “ ‘If e’er with wreaths I hung thy sacred ______, or fed the flames with fat of oxen slain; God of the silver bow! Thy shafts employ, Avenge thy servant, and the Greeks destroy.’ “ a. figure b. fane c. wreath d. crown How does this situation relate to others in Greek/ Roman mythology? Chapter 1 Cell 3- King Agamemnon decides to take Briseis “ ‘Even in thy tent I'll seize the blooming prize, thy loved Briseis with the radiant eyes. Hence shalt thou prove my might, and curse the hour thou stood'st a rival of imperial power; and hence, to all our hosts it shall be known, that kings are subject to the gods alone.’ “ On the tenth day of chaos, King Agamemnon calls a meeting, which was put into his mind by Hera. When everyone agrees that the reason that they were being attacked was because the king was keeping the gal captive, they agreed to send her back. Agamemnon reluctantly agreed with the exception that he takes Achilles prize of war, Briseis. Why did King Agamemnon take Achilles prize out of all the other choices he had? Do you think it was stupid for the king to jump upon Achilles, who made the suggestion to replace Chryseis with a better prize? “ ‘Rule thy own realms with ______ sway; I heed thee not, but prize at equal rate thy short-lived friendship, and thy groundless hate. Go, threat thy earth-born Myrmidons:--but here 'Tis mine to threaten, prince, and thine to fear.’ “ a. wise b. arbitrary c. hungry d. strenuous e. If you were in King Agamemnon’s place would you take Bryseis for yourself? Chapter1 Cell 4- Athena comes to calm Achilles “While half unsheathed appear'd the glittering blade, Minerva swift descended from above, sent by the sister and the wife of Jove (For both the princes claim'd her equal care); behind she stood, and by the golden hair Achilles seized; to him alone confess'd; a sable cloud conceal'd her from the rest. He sees, and sudden to the goddess cries, known by the flames that sparkle from her eyes…” When King Agamemnon threatens to take away Bryseis, Achilles springs into action and draws his sword. However, as he does so, Athena, sent by Hera, comes down from Mt. Olympus and stops Achilles to tell him that if he sits back down and lets the king take his prize, he will have a chance to get a better prize. Why does Athena come down from Mt. Olympus to calm Achilles? “ ‘Descends Minerva, in her ______ care, a heavenly witness of the wrongs I bear from Atreus' son?--Then let those eyes that view the daring crime, behold the vengeance too.’ “ a. selfless b. flawless c. natural d. guardian Do you think it’s fair that the gods seem to always take sides during situations like these? Chapter 1 Cell 5- King Agamemnon gives back Chryseis and takes Bryseis “ ‘O parent goddess! since in early bloom thy son must fall, by too severe a doom; sure to so short a race of glory born, great Jove in justice should this span adorn: honour and fame at least the thunderer owed; and ill he pays the promise of a god, if yon proud monarch thus thy son defies, obscures my glories, and resumes my prize." Achilles returns to his tent and breaks down in tears and calls for his mother, Thetis. She comes to him from her father’s kingdom under the sea and comforts him. He begs her to go to Zeus so he can get back at King Agamemnon for taking away Bryseis. Why does Achilles desperately want to get back at Agamemnon? “Far from the deep ______ of the main, where aged Ocean holds his watery reign, the goddess-mother heard. The waves divide; and like a mist she rose above the tide…” a. recesses b. caves c. water d. thoughts Do you think that it’s right that Thetis used her “special” powers to help her half mortal son? Chapter 1 Cell 6- Zeus makes a decision “ ‘Witness the sacred honours of our head, the nod that ratifies the will divine, the faithful, fix'd, irrevocable sign; this seals thy suit, and this fulfils thy vows—‘ he spoke, and awful bends his sable brows, shakes his ambrosial curls, and gives the nod, the stamp of fate and sanction of the god: high heaven with trembling the dread signal took, and all Olympus to the centre shook.’ “ Thetis confronts Zeus, she begs him to honor her son. The king of gods answered with a promise and sent her away before his jealous partner, Hera, saw the two of them together. Why did Zeus avoid Hera? “Jove to his starry mansions in the skies. The shining synod of the ______ wait the coming god, and from their thrones of state arising silent, wrapp'd in holy fear, before the majesty of heaven appear.” a. creatures b. emotions c. ocean d. immortals Can you make a general prediction of what will happen after this? Cell 1 Book II “Jupiter, in pursuance of the request of Thetis, sends a deceitful vision to Agamemnon, persuading him to lead the army into battle, in order to make the Greeks sensible of their want of Achilles.” Jupter by request from Thetis and sends a dream to Agamemnon to make him want to go fight and let the Greeks know they want Achilles. Why does Thetis want Jupiter to send a dream to Agamemnon? “Jupiter, in pursuance of the request of Thetis, sends a _____ vision to Agamemnon, persuading him to lead the army into battle, in order to make the Greeks sensible of their want of Achilles.” a) tired b) deceitful c) angry d) evil Do you think Agamemnon will go to battle because of the dream? Why? Cell 2 Book II “Fly hence, deluding Dream! And light as air, to Agamemnon’s ample tent repair. Bid him in arms draw forth the embattled train, Lead all his Grecians to the dusty plain. Declare, e’en now ‘tis given him to destroy the lofty towers of wide-extended Troy. For now no more of the gods with fate contend, at Juno’s suit the heavenly factions end. Destruction Ilion waits the impending fall.” Jupiter is sending the dream to Agamemnon and basically says, “wait for your destruction”. Why does Jupiter want to destroy Agamemnon? Declare, e’en now ‘tis given him to destroy the _____ towers of wide- extended Troy. a) Arrogant b) Soft c) Unsure d) Lofty What will Jupiter gain from sending the dream to Agamemnon?to destroy Agamemnon? Cell 3 Book II “First on his limbs a slender vest he drew, around him next the regal mantle threw, the embroider’d sandals on his feet were tired; the starry fashion glitter’d at his side; and last, his arm the massy scepter loads, unstain’d, immortal, and the gift of the gods.” This is a description of Jupiter Why was he called “the gift of the gods”? his arm the massy _____ loads, unstain’d, immortal, and the gift of the gods a) suspicious b) sculpture c) sandals d) scepter Does the way they describe Jupiter change your opinion about him? Cell 4 Book II “Princes of Greece, your faithful ears incline, Nor doubt the vision of the powers divine; Sent by great Jove to him who rules the host, Forbid it, heaven! This warning should be lost! Then let us haste, obey the god’s alarms, And join to rouse the sons of Greece to arms.” Pylos is warning Nestor to listen to the gods. Why should Nestor listen to the gods? “Princes of Greece, your faithful ears incline” What do you think the sentence, "your faithful ears incline" means? a) to listen b) not to listen c) praise Allah d) to kill Why would they doubt the divine powers?