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"Myths And Their Transformations," |
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Heracles: The Adventures - Arthur S. Espinosa, Valley High School |
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Contents of Curriculum Unit
Introduction I teach English as a second language at Valley Senior High School. My main objective for this unit of Heracles is to help students in ELD classes to continue to acquire communicative competence in the target language. Since the goals of the ELD and Language Arts curricula are interrelated, the ELD instructional program is committed to teaching and learning that is developmental in nature. With this unit teachers can utilize language acquisition methodology that strengthens students' abilities to listen actively, speak fluently, read efficiently, and write effectively. I continuously look for reading material that is interesting and that helps fulfill my goals. The literature on Heracles provides interesting material and helps me to achieve my goals as a teacher. In addition, these stories regarding Heracles give an impression that when a person fights evil, he must sometimes kill, cheat, lie to be treacherous, indulge in sex with many women, and commit numerous crimes in order to succeed in the quest and challenges to defeat evil. As people read about the life of Heracles, they begin to feel that they are fighting evil along with Heracles. The life of Heracles is an adventurous and exciting story that has much to offer to students. Therefore, I will be discussing information regarding the descendants, birth, childhood, the twelve labors, and the death of Heracles. Furthermore, my objective for this unit is to describe a man who is a classical hero that joins contradictions. He doesn't only fights external forces that are violent, but in turn he struggles with the violence that he himself creates. The Descendants of Heracles Electryon, son of Perseus, married his own niece, and they had Alcmena and nine sons. Sthenelus, Electryon' s other brother, had a son named Eurystheus while Alcaeus had a son named Amphitryon. Electryon became king of Mycenae, but he later was attacked by pirates. During the battle, all of Electryon's sons were killed except one. As a result, Electryon was set out on a path of his own revenge. He decided to make preparations to leave, which meant Alcmena, his daughter, would be in the care of his nephew, Amphitryon. Electryon trusted his nephew to respect his daughter's virginity. However, before Electryon left on his path of revenge, Amphitryon killed him in a dispute that resulted in his banishment from Argos. Consequently, Alcmena was captured by Amphitryon and taken north to Thebes where Creon, the king of Thebes, purified him of blood-pollution. Soon after Amphitryon had taken Alcmena to Thebes, he married her. However, she refused to sleep with him until he avenged the death of her eight brothers. This was her father's plan and intention before Amphitryon killed him. Therefore, Amphitryon gathered allies (Cephalus of Athens and Creon, the king of Thebes) in order to fulfill Alcmena's demands. As a result of his determination, he was victorious. He eagerly returned home with the anticipation of having sex with Alcmena. During Amphitryon's quest to fulfill Alcmena's demands, Zeus admired Alcmena's beauty. Zeus took on Amphitryon's likeness and appeared at Alcmena's door. He displayed booty, proof of victory, and demanded the sexual favors he had earned. The next morning, Zeus left Alcmena's home just prior to the arrival of the real Amphitryon. At that point, Alcmena was very confused when he displayed his proof of victory, and demanded the reward that was promised by her. As a result, Alcmena received two kinds of seed, mortal and divine, in the same night. Heracles came from Zeus's seed while Iphicles came from Amphitryon's seed (Brommer 33-56). The conception of Heracles, came about through lies, killings, and deceit. Morally, is this how a man succeeds in life? Additionally, is it right for a wife to refuse love from her husband until he fulfills his promise of revenge? In the time period of Heracles, it was acceptable to lie, kill, and deceive others in order for a person to achieve the goals set by a heroic society that emphasized the military and aristocratic values of fame and glory. However, people today still continue to cheat, lie, kill, and commit crimes in order to fulfill their desires. History has provided us with the knowledge that people have always lied, cheated, and committed crimes in their society. The time period does not determine the morality and beliefs of people because in each generation people continue to