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Mythology in Literature Study Questions p.1

O. Ewald

Study Questions for Gilgamesh (April 2nd) 1. What are some general differences between ancient and modern literature? 2. What effects do the repetitions of particular words/phrases/passages have? 3. What is the role of dreams in the Gilgamesh epic? 4. What are some similarities between Gilgamesh and Genesis, particularl between the stor of !ta"napishti and that of #oah? $. What does Gilgamesh reveal about ancient religious practices? Study Questions for Agamemnon (April 5th) 1. %n &omer's Odyssey, (egisthus )ills (gamemnon. Wh did (esch lus change this crucial plot detail? 2. &ow does the audience learn about the murder of (gamemnon? 3. &ow does *l temnestra describe herself as opposed to how the other characters describe her, and how does her self"portra al change? 4. What role does the +radioactive, image of the net/web pla ? $. %n the lion cub allegor -lines .1/".3/0, who is the lion"cub? /. Wh is *assandra included in the pla ? Study Questions for Libation-Bearers (April 7th0 1. &ow does the pla Agamemnon prepare for the action of the Libation-Bearers? 2. 1o an 2radioactive2 images return from the previous pla ? 3. &ow does (esch lus stage the return of 3restes? 4. %n lines /42"/22, two m ths""the stories of (lthaea and 5c lla"" are mentioned b the chorus. 6ead the notes on p. 17$ and comment on how these m ths relate to the main stor of the pla . $. What counts as 8ustice in Gree) m th? Study Questions for Eumenides (April 9th) 1. &ow does the idea of 8ustice -Gree) dik0 change during the trilog ? 2. What is frightening about the 9umenides/:uries? 3. &ow are the divine characters in the pla portra ed? 4. What role does the cit of (thens pla in this wor)? $. &ow is the trilog brought to an end so that there cannot be a se;uel? Study Questions for Oedipus the King (April 12th) 1. &ow is the audience reminded of the bac)stor of this pla ? 2. (lmost ever time 3edipus wonders about a person's whereabouts, that person shows up -e.g. <iresias0. Who is the

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Mythology in Literature Study Questions p.2

O. Ewald

e=ception to this tendenc , and wh is he so important for the peripateia or turnabout of the drama? 3. %n ancient Gree) thought, humans are usuall placed below gods but above animals. Where is 3edipus shown as god"li)e? Where is he animal"li)e? 4. <he choral song near the end -lines 1$24"1$340 is one possible interpretation of this pla . What supports this interpretation? What opposes it? $. &ow is 5ophocles different from (esch lus, especiall in his handling of m th? Study Questions for Oedipus at Colonus (April 14th) 1. When defending himself against rivals -the chorus, *reon0 what one point does 3edipus consistentl ma)e throughout the pla ? 2. >an ears have passed since the events of Oedipus the King. What impact has this had upon 3edipus' character? Wh ? 3. &ow does Oedipus at Colonus portra (ntigone, as opposed to %smene? 4. What references are made to the cit of (thens and its founding )ing, <heseus? &ow do these references compare to those in Eumenides? Study Questions for Antigone (April 16th) 1. <he ma8or conflict within this pla is between the famil -the oikos0 and the cit -the polis0. &ow does (ntigone herself appl the idea of divine vs. human laws -lines 4?$"$430 to this conflict? 2. What is the dramatic function of %smene? &ow does she compare to *assandra in Agamemnon? 3. &ow and in what scenes is there a confusion or a conflation of marriage and death? 4. 9ven though this pla was performed a least a decade before Oedipus the King and over thirt ears before Oedipus at Colonus, how does this pla draw from the rest of the 3edipus m th? 3r how does having read another pla about <hebes affect our reading of Antigone? &int@ 5ee especiall Oedipus at Colonus, lines 13.4"13?3. Study Questions for Ion (begins p. 1) (April 19th) 1. What effect does the prologue delivered b the messenger god &ermes have? 2. What does this traged sa about the gods and 8ustice? 3. &ow does this traged handle anagnorisis -recognition0? 4. <his traged is one of the few about (thenian ro alt . What view of (thens does this traged give to its (thenian audience? Study Questions for Orestes (begins p. 48) (April 21st)

