CLAS170 Final Study Guide

AGE:

Approx. dates:

GENRES and AUTHORS WE WILL READ:

BRONZE

3000-1200 BCE

[ORAL TRADITION no literary texts]

DARK

1200-900 BCE

[ORAL TRADITION no literary texts]

GEOMETRIC 900-700 BCE

EPIC

HOMER

ARCHAIC

HOMERIC
HYMNS

[ANONYMOUS]

LYRIC

SAPPHO

WISDOM
LITERATURE

HESIOD

CLASSICAL 500-323 BCE

TRAGEDY

SOPHOCLES, EURIPIDES

HELLENISTIC 323-30 BCE

LYRIC

ROMAN EMPIRE 30 BCE -

EPIC

VERGIL

OVID

700-500 BCE

NOSSIS

Greek Terms
aret- excellence (in battle)
tim- honor (the reward for excellence) (it is a physical award usually)
kleos- immortal fame gained by being a great warrior, dying in battle
aids- sense of obligation, shame for not meeting ones obligations
o often used positively as a motivation to fight
Nemesis: indignation felt by another when a person fails to meet obligations
The meaning of some epithets:
--of Aphrodite:
Cyprian = from [the island of ] Cyprus
Cytherea = from [the island of ] Cythera
Uranian - because she is the daughter of Uranus (in Hesiods version)
--of Apollo:
Delian = from [the island of] Delos
Pythian = from Pytho (another name for Delphi, where his oracle was located)
Loxias = oblique, indirect (because his oracles were not straightforward)
Paean = healer
Phoebus = bright
(Be aware that Apollo has no Roman name.)

CLAS170 Final Study Guide

--of Dionysus:
Lusios = Releaser
Bromios = Roarer (translated Ear-splitter by Boer)
--of Athena:
Parthenos = Virgin
TERMS/NAMES
Olympian Terms
allusion ( illusion!)
ambrosia, nectar (what the gods were thought to eat and drink)
anthropomorphic: having human characteristics
attribute:
epithet
Eleusis / Eleusinian Mysteries: initiations held every year for the cult of Demeter and
Persephone based at Eleusis in ancient Greece.
[myth interpreted as] charter
etiological interpretation
ideology / ideological interpretation
gender system
herm: attribute of Hermes
Homeric Hymns
ichor (what the gods were thought to have instead of blood): golden blood
lyric poetry
maenads (also called Bacchae or bacchants): followers of Dionysus
metis = cunning intelligence, cleverness (Remember that Metis was the mother of
Athena.)
omnipotent
omniscient
psychological interpretation
satyrs: followers of Dionysus, part equine, part human
suppliant
xenos = guest or host; guest-friend (plural xenoi)
Additional names to know from readings and/or lectures:
Actaeon -- mortal hunter who was punished for seeing Artemis naked
Aeneas Trojan hero, son of Aphrodite and Anchises
Anchises mortal man loved by Aphrodite, father of Aeneas
Argus hundred-eyed monster killed by Hermes
Asclepius son of Apollo, god of healing
Daphne woman loved by Apollo, turned into a laurel tree
Demophon human baby whom Demeter tries to adopt

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Diomedes Greek hero who wounds Aphrodite and Ares

Dione mother of Aphrodite in the Iliad
Europa -- woman abducted by Zeus disguised as a bull
Ganymede beautiful boy loved by Zeus, who became his cup-bearer
Hecate goddess who helps Demeter search for Persephone
Helios the Sun personified
Io woman turned into a cow by Zeus to hide her from Hera
Leto mother of Apollo and ArtemisRoman name: Latona
Maia mother of Hermes
Metanira mother of Demophon in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter
Nike Victory personified
Niobe queen who was punished for considering herself superior to Leto/Latona
Odysseus clever hero of the Odyssey, protected by Athena
Pentheus king who was punished for not believing Dionysus was a god
Prometheus god who stole fire from Zeus for humans
Semele mortal mother of Dionysus
Thetis goddess mother of the Greek hero Achilles
Tiresias prophet who spent part of his life as a woman
Triton son of Poseidon, shown blowing a seashell horn

