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The Iliad could justly be called the Tragedy of Achilles. It focuses on the anger of that matchless warrior and how he destroys what he loves best, by seeking only his own glory.
Total classes: 13
Prerequisite: The ability to read two chapters per week with understanding.
Suggested grade level: 9th to 12th
Suggested credit: One full semester Literature or Ancient Literature
Description
The Iliad could justly be called the Tragedy of Achilles. It focuses on the anger of that matchless warrior and how he destroys what he loves best, by seeking only his own glory. Homer’s other Greek and Trojan heroes show how much a nation needs to be a unified people, obeying the will of god if they are to thrive, or even survive. We mourn for the tragedy of Hektor and his people, many of them very admirable, but caught up in the punishment for the sins of Paris. This epic poem and the Odyssey are bedrocks of the teaching of how to be a nobleman or woman in the Classical World or the modern world. Liberal Education begins here—and it is great fun!
Outline
Week 1 – Background on Epics and on Homer
Week 2 – Chapters 1 -2: Anger and Three False Tests
Week 3 – Chapters 3-4: Attempted Peace and Treachery
Week 4 – Chapters 5-6: Fighting Gods and Friends; Hektor’s Family Sorrows
Week 5 -Chapters 7-8: Hektor and Ajax Fight; The Greeks are Beseiged
Week 6 -Chapters 9-10: Zeus is All-Father; Agamemnon Acts for the Good of All; Night Raiders
Week 7 – Chapters 11-12: Agamemnon’s Wrath; Nestor’s Wisdom; Hektor’s Wrath
Week 8 -Chapters 13-14: Hektor Triumphs, Agamemnon Breaks; Zeus Sleeps
Week 9 -Chapters 15-16: Zeus is Above All; Patroklos’ Sacrifice
Week 10-Chapters 17-18: Getting What We Ask For; The Great Shield of Achilles
Week 11 – Chapters 19-20: Achilles Never Learns; Wild for Battle
Week 12- Chapters 21-22: The Nihilistic Wrath; Hektor’s Last Battle
Week 13 -Chapters 23-24: Honoring the Dead; Achilles Learns his Limit.
Materials and Homework
Course Materials: Homer, The Iliad. The Robert Fitzgerald (Anchor Books) translation is highly recommended (ISBN: 0385059418). Any translation you use should have line numbers.
Homework: Each week you will read two chapters of the epic. That will take about 1 to 1.5 hours for most readers. There will be weekly automated-graded quizzes available for immediate feedback, as well as two exams, one in the middle and one at the end of the course.
