LITERATURE, CULTURE, AND THE HUMANITIES
GROSSE POINTE NORTH HIGH SCHOOL
HOMER'S THE ILIAD
DROUIN
A STUDY GUIDE AND REVIEW QUESTIONS
FOR BOOK 18: “THE SHIELD OF ACHILLES”
READ BOOK 18: “THE SHIELD OF ACHILLES” JUST TO GET A SENSE OF THE BASICS OF THE
PLOT AND THE KEY CHARACTERS THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THIS BOOK. THIS SHOULD BE A
RELATIVELY QUICK READ, JUST REMEMBER THAT YOUR GOAL IN THIS FIRST READING IS TO
FIGURE OUT AND GATHER THE BOOK’S BASICS, THE BARE ESSENTIALS. IN YOUR NOTES, JOT
DOWN YOUR BASIC UNDERSTANDING IN A FEW WELL CHOSEN SENTENCES.
NOW READ BOOK 18 VERY CAREFULLY AND VERY CLOSELY.
READ LINES 1 - 23. AFTER READING THESE LINES, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE
♦ TO TELL WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO PATROCLUS
♦ TO EXPLAIN WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO ACHILLES’ ARMOR
READ LINES 23 - 90. AFTER READING THESE LINES, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE
♦ TO EXPLAIN HOW THE WAVE OF GRIEF GROWS AND MOVES IN RESPONSE TO
PATROCLUS’ DEATH
READ LINES 91 - 162. AFTER READING THESE LINES, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE
♦ TO PUT THE DEEP EMOTIONS ACHILLES EXPRESSES INTO PERSPECTIVE
♦ TO PUT ACHILLES’ WILLINGNESS TO DIE INTO PERSPECTIVE
♦ TO EXPLAIN WHY ACHILLES FEELS HE MAY, IN FACT, DESERVE TO DIE
♦ TO UNDERSTAND THE EMOTIONS THAT ARE PUSHING ACHILLES TO RETURN TO
BATTLE
♦
TO REALIZE WHAT
THETIS WILL BRING TO ACHILLES
READ LINES 163 - 279. AFTER READING THESE LINES, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE
♦ TO EXPLAIN HOW THE BATTLE IS GOING FOR THE GREEKS
♦ TO REALIZE WHAT THE GREEKS ARE TRYING TO RETRIEVE FROM THE BATTLEFIELD
♦ TO UNDERSTAND HOW ACHILLES INTIMIDATES THE TROJANS
♦ TO EXPLAIN IF THE GREEKS WERE SUCCESSFUL IN GETTING WHAT THEY WANTED
FROM THE BATTLEFIELD
READ LINES 280 - 364. AFTER READING THESE LINES, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE
♦ TO EXPLAIN POLYDAMAS’ STRATEGY FOR THE NEXT DAY’S FIGHTING
♦ TO EXPLAIN HECTOR’S STRATEGY FOR THE NEXT DAY’S FIGHTING
♦ TO UNDERSTAND WHICH STRATEGY THE TROOPS ACCEPTED AND WHETHER OR NOT
THIS WAS A WISE DECISION
READ LINES 365 - 429. AFTER READING THESE LINES, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE
♦ TO APPRECIATE ACHILLES’ EMOTIONAL SIDE
♦ TO RECOGNIZE AND INTERPRET THE SIMILE IN L 369 - 372.
♦ TO THINK ABOUT HOW THIS SIMILE MAY BE APPLIED TO HECTOR AND HIS FATHERLY
ROLE
♦
♦
TO UNDERSTAND
ACHILLES’ PLAN REGARDING PATROCLUS’ BURIAL
GREEKS
TO APPRECIATE THE BURIAL CUSTOMS OF THE ANCIENT
READ LINES 430 - 557. AFTER READING THESE LINES, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE
♦ TO DESCRIBE HEPHAESTUS PHYSICALLY
♦ TO UNDERSTAND WHY HEPHAESTUS OWES THETIS A FAVOR
READ LINES 558 - 719. AS YOU READ THESE LINES, WORK STANZA BY STANZA SO YOU
♦ CAN EITHER DRAW OR OUTLINE THE SHIELD THAT HEPHAESTUS HAS MADE FOR
ACHILLES
THE SHIELD: HOMER’S DESCRIPTION OF ACHILLES’ SHIELD IS AS FABULOUS A PIECE OF ART
AS THE SHIELD ITSELF. USING A PATTERN OF IMAGES - CONCRETE REPRESENTATIONS OF
SENSORY EXPERIENCES AND ABSTRACTIONS - HOMER BRINGS THE SCENES ON THE SHIELD TO
LIFE. HE ENDOWS THE PEOPLE IN THE SCENES WITH MOTION, SOUND, THOUGHT, SPEECH AND
ACTION. CONTRASTING SCENES OF PEACE AND WAR, COUNTRY AND CITY, SOWING AND
HARVESTING, AND DANCING AND WORKING REFLECT THE INTENSE JOY AND UTTER PATHOS OF
LIFE AS HOMER’S AUDIENCE KNEW IT. ULTIMATELY, THE IMAGES ON THE SHIELD FORM A
COHERENT DESCRIPTION OF HUMAN REALITY.