Creation Terms
Titanomachy
Hesiod
theogony
cosmogony
parthenogenesis
Chaos = gap, chasm
Gaia = Earth
Eros = Desire
Ouranos = Sky
Muses
Titans
Cronus
Rhea
Aphrodite
Erinyes = Furies
Tartarus
Cyclopes (plural; Cyclops is singular)
Hundred-Handers
Metis
Athena

CLAS170 Final Study Guide

Typhon
Hecate [also a character in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter]
Styx
Helios = Sun
Atlas
Hesiod - ca. 700 B.C.E.: Theogony, Works & Days
Prometheus (= Fore-thinker: the one who thinks ahead)
Epimetheus (= After-thinker: the one who thinks when its too late)
the human condition
Pandora
allusion: explicit or indirect reference
focalization
Freudian interpretation
Oedipal conflict
Genesis (first book of the Bible)
Adam
Eve

UNIT I: Myths of the Gods

Apollo
Delian Hymn
o Leto seeks a place to give birth; Delos: afraid Apollo will abandon her tiny island
o Fears Apollos scorn, but Leto promises Delos weath.
o A sense that Apollo with be very powerful
Baby Apollo eludes his female caregiverspowerful from birth
Doesnt need power or help from the gods
o Heras jealousy: prevents Eilithyia, in charge of womens pain, from hearing of
Letos pain from childbirth
Goddesses send Iris to speak to Eilithyia
Pythian Hymn
o Apollo seeks a place for his oracle
o Apollo wants to build his temple in Telphusa
o But Telphusa dissuades him from settling near her
o Apollo defeats the female dragon
o Pytho(rot)-the sacred power of the sun rottes the she-dragon
Pythian Apollo
o Hijacks a ship and makes priests of the sailors

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Establishes praying charters

Artemis
Epithets
o Goddess of the golden bow
o Chaste
Homeric Hymn to Artemis
o Told during religious festivals
Paradoxical spheres of Artemis
o Protects & hunts wild animals (also helps humans hunt animals)
o Virgin goddess of childbirth
o Has the power to either save or kill a woman in childbirth
o One speculation
Punishment (pain of childbirth) of women who became sexually active
i.e. lose their virginity
Death in childbirth at the time was common
Most Gods had this dual character
Virgin = untamed
o A goddess of wilderness
Artemis never associated with a male
Mistress of Animalsone other epithet
Aphrodite
One of the most powerful of godssphere of sexual desire
Yet can be vulnerable to herself when in love(nature of love)
Can be fickle (nature of desirefall in and out of love)
Not confined by the rules of human morality
o Desire vs. acting on desire
o Aphrodite is not subject to human morals or desire
Unfaithful wife of Hephaestus
Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite
o Three minds she cannot persuadethat is seduce
Athena, Artemis, and Hestia
o Zeus gives Aphrodite a taste of her own medicine
Puts yearning in her heart to mate a mortal man-Anchises
Stop her boasting
o Anchises: cattle rancher
his body very much like a god
o And when she saw him, Aphrodite, lover of laughter, she loved him, and a
terrifying desire seized her heart. (p87-88)
o The wolves fawning over Aphrodite-who puts longing in their breasts
Iliad pp.57-63 (5. 321-497)
o Aeneas gets injured in the war
o Aeneas is the son of Aphrodite and Anchises

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o Aphrodite attempts to protect her son Diomedes nicks Aphrodites wrist with
his blade
o Aphrodite runs to her mother, Dione
o A weaker side of Aphrodite
Odyssey 8
Ares and Aphrodite
Hephaestus finds out and builds unbreakable bonds, spreads them over the
bed
Ares and Aphrodite fall into the trap
Hephaestus calls all the gods to watch Aphrodites humiliation
The goddesses all stay home, out of modesty

Zeus

King of the gods

Sends weather, especially lighting and rain
Is the protector of hosts and guests; xenoi
Illiad (1. 521-643)
o Describes the relationship between Hera and Zeus
o Thetis asks Zeus to help her son, Achilles.
o Asks him to give the Trojans the upper hand
o Zeus is reluctant because it would create conflict with Hera
o
UNIT II: Mythos of the Mortal Heroes
Iliad & Odyssey
Geometric age
Products of a long oral tradition
The Trojan Cycle
Iliad < Ilion= Greek name for Troy
Odyssey < Odysseus
Origins of Greek Epics
Formal oral tradition: composition by formula & type-scene
o Formulas repition in poem that bards sued to situate their info
Epic Genre defined
A long narrative poemfocused on deeds of hero & the impact of those deeds on a
whole people
Conventions of Epic
Invocation of Muse
Mortals need divine help to sing the stories
Beginning in medias res: in the middle of things
o The Iliad starts in the 9th year of war out of 10 years
Formal, dignified style
Formulaic epithets
Epic similes