lie, cheat, deceive others, and take part in criminal activities. The story of Heracles illustrates these qualities in people. Therefore, why should the morality of society be different in the time of Heracles? As I continue to learn more about Heracles, I keep asking myself if the killing of innocent people will ever stop. However, the killing of innocent people does not stop during the life of our hero, Heracles. My next topic of discussion will cover the birth of Heracles and his youthful deeds. During this time of Heracles' life, the violence continued in the world. The Birth and Childhood of Heracles The Romans refer to Heracles as Hercules. Heracles, the son of Zeus, was the greatest of Greek heroes while his father was the greatest of Greek gods. "Heracles is among the earliest mythical figures to appear in Greek art." Additionally, Alcmena, the wife of Amphitryon gave birth to twin sons, Heracles and Iphicles. Amphitryon knew that he had fathered one of the twins while Zeus fathered the other twin. Amphitryon learned which son was his when Hera became furious with Zeus' infidelities and sent serpents to the crib to destroy the son conceived by Zeus (Galisnsky 71-89). Because Hera sent serpents to the babies' crib, a person might question what kind of goddess Hera must have been. Trying to kill an innocent child is an outrageously evil act. I question Hera's sanity. However, it appears that Hera is sane and is aware of her vindictive actions because she is venting her anger toward the evidence of Zeus' deceit. She is also acting on a superhuman rather than human plane. Many of the stories pertaining to the life of Heracles are somewhat humorous. An example is the story about how he grew up tall and strong and full of muscles with a fine and aristocratic education. Amphitryon taught Heracles when he was a child how to drive a chariot. He also provided him with the finest tutors. Autolycus, one of the tutors who was famous for his roguery and thievery, taught Heracles how to wrestle. Eurytus, another tutor who was the greatest of archers, showed Heracles how to fight in heavy armor. Linus instructed him in playing the lyre. As a result of his teachings, Heracles quickly mastered the martial arts. However, since Heracles had big fingers, he broke the lyre strings, and he could not get the notes to play properly. Linus continuously complained which frustrated Heracles and provoked him to smash his lyre over Linus' head. Linus was killed instantly. Consequently, Heracles was tried for murder, but he was acquitted on the claim of self-defense (Simpson 46-72). Heracles actually got away with murder. Would he have gotten off so easily in today's society? How did Heracles prove his actions to be self-defense? Perhaps, in today's society he may been acquitted on self-defense depending upon the jury selection, the amount of money he owns, and the kinds of lawyers he would hire, as recent court cases have proven. Another humorous story concerning Heracles is when Amphitryon sent Heracles to the country to tend to the cattle on the slopes of Mount Cithaeron just after the death of Linus. While Heracles lived on the slopes of Mount Cithaeron, he grew until he was eight feet tall! He defeated the local boys in throwing the javelin, shooting the bow, and similar activities. According to Michael Simpson, "When he was only eight years old, he hunted an enormous lion that ravaged the flocks of Thespius, the king of the nearby town, Thespiae. Heracles hunted this beast for fifty days. Each night, tired from stalking the beast, he stayed in Thespius' house. Upon seeing how tall, strong, and handsome Heracles was, Thespius was determined to have grandchildren fathered by him" (91-98). Each night Thespius would send one of his fifty daughters to Heracles' bed. However, Heracles believed that it was the same woman that came to his bed each night. Because of these sexual encounters with these women, he was able to father his first fifty sons. Finally, Heracles killed the lion. Today people would consider Heracles to be a great superman. It seems impossible that Heracles was successful in impregnating all of the fifty women. How could Heracles not realize that the women coming to his bed each night were different? This illustrates the humor of these myths. Was Heracles really eight feet tall? This seems unrealistic and probably over-exaggerated. When he killed the lion, he was protecting the society because the lion was an evil creature. Therefore, Heracles' objective was to fight evil and not to create evil. Heracles' Marriage and His Madness Heracles in his wild desires and cravings for sexual pleasures soon went too far. During the Minyan war, Amphitryon was killed. The new king of