HOMER, THE ILIAD, Pt. 4
Books X-XIII

STUDY QUESTIONS

   
Patroclus meets Nestor at his threshold and Nestor takes the opportunity to persuade Patroclus to lead the Myrmidons back into battle disguised as Achilles. Why do you think Nestor launches into this long story about his battle with the Epeans?

What besides the desire for glory brings Patroclus to fight?

In book 12 line 220ff the seemingly unstoppable Trojan attack, receives an ill-boding omen. What is the omen and what is its significance?

Here is a general question that we should talk about now that we are a ways into the Iliad. We all hear a great deal of criticism of the amount of violence there is in our culture. On TV, in our movies and in music, we are constantly barraged with hundreds   of violent and distasteful ideas and images. Was Homer just this same sort of thing for the ancient Greeks? Is his "violence" just as bad as the senseless violence we are always getting on television? Is it even an a profitable exercise to read this book or are our minds simply being corrupted by the cruelty that is so often shown? If you were a parent would you have your kids read this book?