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Poetic Imagery
Homeric simile: extended explicit comparison
o Nature & everyday life
Greek Tragedy
Three Greek Tragedians
Aeschylus
Sophocles = author of Antigone and Oedipus the King
Euripides = author of Herakles & Alkestis
Greek Tragedies
Performed in broad daylight
male actors only
bleachers on an open hill side
one performance
mass audience
state sponsorship
religious festival
Parts of the Theatre
orchestra dancing place
theatron viewing place
parados entrance
Skene scene
Conventions of Tragedy
Chorus (sang and danced)
three actor rule (only 3 speaking part per scene)
no violence shown on stage
formal, dignified, poetic language
stichomythia: use of one-line speeches/rapid fire dialogue in debate
Theban Cycle

Prophecy given to Laius and Jocasta in which their son will kill his father and marry his
mother
Oedipus born, exposed to the wild in attempt to kill him (they tie up his feet and leave
him in the woods), but rescued and raised in Corinth by Polybus and Merope
Oedipus goes to Delphi and receives a prophecy that he will kill his father and marry his
mother
Leaves Corinth to prevent prophecy from coming true
On the way to Thebes, he kills Laius, not knowing who he is (on the path where 3 roads
meet)
Defeats the Sphinx, who was threatening to basically destroy everything, and was offered
the queens hand in marriage (Jocasta, who is also his mother)

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Sphinx riddle: What is the creature that walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at
noon and three in the evening answer: MAN!
Plague strikes Thebes
Plague is caused by Oedipus POLLUTION, the rest of Thebes contracts it by associating
with someone who is polluted
Truth about Oedipus comes out
He goes into exile, *not* accompanied by daughters see the last like 3 pgs of Oedipus
the King; Creon lets Oedipus see his daughters but then is like time to go dude
Eteocles and Polynices (Oedipus sons) quarrel over the throne(Antigone)
Oedipus dies & is buried at Colonus; becomes a hero-daimon
"Seven against Thebes" fail; brothers kill each other
Creon becomes king, forbids burial of Polynices (believes Polynices to be a traitor)
Antigone defies Creon, kills herself when he has her entombed alive
Haemon (son of Creon, and Antigones fiance) and Eurydice (wife of Creon) kill
themselves

Oedipus the King:

5th Century BCE context
o Rapid development of rationalistic knowledge
o Fear that this was a dangerous rejection of religious tradition
o Effects on plot:
Oedipus takes the initiative, for the sake of his people (he is not a
puppet!)
He doesnt try to hide the truth, but punishes himself
Plot
o Plague strikes Thebes
o Oedipus seeks to find the murderer of Laius from the prophetic insight of
Teiresias
o Truth comes out about Oedipuss deeds
o Jocasta hangs herself, Oedipus blinds himself and goes into exile
Characters
o Oedipus: solved Sphinx riddle, became king of Thebes
Oedipus falls because of his hubris (pride), NOT A TRAGIC
CHARACTER FLAW
Hubris it is outrageous pride, often accompanied by violence.
o Creon: Jocastas brother
o Teiresias: The blind prophet
o Jocasta: Oedipus mother and future wife
o Laius: Oedipus birth father, prior king of Thebes
Killed by Oedipus
o Polybus: Oedipus foster father
o Merope: Oedipus foster mother
Two Kinds of Irony (In tragic Irony, the character is unaware of their irony, but the
audience is)

CLAS170 Final Study Guide

Conscious: deliberately saying something you don't mean to produce a humorous
or sarcastic effect
example: 390 (Oedipus to Tiresias) in Oedipus the King
For, tell me, where have you seen clear, Teiresias, with your prophetic
mind?
o Unconscious (dramatic or tragic): saying something that is true in a way you don't
intend, because you don't fully understand the situation.
example: Oedipus says he will find Laius killer, serving him as though he
was his father
Oedipus in lines 59-64, 259 in Oedipus the King
Hamartia: error or mistake, not the same as tragic flaw. Oedipus can be considered a
good/great man.
Two kinds of Knowledge:
o Conscious, rational (Oedipus)
o Religious truth: comes only through prophecy (Tiresias)
o

