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BRING BLUEBOOKS!
The Iliad | The Odyssey | The Oresteia | Herodotus | Oedipus the King | Antigone
The Bacchae | Thucydides | Lysistrata | The Symposium | The Apology
1. Discuss Achilleus' choice to avenge Patroklos' death. Do you think it noble, grand, and tragic or a useless gesture of a troubled adolescent?
2. Discuss the theme of kingship by examining the portrayals of the rulers Agamemnon, Odysseus, Creon, Oedipus, and Pentheus.
3. Solon says that a man can be called happy if he has just enough money to live comfortably, lives to see his children grow up, and dies peacefully. Show how the following figures are happy or unhappy: Achilleus, Odysseus, Oedipus, Pentheus, and Socrates.
4. Discuss the notions and institutions of Justice portrayed in the works we have read. In your essay, examine how different types of justice sometimes conflict.
5. The last twelve books of The Odyssey occur in mundane, everyday Ithaka, in distinct contrast to the roving adventure of the first twelve books. What are the relationships between the two halves of the narrative?
6. Boundaries, both physical and ethical, impose limits on man's behavior. Discuss the consequences of transgressing boundaries in The Iliad, Herodotus' Histories, Antigone, Thucydides Peloponnesian War.
7. Discuss the relationship between the "Curse on the House of Atreus" and the action of The Oresteia. Is there a causal relationship here, or are all the explanations for actions simply rationalizations? Is that pattern repeated in any of the other works we have read?
8. Does anyone in The Oresteia have what Aristotle called hamartia, the tragic flaw? If so who is it, and how is that hamartia reflective of the action? Is hamartia common to all Greek tragedies?
9. In the works we have studied, what are the qualities of a virtuous man? of a virtuous woman? Does the idea of virtue change as you pass from Homer to Plato?
10. What is the role of the Chorus in any (or all) of the plays we have read? How do their statements affect our comprehension of the play?
11. Character traits can be congenital, whence the old adage "Like father, like son." How are members of the younger generation reflections of the older generation in the Iliad, the Odyssey, the Oresteia, Antigone, and Herodotus' Histories?
12. Herodotus said "Let a man lay his plans with due regard to common sense, and he will usually succeed; otherwise he will find that God is unlikely to favor human designs." Apply the truth (or falsehood) of this statement to The Iliad, The Odyssey, and The Oresteia, Oedipus Tyrannous, Antigone, The Bacchae, Lysistrata, and The Apology.
13. Aeschylus, in the Agamemnon, says "Wisdom comes alone through suffering." And many of the figures we have examined have indeed suffered. But what have they learned? And what have we learned from them?
14. Choose the one author whose work, in your opinion, best represents the human experience, and defend that choice in the context of the rest of the works we have read.
15. What is xenia and how is it manifested in Greek literature?
16. In the Apology, Socrates says, "In a court of law, just as in warfare, neither I nor any other ought to use his wits to escape death my any means." Using examples from The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Oresteia, Herodotus' Histories, and the works of Plato, show how a noble death is and/or is not preferred to an ignoble death.
17. What are the functions of oracles and dreams in Greek culture and literature?
18. The Iliad is full of violence and death. Discuss Homer's purpose in choosing war to serve as a backdrop to this examination of man and his choices.
19. What is a Great Book? How well do the texts we have read this term fit that definition/description?
20. Discuss the consequences of indulging in atasthalia (doing what you know is wrong even though you know there will be dire repercussions) in each of the following texts: The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Libation Bearers, The Bacchae, The Histories, The Peloponnesian War, and The Apology.
21. Discuss the intrusion of the gods in the affairs of men, noting the and perhaps explaining why that intrusion changes over time in each of the following texts: The Iliad, The Odyssey. The Eumenides, Oedipus the King, The Histories, The Peloponnesian War, and The Symposium.
