Iliad and Odyssey Quiz

Maria V Sanchez

Questions from Iliad and Odyssey…

The Iliad Book I

1. Who is responsible for the anger of Achilles?

The responsible person for the anger of Achilles is King Agamemnon.

2. Why do you suppose the Iliad begins NOT with the start of the Trojan War,
or even the abduction of Helen, but with a relatively minor incident during a
pause in the fighting?

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The Iliad begins with a relatively minor incident because it makes the story begin

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from a not so exciting part, and this gives a chance for the story to slowly increase the
emotions in the plot, which makes it more exciting and entertaining.

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3. What does Athena's intervention tell us about the role of the gods and
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goddesses in the Iliad?

Athena’s interventions tell us that gods and goddesses play an important role in
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the development of the story, and the choices that humans make. Human lives on
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earth are controlled by these gods and goddesses. An example of the control that this
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gods and goddesses have on people is shown when Athena stops Achilles from
fighting Agamemnon.

4. Are the gods in the Iliad what you expected them to be? How do they
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surprise you?
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The gods in the Iliad are what I expected them to be. They surprised me because
usually in monotheistic religions gods do not have a control over the way humans act
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on earth, rather they let humans to act upon their beliefs and consciousness. However,
the gods in the Iliad show a completely different image of the usual, they essentially
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have control over the actions of people.

5. If gods are presented as irresponsible (as Homer’s gods seem to be), do you
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think that encourages the people who worship them to be more responsible
or less responsible? Why?

If gods were presented as irresponsible, that encourage the people who worship
them to be less responsible, because they are role model to many people showing this
behavior would make people think it is normal to be less responsible.

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 Iliad and Odyssey Quiz

6. If the Greek gods are presented as very powerful, what does that do to the
conception of freedom? Do the Greek heroes of the Iliad seem free? Do they
seem to value freedom?

If the Greek gods are presented as very powerful, this makes the concept of freedom
disappear. The gods determine what happens to people, and once they choose, people
have no way of changing their fate. The Greek heroes present on the Iliad seem free,
but they do not seem to value their freedom.

Odyssey Book IX

7. After Odysseus and his men have eaten their fill of goats and wine, what

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motivates Odysseus to lead his men further into the center of the island of the
Cyclops? Why doesn't he simply leave and sail on home? What does he want

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to find out? What does this desire suggest one of the weaknesses is in clever
and intelligent people?

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What motivated Odysseus to continue into the center of the island of the Cyclops was
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his inquisitiveness. He did not sail back home because he wanted to discover where
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the sounds were coming from and if they were good to strangers. This desire suggests
that for intelligent people curiosity is a flaw.
8. What gift does Odysseus take with him when he goes to see the Cyclops?
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How does this gift end up saving the lives of Odysseus and his men?
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Odysseus takes with him a goatskin filled with sweet lack wine when he goes to see
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the Cyclops. This gift ends up saving the life of Odysseus and his men because with
the wine he can get the Cyclops drunk and cover his eye, so hm and his men could
escape.
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9. Why does Odysseus lie and say that his ship was smashed when the Cyclops
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asks its location?

Odysseus lies about his ship being smashed because he is afraid that the Cyclops
could find it and destroy it, and kill his men, leaving him with no way to escape from
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the island.
10. What does the Cyclops do to two of Odysseus’ men? Why is this action
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particularly ironic given the Greek customs of “the laws of hospitality?”

The Cyclops ate two of Odysseus men. This action is ironic since one of the rules of the
Cyclops was to take good care of all their visitors.
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11. Where do Odysseus and his men hide their wooden stake in the cave? How
many men does it take to pick up this huge stake?
Odysseus and his men hid their wooden stake in a pile of feces at the back of the
cave. It took 5 men to pick up this huge stake.

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12. What does Odysseus tell the Cyclops his (Odysseus’) name is? Why does this
turn out to be clever and humorous? What does it turn out is the Cyclops’
own name?
Odysseus tells the Cyclops that his name is “Nohbdy”. This turns out to be clever and
humorous because when the Cyclops screamed for help after the attack, his neighbor
thought he was completely fine. The Cyclops name turned out to be Polyphemus.
13. How or where do Odysseus’ men injure the Cyclops? Why didn't they just
stab him in the heart? How does this connect with the way they escape the
cave?
Cleverly Odysseus men injure the Cyclops in the eye with a wooden stake, they did
not go for the heart because they knew that if they killed them nobody was going to
be able to move the rock from the cave entrance.
14. What personality trait do you suppose motivates Odysseus’ desire to
reveal his true name to the outsmarted Cyclops? What does this suggest is another
weakness of intelligent people? How does that revelation of his name cause problems
for the voyage home?

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Odysseus is proud and arrogant which motivates his desire to reveal his true name to the
Cyclops. Another weakness of intelligent people is being too proud of their

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accomplishments. This revelation put at risk the life of his men, just because he wanted to
claim credit for fooling Polyphemus.

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15.Who is the father of the Cyclops named Polyphemus? Why is that bad news for
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someone trying to sail home?
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The father of the Cyclops named Polyphemus is the God of the ocean, Poseidon.
This is bad news for someone trying to sail home because after outsmarting the
Cyclops he cannot expect to have a good trip back home in the waters.
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