Thebes, Creon, gave Heracles his daughter, Megara, in marriage. He settled down and fathered three children. One day Heracles suddenly went crazy. The madness was caused by his enemy, Hera, who felt betrayed. As a result of his madness, without any warning, Heracles killed his entire family. After murdering his wife and his three children, Heracles went to Delphi to learn what he must do to repent for his sinful acts. The oracle replied that he must leave Thebes and travel to Tiryns, his parents' home. At his parents' home he would serve as bondsman to his cousin, Eurystheus, the king of Mycenae and Tiryns, and he would perform his Twelve Labors. According to the oracle, once he completed his Twelve Labors he would earn the prize of immortality. However, he would face many challenges including death itself. Was this the right punishment for Heracles' crime? Would a court of law today be harsher on him? Again, it appears that Heracles got away with murder, but one has to understand that in Heracles' era he was considered a classical hero who was tough to deal with. Also, he was not sane when he committed this horrible crime on his family. The labors were difficult and very challenging, but in some of the labors he had help in order to complete the task. Was it fair for Heracles to receive help in his Twelve Labors and to receive a prize when he completed the Twelve Labors? In today's judicial system, criminals do not receive lucrative prizes after an act of violence against society. Criminals are usually placed in prison for life or are put to death for the crimes they committed. Now I am going to explain a few of the labors that Heracles had to endure. These labors are adventurous and fascinating. As a person learns more about the adventures involved in the labors, they become captivated and feel as if they are fighting the forces of nature and chaos along with Heracles. These labors were very dangerous and almost impossible to complete, but a man like Heracles who possessed wisdom and strength could overcome such treacherous obstacles. Heracles' Labors 1. The Nemean Lion The first task that Eurystheus, persecutor of Heracles, wanted was to have Heracles kill a savage lion that was ravaging the country around Nemea. In earlier versions of the story, Heracles made himself a club at Nemea and killed the lion. However, the later versions told how he fired at the lion with a bow and arrows. When his arrows bounced off the beast's skin, he realized that the hide was impenetrable. Heracles used his experience and his intelligence to chase the lion into its lair, a tunnel through a mound with an opening at either end. He blocked one end of the lair in order to crawl through the other end. Since his weapons were useless, he used his strength to seize the beast, to throw the beast to the ground, and to snap his neck. As he was trying to skin the lion, Heracles discovered that his weapons could not break the skin. Using his wisdom, Heracles decided to use the lion's claws to cut the pelt. After completing this task, he began to wear the skin around his shoulders. The lion's jaw embraced his head like a helmet. In addition, he carried the club he had cut at Nemea. Eventually, Heracles brought the dead lion back to Eurystheus. Eurystheus took the dead lion and hid it in the corner of the palace, shouting out orders that Heracles would never again be allowed into the city (Brommer 75-91). 2. The Lernaen Hydra Heracles' second labor was to destroy an enormous serpent, the Hydra with many heads, which lived near the swamps of Lerna. The Hydra's breath would bring death. Iolaus, Heracles' nephew, went along with him to the springs. Heracles drove the monster from its lair by shooting burning arrows at him. This allowed Heracles to move closer in order to brandish a short sword. Consequently, the Hydra wrapped its coils around Heracles' foot, and a giant crab crawled from the swamp and attacked his other foot. Every time Heracles succeeded in cutting off one of the Hydra's heads, two others grew in its place. The Hydra's central head was immortal. Heracles succeeded in killing the crab, but the out come was still uncertain. At this point Heracles cried out for help. So, Iolaus set fire to a nearby forest and brought Heracles firebrands in order to burn off each of the Hydra's new heads. Heracles did this as each new head sprouted in order to cauterize the stump. Finally, all the mortal heads were destroyed, and he cut off the immortal head and buried it beneath a massive rock. Then he destroyed the Hydra and spilled on the ground the deadly bile. Lastly, he dipped his arrows in the black, poisonous liquid. This would eventually be the direct cause of Heracles' death. 