Iliad: Week 2 Discussion (Book 2)

Book Two Events and Observation:
-To appease Thetis (whom he had forced to marry a mortal), Zeus sends Agamemnon a dream that if   he attacks Troy now, he will win the war
-Agamemnon comes up with a stupid idea to test the men’s loyalty by saying they are going to go   
  home
-Odysseus cleans up Agamemnon’s mess
-The Catalogue of Ships (Click here for a cool project on this)
-Introduction to Trojan troops
-Noteworthy Quotation: Agamemnon to the Greek army:
"I mean Achilles and myself. We fought
like enemies, in words, over a girl--
and I gave way to anger first. 
We two--
if we could ever think as one, the Trojans'
evil day would be postponed no longer" (2.442-7), Fitzgerald trans.  
 Some Questions to get started:-What does it mean if Zeus, king of the gods and god of justice, tells lies to people?-Why is honor so important to Achilles?-Why does Homer spend so much time on the Catalogue of Ships?

Iliad: Week 2 Introduction (Book 2)

In Book Two, we see the results of Agamemnon’s actions from Book One. We also get a really long list of all the kings who have brought troops to the fight. Here is a cool project exploring what is called The Catalogue of Ships. While this list is a bit hard to read, I encourage you to at least skim it. There are some interesting facts and stories slid in between the list of names. After the list, the reader is introduced to the Trojans and their allies. 

Iliad: Week One Discussion (Books 1,2)

Recap

Book One Events and Observations:

-In the Greek, the first word of the poem is “rage”

-We are given a glimpse into what the future holds:

                -Bodies left unburied, eaten by animals (a very bad thing in Ancient Greece)

                -Zeus’ will will be done in the end

-We are introduced to the power struggle between Achilles and Agamemnon. Agamemnon has to      

  give up his prize (the woman Chryseis) to appease Apollo, so he takes Achilles’ prize (the woman    

  Briseis)

-As a result of this, Achilles and his troops, the Myrmidons (Greek for ant-people), withdraw from battle

-Thetis (Achilles’ sea-goddess mother) appeals to Zeus so that the Greeks will lose without Achilles’   help, thus gaining him honor

-Noteworthy quotation: Achilles to Agamemnon:

“I have seen more action

hand to hand in those assaults than you have,

but when the time for sharing comes, the greater

share is always yours” (1.193-5), Fitzgerald trans.

Some questions to get you started:

-Why is honor so important to Achilles?
-How does a society decide who should have power?

And...go. You can suggest answers to these questions, propose questions and/or observations of your own, and respond to what other people have to say. Also,  feel free to share any good resources you know of, and any quotations you found interesting/noteworthy. Please just be respectful of each other and keep the language PG.