22. In Euripides' The Bacchae, the chorus of Asian Bacchantes sings the following:
And what passes for wisdom is not; unwise are those who aspire, who outrange the limits of man. Briefly we live. Briefly, then die. Wherefore, I say, he who hunts a glory, he who tracks some boundless, superhuman dream, may lose his harvest here and now and garner death. Such men are mad, their counsels evil.
Apply the meaning of these lines to each of the following characters: Achilleus, Odysseus, Clytemnestra, Oedipus, Pentheus, Xerxes, Pericles, and Socrates.
23. In The Histories, Herodotus reports these words spoken by Solon of Athens to Croesus, King of Lydia:
Look to the end, no matter what it is you are considering. Often enough God gives man a glimpse of happiness, and then utterly ruins him.
Solon is defining happiness for Croesus, and perhaps for all Greeks as well. Show how each of these characters comes to an end that Solon would describe as happy or unhappy: Achilleus, Odysseus, Orestes, Oedipus, Pentheus, Croesus, Pericles, and Socrates.
24. Discuss how Helen, Andromache, Penelope, Clytemnestra, Antigone, Agape, and Lysistrata are (or are not) victims of their positions as women in a patriarchal society.
25. Discuss the use and misuse of sexuality in The Oresteia, Oedipus Tyrannous, The Bacchae, and Lysistrata.
1. Who do you think is a more courageous man, Priam or Achilleus?
2. How does Hektor's body get back inside the walls of Troy so that he can be buried?
3. Why does Agamemnon refuse to honor the priest Chryses when he comes to Agamemnon as a suppliant?
4. Why does Zeus send a dream to Agamemnon at the beginning of Book 2?
5. What does the battle between Menelaos and Paris in Book 3 tell you about both of those men?
6. What is represented on the shield Hephaistos makes for Achilleus?
7. Do you think the Greeks reacted appropriately or inappropriately to the "abduction" of Helen?
8. What do you make of the Gods from the glimpse of Olympus at the end of Book 1 of The Iliad?
9. Should Achilleus have not listened to Athena and killed Agamemnon anyway at the assembly in Book I?
10. In The Iliad, is Nestor just a tedious old fool, or is he boring people on purpose?
11. Why does Athena choose Pandaros as the one to break the truce in Book 4 rather than Hektor or Aineias or Antenor?
12. What do you learn about Diomedes from the way he acts in Books 5 through 8?
13. Who gives Achilleus his new golden armor, and what happened to his old armor?
14. How are Agamemnon and Achilleus reconciled?
15. Which of the three emissaries (Odysseus, Phoinix, Aias) makes the most persuasive argument to Achilleus to return to battle?
16. Given Paris' choice of unlimited wealth, power, or sexual pleasure, which would you choose and why?
17. How does the story of Dolon in Book 10 relate to the rest of The Iliad?
18. How does Sarpedon die? Why is his death important?
19. How does Hera respond to Thetis? request that Zeus grant Achilleus? request to pin the Achaians back agains the ships dying, and what does that incident tell you about the Gods?
20. Do the Trojan elders think Helen is worth fighting a war for?
21. Why does Andromache tell Hektor that Hektor is her father, mother, brother, and young husband?
22. Hoes does the single combat between Hektor and Aias end?
23. Why does Agamemnon promis a great number of gifts for Achilleus in Bk. 9 of the Iliad?
24. What does Hektor promis that prompts Dolon to try to spy on the Greek encampment?
25. Why do Sarpedon and Glaukos fight at Troy, even though they are not Trojans, but Lykians?
26. How does Hera direct Zeus? attention away from the battlefield at Troy so that Poseidon can help the Greeks?
27. How does Aphrodite use her sexuality as a weapon to get what they want?
28. How does Hera use her sexuality as a weapon to get what they want?
29. Is Briseis really the "bride of his heart" as Achilleus claims?
30. Who wins the chariot race at Patroklos's funeral games, whan what does that episode tell you about Achilleus?
1. What is the role of artistic creation in The Odyssey ? Consider Demodocus, Pheimos, weaving, and fashioning with tools and with words in your answer.
