Reading Questions Index         

 

 

Iliad:  Books XVI-XVIII

 

Book XVI (all)

 

  1. Why does Achilles argue to let Patroklos stand in for him (be his ritual substitute or therapon)?  What conditions does Achilles set for Patroklos’ participation?

 

  1. Zeus grants Achilles only one half of his prayer:  what is Zeus’ larger plan, do you think?

 

  1. When Sarpedon is killed, Zeus—Sarpedon’s father, remember—is tempted to intervene (cf., Aphrodite’s intervention on behalf of Aeneas in Book V).  Why does Zeus allow Hera to dissuade him from intervening?

 

  1. Apollo plays a huge role in the final pages of Book XVI.  Beyond obeying Zeus’ orders, why is it important that it is Apollo who prevents Patroklos from attacking the walls of Troy, and Apollo who stuns Patroklos (allowing Hektor to finish him off)?  (Hint:  consider what Apollo’s relationship is to Sarpedon?  To Achilles?

 

Book XVII (lines 1-281 and 765-852)

 

  1. Much of this Book is a stalemate between the opposing armies as they fight over the corpse of Patroklos; what are the motives on both sides for this fight?  Why do the Achaeans want the body so badly, and why do the Trojans want it?  How does all this fit into the Code of Honor that Homer instantiates?

 

  1. What are Hektor’s motivating factors in this particular Book?  How aware is he of his place in Zeus’ scheme?  How is his attitude toward his fate different from what we would expect of Achilles under similar circumstances?

 

  1. What is the significance of Hektor’s donning of Achilles’ armor?

 

Book XVIII (all)

 

  1. What is the connection between Achilles’ grief over the death of Patroklos and his ability—finally to say “enough” and end his rage against Agamemnon?  What is special about his relationship with Patroklos that enables him to recognize his duty to the Achaean people? (Hint:  recall and revisit Phoenix’s story of Meleager in Book IX, pp. 269-271).

 

  1. Thetis plays a significant role in Achilles’ plans here.  Compare her connection with Hephaistos to her relationship to Zeus as delineated in Book I.  She mentions that she was the only daughter of the Old Man of the Sea whom Zeus married off to a mortal (Peleus).  How is this significant, do you suppose?

 

  1. Pages 481-487 contain the famous description of the shield Hephaistos forges for Achilles upon his mother’s behest.  What are the various symbolic meanings that seem possible for the different tableaux depicted on the shield? What might the “larger significance” of the shield be to Achilles himself and his fate?