Questions for Iliad Books 13-17

Choose ONE character, and characterize them through the guide questions given:

1. ZEUS

a. As a god, what forces can he control? What forces make him powerless?

b. What weaknesses does he show in the given chapters? Cite textual proof.

c. Relate his weak and strong characteristics to someone you know today.

2. ACHILLES

a. In your own words, what is the effect of his decision to send out Patroclus into the battlefield?

b. What could be his “hidden motivation” for sending him out?

c. What kind of leadership is he trying to convey here? Do we have similar leaders today with the same characteristics as Achilles?

3.PATROCLOS (also: Patroclus)

a. What could be the possible “reactions” of both the Trojan and Greek army when they realized that it was Patroclus who was killed? Give a narration for both sides.

b. Based on these reactions, who was Patroclus as a warrior, and as a man?