3. The Augean Stables Augeas, the king of the district of Elis was given many herds by his father Helius. But Augeas never claimed his stables. After many years of neglect, they were, of course, several feet deep in manure. Eurystheus wished to humiliate Heracles by giving him the most shameful work that he could. This job included such duties as cleaning the stables. Heracles did not tell that he was under orders from an overlord who was entitled to everything a slave earned. Heracles used his wisdom to bargain with Augeas who agreed that he clean all the stables in one day. This task seemed impossible. But if Heracles succeeded, he would receive one tenth of Augeas' cattle. Heracles easily accomplished the task by diverting the nearby Alpheus and Peneus rivers through the stables. But when Augeas became aware of Heracles' obligation to Eurystheus, he refused to pay Heracles the cattle he earned. Later, Heracles returned to Elis, killed Augeas and all of his sons, and thus instituted the Olympic Games (Brommer 75-91). 4. The Horses of Diomedes The next challenge for Heracles was to capture the horses of Diomedes, a son of Ares, and a king of a savage tribe in Thrace. These horses were not ordinary animals because these horses would eat human flesh. When Heracles reached Thrace, he quickly captured the Horses of Diomedes. Since these horses eat human flesh, Heracles fed them their master, Diomedes. This enraged the local people. The people came together and surrounded Heracles and his young lover, Abderus. Heracles allowed Abderus to watch and to hold the horses while he fought the local people. Consequently, by the time that Heracles returned from the attack, the horses had eaten Abderus. As a result, Heracles became distraught and buried the remains of Abderus (Galinsky 93-102). 5. The Girdle of Hippolyta Heracles' next labor was to bring back the girdle of the Amazon Queen, Hippolyta, for his daughter. The girdle was similar to a belt that women would wear above their hips. When the girdle was loosened, it was a sign of offering one's sexually. However, if it was forcibly loosened, it was a sign of rape. In order to get the girdle, Heracles would have to have a sexual encounter with the Amazon Queen which, of course, he didn't mind. Heracles gathered some friends and set out on his journey to the Themadon River which is located on the southern shore of the Black Sea. After various adventures, Heracles reached the harbor of Themiscyra. Themiscyra is in the land of the Amazons where the Amazon Queen, Hippolyta, lived. Heracles used his charm that caused Hippolyta to surrender to him without any hesitation. Therefore, Hippolyta gladly offered Heracles her girdle (Brommer 85-99). However, Hera was upset with the turn of events. So, Hera disguised herself as an Amazon and ran through the city telling everybody that Heracles was abducting their queen, Hippolyta. As a result, the Amazons prepared themselves for battle and attacked Heracles' ship. Fearing treachery, Heracles strangled Hippolyta. He removed her girdle and sailed away. When he arrived at Mycenae, he gave Hippolyta's girdle to Eurystheus. 6. The Cattle of Geryon Heracles' other labor required him to capture the cattle that belonged to the monster Geryon. Geryon had three bodies joined at the waist, and it lived on the island of Erythia. Geryon possessed a wonderful herd of red cattle which was watched over by Eurytion and his two-headed dog, Orthus. Heracles traveled through the sands of northern Africa in order to reach the narrow region where the Mediterranean Sea opens into the Atlantic Ocean. He constructed pillars that were placed on either side. These are known today as the Rock of Ceuta in Tangiers and the Rock of Gibraltar. As Heracles traveled through the African desert sands, he fired his bow in exasperation against Helius, the sun, because of the tremendous heat. Helius liked Heracles' boldness, and he helped him along the journey by lending him a cup. His journey involved traveling every night underground from the western to the eastern horizon. Eventually, when Heracles landed on Erythia, Orthus smelled and attacked him. Heracles smashed the dog's head, and he also killed Eurytion who had only come to help. During his time on Erythia, Heracles rustled the cattle and drove them across a river. At this point Geryon attacked him. Heracles defended himself by shooting arrows at the creature. Then he herded the cattle into the cup, and he traveled to the known world. Once he landed in Tartessus, he returned the cup to Helius. 