Summary of the plot:

Book I

1-430          The quarrel and its immediate consequences.
431-492     Interlude showing the passage of time, return of Chryseis
493-611     The gods on Olympus

Book II

1-454: Zeus sends Agamemnon a dream: he can finish the war by attacking today. Agamemnon tests the morale of his army, suggesting a return home. His men take him seriously and are eager to depart until Odysseus brings them back to the assembly. A dissenter, Thersites, is humiliated; Odysseus and Nestor speak; the army moves out to begin battle.

455-877: The Catalogue of Ships, a geographically arranged listing of the contingents in the Greek army and their leaders, followed by a much shorter Trojan catalogue. These passages provide the "cast of characters" of the Iliad.
 

Suggestions and Study Questions:

Book I:
 

1. How would you explain Achilles' weeping at line 362?
2. Notice the tension in the divine household: Zeus vs. Hera, lines 415 and 570 and following. Keep in mind why the divinities are upset with each other. What do you think of the peaceful ending of this book, lines 633-643.
3. Hephaestus is the son of Hera. What is distinctive about his behavior?


Book II:
 

1. Lines 1-6: Zeus has promised to honor Achilles. This false dream is part of that plan.
2. Lines 212ff: Compare Thersites' remarks to Achilles' in Book One. How do these passages differ? What causes the different treatment of these two characters?
3. Lines 485 and following: Here the similes in the poem become more powerful. In class, you should be able to define a simile in your own words (click here for a dictionary definition) and explain how it supports the narrative.
Words and Names to Remember:

Thersites
Ajax (Aias)
Iris
Hephaestus