HUMANITIES 101 : THE ANCIENT GREEK WORLDFall Semester, 2006Gerald
V. Lalonde |
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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Discussion Questions Discussion Questions, Odyssey, Bks. 1-2
Joe Fox, Sept. 22 Books 3 and 4
1) Books three and four tell us about the son of Odysseus, Telemachus, in search of his father. What do these two books say about the bond between father and son? How worried is Telemachus about his father's whereabouts or is he just wanting help in trying to protect his mother against the suitors?
What have we learned about Telemachus' character? In meeting with Nector, we see him both scared and courageous ... in book four he cries when Menelaus talks about his father. Menelaus also picks out the physical resemblance. How similar do we think he is to Odysseus?
2) Book three tells of Telemachus' visit to Nestor, in search for information regarding his father. What parallels do we see between Nestor in the Odyssey and Iliad? Is he still the wise old man that people go to for advice, or is just an outlet of information for Telemachus?
What do you make of Nestor's story of Agamemnon’s death? Is it a foreshadow for what might happen in the house of Odysseus?
3) What do we make of the plan of the suitors to kill Telemachus on his return? Homer paints all of the suitors in a very negative light. If all these men are so terrible, why doesn't Penelope just kick them all out?
Lalonde, Sept. 25 Odyssey, Bks 5-8 1) In the Iliad we saw some details of a code of hospitality or guest friendship among heroes, and In Books 3 and 4 of the Odyssey expansive examples of that code in Telemachos' visit to two of his father's former comrades on the mainland? How does this kind of relationship compare with that of Odysseus with Kalypso on the island of Ogygia (Bk. 5) and his meeting with Nausikaa on Scheria (Bk. 6)? How do you account for the differences? 2) What are Homer's and Athena's motivations for making Odysseus more attractive after he is cast ashore on Scheria? Where in the text does it seem intended that the Nausikaa be attracted to the hero, and why should this be when Penelope is waiting for him at home. 3) At the very end of Book 6 it is stated that Athena "would not show her true form to Odysseus... until the kingly man came home to his own shore." Why does the location of Odysseus make a difference? 4) From the descriptions of the kingdom of Alkinoös and the Phaiakians in Book 7 how would you say that it is different Homeric society as you have read of it so far? What is the poetic purposes of this difference? 5) At the end of Book 8, the Phaiákians still do not know the name of their guest. What purpose does Odysseus have for hiding his identity from them for so long? Does it have anything to do with his relationship to Poseidon? Or perhaps his reknown as a hero? What does this say about the treatment of strangers? 6) Alkínoös’ speech at the end of Book 8 sets Odysseus up to tell the epic tale of his wanderings. What does such a story within a story achieve? And what can we conjecture of Homer’s intentions? How does the Odyssey’s narrative style function in comparison to that of the Iliad, in which we follow the main action as it unfolds?
Emma Jerndal, 9/25/06 Questions for The Odyssey Books 9 and 10 1. Book 9 opens with Odysseus telling the story of his travels as a flash-back in the first person. What is the effect of this change of voice? Why does Homer choose to have Odysseus recount his own tale as opposed to writing it in the third person? Are we meant to trust Odysseus as a reliable narrator? 2. In Book 9 line 458, Odysseus refers to his encounter with the Kyklops as a “game.” Does this seem unfitting considering his own life is on the line and he has just recounted the deaths of a number of his friends? Why does Odysseus describe the dismemberment of his friends by the Kyklops so readily and vividly? Do Odysseus’ tone and the interaction between him and the Kyklops make The Odyssey seem more like a parable or a fable than an epic? 3. In the Iliad, we see grief given a lot of weight, for example, in Achilleus’ loss of Patroklos or in Priam’s grieving over Hektor. In contrast with the grave tone of the Iliad, grief seems to be touched on only in passing thus far in the Odyssey. For example, in Book 10, lines 626-28, we see Odysseus’ men stricken with grief upon hearing that they are not going straight home from Kirke’s house. Odysseus’ comment on this is “nothing came of giving way to grief.” This appears shortly after Odysseus’ rather nonchalant remark about the accidental death of Elpenor. Do these sound like the words of the seasoned warrior we know Odysseus to be, or does treating grief as an afterthought paint Odysseus in a more puerile light than in the Iliad?
