CLA 10 Chapter 20

The Iliad of Homer (Who is the central hero of the Lliad? What is the story of Lliad?)

• *Achilles is the central hero of the Iliad, the great surviving Greek account of the Trojan War* • The Iliad was judged by the Greeks to be their greatest piece of literature; many since have agreed with them • *The Iliad is NOT the story of the Trojan War, but the story about the character and choices of Achilles*, whom Homer calls the "Best of the Achaeans"

Thetis Comforts Her Son

• *Achilles thus brings harm to his own*, as heroes in Greek myth often do • His mother Thetis senses his anguish and comes to comfort him • *Thetis then goes to Zeus to ask him to have the Trojans win for a while* • Hera gets upset when she sees Thetis with Zeus, but Hephaestus calms her down by playing the barmaid - Uncontrollable laughter and a good night's sleep

The Origin of Achilles' Wrath -Who says Chryseis must be given back and why? who is breisis? why does Achilles feel dishonored?

• *Calchas* the seer reveals that Chryseïs must be given back to end the plague • At a public assembly of the soldiers, Achilles challenges Agamemnon to give her back • They quarrel, Achilles contemplates killing Ag. • Agamemnon gives up Chrseïs but then takes Achilles' war-prize, a girl named *Briseïs* • Achilles feels so dishonored that *he withdraws from the fighting and wants the Greeks to start losing* so that Agamemnon can see how much he needs Achilles

The Youth of Achilles Remember: they need this kid

• *His immortal mother Thetis would burn him in the fire when he was a baby in order to burn his mortal parts away* - Compare Demeter and Demophoön in Eleusis • Peleus catches her doing this, which ruins it; she leaves Peleus and the baby • Peleus gives *Achilles to Chiron* the Centaur in order to be raised - Chiron teaches him hunting, fighting, music - Chiron had done the same for Jason in the previous generation

Wedding of Peleus and Thetis (who is Thetis? what are their sons names?)

• *Thetis a sea goddess*, daughter of Nereus • *Zeus lusted for her, but told by Prometheus that her son would be greater than her father* - Zeus ultimately lets Heracles unbind Prometheus for this knowledge - *Son of Peleus and Thetis: Achilles* • *Zeus thus has Thetis married off to a mortal named Peleus* (why Peleus is not clear) - a minor king in Thessaly: brother to Telamon, who is the father of Ajax: second most powerful fighter at Troy after Achilles

Buildup to the Trojan War (Overview)

• A complicated set of stories establishes a cycle of curses and family problems that culminate in Paris of Troy abducting Helen, the wife of Menelaus, Prince of Sparta • Menelaus and his brother Agamemnon, King of Mycenae, lead an enormous force of Greek heroes to get her back • Troy is ultimately sacked after a very tough 10 year war; Helen brought home to Sparta

Achilles' Heel

• A much later story (Roman, but very likely not Greek) says that *Thetis dipped Achilles in the Styx*, the river of the Underworld, and so made him invincible • *His only weak spot: his heel*, which Thetis had held when she dipped him - Achilles will die because of an arrow shot by Paris that wounds him in the heel (not in Iliad) - *Homer does NOT seem to know the Styx story*

The Sacrifice of Iphigenia

• Agamemnon tricks Iphigenia into approaching the altar, gags her so she does not curse him, kills her for his own greater glory - She thought she was to be married to Achilles! - Euripides has an alternate version that saves her, just as he has one about Helen - Ag.'s wife (Clytemnestra) will avenge their daughter later • Why would Agamemnon kill his own daughter to win back his brother's wife? • Loss of honor too great to bear? - Men are more obsessed with war than family?

Achilles as a Girl -why is he dressed as a girl? who is Calchas? Who figures out where Achilles is?

• As the Greek heroes assemble for the Trojan War, *Thetis hides him so that he does not go* • She knows things about his fate ... • She hides him on the obscure island of Scyros among a group of girls, and he is dressed as a girl • The Greeks' seer *Calchas* figures out where Achilles is and Odysseus outs him - put toys for girls and a sword and shield • Odysseus stages an attack, and Achilles leaps up to fight the supposed attackers, and picks up the sword and shield • Odysseus then recruits him for the Trojan War

The Trojan War (what BCE was it fought in? What are Homer's poems about?)

