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Home , Chryseis (mythology), Chryses (mythology), Dolon (mythology), Euphorbus, Hector, Lycaon (son of Priam)

(Classics 101a)

Lecture Outline: The Homeric Epics and the Composition Question

I. -nothing certain is known of his life

-according to tradition he was from Ionia, possibly from Chios or Smyrna

-legend has it that he was blind

II. The “”

-most ancient and modern scholars up to the 18th century assumed that Homer wrote the and the

-Josephus, an ancient historian, is a notable early exception

-in the 18th century, Robert Wood posed the idea regarding oral composition again; F.A. Wolf suggested that Homer composed shorter poems which were later put together into the form that we now have them

-Wolf’s suggestion led scholars to try to separate out the original parts of the poem from later additions

= Analyst School

-Other scholars analyzed the actual language of the epics, noting that the Greek of the epics is a combination of Aeolic forms (early) and Ionic forms (late), with some Attic forms present as well.

-Historical clues in the text are also problematic since there are artifacts from different time periods. Examples: -both bronze and iron are used -two marriage systems operate

texts are a mixture of different periods of time as well as dialects

-Unitarian Approach focused on the epic as a whole, on its merits, its design, etc.

III. Milman Parry and Albert Lord

-in the 1930s, the work of Milman Parry and Albert Lord convincingly demonstrated the oral nature of the Homeric poems. -they showed that epithets and formulaic lines and passages are the building blocks of the oral poet

-Epithet: noun-adjective group that fits into a particular position of the metrical line. Examples: swift-footed ox-eyed rosy-fingered Dawn much-suffering

the epics are improvisational poetry in many respects, as the oral poet never delivers the same version twice

IV. The Iliad

-background to -judgment of -Helen and Paris -violation of

V. Achilles

-son of , a goddess, and Peleus a mortal. She tries to make her son immortal but fails.

-fated to die an early but glorious death at . In addition, Troy will not be able to be taken without him

-Thetis tries to circumvent this fate, to no avail.

Greek mythology (Classics 101)

Lecture Outline: The Iliad (Books 1-8)

I. Book One

-opens with invocation to the for inspiration

-first word, menis (wrath) identifies main topic of the epic: the wrath of Achilles and its affect upon him and upon the

Chief events in Book One:

Chryses, priest of , tries to give money for the return of his daughter ; refuses to return girl

Chryses prays to Apollo to send plague upon the Greeks

Calchas’ explanation of plague

Quarrel between Agamemnon and Achilles

Withdrawal of Achilles of battle

Chryseis put on board ship to be returned to her father

Agamemnon sends men to take from Achilles

Achilles prays to his mother Thetis

Chryseis is returned to her father

Thetis asks to punish the Greeks for their treatment of Achilles; Zeus agrees.

II. Book Two

Chief events in Book Two:

Agamemnon’s False Dream

Agamemnon’s test of the troops

Thersites episode

Catalogue of the ships

III. Book Three

Chief events in Book Three:

Paris and agree to duel

“Helen on the wall” (Teichoscopia)

Actual duel between Paris and Menelaus

IV. Book Four

Chief events in Book Four:

Truce is broken by the Trojan (at ’s urging)

Menelaus is wounded and healed

Agamemnon urges troops on

Battle scenes

V. Book Five

Chief events in Book Five:

Aristeia of :

Diomedes is wounded by Pandarus Athena aids Diomedes Diomedes fights and Pandarus Diomedes kills Pandarus rescues Aeneas Diomedes wounds Aphrodite Diomedes goes after Aeneas (now protected by Apollo) Athena and Diomedes fight against Diomedes wounds Ares

VI. Book Six

Chief events in Book Six :

Hector returns to Troy to ask women to pray to Athena

Glaucus and Diomedes scene

Hector in Troy: Hector with Paris and Helen Hector with and

full picture of Hector

VII. Book Seven

Chief events in Book Seven :

Ajax and Hector fight to a draw

Antenor suggests that Trojans give Helen and her possessions back to the Greeks; Paris says he will give the possessions back but not Helen.

Both sides bury their dead

VIII Book Eight

Chief events in Book Eight :

A battle book in which the Trojans have the advantage

Zeus forbids the gods to participate in the battle

Zeus supports the Trojans in battle, to Athena’s and Hera’s dismay

Athena and Hera try to go into battle

Zeus foretells the fate of and Achilles’ return to battle

.

Greek mythology (Classics 101)

Lecture Outline: The Iliad (Books 9-12)

I. Book Nine

Key Events in Book Nine:

Assembly:

Diomedes criticizes Agamemnon for his defeatist attitude

Meeting with “elders”:

Nestor points out Agamemnon’s responsibility

Agamemnon acknowledges his role

Embassy to Achilles:

Phoenix

Odysseus

Ajax

Refusal of Achilles to accept Agamemnon’s gifts (why?)

