Iliad Book IV

Listen to Book IV of the Iliad
You can follow along here.

Questions and Notes:

• Why and how does Pandarus break the truce? What is Homer's point?
• What does Agamemnon say to Diomedes?

Agamemnon begins a minor aristeia. What do think an aristeia is? Every major hero will have one, though Agamemnon’s comes later. Look for a pattern of action after a couple of instances; because the traditional nature of Homeric poetry tends to use such patterns, these moments are called typical scenes.

A simile is a comparison of two unlike things introduced by "like" or "as". For example, Menelaos is compared to a wild beast because of his eagerness to find Paris, who had been rescued by Aphrodite: "Menelaos was wandering through the throng like a wild beast..." (3.449). The basic purpose of this or any simile is to present a word-picture which will make the reader experience in a more vivid way what is being described. In the above example Menelaos's movement in search of Paris is brought to life by the picture of a wild beast, which suggests the frantic agitation of a man who has been frustrated in his desire for revenge. The simile is an important feature of Homer's style. He uses both short similes like the one above and extended ones which became a standard feature of the epic tradition after Homer.

Look for similes as you listen because they are quite common.

Akin to the simile is a figure of speech called a metaphor, a comparison between two different things without the use of "like" or "as". The simile describing Menelaos stated that he was "like a wild beast". That simile could be stated as a metaphor: "Menelaos is a wild beast".