The Iliad Achilles Questions 1

Caveat: When considering these questions, keep in mind that Homer does think Achilles is a great epic hero, even when Achilles probably defies your own expectations of what it means to be heroic.  In other words, keep in mind that Homer has written a story, and created a character, vastly more complex than what you probably expected.

What motivates the conflict between Achilles and Agamemnon?  Is it an honorable conflict (note, that's a trick question!)?

Compare/contrast Achilles in these first sections to Abraham and Job; in what ways does this Greek hero seem radically different from these Hebrew "heroes"?

How is the relationship between Achilles and Agamemnon mirrored in the relationship between certain gods throughout this story?

How does this – do these – relationships contrast between human and divine relationships in the Hebrew stories we’ve read?

Based on these comparisons, and from the pages we've read so far, what strikes you as similar and different between the Greek and Hebrew world view, especially in terms of religion and morality?

In what ways does Achilles match our current stereotypes of the epic hero?  Compare him to contemporary, comic-book style "epic heroes".

More importantly, in what ways does he defy them? Compare him to more complex contemporary heroes.

Compare him to Bo Bergdahl.  What might Homer think of Bo Bergdahl?