II. Book Ten

Key Events in Book Ten:

Diomedes and Odysseus apprehend the Trojan spy

Diomedes and Odysseus raid the camp of the Thracian and slaughter troops

Description of boar’s tusk helmet

III. Book Eleven

Key Events in Book Eleven:

Battle scenes with Agamemnon at the forefront

Agamemnon is wounded

Battle scenes with Diomedes and Odysseus; Diomedes is wounded, Odysseus is hemmed in

Achilles sends Patroclus to ask who has been wounded

Nestor’s plan

IV. Book Twelve

Key Events in Book Twelve:

A battle book:

Battle at the wall built around Greek ships

Trojans dominate

Glaucus and fight in forefront

Wall is breached

Greek mythology (Classics 101)

Lecture Outline: The Iliad (Books 13-16)

I. Book Thirteen

Key Events in Book Thirteen:

Poseidon urges the Greeks on in battle (assuming the persona of )

various battle scenes at the ships

II. Book Fourteen

Key Events in Book Fourteen:

Nestor meets with the wounded Greek leaders (Agamemnon, Diomedes and Odysseus)

seduction of Zeus by Hera

Greeks rout Trojans

III. Book Fifteen

Key Events in Book Fifteen:

Zeus awakens and sees that is helping the Greeks and the Trojans are being defeated; Zeus reverses the situation

Zeus foretells the deaths of Patroclus and Hector and the defeat of Troy.

Zeus continues to aid the Trojans (for the time being) to honor Thetis’ request.

Iris tells Poseidon to stop helping the Greeks.

IV. Book Sixteen

Key Events in Book Sixteen:

Patroclus pleads with Achilles to send him out in battle, wearing his armor

Achilles agrees (note his words of warning)

The Greek ships are set on fire

Arming of Patroclus

Patroclus and the enter battle

Battle between Sarpedon and Patroclus

Patroclus kills Sarpedon (note: even Zeus cannot prevent Sarpedon’s fate)

Trojans fight for Sarpedon’s body, but withdraw

Greeks strip Sarpedon’s armor

Patroclus presses on, unmindful of Achilles’ warning

Hector (+ Apollo and ) kills Patroclus

Greek mythology (Classics 101)

Lecture Outline: The Iliad (Books 17-24)

I. Key Events in Book 17:

Fight over the corpse of Patroclus

Hector strips Patroclus of Achilles’ armor and puts it on

Description of Achilles’ horses and their grief

II. Key events in Book 18:

Achilles learns of Patroclus’ death and recognizes his part in his destruction

Thetis goes to Hephaistos to get new armor for Achilles

Fight over Patroclus’ body continues; body is retrieved

Description of Achilles’ new armor (ekphrasis)

III. Key Events in Book 19:

Thetis delivers armor to Achilles and tells Achilles to call an assembly and renounce his anger against Agamemnon

Agamemnon and Achilles are reconciled

Briseis and gifts are given to Achilles

Greek elders beg Achilles to eat

Achilles laments over the body of Patroclus

Athena gives Achilles and nectar to keep him from weakening

Achilles arms himself and returns to battle

Achilles’ horse foretells Achilles’ death

IV. Key Events in Book 20:

Zeus calls an assembly of the gods and tells the gods to help whichever side they want

The gods join the battle and even fight one another

Achilles fights Aeneas

Hector and Achilles square off but Apollo saves Hector

Continuing battle scenes with Achilles

V. Key Events in Book 21:

Achilles’ rampage continues

Achilles divides Trojan army in half: he chases half toward the city

he forces the other half toward the river Xanthus, which becomes filled with the dead

Achilles captures 12 Trojan youths whom he will later sacrifice on Patroclus’ pyre

Achilles kills , son of , as he supplicates him

River Xanthus rises against Achilles

Gods fight one another

All Trojans who can retreat within the walls of the city

VI. Key Events in Book 22:

Hector remains outside the walls of Troy despite Priam’s and ’s pleas

Hector is chased by Achilles around the walls of Troy

Athena (as ) tells Hector to face Achilles

Hector addresses Achilles before they engage in battle and asks that they each respect the body of the defeated one

Battle between Hector and Achilles; Hector is slain

Hector’s body is mutilated

Hecuba and Priam learn of Hector’s death and lament from the walls of Troy

Andromache learns of Hector’s death

VII. Key Events in Book 23:

Burial of Patroclus

Funeral games in honor of Patroclus

VIII. Key Events in Book 24:

Achilles continues to defile Hector’s body by dragging it around Patroclus’ tomb.

The gods decide the desecration of Hector’s body must stop. Thetis informs Achilles that he must accept Priam’s ransom; tells Priam that he should go to Achilles with gifts to ransom his son’s body.

Hermes leads Priam to Achilles

Priam entreats Achilles to return Hector’s body and he offers the ransom

The two men grieve together

Achilles leaves the hut to get Hector’s body

Achilles and Priam share a meal

Achilles agrees to an 11-day truce so that the Trojans may bury Hector

Priam sleeps outside Achilles’ hut but leaves early in the morning, at ’ prompting

Priam returns to Troy with Hector’s body

Laments of Priam, Hecuba, Andromache and Helen over the body of Hector

Funeral of Hector