2. What does Homer accomplish by having Odysseus visit the Land of the Dead?
3. What is special about Odysseus' bed?
4. Why do we follow the adventures of Telemachos for the first four books of The Odyssey?
5. Compare Odysseus's many false wives (Nausikaa, Circe, Calypso, etc.) with Penelope.
6. How does Odysseus meet Nausikaa? Why is that meeting important?
7. Early on in The Odyssey we know that Odysseus will be successful in recovering his home. Why doesn't Homer care to keep us in suspense?
8. Compare Odysseus' success as roving Achaian pirate and great warrior with his success as the husband of Penelope.
9. How is disguise a major motif in The Odyssey? How is disguise related to identity?
10. What is Athena's role in The Odyssey? Would Odysseus be successful without her?
11. How is the world of The Odyssey different from the world of The Iliad?
12. How are the women of The Iliad different from the women of The Odyssey?
13. How is Telemachos like his father?
14. What does Telemachos learn about his father from Helen and Menelaos?
15. Do all the suitors deserve to die, or is this just a case of primitive Greek barbarians, bereft of the benefits of civilization as we know it?
16. Is Odysseus a good sailor? Why can't he ever get where he seems to want to go?
17. Is the Odysseus of The Iliad the same as the Odysseus of The Odyssey?
18. How do the stories of Agamemnon, Klytaimestra, and Aigisthos, and of Hephaistos, Aphrodite, and Ares, relate to the story of Odysseus?
19. How is the great bow finally passed to Odysseus's hands? How does that bow relate to identity?
20. What does "Odysseus" mean? How did Odysseus come by his name?
21. How is the joke played upon the Cyclops related to Odysseus's name?
1. Recount the dream Clytemnestra has in The Libation Bearers.
2. What happened to Iphigeneia, and why is that event important?
3. When does Pylades speak, and why is it important?
4. Why are nets important in the Oresteia?
5. What is the function of the Chorus in The Libation Bearers? In The Eumenides?
6. With how many ships did Agamemnon return from Troy? What happened to the rest?
7. When does Aigisthos appear in The Agamemnon? Why is that late entrance important?
8. Who is androboulous (plots like a man) in The Agamemnon?
9. How does Electra recognize her brother Orestes in The Libation Bearers?
10. Why don't the Furies pursue Clytemnestra for the murder of Agamemnon?
11. How does Apollo assert his power of patriarchal parentage over the Furies?
12. According to the Prologue to The Eumenides, how is civilization itself tied to patriarchy?
13. What are the attributes of the chthonic gods in The Oresteia?
1. Define the following Greek terms: xenia, atasthalia, koros, hybris, nemesis.
2. What role does Artemisia play in the Battle of Salamis?
3. What advice does Croesus give to Cyrus before the Persians fight the Massagetae?
4. How does Themistocles persuade the Greeks to fight at Salamis?
5. Why shouldn't Croesus cross the Halys River?
6. What happened to Candaules, the king of Lydia five generations before Croesus?
7. Why did Leonidas stay at Thermopylae?
8. Discuss the notions and institutions of justice portrayed in the Herodotus. Do different types of justice conflict?
9. What are the qualities of a virtuous man according to Herodotus? of a virtuous woman?
10. How do the Greeks manage to win the battle of Salamis?
11. Why does the Spartan general Pausanias order a meal after the battle of Plataea?
12. How do the Persians finally get by the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae?
1. Why does Oedipus accuse Creon of treason in Oedipus Tyrannous?
2. What does the messenger from Corinth know about Oedipus that Oedipus does not?
3. What oracle was given to Laius, king of Thebes before Oedipus?
4. Why does Oedipus send for Teiresias?
5. What do you learn about Oedipus from the way he interacts with Teiresias?
6. Does Oedipus have what Aristotle called hamartia, the tragic flaw? If so, how is that hamartia reflective of the action?
