SECTION 112 Thursday 10-11 242 Dwinelle
kak vzlomat MU ONLINESECTION 113 Thursday 11-12 175 Barrows
——————————————————————————————————————
——————————————————————————————————————
Dear Hellenes,
Having so far interacted with a relatively cohesive complex of characters and stories (Odysseus, Penelope, Achilles, Iphigenia, Agamemnon, Clytemnestra, Menelaus, Helen, etc.), we now shift to a different cluster of stories: those revolving around Medea and Jason.
For our next section meeting (Thursday, Feb 26), please read the following three items ( I recommend reading them in the order given); and then respond in writing, as before, to the five questions which follow.
——————————————————————————————————————
1) The account in Robert Graves (chapters 152-153) of how Jason and the Argonauts seize the Golden Fleece from King Aeetes and flee (pay attention to Medea).
2) Euripides’s Medea (found on p. 31-63 in our “Ten Plays by Euripides” volume).
3) The account in Robert Graves (chapters 88, 98) of the Minotaur, Theseus, and Ariadne.
——————————————————————————————————————
1) What thematic parallels can you draw between the stories of Medea and Jason, on the one hand, and Ariadne and Theseus, on the other? (Please devote at least a few paragraphs to this issue.)
2) Can you draw any thematic parallels between Medea & Jason and any other myths we’ve encountered so far?
3) Many say that the story of Medea explores issues of identity and cultural interaction. What could you highlight in our story to support this view?
4) In later European literature, Medea often appears as the archetype of the crazed, mad, or insane woman. To what extent would you agree with this characterization of her?
5) And a quickie: how are Polyphemos the Cyclops and the Minotaur related?
——————————————————————————————————————