Lecture Terms and Questions

September 5, 2000


 aristos (pl. aristoi) aristos Akhaion aristeia
hetairos therapon promachos
"Henry V" (Shakespeare) Agincourt  

 

  1. Arming scenes within the Iliad can be viewed both as a mechanical device aiding the oral poet and as a thematic indicator of a hero's importance. Discuss, with references to relevant passages and a comparison between at least two such scenes.
  2. Discuss Agamemnon's aristeia in Book 11, both in terms of epic kleos, and in terms of how it functions at this point in the Iliad's plot.
  3. Discuss the aristeia of Diomedes in Book 5, bringing to bear the role of the gods in it. Diomedes is wounded two times by an arrow in the Iliad. What is his response in each case? What does it say about his character?
  4. How does Henry V's speech to his troops before the battle compare with similar speeches in the Iliad? Discuss with detailed reference to at least two such speeches.

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