Iliad Characters Flashcards
Achilles
1) Achaean
2) most powerful warrior in Iliad
3) Son of Peleus and Thetis
4) Briseis was his prize
5) Leads the Myrmidons
6) Killed by Paris
7) double fate: can either live a long life without glory, or a short life with a lot of glory
8) prideful
Agamemnon
1: Takes Achilles’ prize Briseis
2: Cause of Achilles’ withdrawal
3: Brother of King Menelaus
4: Leader of Achaean army
5: not all that great of a leader, tells army they can go home to test them; tries to retreat many times
6) doesn’t take responsibility for his actions, blames the gods
7) tries to retreat many times
8) hit in forearm
Patroclus
1: Achilles best bud
2: He is a very good guy
3: goes to fight when Achilles does not
4: Killed by Hector and Euphorbius, and Apollo
5: told by his father to advise Achilles
7: kills Sarpedon
Odysseus
1: Brilliant Tactician
2: Great public speaker
3: Mediator between Achilles and Agamemnon at beginning of the book
Diomedes
1: Achaean
2: wounds Aphrodite and Ares
3: Athena allows him to see gods in disguise
4) hit in foot by Paris’ arrow
Great Ajax
1: Achaean
2) chosen to fight Hector 1 on 1, hurls a rock at Hector but he is saved by Apollo. Both end fight respectfully
Little Ajax
1) Achaean
Nestor
1) king of pylos
2) old man
3) great speaker and adviser
Maenelaus
1) king of Sparta
2) wife is Helen
Idomeneus
1) king of Crete
2) Achaean
3) kills Asius
Machaon
1) healer
2) Achaean
Calchas
1) a prophet
2) tells that Achaeans are being troubled by the gods because Agamemnon took Chryses’ daughter
Peleus
1) fr of Achilles
2) grandson of Zeus
Phoenix
1) old warrior
2) helped raise Achilles
3) fled from home after sleeping with fathers mistress for his mother
Hector
1) son of Priam and Hecuba
2) strongest of the Trojans
3) noble: fighting for his family and city
4) son is skamandrios
5) deep humanity shown in interaction with his family
Andromache
Wife of Hector and mother of Astyanax
Helen
1) most beautiful woman in the world
2) given to Paris by Aphrodite
3) Wife of Menelaus
4) treated poorly by Trojans except Hector and Priam
Aeneas
1) Trojan noble
2) confronts Diomedes , but needs to be carried away by Apollo before he gets killed
Polydamas
1) foil for Hector offering prudent battle tactics when Hector is being hard headed
2) Trojan
Glaucus
Almost fights Diomedes but doesn’t when they find out they are related
2) Trojan
3) leader of the Lykians
Dolon
1) Trojan sent to spy on argive camp
2)
Pandarus
1) Trojan archer
2) breaks truce between arrives and Trojans
3) injures Diomedes but takes a spear to the face from him after
Antenor
1) Trojan noble
2) adviser to Priam
3) says Helen should be given back to end the war
Sarpedon
1) Zeus’ son
2) Trojan
3) creates hole in Achaean’s wall, Hector later destroys them with a rock
4) killed by Patroclus, fight over his body
Daughter of Chryses
Chryseis
Zeus
1) hera’s husband
2) neutral in war
3) asked by Thetis to side with the Trojans for a bit
Hera
1) wife of Zeus
2) argive
3) cunning and conniving
4) queen of the gods
Athena
1) goddess of wisdom
2) daughter of Zeus
3) Achaean
Thetis
1) sea nymph
2) mother of Achilles
3) gets Haphaestus to make Achilles new armor
4) gets Zeus to hurt the Achaeans
5) tormented by the fact that Achilles will die young
Apollo
1) son of Zeus
2) Trojan
3) God of sun and the arts
Aphrodite
1) goddess of love
2) daughter of Zeus
3) married to Haphaestus
4) Trojan
Poseidon
1) Brother of Zeus
2) hates Trojans because they never paid him for building their city walls
Haphaestus
1) god of fire
2) crippled
3) makes Achilles new armor
Artemis
1) goddess of the hunt
2) daughter of Zeus
3) Trojan
Ares
1) god of war
2) Trojan
Hermes
1) escorts Priam to Achilles
Iris
Messenger for the gods
Odysseus
1) night raid with Diomedes
Paris
1) hated by the Trojans
2) took Helen
3) doesn’t fight in battle too much
4) kills Achilles
Starts in the middle of things
In medias res
Stories that repeat throughout the story
Type scene
“Blind folly” clouds a person’s sense of what is right
Atê
Honor in the sense of status or respect. Similar to prestige.
Timê
Prize that shows honor
Geras
Fame or glory the hero seeks
Kleos
Arrogance of one who does not know his limits
Hubris
1st line
Rage- Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus’ son Achilles,
Thersites
Ugliest Achaean
Hated by all
Makes fun of Agamemnon after his test
Aristeia
A hero in battle has his finest moments
god blood
Ichor
Achaeans sent to Achilles to bring him back
Phoenix, Ajax , Odysseus
Eurypylus
Healer taken care of by Petroclus
Who decided to try to charge the achaean’s gate
Asius
Antilochus
Son of Nestor
Breaks bad news to Achilles
Hector’s little brother killed by Achilles
Polydorus
River that Achilles fights
Scamander
Daughter of Priam
Cassandra
1) always tells the truth but no one believes her
2) first to see Priam coming back with the body of Hector
Final line
And so the Trojans buried Hector, breaker of horses
Suitors
Antinous and Eurymachus
Old trustworthy nurse
Eurycleia
Nestor son
Pisistratus
Healer helped by Patroclus
Eurypylus
Killed Agamemnon
Aegisthus
Who took revenge on his fathers killer
Orestes
Odysseus home
Ithaca
Athena’s first disguise
Mentes
Old god of the sea captured by Menelaus
Proteus
Nymph who helps Menelaus
Eidothea