Heroic Myths:

• Intro: Class notes/pdf in Moodle
  • Key Names & Terms
    • Honor/Shame & the heroic code: kleos, aretê, timê, role of gifts
    • xenia: who protected, steps, gifts



• Heracles: Powell, Chapter 15 (14 in ...):
  • Key Names & Terms:
    • background & early life: Zeus, Hera, Heracles, Alcmena, Eurystheus, Amphitryon, Megara, Delphi
    • Labors: Nemean lion, Lernean Hydra, Stables of Augeas, Cretan bull, Cerberus
    • side deeds: Chiron, Admetus, Alcestis, Cacus (Rome)
    • later & end of life: Acheloüs, Deianira, Nessus, Philoctetes


• Hercules, the movie:
  • Key names & terms: Zeus, Hera, Hermes, Hades, Pain, Panic, the fates, Hercules, Alcmene, Amphitryon, Phil, Pegasus, Meg, the titans, the cyclops, Thebes, "go the distance", "true hero"
  • web site for script: click here


• Theseus: Powell, Chapters 16:
  • Key Names and terms:
    • Prior to Theseus: Cephalus, Procris, Procnê, Philomela, Tereus, Itys
    • Theseus' myths: Delphi, Aegeus, Troezen, Theseus, Poseidon, Procrustes, Bull of Marathon, Hippolytus, Phaedra, Pirithoüs


• Myths of Crete: Powell, Chapters 17:
  • Key Names and terms:
    • Europa, Minos, Pasiphaë, Daedalus, Minotaur, Labyrinth, Scylla, Icarus, Theseus, Ariadnê


• Greek Heroes & the Underworld: Powell, Chapter 12 (11 in ..):
  • Key Names and terms: Hades, Pluto, Erinyes, Odysseus, Anticlea, Elpenor, Tiresias, Achilles, Aeneas, Sibyl, golden bough, Anchises, Charon, Cerberus, Tantalus, Ixion, Elysium, Orpheus, Eurydicê

Possible Essay Questions:

• Love: "People always do crazy things... when they are in love" (Clements, "Hercules Script"). In your essay contrast and/or compare Meg & Hercules' actions while "in love" with that of two or three of the following:
  1. Megara & Deianira (Ch 15),
  2. Procris (Ch 16),
  3. Tereus & Procnê (Ch 16),
  4. Phaedra(Ch 16).
  Use only the movie and the primary source material in Powell as your evidence.


• Love: "People always do crazy things... when they are in love" (Clements, "Hercules Script"). In your essay contrast and/or compare the descriptions of Meg & Hercules' feelings/emotional state while "in love" with that of two or three of the following:
  1. Pasiphaë (Ch 17),
  2. Procris (Ch 16),
  3. Tereus & Procnê (Ch 16),
  4. Phaedra(Ch 16).
  Use only the movie and the primary source material in Powell as your evidence.


• Religion: In transforming the Greek myth of Heracles into an American myth, Disney transformed the religious underpinings of the myth. Excluding Orpheus' voyage to the underworld & Hercules' voyage, if you wrote on this in Paper 3, examine how and why Disney changed the religious underpinings from that found in Greek mythology (restrict your evidence base for Greek mythology to Powell's chapters 12, 15-17, 7th edition). Make sure you include in your discussion the impact the differing audiences for the myths--Greek and American--had. [NB: for the plays, the audience was Athenian males, especially citizens; for the Disney movie it is both the children and their adult parents]


• Heroes: In transforming the Greek myth of Heracles into an American myth, Disney transformed the role of the 'leading man.' Examine how and why Disney changed the role from that in the Greek myths related to Heracles (based solely on Powell's chapter and, wherever possible, using the primary source material in the chapter versus his summaries). Make sure you include in your discussion the impact the differing audiences for the myths--Greek and American--had. [NB: for the plays, the audience was Athenian males, especially citizens; for the Disney movie it is both the children and their adult parents]