← Classical Civilisation syllabus

EnglandClassical Civilisation

The World of the Hero: Homer (Component 1)

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How does Homer present Hector and the Trojans, and what do they reveal about the human cost of war?

Homer's Iliad: the characterisation of Hector and the Trojan royal family (Priam, Hecabe, Andromache, Paris and Helen), the scenes within Troy, and how Homer dramatises the human and domestic cost of war.
An OCR A-Level Classical Civilisation (H408/11) study of Hector and the Trojans in the Iliad. Covers Hector's farewell to Andromache in Book 6, his defence of Troy, his death in Book 22 and the laments of Book 24, and how Homer uses the Trojan side to dramatise the human cost of war, with the source and essay skills the paper rewards.
17 min answer →

What is the heroic code in Homer, and how do kleos and time shape the behaviour of his heroes?

Homer's Iliad and Odyssey: the heroic code and its values of glory (kleos), honour (time) and shame, the tension between honour and survival, and how different heroes (Achilles, Hector, Odysseus, Ajax) embody or strain the code.
An OCR A-Level Classical Civilisation (H408/11) study of the heroic code in Homer. Covers glory (kleos), honour (time), shame culture, Achilles' choice between long life and glory, Hector's communal heroism, Odysseus' cunning, and the contexts of Homeric society, with the source and essay skills The World of the Hero rewards.
17 min answer →

What is the role of the gods and fate in Homer's epics, and how do they relate to human action?

Homer's Iliad and Odyssey: the role of the immortals (Zeus, Hera, Athene, Apollo, Aphrodite, Poseidon, Thetis), their interventions in human affairs, the relationship between divine will and fate (moira), and what this reveals about the Homeric worldview.
An OCR A-Level Classical Civilisation (H408/11) study of the gods and fate in Homer. Covers the anthropomorphic Olympians, divine intervention in battle and the wanderings, Zeus and the scales of fate, the limits of divine power, and how gods and mortals interact, with the source and essay skills The World of the Hero rewards.
17 min answer →

How do disguise, deception and the guidance of Athene drive the Odyssey?

Homer's Odyssey: the themes of disguise and deception, the role of Athene as Odysseus' divine protector, the testing of loyalty on Ithaca, and the recognition scenes culminating in the reunion with Penelope.
An OCR A-Level Classical Civilisation (H408/11) study of disguise, deception and Athene in the Odyssey. Covers Odysseus' false tales and beggar disguise, Athene's guidance of Odysseus and Telemachus, the testing of loyalty on Ithaca, and the recognition scenes with Telemachus, Eurycleia and Penelope, with the source and essay skills the paper rewards.
17 min answer →

How does Homer use xenia and the theme of homecoming to structure the Odyssey?

Homer's Odyssey: the wanderings and the theme of hospitality (xenia), from the Phaeacians and the Cyclops to the suitors, and the structuring theme of homecoming (nostos), culminating in the return to Ithaca and the restoration of order.
An OCR A-Level Classical Civilisation (H408/11) study of xenia and nostos in the Odyssey. Covers the wanderings (the Cyclops, Circe, the Underworld, the Sirens), the ideal hospitality of the Phaeacians, the abuse of xenia by the suitors and Polyphemus, and the homecoming to Ithaca, with the source and essay skills The World of the Hero rewards.
18 min answer →

How does the wrath of Achilles shape the narrative and meaning of the Iliad?

Homer's Iliad: the wrath (menis) of Achilles as the organising theme of the poem, from the quarrel with Agamemnon in Book 1 to the return of Hector's body in Book 24, and what it reveals about heroism, honour and mortality.
An OCR A-Level Classical Civilisation (H408/11) study of the wrath of Achilles as the organising theme of the Iliad. Covers the quarrel with Agamemnon in Book 1, the embassy in Book 9, the death of Patroclus, the killing and mistreatment of Hector, and the meeting with Priam in Book 24, with the source and essay skills The World of the Hero rewards.
18 min answer →