Molly McArdle: 6/27 Books 11 & 12
Lalonde, Oct. 2 Book 17 Throughout all of the Odyssey, the suitors of Penelope have been described as being selfish and intrusive, and yet in Book 17, even the suitors are disgusted by the actions of the specific suitor, Antinoos. Why do you think Homer specifically emphasizes the character of this suitor? Does this change your opinion of the suitors of the group? Why or why not? Book 18 Although Odysseus is disguised as a beggar, the fight between him and Iros reveals both his former strength and personality, especially when instead of killing Iros, he sets him down by the courtyard wall. Why do you think Homer crafted the episode in this way, or how does this action affect Odysseus's character in itself and in comparison with the suitors? Since O. is already the strongest warrior of this epic and already intends to kill the suitors, what is the poetic purpose of Athena's furthering the anger of O. against the suitors (18. 200-206, 427-429)?
Sean Pfalzer, Oct. 2 Books 19-20
2) In Book 19, while Odysseus sits and observes Penelope weep over the absence of her husband, Homer stops to address the audience on the side. Homer says, "Imagine how his heart ached for his lady, his wife in tears; and yet he never blinked; his eyes might have been made of horn or iron for all that she could see. He had this trick - wept, if he willed to, inwardly." What is the purpose of this short passage? Is Homer trying to evoke sympathy? Why this particular place?
Margaret Smith, Oct. 4 Book 21-22
Nick Sparr, Oct. 4 Bks. 23-24 1) Penelope doubts Eurykleia's news that Odysseus has returned, despite the evidence of the scar on his leg in the opening to Book 23. Furthermore, Odysseus repeatedly proves his identity through that scar, yet does not show it to Penelope. Why does Odysseus encourage her to test him? Why does this test differ from the others?
Lalonde, Oct. 6 & 9 Aeschylus, Agamemnon 1) When you have read through the Agamemnon, carefully reread the opening speech of the Watchman and prepare to discuss its art as a prologue to the rest of the tragedy. For example, what do you learn from this speech about the state of affairs at Argos on the eve of Agamemnon's homecoming? 2) The Agamemnon is the first of the three plays that make the Oresteia, a trilogy about the evolution of justice in ancient Greece. In the Agamemnon we see justice in the primitive lex talionis (the law of retaliation or retribution), and, if we were to read the other two plays (Libation Bearers and Eumenides), we would see formation of a court of homicide at Athens at which Orestes is exonerated of the guilt of killing his mother Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus. With reference to the text of the Agamemnon, especially the first three major choral parts (Lines 40-257, 351-474, 681-781), discuss the primitive form of justice as it worked its way in the House of Atreus. 3) We have already seen in Greek epic, and especially in the persona there of Agamemnon, the common theme of the character who is afflicted with átê (mental blindness), húbris (unbridled arrogance), or asebeía (impiety) and suffers because of this. In these terms discuss the character of Agamemnon from his speech and actions in Lines 811-957 and the references to him in other parts of the play. 4) The Agamemnon is rich in dramatic irony, by which characters wittingly or unwittingly say things that have a significant double meaning that is not understood by the other characters but is apparent to the audience. With reference to some particular examples, say what you think is the artistic purpose of this device? Discuss particularly the ironic statements of Clytemnestra in her dialogue with Agamemnon in the scene of the scarlet tapestry. More generally what is the artistic effect of this scene. 5) In the story of Agamemnon's fate in the Odyssey we heard very little of Cassandra. In what general and specific ways do you think that Aeschylus's use of her in the Agamemnon enriches the art of the play? 6) Read closely the passage from Line 1372 to 1576, wherein Clytemnestra comes out to display the bodies of Agamemnon and Cassandra, and to give an account and justification of the killings. Pay particular attention to lines 1431-1447 where her vaunt reaches a kind of peroration. What do these lines tell you about the various motives of Clytemnestra and the relative strength of her feelings about them? Relying on the text of the play and your own creative instincts, how do you think this scene should be staged? Be detailed in you staging. 