7. The Apples of the Hesperides For Heracles' next task, he had to bring back the apples of the Hesperides. These apples grew on a magical tree that had golden bark and leaves. Since the Hesperides liked to steal the apples from the magical tree, Hera set a ferocious hundred-headed serpent named Ladon to guard the tree. Heracles was uncertain where to find the Garden of the Hesperides. His first thought was to find the god of the sea, Nereus who knew everything. However, Nereus was very difficult to find. When he went to Nereus, some nymphs showed Heracles where Nereus was sleeping. Heracles was able to grab hold of him and refused to release him until he gave Heracles the directions to the garden. Finally, Heracles came to the western edge of the world where Atlas held the heavens on his shoulders. Prometheus gave Heracles advice on how to persuade Atlas to fetch the apples from the magical tree. This mission was too dangerous for Heracles, so this is why he wanted Atlas to fetch the apples. While Atlas was in the Garden of the Hesperides, Heracles himself held the sky. Finally, the Titan, Atlas, returned, but he was overjoyed with his freedom and declared that he would take the apples to Eurystheus. This meant that Heracles had to continue holding the sky. Heracles agreed to hold the sky, but he asked Atlas to take the sky back for only a moment. In that I instant, Heracles told him he would place a pad on his head to cushion the immense weight of the sky. Since Atlas was not very intelligent, he willingly put down the apples and again hoisted the sky. Heracles quickly grabbed the fruit and ran swiftly away. Here we can observe Heracles wit and intelligence (Simpson 55-63). 8. Cerberus For Heracles' final labor, he was ordered to descend to the underworld and bring back its many-headed guard dog, Cerberus. Heracles traveled to the entrance of the underworld where Hades was at Taenaron. As he descended to the underworld, the ghosts came before him. The Gorgon's head rose up and Heracles drew his sword against the creature. Heracles seized one of Hades' cows and sacrificed the cow to the Death lord. However, a herdsman tried in vain to stop Heracles and shamefully failed. Heracles went before the king and queen of the dead and requested permission to take Cerberus. Hades finally agreed as long as Heracles did not use any of his weapons. Heracles was protected by his lion skin and breastplate that enabled him to seize the creature by the throat. Heracles placed a chain around the creature's neck in order to drag it out of the darkness and into the light. Heracles finally reached Mycenae and displayed the dog to Eurystheus. At last, Heracles was able to release the chain from around the dog's neck and to send it back to the underworld (Galinsky 51-73). Analysis After reading and analyzing Heracles' Labors, a person would observe that the life of Heracles is one of crime and sexual adventures. The stories regarding Heracles are extremely exciting and will inspire readers to learn more about this classical hero. During each labor, Heracles vented too much anger and frustration. He committed crimes that were followed by humiliating expiation. Heracles has violated the most sacred human obligation by killing his wife and children. Thus, he had to live in degrading bondage to the coward Eurystheus. Heracles can be considered a hero who is reckless, fearless, sometimes tricky, able to escape punishment for acts that others could not, and able to attack the gods. Other heroes have also challenged Death, but not as often or as explicitly as Heracles. In addition, other heroes are not rewarded with immortality after fulfilling their punishments. He was promised immortality once he completed his Twelve Labors which seems unfair and ridiculous. Life after the Labors Heracles was released from his servitude to Eurystheus and settled in Tiryns. Heracles wanted to marry Iole but Eurytus, her father, refused Heracles' request. Heracles was very disappointed, and he left. Shortly afterwards, Eurytus discovered that twelve of his fine mares were missing. He thought that Heracles had taken them just to get even. Eurytus' son Iphitus, who admired Heracles, insisted that Heracles would never do such a thing to his farther. Iphitus decided to go to Tiryns and to find out if this was true. To Iphitus' surprise, the mares were in Heracles' herd. Heracles welcomed Iphitus to Tiryns and invited him to the top of the stone ramparts where Heracles pushed him to his death. For a second time Heracles violated a sacred social code. This time he violated the code of "guest-friendship," whereby one never for any reason causes harm to his host or guest. Heracles went to the Delphi Oracle to learn how to atone for this terrible crime. The Pythia refused to see him because he was disappointed with a man twice damned. Heracles broke into the temple, seized the Pythia's holy