Apollonius' Argonautica

Question 1

who are the main characters in the Argonautica?

Answer 1

• Jason (leader of the Argonauts)
• Argonauts (Heracles, Orpheus, Telemon, Atalanta, Theseus, Castor & Pollux, etc.)
• Medea (son of Aeëtes, princess of Colchis)
• Aeëtes (king of Colchis)

Question 2

what are the main plot points of the Argonautica?

Answer 2

• King Pelias sends Jason to retreive Golden Fleece from Aeëtes
• visit Lemnos (island of only women)
• Heracles abandons journey to find boyfriend Hylas
• Jason’s impossible tasks (yoke-breathing bulls, sow dragon’s teeth, battle Spartoi, unsleeping serpent)
• Medea joins the crew (gives Jason sleeping potion for serpent, uses powers to kill Talos)

King Pelias stole throne from Jason’s father (half-brothers) → sends him to get fleece hoping he’ll die in the process

Question 3

what is the chronology of Jason & the Argonauts journey in the Argonautica?

Answer 3

• Books 1-2: the journey out (the journey from Iolcus to Colchis, loss of Heracles)
• Book 3: the trials of Jason (romance of Medea)
• Book 4: the journey back (battle w/ Talos, encounter w/ Triton, death of Apsyrtos)

Triton (sea god) guides the Argo out of Libya (where they land after fleeing Aeëtes) in exchange for broze tripod offering

Question 4

what main themes of the course are reflected in the Argonautica?

Answer 4

• the quest theme
• the hero’s journey (seperation, initiation, return)

Question 5

what is the mythological context of the Argonautica?

Answer 5

before the Argo:

• Pelias usurps half-brother Aison (Jason’s father) from the throne
• Jason loses his sandal (fulfils prophecy about a one-sandled man)
• Jason sent on impossible quest by Pelias to fetch the Golden Fleece

the voyage out:

• Argonauts composed of the generations biggest heroes (Achilles, Orpheus, Atalanta, Theseus, etc.)

Question 6

what is the literary & historical context of the Argonautica?

Answer 6

• written during Hellenistic Period (323-31 BCE)
• rise of Ptolemaic Kingdom (Egypt) sets up Alexandria as new capital for cultural expression
• Apollonius travelled from Rhodes to Alexandria to est. himself as a scholar-poet
• Argonautica imitates the language & style of Homer/Archaic epic

Hellenistic period starts w/ the death of Alexander the Great

Question 7

how does Jason (not) reflect the typical hero archetype?

Answer 7

• democratically chosen to be leader of the journey (almost Heracles)
• not semi-divine (described as amechanos = ‘helpless’)
• leaderhip questioned (esp. after leaving Heracles)