1.What is an “epic simile” and how/when does Homer use them?
What is an “epic simile”? Are they linked with arete or aristeia?
Locate passages in the Iliad that seem to represent epic similes. When are they being used? To what effect? Why do epic similes seem particularly germane for epic poetry? See particularly in books 16 and 22.
2.How does the theme of friendship inform two epics?
Both the Iliad and The Epic of Gilgamesh contain an essential friendship that propels the direction of the narrative at crucial points: Gilgamesh & Enkidu and Achilles & Patroclus. How do these friendships compare? How do they contrast? What do the two poems seem to suggest in a general way by emphasizing these two friendships?