"Achilles: The Making of a Hero," Maurizio, Chapter 10

• Key Names & Terms:
  • background: 5 traits, Hero cult, Hero shrine, Cleomedes
  • Heracles, Zeus, Hera, Megara, Heracles's labors, Alcestis, Admetus, Deianira, Nessus, Hyllus
  • Theseus, Aegeus, Poseidon, Minotaur, Ariadne, Hippolytus, Phaedra
  • Oedipus, Jocasta, Laius, Sphinx, Antigone, Colonus
  • Homer, The Iliad, Achilles, Thetis, Priam, Hector, anger
  • The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh, Enkidu, Ishtar, Utnapishtim
  • Vergil, the Aeneid, Aeneas, Venus, Anchises, Pallas, Turnus

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

"Medea: The Making of a Heroine," Maurizio, Ch 11:

• Key Names and terms:
  • background: 5 traits, Charilla, Heroine Shrine, Keres, Poene
  • Helen, Zeus, Leda, Menelaus, Hermione
  • Clytemnestra, Leda, Tyndareus, Agamemnon, Erinyes
  • Hecuba, Priam, Hector, Cassandra
  • Euripides, Medea, Ovid, Metamorphoses, Medea, Aeëtes, Cruesa, Jason, Hera Acraia
  • Antigone, Creon, Haemon, 2 brothers

Odysseus and Quest Heroes

• Key Names & Terms:
  • Ovid, the Metamorphoses, Perseus, Danaë, Dictys, Gorgon, Medusa, Andromeda, Pegasus
  • Bellerophon, Chimaera, Pegasus
  • Apollonius, the Argonautica, Jason, Golden Fleece, Argo, Aeëtes, Medea, Apsyrtus
  • Homer, the Odyssey, Odysseus, Penelope, Polyphemus, Circe, Scylla, Sirens, Agamemnon, Achilles
  • the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh, Uruk, Enkidu, Utnapishtim
  • Vergil, the Aeneid, Aeneas, Anchises, Romulus, Augustus

Iphigeneia and new Heroines

• Key Names & Terms:
  • Tyrannicides
  • Euripides, Iphigenia in Aulis, Iphigenia among the Taurians, Iphigenia, Orestes, Agamemnon, Artemis
  • Apuleius, The Golden Ass, Amor, Psyche, Venus
  • Thecla, Paul

The Movie Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?

• Key Names & Terms: Everett (Ulysses), Pete, Delmar, Big Dan T, Pappy O'Daniel (Menelaus), Homer Stokes, Tommy, "Baby Face" George Nelson, Penny, Sirens, the sheriff
• the script of the movie (click here)

Reminder: The only acceptable answers for the fill-in-the-blank questions are the names/terms/etc listed above.

Possible Essay Questions:

Reminder 1: Unless the topic specifically says so, use only the primary material (i.e. the actual stories) in Maurizio's Classical Mythology in Context, Disney's Hercules, and the Coen brothers' Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?

Reminder 2: You can't cover individuals in the in-class exam essay that you covered in Paper 6 (if you did paper 6); e.g. if you write about Meg for Paper 6, you can't write about Meg in an exam essay.

Topics:

• The Doctor:
  • Source material: Their audition material consists of the
    • movies for Meg and Penny,
    • primary source material in Maurizio for Circe (Ch 12), Iphigenia (Ch 13), and Thecla (Ch 13) [if you want, you may use more information about Circe from books 10 & 12 from Ian Johnston's translation click here; more information about Iphigenia from other parts of the play at BacchicStage]
    
    
  • Prompt: You are the casting director for the show Doctor Who and you need to narrow down the possible canditates for the role of the Doctor (we know that the current doctor, Peter Capaldi, is leaving the show and several women are considered top prospects for the role). You will present these to Chris Chibnall (the new showrunner) for consideration. In case you've never watched the show, here are some of the essential qualities of the Doctor:
    • extremely smart & very versatile (good at doing many different types of things),
    • very persuasive & an effective liar (e.g. he never reveals his name, and can produce credentials "proving" he has just about any job title or position or name),
    • very adverse to killing (prefers talking first and mediating wherever possible),
    • likes exploring and trying out new things, places, etc.,
    • is a moral being but sometimes needs to be "grounded" by the companion.
    Make sure you have good argumentation with solid facts to back up your arguments.
    • Write about 2 from the following: Circe, Iphigenia, Thecla, Meg, & Penny.


• The Doctor's Companion:
  • Source material: Their audition material consists of the
    • movies for Hercules and Everett,
    • primary source material in Maurizio for Odysseus (Ch 12), Aeneas (Ch 10 & 12), and Gilgamesh (Ch 10 & 12), and the secondary material in Maurizio for Amor (Ch13).
    • If you need extra source material, you may use the primary and secondary source material in Maurizio's Chapter 10 & 12 for Aeneas and Gilgamesh, and the secondary source material in Maurizio's Ch 12 for Odysseus.
    
    
  • Prompt: You are the casting director for the show Doctor Who and, assuming the current companion does not stay past this year, you need to narrow down the possible canditates whom you will present to the new showrunner Chris Chibnall for consideration. If you've never watched the show, here is a BBCAmerica article about the top 10 companions that does a good job describing the characteristics of a good companion (click here). Make sure you have good argumentation with solid facts to back up your arguments.
    • Write about 2 from the following: Odysseus, Aeneas, Gilgamesh, Amor, Hercules (movie), & Everett.


• The Master:
  • Source material: Their audition material consists of the
    • movies for Hades, the sheriff, and Big Dan T
    • primary source material in Maurizio for Medea (Ch 11) & Circe (i.e. Kirkê) (Ch12).
    • If you need extra source material, you may use more information about Circe from books 10 & 12 from Ian Johnston's translation click here; more information about Iphigenia from other parts of the play at BacchicStage.
    
    
  • Prompt: You are the casting director for the show Doctor Who and, assuming the current "Master" (actually "Missy") does not stay past this year, you need to narrow down the possible canditates whom you will present to the new showrunner Chris Chibnall for consideration. If you've never watched the show, the Master is very similar to the Doctor except that he is typically immoral, has no qualms about taking life, and is "out to get the Doctor." Make sure you have good argumentation with solid facts to back up your arguments.
    • Write about 2 from the following: Hades, the sheriff or Big Dan T, Medea, Circe (i.e. Kirkê).


• Fate & Free Will
  • Source material:
    • the movies: Hercules and Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? (or their scripts)
    • the passage from the Iliad, book 24 or from the Aeneid, book 6 in Maurizio.
    
    
  • Prompt: As the following two quotes illustrate, the movies highlight the roles of fate and free will in determining actions and results.
    
    • "Indoor plumbing—it's gonna be big" (Hercules)
    • "But fear not the obstacles in your path, for Fate has vouchsafed your reward. And though the road may wind, and yea, your hearts grow weary, still shall ye foller the way, even unto your salvation." (Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?)
    In your essay compare the role of fate (and/or free will) in one of the movies and the passage from the Iliad, book 24 or from the Aeneid, book 6 in Maurizio.