1. What does the encounter of Diomedes and Glaucus in Bk. 6, lines 138-280, tell us about us about the nature of friendships formed in earlier generations? Why do Diomedes and Glaucus exchange armor, and vow not to fight each other?
2. At the end of Bk. 6, Hector returns to Troy, where we first see him with his mother Hecuba, then with Paris and Helen, and finally with his wife Andromache and infant son. What new dimension do these encounters, especially the one with Andromache, add to the story? What impact will defeat have on the people of Troy?
3. Why does Achilles turn down Agamemnon's generous (indeed extravagant) offer of gifts in Bk. 9? This offer surpasses by far Athena's promise in book I (l. 250) of gifts "three times over" the value of Briseis that will one day be his for yielding to Agamemnon in their quarrel. What stops Achilles from accepting an offer that the other leading warriors (the aristoi) believe will earn him tremendous honor?
4. Since one of our tasks in this course is to understand the significance and purpose of the stories we read, It is often illuminating to examine the stories that one character tells another. In Bk. 9 Phoenix attempts to convince Achilles to relent, accept Agamemnon's gifts, and return to battle. Part of his strategy is to tell him the story of Meleager (lines 646-729). What is the message that he is trying to convey to Achilles? How does the story convey this message? What is the connection between Meleager's situation and Achilles'?