• Greatest heroic event in Greek myth • Many poems told about it in what we call The Epic Cycle; Homer's two great epics are the best known and always have been • *A war appears to have been fought at Troy around 1200 BCE*, though how much history Homer reports is impossible to know (likely not much) • *Homer's poems are primarily about human choices and human characters* - Epic in extent (huge), but personal in force

The Judgment of Paris

• Hermes brings the three goddesses to Paris and explains his assignment • Goddesses each disrobe, then also bribe him: - *Hera offers political power* - *Athena offers him glory as soldier* - *Aphrodite offers him the most beautiful woman in the world* • The most handsome Paris chooses Aphrodite, who promises him Helen

House of Atreus pt. II (who is Tydareus? Who are his daughters C+H, what do they do?

• In a complex story of revenge - Thyestes' son Aegisthus avenges his brothers, kills Atreus, and Thyestes seizes the throne in Mycenae • Agamemnon and Menelaus, the sons of Atreus, flee to Sparta • *Tyndareüs*, King of Sparta, supports their cause and leads an army that drives Thyestes out and *makes Agamemnon the King of Mycenae* • Tyndareüs' daughters *Clytemnestra and Helen* are married to *Agamemnon and Menelaüs* (Why did Menelaus get Helen? story in next flashcards)

The Iliad: Main Themes

• One main theme of the Iliad is exploring the difference between gods and men - Men fight and die, but gods feast and laugh • Iliad: what does it mean to be mortal? • Homer: the acceptance of one's mortality and one's connection with one's fellow man • Mortals have to make choices, and mortals live or die as a result of these choices • Which choices are worth risking death and which are not? • gods can't die, and so can't be tragic or heroic

Wedding of Peleus and Thetis (what does thetis do when peleus sneaks up on her? Who is Eris?)

• Peleus has to sneak up and grab her, hold on until she consents: *she changes her shape*: sea gods often have this power • Hera throws her a great wedding, grateful that Zeus did not sleep with her • *Eris*, the Goddess of *Strife*, bitter because she was not invited, turns up anyway and throws a golden apple into the crowd • *Apple* is engraved: *"To the Fairest"* • *Hera, Athena, Aphrodite* each claim it; Zeus says that Paris should be the judge

House of Pelops (know he takes over some random king) (Who are the 2 important sons (A+T) and their sons names?)

• Pelops takes Oenomaüs' place as King of Elis, names the region after himself: *Peloponnesus (= "island of Pelops")* • Has many sons, including - Pittheus, the grandfather of Theseus - Chrysippus, whom Laius rapes • Two most famous sons: *Atreus and Thyestes* • Sons of Atreus: *Agamemnon and Menelaus* << aka *Atridae* -id- = child/ren of: Cronides = ?>> • Son of Thyestes: *Aegisthus*

Paris of Troy pt. II why was he named alexander? what is his brother name? what did zeus think of paris and his bro?

• Shepherd named him *Paris* • Defeated bandits: later named Alexander (why?) • Later returned to city, recognized and accepted • His brother *Hector* was Troy's best fighter, but Zeus felt Paris was the most handsome of men • Zeus thus called upon Paris to judge a beauty contest among Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite that developed at the wedding of Peleus and Thetis

The Abduction of Helen

• Some time later Paris journeys to Sparta for Helen (Achilles has to grow up ... ?) • Menelaus welcomes him as a guest, but *Paris violates xenia(italicized) and abducts his wife* (Menelaus is away attending a funeral!) - Helen seems to have been not unwilling to go • Menelaus then invokes the *Oath of Tyndareüs* and assembles Helen's suitors • His brother Agamemnon, the strongest king in Greece, will lead the expedition

The Assembling of the Heroes

• The Greek heroes assemble to sail to Troy, but their prophet Calchas foresees problems • *First, they cannot win without Achilles*, the son of Peleus and Thetis, the greatest of Greek fighters • He was too young to be a suitor for Helen, so *he never took the Oath of Tyndareüs: he fights solely for eternal fame* • *Second, the winds will not let them depart without Agamemnon's sacrifice of his own daughter Iphigenia* - *Artemis* angry at Agamemnon for his boasts while hunting, demands the sacrifice of his virgin daughter

The Origin of Achilles' Wrath -who is Chryses? Who does he come back to greek camp for? why was she captured? who does he call for help?

