The Iliad Essay Prompts
Directions: Choose one of the following prompts to write a well-developed essay.
1. Main characters in The Iliad are ruled by their emotions. Choose one character and give at
least three specific examples of when that character was ruled by their emotions. Determine if
in each of the three examples it led them to a good or bad result and why.
2. How has pride, as the characters in The Iliad have used it, caused tragedies to befall the
Greeks and the Trojans? Choose at least three examples in which a prideful action by a specific
character has caused a tragedy, and explain why pride was the reason for the tragedy.
3. What is the role of women in The Iliad? Does this poem contain any strong female
characters, or do the acts of men dominate the work? Utilizing your historical knowledge of the
time period in which the Trojan War took place, discuss the historical reasoning for the role
played by women utilizing specific characters and examples from the book.