tripod, and ran down the road, shouting that he would thereafter set up his own oracle. Apollo came down from Olympus and seized a leg of the tripod. Back and forth they tugged, until Zeus separated them. Apollo agreed to purify Heracles on these conditions: He must serve a woman for three years as her slave, and he must give everything that he earned to Eurytus as blood-money. Hermes led the hero to the slave market where Omphale, queen of Lydia, liked the hero's physique and bought him without hesitation (Simpson 115-127). When his three years were up, Heracles left Lydia, gathered an army, and set out to start a war against some old enemies. He started with Troy where he murdered the king Laomedon and all of his sons except for one, Podarces who later changed his name to Priam. Again we observe how Heracles gets away with murder. He also violates another sacred human obligation: killing his guest-friend Iphitus. This obligation is of special importance to the ancient Greeks. Because of his evil deeds, he must live in bondage to a woman as her sexual playmate and slave. The Death of the Hero Years before, Zeus had warned Heracles that no living man could ever kill him, and he would die by the hands of the dead (the bile from the dead Hydra). His wife, Deianira, tainted Heracles' shirt with the deadly bile that eventually was absorbed by Heracles body, killing him in a very painful way. But after his death, he became a god (Brommer 127-133). Heracles was the best-loved of all Greek heroes. He turned away evil, human and animal attack, and every kind of harm to society. His reputation for womanizing made him a figure of gratifying story telling. He did away with evil, sinned greatly, loved unwisely, fathered a whole race, died in a shameful way by a woman's hand, and obtained a grand prize of immortality at the end. He is a hero who doesn't fight other heroes. He is a rough and tough man, the strongest individual on earth, another folktale type, a hero who made a threat to society, and he was an individual that brought order to a chaotic world. But unfortunately at the end, he was defeated by the love of a gorgeous woman. This could happen to any man who falls deeply in love. Lesson Plans for Teachers who Teach ELD Students Students whose native language is not English will require special assistance in understanding much of the language in the unit of Heracles. There are two areas that present special challenges: the Greek names and the elevated vocabulary. In general, lessons and activities for non-native speakers should be age-appropriate and include modeling of targeted skills and redundancy. Most importantly, however, ELD students should work in collaborative settings to complete required tasks. Lesson 1: Conflict First of all, explain to students what a conflict is. Tell them that there are two kinds of conflicts: external and internal. In an external conflict, characters struggle against a force outside themselves. In an internal conflict, characters battle forces within themselves. Be sure that students understand that stories often contain both external and internal conflicts. Ask students to keep the following questions in mind as they read the unit on Heracles.
Some students may argue that his internal conflicts are the most serious because they are the most difficult to resolve. Others may argue that his external conflicts are most serious because they involve other people. Be sure that students understand that a conflict can arise between two characters, between a character and the environment, or within a character. As students read, have them identify the external and internal conflicts that Heracles faces throughout this unit. Cooperative Learning: Arrange students in groups of four. Have each group discuss the internal and external conflicts that Heracles faced. Have each team member make a prediction about Heracles based on one conflict. When students are finished, ask a volunteer from each group to read the responses. Lesson 2: Symbols When you discuss symbols in literature, explain to the class that a symbol is a person, place, or object that represents an abstract idea. For example, a dove may symbolize peace or a rose may symbolize love. Then, brainstorm with the class a list of symbols that represent the following topics: Mexico, life, death, and love (possibilities include a flag or an eagle for Mexico, a River for life, a skeleton for death, and a bouquet of roses for love). Tell students that literature is filled with symbols of all kinds. Point out that the unit on Heracles has several important symbols. Here are some possible questions that you can ask students to reinforce this lesson and to help students use critical thinking skills.