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Mythology in Literature Study Questions p.3

O. Ewald

1. &ow does this version of 3restes' stor differ from (esch lus' Oresteia? 2. (n ancient commentator remar)ed, +9=cept for A lades, ever one in this pla is bad., 1o ou agree? 1oes this pla have a moral compass at all? 3. &ow does the chorus in this pla compare to its role in other tragedies? 4. <he end of this pla features a deus ex machina or +god from the crane., &ow does the pla wright use (pollo to tie up the plot threads? Study Questions for Phoenician Women (begins p. 96) (April 2 rd) 1. &ow does 9uripides differ in st le from (esch lus and 9uripides? 2. &ow does this version of the m th of 3edipus' famil differ from 5ophocles' <heban pla s? 3. %n lines ?11"?13, <iresias prophesies that >enoeceus, *reon's son, must be sacrificed to save <hebes. &ow does human sacrifice wor) elsewhere in traged ? 4. 5ome manuscripts end the pla at line 1$71 -at the dagger/cross0. What effect would the omission of lines 1$72" 1.3$ have? 5tud Buestions for ahabharata, pp. =iii"/? -(pr 34th0 1. :rom the introduction, what seems to ou the most stri)ing feature of ancient 5outh (sian histor /societ ? 2. %n what wa s does the narrative prepare us for the future war between Curus/Cauravas and Aandus/Aandavas? 3. %n the original epic, Dudhisthira burns si= shudras -untouchables0 alive while he and his brothers escape from the flammable house. Wh has the translator chosen to omit this detail? 4. &ow does this epic resemble or differ from Gilgamesh, the other epic we have read? $. What role do the illustrations pla in this translation? 5tud Buestions for ahabharata, pp. .4"137 ->a 3rd0

1. &ow do humans and gods interact in this epic? 2. What is the role of nature/genealog vs. nurture/education? 3. >odern &indus do not, for the most part, practice pol gam , et in this epic, 1raupadi is the common wife of the five sons of Aandu, then (r8una marries 5ubhadra. &ow could these pol gamous marriages wor)? 4. What does the scene of the -attempted0 disrobing of 1raupadi add to the epic?

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Mythology in Literature Study Questions p. ahabharata, pp. 13?"211 ->a $th0

O. Ewald

5tud Buestions for

1. &ow do included tales li)e the stor of #ala and 1ama anti -pp. 11?"1370 5avitri and 5at avan -pp. 172"17?0 reflect on the main events and characters of the epic? 2. &ow are outh and old age distinguished throughout the epic? 3. *haracteriEe 1ur odhana so far. Wh did Fuc) -the translator0 thin) that understanding 1ur odhana was essential to understanding the epic? 4. >edieval %ndia was a societ divided into various castes and occupations -often hereditar 0. What else do we learn about various societal roles? $. What is the point of Fhima's ;uest for the 1444"petaled lotus? 5tud Buestions for ahabharata, pp. 212"271 ->a .th0

1. Cshatri a 1harma -Warrior 1ut 0 is summariEed b 1ur odhana as 25tand straight and never bow down, for this alone is manliness. 6ather brea) at the )nees than bendG2 -p. 2420. &ow does 1ur odhana -or others0 fulfill his dharma? 2. What are some attitudes other characters ta)e towards war? 3. H asa is not onl the narrator of but also a character in the >ahabharata. What does his treatment b other characters show about the status of the epic genre in ancient 5outh (sia? 4. >antras in this epic are 10 repeated pra ers for meditation 36 20 magic spells. Where do the meanings overlap? Where are the onl 10 or 20? 5tud Buestions for ahabharata, pp. 272"3$4 ->a 14th0

1. Which characters on each side of the war correspond to each other? :or e=ample, if Dudhishthira corresponds to 1ur odhana as the leader of the arm and eldest brother, who corresponds to Fhima? 2. What might be the s mbolic meaning of 1ur odhana resting/hiding at the bottom of a la)e -p. 342 with illustration on p. 3430? 3. &ow does 5an8a a the charioteer as narrator of the battle scenes -pp. 2$7"327 in our translation0 compare to H asa, narrator of the entire wor)? 4. Where did the Curus begin to lose the war? 5tud Buestions for ahabharata, pp. 3$1"412 ->a 12th0

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Mythology in Literature Study Questions p.!

