Iliad 22 and 24: the death of Hector, Priam and Achilles - OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (War and Warfare) Exam Questions

Practise 36 exam-style questions on Iliad 22 and 24: the death of Hector, Priam and Achilles for OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (War and Warfare). Write your answer as you would in the exam and get it marked in seconds against the mark scheme, point by point, with an AI tutor on hand if you get stuck.

36 questions
1–15 marks each
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20 questions, marked as you go

Sample questions with model answers

Here are 4 of the questions in this topic, each with a model answer, an explanation of why it earns the marks and the mark scheme an examiner would use.

Question 1

1 mark

Source A: Homer, Iliad 22

'She came to Hector looking like Deiphobus in body and in tireless voice, and standing close she spoke winged words: "Dear brother, swift Achilles is pressing you hard, chasing you round the city of Priam with his swift feet. Come, let us stand and fight him off together, staying here." Then great Hector of the shining helmet answered: "Deiphobus, you were always far the dearest to me of my brothers, the sons of Hecuba and Priam; and now I think I shall honour you even more in my heart, since you dared, for my sake, when you saw me, to come out of the wall while the others stay inside."'

The speaker who looks like Deiphobus is really a god in disguise. Which god?

Model answer

Athena (Pallas Athena).

Explanation

Athena takes the shape of Hector's favourite brother, Deiphobus, to trick him into standing and fighting. The cruelty of the trick is sharpened by Hector's warm, grateful words - he thinks his brother alone has dared to come out of the wall for him. When he later calls for Deiphobus' spear, there is no one there.

Mark scheme

1 mark
Athena (Pallas Athena)
Accept Pallas / Athene / Minerva. Do not accept Apollo, Hera or Aphrodite.

Question 2

2 marks

In Iliad 24 Achilles tells Priam about the two jars that stand on the floor of Zeus' house. Give two details of what Achilles says about them.

Model answer

Achilles says that one jar holds evils and the other blessings. To some men Zeus gives a mixture, so they meet sometimes with bad fortune and sometimes good, but to others he gives only evils, making them wretched outcasts honoured by neither gods nor men.

Explanation

The parable of the jars is Achilles' explanation of why both he and Priam suffer: the gods live without care, while even the most fortunate mortals, like Peleus and Priam, receive sorrow mixed with their blessings. It turns Achilles' anger into a shared, philosophical view of human suffering, which helps to explain his pity for Priam.

Mark scheme

1 mark
First accurate detail of the two jars
Two from: one jar holds evils / sorrows and the other blessings / good things (1); to some people Zeus gives a mixture, so that they meet sometimes with bad fortune and sometimes good (1); to others he gives only evils, making them outcasts (1), driven by hunger over the earth, honoured by neither gods nor mortals (1); (the best a mortal can hope for is a mixture) (1); the gods have spun for mortals a life of grief while they themselves are free from care (1); Peleus and Priam are examples of men who had great blessings followed by sorrow (1). Max 2.
1 mark
Second, different detail
As above.

Question 3

4 marks

Source A: Homer, Iliad 22.344-354

'Then swift-footed Achilles glared at him and said: "Do not beg me, you dog, by my knees or my parents. I wish that my rage and fury would drive me to cut up your flesh and eat it raw, for what you have done to me. So there is no one who will keep the dogs from your head, not even if they bring here and weigh out ten or twenty times your ransom and promise more besides, not even if Priam, son of Dardanus, tells them to pay your weight in gold. Not even then will your lady mother lay you on a bier and mourn the son she bore; the dogs and birds will devour you completely."'

What impressions do you gain of Achilles in this passage? Make two points.

Model answer

Achilles seems savage, almost like a wild animal: he wishes his fury would drive him to 'cut up your flesh and eat it raw'. He is also completely merciless and cannot be bought: even if the Trojans offered 'ten or twenty times your ransom' or Hector's 'weight in gold', he would still let 'the dogs and birds' devour the body, so that Hecuba could never mourn her son on a bier.

Explanation

Hector's dying plea for burial is met with one of the most brutal speeches in the Iliad. The wish to eat raw flesh puts Achilles outside civilised human behaviour, and his refusal of any ransom sets up the contrast with Book 24, where he accepts Priam's ransom and returns the body. Notice the insult 'dog' turned back on Hector, whose body he threatens to give to dogs.

Mark scheme

2 marks
First impression of Achilles with supporting evidence from Source A: 1 mark for a valid impression, 1 mark for a relevant reference or quotation from the passage that supports it. The evidence mark is awarded for a relevant reference or quotation even if the impression is missing, weak or wrong. The two marks are independent: award 1 for a valid point even if no evidence is given, and 1 for a relevant quotation from, reference to or close paraphrase of the source even if the point is missing, weak or wrong.
Two pairs from, e.g.: merciless / pitiless (1) - 'Do not beg me' / 'there is no one who will keep the dogs from your head' (1); savage / bestial, beyond normal human behaviour (1) - 'cut up your flesh and eat it raw' (1); consumed by rage / vengeful (1) - 'my rage and fury' / 'for what you have done to me' (1); cannot be bought - wants revenge, not wealth (1) - 'not even if ... ten or twenty times your ransom' / 'your weight in gold' (1); cruel to Hector's family too (1) - 'Not even then will your lady mother lay you on a bier' (1); contemptuous / insulting (1) - 'you dog' (1); threatening / hostile (1) - he 'glared at him' (1). The second pair must make a different point from the first. Points must come from the passage.
2 marks
Second, different impression of Achilles with supporting evidence from Source A: 1 mark for a valid impression, 1 mark for a relevant reference or quotation from the passage that supports it. The two marks are independent: award 1 for a valid point even if no evidence is given, and 1 for a relevant quotation from, reference to or close paraphrase of the source even if the point is missing, weak or wrong.
As above; must be a different impression from the first point.

