Book 4: Events and Observations
-The book opens in Olympus, with the gods discussing the
outcome of the duel. Zeus makes a not-so-idle comment about how
Aphrodite, on her own, protected her hero, while Hera and Athena,
who are on the same side, did nothing to help theirs.
-Hera and Athena decide it is not enough
for Helen to go back to Greece. They want Troy to be destroyed.
-Zeus favors Troy, so Hera makes a deal
with him, saying if he lets Troy fall, she will later give up a city she favors
(this becomes important in the Aeneid)
-Athena goads a Trojan archer into firing
an arrow, which wounds Menelaus.
-Agamemnon goes down the line and rallies
the troops. Homer uses this as an opportunity to give the reader some the
kings’ different family histories.
-The Greeks drive the Trojans back.
-A lot of people die.
-Notable Quotation:
Zeus to Hera, Athena, and rest of the gods
“If only all of you were pleased to see
it,
Life might go on in Priam’s town,
While Menelaus took Helen of Argos home”
Fitzgerald, Book 4 lines 20-23 (name spellings changed to standard)
Questions to considered (carried over from last week):
- Who is/are the villain(s) here? Who is/are the victim(s)?
- Why might Homer split his narrative view
between the three groups (gods, Greeks, Trojans)?
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