O. Ewald

1. &induism and Fuddhism both have the idea of reincarnation -life after life or rec cling of souls0. Fut what other concepts of what happens to humans after death also appear in this epic? 2. What is the role of the forest in the epic? %n other words, what significant events happen there and wh there -and not elsewhere0? 3. (sceticism/austerit for spiritual purposes is a repeated theme in &induismI how does it appear in this epic? 4. &ow well/badl does the epic end? 5tud Buestions for !ill "e #a$e %aces, pp. 3"$/, 311"313 ->a 1.th0 1. What is 3rual, the main character/narrator, li)e? 2. What does the st le of this novel resemble wor)s we have alread read? Where does its st le differ? 3. *ompare !ngit to other deities involved with lust/passionJ (phrodite -Gree)0, %shtar -#ear 9astern0, and Cama -5outh (sia0. 4. &ow Gree) is the :o=? What ideas of his seem familiar? $. &ow is the theme of beaut introduced in the novel? 5tud Buestions for !ill "e #a$e %aces, pp. $."141 ->a 1?th0 1. &ow is Gree) traged used in this section of the wor)? 2. &ow does the Cing stand for the values of Glome? &ow does Fardia? 3. &ow do the :o='s ideas, derived from Gree) philosoph -/7, 7$0 the help characters ma)e sense of events? 4. Where have we seen human sacrifice and god"sent drought before? $. %s there theological meaning in the 8ourne to the +secret valle of the god, -1410? What about the +single leafless tree, on -?70? 5tud 1. 2. 3. 4. $. 5tud 1. Buestions for !ill "e #a$e %aces, pp. 142"1$3 ->a 21st0 &ow has As che changed? What ma)es it so hard for 3rual to believe As che? 3rual describes herself as having a +charge against the gods, -11.0. What is this charge? Who else in m tholog criti;ues the gods, and wh ? &ow does this section deal with custom -what is conventional for human beings0 and nature -what is natural0? 5ee p. 147 for an e=plicit discussion. Where are the gods seen as personal? Where are the seen as collective or shared? Buestions for !ill "e #a$e %aces, pp. 1$4"242 ->a 24th0 &ow does the image on the cover of our version show the relationship between *upid -the Frute in our version0 and As che?

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Mythology in Literature Study Questions p."

O. Ewald

2. &ow do 3rual and As che argue -1$."1/.0? 3. What views of love have we seen so far in this novel? 4. <he voice of the god sa s to 3rual, +Dou also shall be As che, -1.40. What could this mean? $. &ow does 3rual grow into her role as ;ueen? 5tud Buestions for !ill "e #a$e %aces, pp. 243"2$4, ->a 2/th0 1. What do we learn about ancient views of slaver from this section? 1oes Kewis understand the ancient world as well as 9uripides? 2. *ompare and contrast the ritual practices and theologies of the temples of As che/%stra and !ngit. 3. &ow has 3rual changed in this section? 4. %f the boo) ended on page 2$4, what would ou thin) of this ending? 5tud 1. 2. 3. Buestions for !ill "e #a$e %aces, pp. 2$1"34?, -Lune 2nd0 &ow do the illustrations contribute to this wor)? What moments recall the version of (puleius -review 311"3130? Which passages in this section recall 5cripture -#ew <estament or &ebrew 5criptures0? 4. What is the role of ecphrasis -description of a wor) of art0 in this novel? $. Where have characters reconsidered their earlier views? Where have we reconsidered? /. &ow do we understand the title of the novel?