Question 4

8 marks

Source A: Homer, Iliad 24.559-570

'Then swift-footed Achilles glared at him and said: "Do not provoke me any further, old man. I myself intend to give Hector back to you; a messenger came to me from Zeus - my mother who bore me, the daughter of the Old Man of the Sea. And I know in my heart, Priam, and it does not escape me, that some god led you to the swift ships of the Achaeans; for no mortal would dare to come into the camp, not even a man in his prime, nor could he slip past the guards, or easily push back the bar of our doors. So do not stir my heart any more in its grief, old man, in case I do not spare even you in my hut, suppliant though you are, and so break the commands of Zeus."'

To what extent is Achilles presented as a changed man in Book 24? Use Source A as a starting point and your own knowledge of Books 22 and 24.

Model answer

Source A shows that Achilles has not completely changed. He 'glared at' Priam and warns him not to 'provoke me any further', threatening that he might not spare him even though he is a suppliant. This is the same violent temper that made him refuse Hector's dying plea in Book 22. He also makes it clear that he is returning Hector because Zeus has sent Thetis with a message, not simply out of pity.

However, the source also shows a change: Achilles is now controlling his anger, and he respects both the gods' commands and Priam's courage in coming to the camp. In Book 22 he wished he could 'eat raw' Hector's flesh and dragged his body behind his chariot; in Book 24 he weeps with Priam, raises him by the hand, 'pitying his grey head and grey beard', and praises his courage. His speech about the two jars of Zeus shows that he now sees his own suffering and Priam's as part of the same human condition.

His actions confirm the change. He has the body washed out of Priam's sight, because he knows that Priam's grief might make him lose his temper and kill him - which shows self-awareness. He lifts Hector onto the bier himself, asks Patroclus to forgive him, and tells the story of Niobe to persuade Priam to eat.

Overall, Achilles is presented as changed in his pity and self-control, but not transformed: his anger is still there, and he must work hard to master it. That makes the change more believable and more moving.

Explanation

The source is deliberately double-edged: it shows Achilles' anger flaring up again, but also his obedience to Zeus and his self-control. The best answers use it to argue that the change is real but incomplete, comparing specific moments in Book 22 (the refusal, the raw flesh, the dragging) with Book 24 (tears, pity, washing the body, the bier).

Mark scheme

8 marks
Levels of response (8 marks). AO1 (4) and AO2 (4) are equally weighted.
Level 4 (7-8 marks): consistently accurate and detailed knowledge of Achilles' words and actions in Books 22 and 24, using both Source A and own wider knowledge; very good understanding of the reasons for his behaviour (grief, the gods' commands, pity) and of possible interpretations; a well-argued response with a clear, substantiated judgement on how far he has changed, supported by a range of well-selected evidence, including critical analysis.
Level 3 (5-6 marks): accurate knowledge, using both the source and own knowledge; a focused response with relevant analysis and a judgement on how far he has changed.
Level 2 (3-4 marks): sound, mostly accurate knowledge; engages with the general topic, with a limited range of evidence and some analysis; any judgement is undeveloped.
Level 1 (1-2 marks): limited knowledge, may only use the source given; isolated analysis.
0 marks: no response or no response worthy of credit.
A mainly descriptive or narrative answer with little analysis or judgement cannot go above Level 2.
Indicative content (not a checklist; credit other valid points): AO1: Source A: Achilles glares at Priam and warns him not to provoke him; he already intends to return Hector because Zeus sent Thetis with a message; he recognises that a god guided Priam; he threatens that he may not spare even a suppliant and so break Zeus' commands. Own knowledge, Book 22: refuses Hector's agreement (lions and men, wolves and lambs); refuses his dying plea; calls him dog and wishes to eat his flesh raw; drags the body behind his chariot. Book 24: amazed at Priam; moved by the thought of his father Peleus; weeps with Priam; raises him, pitying his grey head; praises his courage ('your heart is made of iron'); the two jars of Zeus; has the body washed and anointed out of Priam's sight in case he kills him; lifts Hector onto the bier himself; asks Patroclus not to be angry and promises him a share of the ransom; tells the story of Niobe and urges Priam to eat. AO2: there is a real change - pity, shared grief and courtesy replace the savagery of Book 22; but his anger is still close to the surface, as Source A and the hiding of the body show; the change is partly prompted by Zeus' command and by thoughts of his own father, so it may not be pure pity; he still accepts the ransom and thinks of Patroclus; possible judgement: Achilles has changed in that he now controls his anger and recognises shared human suffering, but he has not become a different person.

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