Book 16

Question 1

Name of the Book

Answer 1

The death of Patroclus

Question 2

Patroclus approaches Achilles

Answer 2

weeping

Achilles compares him to a child weeping to be picked up by its mother

Question 3

Patroclus’s insults to achilles

Answer 3

“God preserve me from the bitterness you harbour”
“you and your disastrous greatness”
“what will future generations have to thank you for”
“the grey sea and the sheer cliffs produced you and your unfeeling heart”

Question 4

What Patroclus asks of Achilles

Answer 4

to lead the myrmidons into battle himself

Question 5

Homer’s opinion of Patroclus

Answer 5

“great fool”

“he was simply invoking his own destiny and a dreadful death”

Question 6

Achilles gives in

Answer 6

“let it go” he was wrong in believing he could be eternally angry
tells Patroclus to arm in his armour

Question 7

Achilles’s instructions

Answer 7

“win me great glory” so that he gets the gifts
to return immediately after driving the Trojans from the ships
-Don’t lead the Myrmidons onto Ilium
precisely mentions the dangers from the gods, Apollo named

Question 8

Ajax

Answer 8

is overwhelmed, Hector breaks his spear

he retreats

Question 9

The ships

Answer 9

the first ship goes up in flames after Ajax’s retreat

Question 10

Patroclus prepares for battle

Answer 10

gets a full arming scene

wears Achilles armour but unable to take his spear

Question 11

Achilles’s immortal horses

Answer 11

Xanthus and Balius +Pedasus

Question 12

The Leaders of the Myrmidons

Answer 12

their backstory given, they are introduced

Question 13

Myrmidons compared to

Answer 13

• flesh eating wolves, hearts filled with boundless courage
• a wall, standing shield to shield, helmet to helmet, man to man
• swarming wasps

Question 14

Achilles’s prayer

Answer 14

prays to Zeus,

Zeus does not grant Achilles wish for Patroclus to return safely

Question 15

Patroclus’s speech to his men

Answer 15

tells them to win glory for Achilles

Question 16

PAtroclus’s courage shown

Answer 16

first to throw his spear

attacks where there are the most chariots

Question 17

The TRojan DEaths

Answer 17

9 Trojan Deaths

all deaths are chaotic, deaths occurring everywhere, Homer pauses only to describe “black death”

Question 18

HEctor

Answer 18

primarily stands his ground but then flees in his chariot leaving his escaping men caught in the ditch

Question 19

Patroclus’s first mistake

Answer 19

begins to chase after Hector

Question 20

Patroclus’s first kills

Answer 20

kills Thestor compared to a fisherman fishing a fish

kills twelve Trojans

Question 21

Death of Sarpedon

Answer 21

Sarpedon is destined to die by Patroclus
Zeus considers saving him but Hera objects
Patroclus kills Sarpedon compared to a woodsman felling trees
Sarpedon tells Glaucus to protect his corps

Question 22

Glaucus

Answer 22

prays to Zeus to heal him of an arrow wound (happens)

gathers men to protect Sarpedon

Question 23

Sarpedon’s body

Answer 23

men swarmed round is body as flies

Question 24

Zeus and Sarpedon’s body

Answer 24

tells Apollo to take Sarpedon’s body away and anoint it with ambrosia
Set him down in Lycia where he can be buried

Question 25

Why Sarpedon does not follow Achills’s orders

Answer 25

the will of Zeus prevails over men

Question 26

How we know PAaroclus could never have taken Ilium and ho well h was fighting that day

Answer 26

Ilium would then have fallen to Patroclus had Apollo not defended it
three times a hurled Patroclus of Ilium’s walls. The fourth time he gave a great shout how it is not Patroclus’s destiny to take Ilium.

Question 27

Apollo’s advice to Hector

Answer 27

disguised he tells him to fight Patroclus

Question 28

Patroclus becomes arrogant

Answer 28

kills HEctor’s charioteer Cebriones with a stone

gives an arrogant speech laughing at his acrobatic death

Question 29

Patroclus is compared to

Answer 29

a lion whose courage is the death of him

Question 30

The fight over Cebriones

Answer 30

A big fight over his body

Patroclus charges in 3 times killing 9 men each time

Question 31

PHoebus Apollo and Patroclus

Answer 31

strikes him on the back with the flat of his hand
His helmet falls off
his eyes spin
his spear shatters
the shield falls
Apollo undoes his armour

Question 32

Euphorbus and PAtroclus

Answer 32

PAtroclus is blind and paralysed
Euphorbus stabs him in the back between the shoulders
Euphorbus the best spear man, runner, horsemen of his years
does not kill Patroclus, gets his spear and leaves

Question 33

Hecotr and Patroclus

Answer 33

He spots retreating Patroclus

stabs him in the lower belly

Question 34

Hectors speech to Patroclus

Answer 34

gives an arrogant speech, guesses Achilles’s instructions all wrong (war is all about misunderstandings)
PAtroclus in turn predicts HEctors death

Question 35

End of the chapter

Answer 35

Patroclus’s charioteer Automedon leaving with the horses that abandoned Patroclus
the horses a gift from the gods to Peleus

Question 36

The Effect of Patroclus mentioning the heroes getting healed

Answer 36

only Achilles cannot be helaed

Question 37

The gods humanity shown

Answer 37

Zeus loves Patroclus, sends down a shower of blood for him

Question 38

What had Achilles actual hopes been

Answer 38

for him and Patroclus to be the only ones to survive the ordeal and they can take Troy together

Question 39

Homer mentions that Achilles advice had been sound

Answer 39

if he had kept to his orders”he would have saved himself from the evil destiny which is dark death”

Question 40

Patroclus wants to kill HEctor

Answer 40

“HEctor he yearned to kill”

Question 41

Patroclus’s aristea

Answer 41

“bringing them down in quick succession”