At Iliad 3. 125-128, Iris comes upon Helen weaving a tapestry. Because the subject of the tapestry's scene is self-referential, the whole is sometimes read as a commentary on the creative process or on artistic representation. If the method is valid, what is being said about the creative process? Why should critics of the Iliad have to find the authorial voice being raised so indirectly? What other kinds of statements does the Iliad's narrator make about the poetic endeavor?

At Iliad 9. 318-322, Achilleus responds to Odysseus' attempt to draw him back to the battlefield by claiming that he, Achilleus, has no motive for returning to the fray. As someone removed from the action, has Achilleus gained some special perspective on the set of heroic values to which the other warriors can only adhere blindly? Has Achilleus defined a new set of values? If so, what are they, and does the Iliad as a whole bear out the idea that they are an adequate substitute for the so-called "heroic code"?

The Iliad uses a variety of descriptive words, epithets, in association with particular individuals, as for example "Achilleus of the swift feet." What does the repeated use of such epithets tell us about the process of composition of the poem? It is sometimes true that such epithets are merely formulaic, i.e. used because the word or phrase is structured so as complete a line of poetry. Is that always true, or can the case be made that in some instances the use or choice of a particular epithet is more intimately related to the semantic fabric of a passage?