7) Beginning at Line 1577 Aegisthus appears and interacts with Clytemnestra and the Chorus until the couple reenters the palace at the end. Relying mainly on these lines, but also appealing to the rest of the play, discuss Aeschylus's development of these characters and the effects he has achieved in this development. How does this playwright's version of the story differ from Homer's in the Odyssey and how would you account for the differences? One noted critic has asserted that Aeschylus' depiction of Clytemnestra is a purposeful manifesto of Athenian misogyny. From your reading of this play and any other Greek literature, what do you think are some pros or cons of that assertion? 8) Aristotle wrote in his Poetics (1456a, 30-32; trans. H. G. Apostle), "The chorus too should be regarded as one of the performers, as a part of the whole and as sharing in the action, that is, not in the manner of Euripides, but in that of Sophocles." Although Aristotle does not mention Aeschylus, discuss with reference to the text the role of the chorus in Agamemnon where it would fit in Aristotle's remark about choruses. Do you see any evolution of the chorus within this play? 9) Be prepared to present one other observation or question of your own choice for discussion of this play.
Chris Farstad, Oct. 23 Sophocles, Oedipus the King
Lalonde (with partial credit to E.R. Dodds, "On Misunderstanding the Oedipus Rex."), October 23 Sophocles, Oedipus the King "In what sense, if any, does Oedipus the King attempt to justify the ways of God to man?" Is the play a tragedy of crime and punishment that suggests or shows that a bad man gets what he deserves? Be prepared, if you take this view, to discuss what you think is Oedipus' sin, crime, fault, or flaw, and how it leads to his suffering. Or, do you think that this is a "tragedy of destiny" in which we learn the lesson that man's free will does not matter, and that the gods treat us capriciously whether we are good or bad? Or, would you put the play in a category that is different from either of the two just mentioned? For example, is Sophocles simply an artist who is not interested in the questions of crime and punishment, or free will and fate, but has some other purpose? If you thus classify the tragedy, be prepared to discuss what you think it is really about.
Rex, 10/27/06 Euripides, Hippolytus
Euripides, Hippolytos 4/10 & 12/06 Lalonde 1. For what purposes does Euripides use the chorus/choruses in Hippolytos and with what effect? Compare these uses of the chorus with those of Aeschylus in Agamemnon and of Sophocles in Oedipus the King. 2. Compare Euripides' use of the Prologue with the uses that you have seen in Agamemnon and Oedipus the King. What is the relation of this Prologue and the play's Epilogue? How should we understand the presence of Aphrodite and Artemis in this play? Since we have only the evidence of the text to infer staging, how and on what evidence would you stage the appearance of these goddesses? In comparing the roles of Aphrodite and Artemis, how might you reconcile the following remarks of the latter goddess? For it was Cypris who managed the thing this way to gratify her anger against Hippolytus. This is the settled custom of the Gods: No one may fly in the face of another's wish: we remain aloof and neutral. Else I assure you, had I not feared Zeus, I never would have endured such shame as this---my best friend among men killed, and I could do nothing. (1326-1333)* Hush, that is enough! You shall not be unavenged, Cypris shall find the angry shafts she hurled against you for your piety and innocence shall cost her dear. I'll wait until she loves a mortal next time, and with this hand---with these unerring arrows I'll punish him. (1416-1422)
3. At least one scholar has claimed that the Phaedra of Euripides' Hippolytos is a sympathetic character. What do you see in the play that might be evidence for or against this claim? Is her character wholly good or bad, or is it more complex? 4. Discuss the rationality or irrationality of Phaedra's death. What reason, for example, can you infer from the text for her killing herself so precipitously? 5. The Nurse and Theseus are secondary but significant characters in this tragedy. Assess the character of these two as Euripides conveys it to you. 6. Without doing any research except of your own memory and the books you may have at hand, can you find references in this play to mythic stories outside this play and explain their relevance to their immediate or larger context? 7. Where in literature before have you seen the kind of relationship of Phaedra and Hippolytos and why do you think that Euripides thought that it would be interesting to his audience? 8. What, if anything, do you learn from this play about Greek religious cult and ritual? * All textual references are to Euripides, Hippolytus, tr. D. Grene, Chicago 1942.
