CliffsNotes on

The Iliad

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Poem Summary

Homer Biography

Life and Background
Background of the Iliad

About the Iliad

Introduction to the Poem
The Iliad begins: The Judgement of Paris
After the Iliad: The fall of Troy

Summary and Analysis by Book

Book I
Book II
Book III
Book IV
Book V
Book VI
Book VII
Book VIII
Book IX
Book X
Book XI
Books XII–XV
Book XVI
Book XVII
Book XVIII
Book XIX
Book XX
Book XXI
Book XXII
Book XXIII
Book XXIV

Character List

Character Map

Character Analysis

Achilles
Patroklos
Agamemnon
Odysseus
Nestor
Hektor
Priam

Critical Essays

The Hero and Homeric Culture
Theme I: Anger, Strife, Alienation, and Reconciliation
Theme II: The Individual and Society

Study and Homework Help

Full Glossary for the Iliad
Quiz
Essay Questions
Practice Projects

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Study and Homework Help

Quiz

1:  What is the theme announced at the start of the Iliad?

a. Sorrow

b. War

c. Anger

d. Reconciliation
2:  What Achaian warrior is most noted for his skill in speech and tactics?

a. Odysseus

b. Diomedes

c. Telamonian Aias

d. Idomeneus
3:  What mistake does Patroklos make in his battle against the Trojans?

a. He challenges Hektor.

b. He throws off his armor.

c. He curses Zeus.

d. He tries to storm the walls of Troy.
4:  Who pretends to be Hektor’s brother, Deiphobus, and encourages him to fight Achilles?

a. Athena

b. Zeus

c. Aphrodite

d. Poseidon
5:  On what day after the return of Hektor’s body to the Trojans will the battle begin again?

a. Tenth

b. Eleventh

c. Twelfth

d. Fifteenth
6:  Who is the wife of King Menelaos of Sparta whose abduction started the Trojan War?

a. Dione

b. Thetis

c. Cassandra
7:  What is a warrior’s greatest day in battle called?

a. His epithet

b. His aegis

c. His ichor

d. His aristeia
8:  Who is the Trojan spy killed by Odysseus and Diomedes?

a. Antenor

b. Astyanax

c. Dolon

d. Helenos
9:  Who makes Achilles’ new shield?

a. Zeus

b. Agamemnon

c. Ajax

d. Hephaistos
10:  To whom does Achilles return Hektor’s body?

a. Athena

b. Priam

c. Agamemnon

d. Zeus
11:  Who says the following: “Bring fire! Up with the war cries all together! Now Zeus hands us a day worth all the rest, today we seize these ships.”

a. Odysseus

b. Priam

c. Hektor

d. Achilles
12:  Who says the following: “So the immortals spun our lives that we, we wretched men live on to bear such torments – the gods live free of sorrows.”

a. Odysseus

b. Priam

c. Hektor

d. Achilles



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