Week 1 (9/5-9/7)

Tuesday, September 5

• Course expectations; Introduction to the Myth of Troy

Thursday, September 7

• Read: Tale of Troy (Handout); Homer, Illiad Books 1-3. (note: in ancient texts "Books" are like chapters; in the case of Homer a "Book" is roughly the length of what could fit on one papyrus scroll).
• Write: Be sure to RECORD your thoughts and questions in your journal (note: this reminder will not appear in future assignments)
• Ponder (these are questions that can help guide your reading; often they will be questions we will discuss in in class; you may respond to one or more in your journal if you desire, but you need not do so)
  • As you read Book 1, notice how characters, relationships, and the general situation is slowly revealed. How is this an effective narrative device? What are its limitations?
  • Why do you think Agamemnon and Achilles respond so violently to one another?
  • There are several quarrels in Book 1. The major quarrel between Agamemnon and Achilles will not be resolved until almost the end of the Iliad. Who else quarrels in Book 1. How are these resolved? From an artistic or dramatic point of view, why include the other quarrels in this book?
  • The long list of cities represented is known as the Catalogue of Ships. In antiquity this was often deemed one of the high points of the Iliad. Modern readers often have a different reaction. Why would one react positively to this passage? What does it add to the work? Outside of conveying the scope of the expedition, does the catalogue fufill any other functions? You can follow all the origins of the major contingents in the Catalogue using Google Earth.
  • What do the similes that open Book 3 reveal about the Greeks and Trojans?
  • How do the old men of Troy respond to Helen’s presence?
  • How is the situation at the end of Book 3 different from that at the beginning; what, if anything, did the duel between Paris and Menelaus accomplish?

Week 2

Tuesday, September 12

Read: Illiad Bks. 4-9.

Thursday, September 14

Read: Illiad Bks. 10-12.
Prepare for quiz on the major characters, events, and places in the Tale of Troy [Study Guide for Quiz]

 

 

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