7. Why doesn't Creon want to be King of Thebes?
8. What is the difference between a Tyrannous and a Basileous? How do those terms apply to Oedipus?
9. What are the various meanings and/or puns surrounding the name "Oedipus"?
10. How is Oedipus like and unlike Teiresias?
11. Why did Oedipus leave Corinth?
12. Why didn't Oedipus go home to Corinth after consulting the Oracle at Delphi?
13. Why does Jocasta sacrifice to the Gods in the middle of Oedipus the King?
14. What does Jocasta think of oracular utterances?
return to top1. Why does Ismene refuse to bury Polyneices in Antigone?
2. If you were a Theban, would you rather be ruled by Oedipus or Creon? Who has the better set of moral values?
3. What does Creon accuse Teiresias of doing in the Antigone?
4. Who buries the body of Polyneices the first time, and how does that influence Antigone's actions?
5. How is Haemon like/unlike his father Creon?
6. Why does Creon decree that Polyneices cannot be buried?
7. Why does Antigone hang herself?
8. Why does Creon refuse to listen to his son's advice?
9. What is the role of the Chorus in Antigone?
10. Creon says that one never knows the mind and soul of a person until that person is given the power to rule. What do we learn about Creon from his time as King of Thebes?
1. What is Agave's crime in The Bacchae, and how is it related to Pentheus' crime?
2. Does The Bacchae present us with a notion of cosmic justice?
3. What is the role of the Chorus in The Bacchae? How do their statements affect our comprehension of the play?
4. Does Pentheus commit acts of atasthalia (doing what you know is wrong even though you know there will be dire repercussions)?
5. How are Pentheus and Dionysos like/unlike each other?
6. Why do Cadmus and Teiresias dance?
7. If wisdom comes through suffering in The Bacchae, who suffers and learns?
8. Why does Pentheus want to see the Bacchantes?
9. Show why the following saying is true of Pentheus:
You do not know the limits of your strength. You do not know what you do. You do not know who you are.
10. In The Bacchae, the chorus sings the following:
What is wisdom? What gift of the gods is held in honor like this:
To hold your hand victorious over the heads of those you hate.
Is that wisdom?
1. What happens to the cities of Mytilene, Plataea, and Melos during the Peloponnesian War?
2. How is Plataea like and unlike Mytilene?
3. According to Thucydides, what three things does a city need to become great?
4. According to Thucydides, what happens to language during times of great stress like the Corcyrean revolution?
5. Where does the conflict between Sparta and Athens first begin?
6. Why does Thucydides present us with paired speeches in The Peloponnesian War?
7. Why is the funeral speech of Pericles important in The Peloponnesian War?
8. How did the Delian League come into existence, and why was it centered in Athens?
9. According to Thucydides, what are the attributes of a typical Spartan? of a typical Athenian?
1. What happens to Peace at the end of Lysistrata, and why is she female?
2. Why does the male chorus carry pots of fire in Lysistrata, and what does the female chorus carry?
3. What elements in the Lysistrata make it a structural comedy?
4. How is Lysistrata both a character and a symbol?
5. Could the solution proposed by Lysistrata ever really work?
1. How is Socrates like a daimon?
2. Who stays awake longest during The Symposium and what does that fact signify?
3. What is the origin of love according to Aristophanes in the Symposium?
4. What is the role of Alcibiades in The Symposium?
5. What does "Agathon" mean, and why is that meaning central to The Symposium?
1. How does Socrates defend himself from the charge of corrupting the young?
2. Why doesn't Socrates flee from jail after he is sentenced to death?
3. Summarize and evaluate the formal accusations made against Socrates in The Apology.
4. Why does Socrates propose that his punishment should be complete support by the state after he is found guilty?
5. Is Socrates guilty of the charges brought against him?