• The Iliad begins with *Chryses*, a priest of Apollo, coming to the Greek camp and asking for his daughter *Chryseïs* back • She had been captured in a village raid around Troy, was Agamemnon's prize after the victory - Homeric warriors receive status prize for their fighting • Agamemnon rudely refuses to give up his prize • Chryses calls upon *Apollo* to help him, and plague comes to the Greeks - Apollo as "he who shoots from afar"

*The Oath of Tyndareüs* (what is the oath?)

• The clever Odysseus proposes a solution to Tyndareüs' Helen problem - His price: the hand of Tyndareüs' niece Penelope, who turns out to be a perfect match • *All of the suitors are to swear an oath that if anyone violates Helen's honor, then they all must help to punish the offender* - Those who won't swear cannot woo her, and since all want her, they all take the oath: Helen then chooses (?) (*Who didn't try to win her hand?* ODY) • Menelaus is Helen's choice, so they are married.

Quarrel b/w Agamemnon and Achilles -why does Ag and Achilles think they deserve best prize? ___ vs ___?

• The issue is much greater than who has a war prize or not • *Agamemnon feels that since he is the leader of the expedition, he should have the best prize* • *Achilles feels that since he is the best fighter and works the hardest, he should have the best prize* • *Traditional authority vs. individual brilliance* • How can an amazing individual work within an established cultural system?

House of Atreus pt. I

• The line of kings at *Mycenae* comes to an end, and an *oracle says for them to choose a son of Pelops for their new king* • After a rivalry, the elder son (Atreus) is chosen • Atreus, however, learns his wife <<Aëropê>> was having an affair with his brother Thyestes • *Atreus kills three of Thyestes' sons and feeds them to his brother at a banquet*, after which Atreus shows him their heads • *Thyestes then curses the House of Atreus*

The Iliad: Plot and Character -What is the plot? Whats the central element in the story? Whats the focus and background of the story?

• The plot is the story of the *wrath of Achilles* during about *one month in the tenth year* of the Trojan War • This wrath causes Achilles to navigate a series of choices and to come to a new understanding about the world • The *development of his character is the central element in the story* • *The Trojan War is the background, but Achilles and his wrath are the focus*

The House of Tyndareüs (who is wife of Tyndareus? who does he father (CCC) and who does Zeus father?(phD))

• The wife of *Tyndareüs* was *Leda*, whom Zeus, in the guise of a *swan*, had raped/seduced (depends on version) • Leda bears four children [2 in 2 eggs?]: - *Castor and Clytemnestra, fathered by Tyndareüs* (CCC) two cs and they're common - *Polydeuces (Pollux) and Helen, fathered by Zeus* phD they're divine • Tyndareüs marries his daughter Clytemnestra to Agamemnon as a powerful alliance • But Helen was so beautiful that everyone wanted to marry her: how to choose her husband without making enemies of everyone else?

Paris of Troy pt. I (what is his other name? who is paris' parents? what did mom dream of?)

• Troy greatest city in Asia Minor, very close to the Hellespont • *Paris* (aka *Alexander*) was one of the 50 sons of Priam, King of Troy, and *Hecabê*. • *When Hecabê was pregnant with Paris, she dreamed she was about to give birth to a torch* • Seer told her that her son would destroy the city • Paris was exposed on Mt. Ida but shepherd saves him

The Iliad of Homer When was it written down? Which poet shaped it into todays form?)

• Written down between 800-700 BCE (?) about events that would have happened ca. 1200 BCE • Oral tradition maintained and developed the story, but one poet clearly shaped it into its form as we know it, and the Greeks called that poet Homer • Many of its poetic features are due to its history and origins as an oral poem