The Iliad

The Iliad

Themes
1. Choice
  1. Nostos vs kleos
    1. Sarpedon: 'only relief comes from kleos'
  2. Book 22 simile
2. Authority
  1. Explains power structures
3. Anger
  1. 'menin' is unsual
  2. cf Apollo
    1. Divine parallel
  3. Disappearance by end gives closure
  4. Leads to revenge
    1. Death of Patroclus
    2. Armour
4. Primacy of fate
  1. Zeus' plan
  2. Even over Zeus
    1. Death of Sarpedon
  3. 22 - prophecy of Hector
5. Song
  1. Muse
    1. Adds realism
    2. And poet become one
6. The glory of war
  1. Paris is bad
  2. All men die
  3. Kleos over family
    1. Even for Hector
7. Armour
  1. Aura of its own
  2. Hector wears Achilles'
    1. It betrays him
  3. Patroclus wears Achilles'
  4. Made by Hephaestus
    1. cf Aeneas' made by Vulcan
    2. Impenetrable?
8. Burial
  1. Hector's
  2. Patroclus'
  3. 7 - Mass burial
  4. Important custom
9. Fire
  1. Fury/rage
    1. 1 - 'Blazing Achilles'
  2. Simile - armour like sun
  3. Simile - hero's charge
  4. Trojans torch a ship
10. The Achaean Ships
  1. Future of Greek race
  2. Catalogue example
Oral tradition
1. Stock scenes
  1. Battles
  2. Repetition
2. Stock epithets
  1. pious Aeneas
  2. Swift -footed Achilles
  3. Wise Odysseus
3. Dactyllic Hexameter
4. Similes
  1. 'like a lion'
  2. Long ones
    1. Illustrate narrative
    2. Vivid
  3. eg Patroclus
  4. eg Apollo
  5. eg Athena
  6. Metaphors
    1. 'shepherd of the people'
5. Myth
  1. Paradeigma
    1. Ach to Priam about Niobe
    2. Cf Jason to Medea about Ariadne
6. Narrator
  1. Focus on arguing leaders
  2. Reminds us of victims
  3. Comments on decisions/actions
  4. Looks back on past
Characters
1. Multitudes
  1. 2 - Ships
    1. Builds tension
    2. Sets the scene
    3. Invokes Muse
    4. Weighted to Greeks
  2. 11 - Battle
    1. Aristeia of Agamemnon
    2. Invokes Muse
    3. Prestige
    4. Inspired by divinity
    5. Not neutral
2. Thersites
  1. Negative
    1. Not battle orientated
    2. Diplomacy is failing
    3. Crowd pleaser
3. Agamemnon
  1. Stubborn
  2. Proud/arrogant
    1. Steals Ach's 'time'
    2. Ach shows him the due respect
  3. 2 - Manipulative
  4. No sympathy
  5. Brutal
4. Helen
  1. Remorseful
  2. Lament at death of Hector
    1. Self-absorbed
5. Hector
  1. Father vs Warrior
    1. Dilemma creates pathos
      1. Direct speech
      2. Sympathy
        Accepts fate
      3. Before duel with Achilles
  2. Coward?
    1. 17 - Flees Ajax
6. Achilles
  1. Not ideal soldier
    1. Prays for Greek defeat
    2. Bad leader
  2. No mortal family
    1. Lack of pathos
    2. Detached
      1. Help from gods
    3. Patroclus
      1. Not same as Hector
  3. 16 - cf Pegasus
  4. 24 - force of anger
    1. Character flaw
7. Diomedes
  1. Ideal soldier?
8. The Gods
  1. Omnipresent
    1. Helping humans
      1. Doesn't lose 'time'
    2. Humans bring on own trouble
  2. Omnipotent
    1. View of humans
  3. Edwards: 'favourite spectator sport'
9. Family relationships

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	Created by emily.mann over 10 years ago