Lalonde, Nov. 8, 10, & 13 Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War 1. In the first twenty-three chapters of Book 1 Thucydides (sometime called "The Archaeology") argues the thesis that led him to write this history, i.e. that the Peloponnesian War was going to be, and was, the greatest disturbance in the history of the Hellenes. Whatever your knowledge about Greek history, try to contribute some points to a discussion about the quality of T's argument, its virtues and its defects. The 19th-century English statesman and historian Thomas Babington Macaulay said that Thucydides was the greatest historian that ever lived. Whether that was hyperbole or not, few doubt that Thucydides was the most rational and scientific historian in classical antiquity. Can you give reasoned arguments that parts of "The Archaeology" are advanced or "modern" for ancient historiography? In what instances and to what extent do you find Thucydides' account irrational or unscientific? 2. Relying on your familiarity with T's account of speeches and facts in Book 1, discuss the meaning and veracity of his statements about his methodology with regard to actions and speeches (1.22). 3. Study carefully the last part of Chapter 22 of Book 1. If T's history is didactic, what is its lesson? Is it a moral one? Discuss the realism or pessimism of his statement, "...the events which happened in the past and which (human nature being what it is) will, at some time or other and in much the same ways, be repeated in the future." 4. Some modern historians have viewed Pericles' funeral oration at the end of the first year of the war as recorded by T. as a case of hubris for which the plague that shortly thereafter afflicted Athens was nemesis. From a close reading of 2.34-55, discuss what you think might have given rise to this "tragic" view of the events. What do you think of the rightness or wrongness of such a view? Do the details of the plague suggest to you that it is an accurate description of a real disease or that it is literary in some degree or other?
Read ahead at Book 3, Chapter 82 for T's observations on human reaction to the violent circumstances of war, and then discuss how his depiction of human reaction to the plague fits what you read in 3.82. 5. Read about the revolt of Mytilene and the debate at Athens regarding the punishment of the rebels. Discuss the points of Cleon and Diodotus and their applicability to the eternal debate about capital punishment. (3.1-50). [Read this now, but the discussion will wait till after Kevin's presentation.] 6. T. takes the occasion of the revolution in Corcyra to deliver a peroration on the evils of war (3.69-85, especially 82-84). Be prepared to discuss in detail the meaning of Chapters 82-84 and their applicability to the Peloponnesian War and to other human conflict of your reading and experience. Do you find anything in T's philosophy and analysis of war that offers us any hope, or is he an utter fatalist in this matter? Go back and reread the section on the Great Plague (1.34-55), and be prepared to discuss any relation of Thucydides account of it with what he writes in 3.82-84 about human nature, circumstances, and lawlessness and violence. 7. Discuss the Sicilian Expedition as the last and most disastrous of departures from the Periclean strategy of the war as you have read of it in Books 1 and 2. [Discussion of this will await Han Shin's presentation].
Drake Ballew, Nov. 15 Plato, Symposium 1. How is Socrates portrayed by Plato? What characteristics differentiate him from the average man? How does this affect our reading of "The Symposium," if it does at all?
Lalonde, Nov. 15, 17, & 20 Plato, Symposium
Stina Woods, Nov. 22 The Last Days of Socrates
Lalonde, Nov. 22 Plato, The Last Days of Socrates (Apology, Crito, and the end of Phaedo) 1. Articulate the charges against Socrates and discuss the plausibility of the arguments that he makes in his defense. From what you now know about Socrates from Plato and any other sources, try to say whether the charges are legitimate or pretexts for other reasons for getting him out of the way. In sum, how is the trial a microcosm of Socrates' life and relations with others?
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