74 pages • 2 hours read
Rosemary SutcliffBlack Ships Before Troy
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1993A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Essay Topics
The title of the Iliad comes from the Greek word for “Troy.” Why does Sutcliff’s title include both the Greeks (the black sails) and the city they will destroy?
Does a strong sense honor lead characters to honorable or dishonorable actions? Why?
How does divine interference in the lives of mortals impact the conflict between free will and destiny? Do the novel’s mortals have free will?
How is armor used in the novel? Does it have a symbolic meaning on top of its material one?
Shorn hair is often placed on the funeral pyre of a deceased hero. Why is this an important part of funerary honor and respect?
Helen manages to be both at the center of the war and entirely peripheral to it. Is she a character or more of a plot device? Support your answer with evidence.
Compare and contrast the different expectations for men and women in the novel. Do these differences line up neatly? If not, who are the ones who cross the imagined boundaries? How do those around them react to these subversions?
Is the sacking of Troy a moment of glory in the text? Does it bring glory to the victors? If yes, how? If not, why not?
Related Titles
By Rosemary Sutcliff