Relate to students that symbols are a crucial part of even the most basic use of language. Point out that words themselves are symbols. Other possible questions for discussion are the following:
Also have students search through the unit for symbols. Ask students to analyze these symbols and others in order to discover their meaning. Students can show their results on a chart. Ask students to share responses to see how their interpretations compare. Lesson 3: Characterization Ask students some of the information they have learned about the characters so far. Explain that the process of developing the characters in a work of literature is called characterization. Tell students that sometimes writers tell about characters directly, describing what they say and how they act. In other cases, writers let readers reach their own decisions about characters by showing the comments, thoughts, and actions of the other characters. Also have students create character charts for the major and the minor characters. You can also have the students do the following questions for discussion:
After the lesson, you can divide the class into teams with four members on each team. Write the names of a few characters that students have read about in this unit. Give one slip to each team and ask them to brainstorm as many adjectives as they can that describe that character. Tell them to identify a quote or incident in the unit that supports their selection of adjectives. Then have each team present its list and have the other teams guess which character is being described. You can also have the students write a character sketch of about two paragraphs about the character from the unit that they liked the best or found most interesting. Students can illustrate their character sketches with drawings or other art that they feel represents the character. Lesson 4: The Mood in the Unit of Heracles First of all, it is important that the teacher explains to the students that the mood or the atmosphere is the strong feeling we get from a literary work. Some possible moods include terror, horror, tension, calmness, and suspense. You can play several musical selections that convey different moods such as joy, sorrow, or excitement. Explain that in literature, as in music and other arts, authors use various literary techniques to convey mood, such as characterization, description, images, and dialogue. You can read any of the twelve labors of this unit to the students and ask them the following questions:
The instructor needs to relate to students that the mood changes often and quickly. It could be terrifying one moment and joyful the next. For example, when Heracles went to the Delphi Oracle to learn how to atone for his crime because he had killed his guest Iphitus, the Pythia refused to see him. Heracles then broke into the temple, seized the Pythia's holy tripod, and ran down the road. From the above example, you can ask the students to write a paragraph (about l00 words) describing the change of moods in this incident with the Delphi Oracle, or have the students work in small cooperative groups to role-play the scene from the above example. Group members should focus on creating the different moods through words, body language, facial expressions, and sounds. Have each group present their skits to the class. After each performance, have the audience analyze the moods that they have perceived. Glossary Abderus (ab-der-us), friend of Heracles. Alcmena (alk-me-na), mother of Heracles. Amphitryon (am-fi-tri-on), husband of Alcmena. Ares (ar-es), Greek god of war. Artemis (ar-te-mis), daughter of Zeus and Leto. Athens, main city in Attica. Atlas, a Titan, son of Iapetus and Clymene. Angeas (aw-je-as), son of Helius. Autolycus (aw-tol-i-kus) rogue and thief, son of Hermes. Castor, immortal son of Zeus and Leda. Centaurs (sen-tawrs), half-human, half-horse creatures. Cephalus (sef-s-lus), Athenian son of Hermes and Herse. Cerberus, offspring of Echidna and Typhoeus. Chiron (ki-ron) the wise Centaur, tutor of heroes. Creon (kre-on), son of Menoeceus. Delphi (del-fi), sanctuary of Apollo at foot of Mount Parnassus. Electryon, father of Alcmena. Erginus (er-ji-nus), king of Orchomenus. Eurystheus (u-ris-thus), persecutor of Heracles. Eurytion (u-rit-i-on), herdsman of Geryon. Geryon (jer-i-on), three-bodied monster killed by Heracles. Hades (ha-dez), "unseen," the lord of death and the brother of Zeus and Poseidon. Helius (he-li-us), sun god. Hera (he-ra), daughter of Cronus and Rhea, wife and sister of Zeus. Heracles (her-a-klez), son of Zeus and Alcmena, greatest of Greek heroes. Hesperides (hes-per-i-dez), "nymphs of the West," who guard the golden apple stolen by Heracles. Hippolyta (hip-pol-i-ta; Hippolyte), queen of the Amazons, killed by Heracles. Hydra (hi-dra), "water serpent," was slain by Heracles. Iapetus (i-ap-e-tus; Iapetos), a Titan, the father of Prometheus, Epimethus, and Atlas. Iphicles (if-i-klez), the son of Amphitryon and Alcmena. Ladon (la-don), is the serpent that guarded the tree with golden apples and leaves in the garden of the Hesperides. Lerna, is the swamp in the Argolid where the Hydra lived. Lethe (le-the), means forgetfulness, but it is the river in the underworld. Linus (li-nus; Linos), is Orpheus' brother. He taught Lyre playing to Heracles, and was killed by Heracles. Medusa (me-du-sa; Medousa), she is one of the three Gorgons, and she was beheaded by Perseus. Minos (mi-nos), he was the Cretan king of Cnossus, and he was the son of Zeus and Europa, husband of Pasiphae. Nemea (nem-e-a), this is the village west of Mycenae, and it is where Heracles killed the lion. Olympia, is the sanctuary of Zeus in the western Peloponnesus. Orpheus (or-fus), he is the son of Apollo, he is a musician, and he tried to bring his wife Eurydice back from the dead. Perseus (per-sus), he is the son of Zeus and Danae, and he beheaded Medusa. Teacher Bibliography Brommer, Frank. Heracles: The Twelve Labors of the Hero in Ancient Art and Literature. Carpenter, Thomas H. Art and Myth in Ancient Greece. London: 1991. Cartledge, Paul. The Greeks. Oxford: 1993. Cottrell, Leonard. The Bull of Minos. London: 1955. Dalley, Stephanie. Myths From Mesopotamia: Creation, The Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others. Oxford: 1989. Detienne, Marcel. The Creation of Mythology. Chicago: 1986. Else, Gerald F. The Origin and Early Form of Greek Tragedy. New York: 1972. Euripedes. Alcestis. A. M. Dale, ed. Oxford: 1954. Fobes-Irving, P. M. C. Metamorphosis in Greek Myths. Oxford: 1992. Galinsky, Karl. The Heracles Theme. New York: 1972. Gantz, Timothy. Early Greek Myth, A Guide to Literary and Artistic Sources.Baltimore: 1993. Kramer, Samuel Noah, ed. Mythologies of the Ancient World. New York: 1961. Slater, Philip El. The Glory of Hera: Greek Mythology and the Greek Family. Boston: 1968. Small, Jocelyn Penny. Cacus and Marsyas in Etrusco-Roman Legend. Princeton: 1982. Tripp, Edward. The Meridian Handbook of Classical Mythology. New York: 1974. Student Bibliography Dowden, Ken. The Uses of Greek Mythology. London: l992. Edmunds, Lowell. Myth and Poetry in Homer: A Handbook. 2nd edition.Highland Park, N.J: 1993. Finley, M. I. The Ancient Greeks. New York: 1987. Graf, Fritz. Greek Mythology, An Introduction. Baltimore: 1993. Lamberton, Robert. Hesiod. New Haven, CT: 1988. Lloyd-Jones, Hugh. Myths of the Zodiac. London: 1978. Parke, H. W. and D. E. W. Wormell. The Delphic Oracle. Oxford: 1956. Peradotto, John. Classical Mythology: An Annotated Bibliographical Survey. Urbana, IL: 1973. Siebers, Tobin. The Mirror of Medusa. Berkeley, CA: 1989. Simpson, Michael. Gods and Heroes of the Greeks: The "Library" of Apollodorus. Amherst, MA: 1976. Stewart, Randy. HyperMyth: Classical Mythology Made Simple, A Textbook of Classical Mythology for Use on Computers. Salt Lake City, UT: 1994. Tyrrell, William Blake. A Study in Athenian Mythmaking. Baltimore: 1984. Woodward, Jocelyn M. Perseus: A Study in Greek Art and Legend. Cambridge: 1937. New York: 1976. |
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