Antigone:
Plot
Eteocles and Polynices quarrel over the throne (tried to share the throne)
Brothers ultimately killed each other in the civil war (Seven Against Thebes)
Creon becomes king and refuses to bury Polynices because he is a traitor
Antigone defies Creon, was sentenced to be entombed until her death, and she
suicides
o Ismene suicides upon hearing the news of Antigones death **im not positive if
this happens can someone check this? - Ismenes fate is never confirmed, she
requests to die with her sister but this never occurs. Ismene wishes to die by her
sister Antigones side but Antigone does not allow it because she does not have
the same courage as Antigone to do so- she doesnt die.
o Haemon suicides due to Creons judgment and Eurydice kills herself out of the
grief for the loss of her son
Characters
o Antigone: daughter of Oedipus, a wants to bury her brother
o Creon: Antigones uncle, king of Thebes
Does not allow the burial of Polynices
Sentences Antigone to death
Represents rational thought as opposed to tradition (doesnt care about
burying)
o Eteocles: brother of Antigone who was given proper burial
o Polynices: brother of Antigone who was not buried
o Ismene: Antigones sister, less defiant but supportive of her sister
more traditional woman
o Haemon: Antigones fiance and son of Creon. Kills himself after Antigone dies.
o Seven Against Thebes: seven generals that fought on the side of Polynices to
break down the seven entrances to Thebes
The Epigoni: works about the sons of the Seven against Thebes
o Eurydice: wife of Creon
o
o
o
o

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Herakles:
Plot
Lykos sentences Herakles family to death (Megara, their sons, and Amphitryon)
Herakles returns from the underworld and kills Lykos
Hera sent a messenger with Madness (child of Night and Heaven) to cause
Herakles to unleash violent actions and kills his wife and sons
o Herakles is full of shame and vows to kill himself
o Theseus helps Herakles by convincing Herakles to stay alive, and live in Athens
with him (hell be honored greater and not only remembered as a pollution and
manslaughtering his kins) - example of xenia
Characters
o Herakles:
panhellenic hero
superhuman strength
a savior hero
an underdog (forever serving Eurystheus, doing many labors for him)
Important Labors: Nemean Lion, Hydra, and bringing Cerberus
back from Hades
Nemean Lion
This lion could also disguise himself as a beautiful
woman
This way he could lure Greek heroes into his cave
and then kill them there
Herakles kills this lion and wears the skin because it
is impenetrable
To get the skin, said to have used the teeth in
order to break it and skin it.
Herakles defeats the lion by strangling and
ultimately wears its pelt
Hydra
The hydra has 9 heads. 8 of the heads will grow 2
more heads in its place. One of the heads is
immortal
He brands the heads after he cuts them off and then
uses a boulder to cover the last immortal head
Cousin helped him and thus promoted him to
receive more labors
Cerberus
Herakles must go to the underworld
Hades allows Herakles to go to the underworld
under the condition that he cannot bring any
weapons
Herakles goes down and wrestles the Cerberus and
brings him back up
o
o
o

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hero with faults (anger/violence, weakness
for food, wine and women)
son of Zeus and Alcmene
hated by Hera (put snakes in his cradle when he was a newborn)
weapons: club and bow
o Megara: wife of Herakles whom he murders
o Three Sons: sons murdered by Herakles
o Lykos: tyrant of Thebes who wants to kill Megara and her
sons, is killed by Herakles
o Theseus: saved from Hades by Herakles, helps Herakles
and is willing to risk pollution that was caused by Herakles
killing his family: associating with somebody who has been
polluted (by committing a heinus crime: killing his family)
o Amphitryon: Herakles foster father
o Eurystheus: the King that Herakles must serve
o Alcmene: his mother
o Lyssa: madness personified (makes Herakles kill his own
wife and children by driving him mad)
o The Epigoni: sons of the Seven Against Thebes

Aristotle, Poetics: catharsis; Poetics was like one of the first formal literary criticisms ever and in
it he talks about tragedy as a catharsis or purging of emotion