REMARKABLY, THE SHIELD CONTAINS THE ENTIRE COSMOS, OR ORDERED UNIVERSE. THE
OUTER CIRCLE IS THE RIVER OCEAN, THE BOUNDARY OF THE WORLD. WITHIN THE BOUNDARY
ARE PLANETS AND CONSTELLATIONS THAT FORM AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THE DAILY LIFE OF
PEOPLE WHO TILL THE SOIL AND LIVE BY THE SEASONS. AGRICULTURE, HARVEST FESTIVALS,
AND MARRIAGE RITES FIND THEIR PLACE ON THE SHIELD. TWO CITIES, ONE AT WAR AND ONE
ENJOYING PEACE, REPRESENT ALL THE MAJOR ASPECTS OF LIFE IN THE ILIAD - THE HEROIC
AND TRAGIC REALITY OF WAR, AND THE RELIEVING CALM OF PEACETIME. IN FACT, ACHILLES’
SHIELD IS A MICROCOSM OF THE ILIAD, AND OF HOMER’S WORLD.
INTERPRETING BOOK 18:
1.
WHY DOES ACHILLES BLAME HIMSELF FOR PATROCLUS’ DEATH? IS ACHILLES SELFINCRIMINATION JUSTIFIED? EXPLAIN AND SUPPORT YOUR ANSWER.
2.
WHAT CAUSES AND EMOTIONS ALLOW ACHILLES TO OVERCOME HIS INTENSE FURY AND JOIN
THE FIGHTING?
3. FATE IS A CRITICAL ISSUE IN GREEK CULTURE AND IN THE ILIAD. WHAT ROLE DO ACHILLES’
PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS PLAY IN BRINGING ABOUT HIS FATE?
4. HEPHAESTUS SAYS THAT HE WISHES THAT HE COULD FORGE A SHIELD THAT COULD
PROTECT ACHILLES FROM HIS FATE. BASED UPON YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF GREEK
CULTURE AND YOUR READING OF THE ILIAD SO FAR, IS IT EVER POSSIBLE FOR HUMAN
BEINGS TO ESCAPE THEIR FATE? EXPLAIN AND SUPPORT YOUR THINKING.
LITERATURE, CULTURE, AND THE HUMANITIES
GROSSE POINTE NORTH HIGH SCHOOL
HOMER'S THE ILIAD
DROUIN
APPLYING BOOK 18 CONCEPTS TO A NEW SITUATION:
5. BOTH HECTOR AND ACHILLES MAKE A CONSCIOUS DECISION TO CONFRONT DEATH, WHICH
MAKES THEM HEROIC IN THE EYES OF THE ANCIENT GREEKS. DOES MODERN SOCIETY
CONSIDER PEOPLE WHO CONSCIOUSLY CONFRONT DEATH HEROIC? EXPLAIN AND
SUPPORT YOUR ANSWER.
ANALYZING LITERATURE - ANALYZING THE IMAGERY OF ACHILLES’ SHIELD
IN HIS DESCRIPTION OF ACHILLES’ SHIELD, HOMER’S IMAGERY CAPTURES THE COMPLEX
WORLD OF THE ILIAD. THE MARRIAGE CEREMONIES AND HARVEST FESTIVALS OF ONE OF THE
CITIES ON THE SHIELD REPRESENT THE JOYOUS SIDE OF LIFE, WHILE THE CITY BELEAGUERED BY
TWO ARMIES CONTAINS IMAGES OF THE PATHOS OF WAR.
6. HOW ARE IMAGES OF VIOLENCE ON THE SHIELD BALANCED BY IMAGES OF PLOWING AND
HARVESTING?
7. WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE OCEAN RIVER THAT RUNS AROUND THE OUTERMOST
RIM OF HE SHIELD?
8. FROM THE TEXT, FIND IMAGES OF WAR AND PEACE AND DISCUSS WAYS IN WHICH THEY
CORRESPOND WITH HUMAN NATURE AS IT IS PRESENTED IN THE ILIAD.
9. FORMULATE A SHORT STATEMENT THAT WOULD GIVE THE GREEK VIEW OF LIFE BASED
UPON THE IMAGES HEPHAESTUS HAS PLACED ON ACHILLES’ SHIELD.
CRITICAL THINKING AND READING - COMPARING AND CONTRASTING CHARACTERS
10. ACCORDING TO THE HEROIC CODE OF ETHICS, MALE CHARACTERS IN THE ILIAD MUST
FIGHT TO WIN GLORY FOR THEIR FAMILIES AND FOR THEMSELVES. EACH HERO, HOWEVER,
RESPONDS DIFFERENTLY TO THE WARRIOR CODE HE LEARNED SINCE CHILDHOOD.
CONSIDER HOW DIFFERENTLY ACHILLES AND HECTOR BEHAVE AS HEROES.
IN A WELL-CRAFTED ANSWER, EXPLAIN WHETHER ACHILLES OR HECTOR IS
CHARACTERIZED AS BEING MORE HUMAN? CONTRAST ACHILLES’ REASONS FOR
WINNING GLORY WITH HECTOR’S REASONS. FINALLY, SINCE HEROISM IS SO CRITICAL TO
BOTH INDIVIDUAL’S CULTURES, WHICH MAN IS MORE HEROIC?