lecture 19 & ch. 18 & 19 Flashcards
main points: thebes (oedipus saga, foundation myth), jason & the argonauts
In relation to Oedipus, what is the significance of the grove of the furies?
Mentioned in Oedipus at Colonus.
1. Oedipus has been banished from Thebes by his sons, he finds refuge in Athens.
2. While in Athens, Oedipus goes into the garden (grove
of the furies) with his daughters.
3. His sons want Oedipus’s power, therefore they individually approach Oedipus and try to persuade him to return to Thebes (so they can use the bones of their father and not Athens)
4. Oedipus says no, he will not go back to Thebes. He knows he is meant to die in Athens, and he knows that
his sons will kill one another in battle and that is his curse on them.
What is the shift seen in Oedipus in Sophocles’ representation of him at Colonus?
OEDIPUS IS NO LONGER FIGHTING THE ORACLE.
Oedipus spent his whole life fighting the prophecy he received in his youth, but now he knows he cannot fight
it. There is a new sense of certainty/acceptance within him.
What is the main motive that drives the story “Seven Against Thebes? Describe the events.
THE WAR OF POLYNEICES AND ETEOCLES
1. After the expulsion of Oedipus, Polyneices is forced from the city.
2. He finds shelter in Argos, ruled by King Adrastus, and eventually marries a princess.
3. While happy in our ghosts, Polyneices wants to go home to Thebes; he requests help from Adrastus to help conquer Thebes.
4. They gather an army, go to war with Thebes.
THE RESULT IS ALWAYS THAT THE BROTHERS KILL EACH OTHER.
After Europa disappears, Agenor instructs his sons to find her, none of them can. However one of the son’s does something else of significance. Who is it? What does he do?
CADMUS
1. He goes to Delphi, hoping for some insight on Europa’s location.
2. Instead he is told that he will not find her, but he will come across a cow. He should follow the cow until it sits down in the grass, where the cow sits down is where he should establish a city.
3. He does what he is told: Finds a cow matching the description of the Oracle, follows it, establishes a city where it sits down.
Why does Ares not like Thebes from the very beginning?
- After following the cow And finding the location of where he should establish a city, Cadmus decides to sacrifice the cow.
- To perform the sacrifice, Cadmus goes to fetch water. When he does this, he comes across a serpent that’s sacred to Ares.
- Cadmus kills the serpent.
How were the original Thebans created?
- Athena tells Cadmus to take the teeth from the sacred serpent he killed and plant them.
- Cadmus does as he’s told and from the teeth grow fully armed spartoi.
- The soldiers fight amongst themselves; only five survive.
THESE 5 ARE THE OG THEBANS.
Who does Cadmus marry? Who are their children? How can a curse within their family be seen through their children?
HARMONIA
1. Ino - kills her children after being driven mad in a Bacchae frenzy.
2. Semele - burned to a crisp by Zeus (kinda on accident)
3. Agave - rips apart Pentheus, her son, after he denied Dionysus
4. Autonoe - his son, Actaeon, was ripped apart by his hunting dogs after seeing Artemis naked.
Cadmus is considered to be a founder of Thebes, but so are two other people. Who are they? Why are they considered to be founders?
ZETHUS, man of action, AND AMPHION, an artist.
- twins who were abandoned by their mother, were raised by a shepherd. Then by coincidence, Antiope stumbled across their hut after she had been getting mistreated. The twins get revenge for their mother.
- While building the wall of Thebes, Zethus is moving the heavy stones, but Amphion is lounging and using his lyre to make the stones move themselves.
Helle falls off a golden ram into the Hellespont. Who is Helle? How did she end up on a flying golden ram?
- Helle is the daughter of Athamas and Nephele.
- Athamas would have two wives. His first wife, Nephele, bore two children; Phrixus and Helle. His 2nd wife, Ino, resented Phrixus (she was worried he would succeed Athamas and not her own children).
- Ino creates a plot which results in the oracle of Delphi being bribed to tell Athamas to sacrifice Phrixus.
- A golden ram appears right before Phrixus is sacrificed, which stops Athamas from committing the act.
- Phrixus and Helle climb on top of the ram, and the ram flies away.
What is the sequence of events leading to the voyage of the Argo?
- Tyro, Athamas’ niece, had three children with Poseidon; Pelias, Neleus, and Aeson.
- Pelias imprisoned Aeson, the “rightful” heir.
- Aeson knows he is seen as Pelias’ rival, therefore when he has his son, Jason, he has him raised in secret by Chiron.
- Pelias receives a prophecy that he will die at the hands of a man with one sandal.
- Jason reaches maturity and returns to Thessaly during a festival to Poseidon. As he is returning to Thessaly, he comes across an old woman stuck on one side of a rushing river. Jason carries her across the river.
- SURPRISE the old lady was Hera, who had a plan to destroy Pelias that requires the assistance of Jason.
- Jason arrives in town with one sandal, Pelias asks him what he would do with an individual that is meant to kill him. Jason says he would make them get the golden fleece, Pelias says GREAT. Go get it:)
Thus the voyage of the Argo begins.
Mythologically speaking, what is the first ship ever to be built?
THE ARGO
Before Jason can begin his voyage, there are preparations to be made. What are the preparations? What’s notable about these preparations?
- He needs a boat.
- Athena helps Argus in building the Argo.
- MOST NOTABLE FEATURE: a talking wooden beam made from the prophetic oak tree in Dodona that belonged to Zeus. - He needs a crew.
- Inclusion of 50 heroes (including but not limited to Orpheus, Heracles, and fathers of other heroes to come)
The voyage of the Argo made five stops, what were each of these stops?
- Island of Lemnos - the argonauts spend 1 year fucking the lemnian women (they had killed their husbands)
- Cyzicus’ Palace in the Propontis - the argonauts are received by the King but then they kill the King and his men.
- Heracles is left behind - Hylas, his bf, was snatched by nymphs. Heracles went looking for him, the Argo left.
- Amycus - a boxer who challenges passersby to box.
- Phineus - freeing him from torment of harpies and receiving a prophecy in return.
What was the first stop made during the Argo’s voyage? What was notable about it?
ISLAND OF LEMNOS
- Lemnian women killed their husbands previously.
- The Argonauts spend one year on this island just fucking.
What was the second stop made during the Argo’s voyage? What was notable about it?
CYZICUS’ PALACE ON THE PROPONTIS
- King Cyzicus received a prophecy that he should be kind to strangers.
- When the Argonauts land on the island, the king greets the heroes and completes the proper honours.
- The Argo set sale once more, but a storm pushes the ship back to shore.
- The Argonauts are attacked upon landing and they fight back. Once the storm clears, the heroes discover that they killed King Cyzicus and his men. oops
