Midterm Exam study guide Flashcards
Who is the God of offensive war? List both names:
Which God is Lame? List both names:
Who carries a trident? List both names:
Who is the Goddess of agriculture? List both names:
Who is the Goddess of domestic life? List both names:
Ares, Mars
Hephaestus, Vulcan
Poseidon, Neptune
Demeter, Ceres
Hestia, Vesta
Which divine character (mythological god/goddess) is considered a major character in The Odyssey? Give 2 examples of why.
Athena, goddess of wisdom, is considered a major character in The Odyssey. She is very discreet in her appearance, which is why her role as a goddess is sometimes overlooked. She is very encouraging to Odysseus and obviously has a “soft spot” in her heart for him. She helps him through his shipwreck and many other tough situations, leaving her a major character in The Odyssey.
Who is the God of offensive war? List both names:
Which God is Lame? List both names:
Who carries a trident? List both names:
Who is the Goddess of agriculture? List both names:
Who is the Goddess of domestic life? List both names:
Ares( ancient greek, the son of Zeus and Hera)
Hephaestus, given many epithets.
Poseidon,( the brother of Zeus)
Demeter, ( daughter of the deities)
Hestia,
What is epic poetry?
Whom does a writer of epic poetry call upon?
A long, narrative poem which tell the story of a hero.
The writer begins with calling upon the muse of epic poetry for inspiration.
Why does Agamemnon plan to sail to Troy?
Why is Agamemnon unable to sail to Troy?
Agamemnon sail to Troy to win back his brother’s wife.
Artemis stop the wind from blowing .
Epic poetry uses stock epithets. What is a stock epithet?
Epic poetry uses medias res. What is medias res?
Epithets are descriptive phrases which help the reader visualize material better.
Medias res is when the story does not actually start at the beginning, it begins somewhere in the middle of the action.
Who is Odysseus’s faithful old keeper of the swine?
What female first discovers Odysseus’ identity and how?
Eumaeus
Euryclia begins to wash his feet and notices a scar on one of his feet. She knows Odysseus received this scar during a fight.
State all characteristics of epic poetry.
An Epic Poem is a long, narrative poem which tells the story of a hero.
The writer begins with calling upon the muse of epic poetry for inspiration. See lecture 1 notes for an explanation of the MUSES.
The story begins in medias res which means the story does not actually start at the beginning of the story. It begins somewhere in the middle of the action.
There is a use of the supernatural; gods mingle with human beings and intervene in their lives.
The writer uses stock epithets. These are descriptive phrases which help the reader visualize material better. A good example is the phrase “swift-footed Achilles” or “wine-dark sea.”
The writer uses a great deal of repetition.
The writer uses long similes taken from nature and animal life.
The writer uses lengthy speeches. There is little if no rapid dialog.
In both The Iliad and The Odyssey, we see the writer Homer as an expert in plot and character development. These are his strengths. In the stories, humans obtain benefits from the gods by prayer and sacrifices. The future is revealed by omens, dreams, oracles, and soothsayers.
Who thinks of creating a wooden horse?
What is the cause of Odysseus’s suffering?
“Odysseus spoke to Demodcus: “I don’t know whether it was the Muse Who taught you, or Apollo himself, But I praise you to the skies, Demodocus. When you sing about the fate of the Greeks Who fought at Troy, you have it right, All they did and suffered, all they endured. It’s as if you had been there yourself, or heard a first-hand account. But now, Switch to the building of the wooden horse “
“The narrator identifies the causes of Odysseus’s struggle to return home, naming both the sun god, Helios, and Odysseus’s fellow sailors themselves as responsible: “The recklessness of their own ways destroyed them all, the blind fools, they devoured the cattle of the sun and the sun god blotted out the day of their return.” The narrator next identifies Poseidon as one of Odysseus’s main antagonists, as all the gods took pity on Odysseus except Poseidon, who “raged on, seething against the great Odysseus until he reached his native land.”
Who are Chryseis and Briseis and why are they important?
The Achaeans capture a pair of beautiful maidens, Chryseis and Briseis during the battle. Agamemnon, the leader of the Achaean forces, takes Chryseis as his prize, and Achilles, the Achaeans’ greatest warrior, claims Briseis. Chryseis’s father, Chryses, who serves as a priest of the god Apollo, offers an enormous ransom in return for his daughter, but Agamemnon refuses to give Chryseis back. Chryses prays to Apollo, who sends a plague upon the Achaean camp.
Who competes for the golden apple?
Which goddess wins the golden apple?
Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite were the 3 goddesses completing for Paris’ golden apple and to see who is the fairest of the 3 goddesses.
The goddess that wings the golden apple is Aphrodite.
Who is Priam?
What does Priam do to get Hector’s body returned to the Trojans?
Priam is Hector’s father, the last king of Troy.
“To get Hecor’s body back, Priam asks the Gods to make a compromise with Achilles, the body for a ransom, and Achilles agrees. Priam then travels with Hermes disguised as a guide, to Achilles’ log where he kneels before Achilles and kisses his hands as they cry together. The words of Priam and his actions show Achilles the depth of the situation he has created so he decides to give Priam his son’s body.”
What does Agamemnon sacrifice?
Why does he make this sacrifice?
Agamemnon had to sacrifice his eldest daughter, Iphigenia.
He makes this sacrifice because he angers goddess Artemis by killing a sacred deer of hers while on his way to get his brother’s wife, Helen, back. After this, she stops the winds from sailing Agamemnon’s army from sailing to Troy unless he sacrifices his daughter.
What is the setting for the golden apple competition?
Why does Paris journey to Sparta?
The setting for the gold apple competition was that Paris gave the gold apple to Aphrodite, who in return, promised him the Helen of Troy.
The reason why Paris went to Sparta is because he kidnapped Helen, the wife of King Menelaos, and the Greeks go to Troy to get her back.
What happens to Odysseus at the end of The Odyssey?
At the end of The Odyssey, Odysseus wins a contest to prove his identity, slaughters the suitors, and retakes the throne of Ithaca.
Who carries a lyre? Include both names.
Who protects travelers? Include both names.
Who wears a helmet, shield, and spear? Include both names.
Who is attended by Cupid? Include both names.
Apollo Phoebus carries the lyre.
Hermes Mercury protects travlers.
Athena and Minerve carries a helmet, shield and spear.
Aphrodite and Venus was attended by Cupid
Who is Chryses and what is does this character want?
Chryses is a priest. Chryses wants his daughter back from the Achaeans. Chryses had big ransom to get his daughter back, but they turned him away and told him not to return.
Which of Homer’s works celebrate physical strength over mental strength and how so?
In Homers works, the Iliad would represent physical strength over mental strength. Likewise, the Odyssey would represent mental strength over physical. Many wars were entailed in the Iliad, hence the physical strength. As to the Odyssey is more of a homecoming story, where Odysseus had to survive to get home after so many years.
Who is Persephone?
Who is Pan?
Who are the muses?
Who is Bacchus and what is significant about him? Include both names.
Persephone is a goddess, the “Queen of the Underworld”.
Pan is the “God of Shepards”, who was half-man, half-goat. Women also feared him.
The muses were the nine daughters of Zeus. They were goddesses who presided over subjects such as history, tragedy, dancing, and astronomy.
Bacchus, also known as Dionysus, was the “God of Wine”. He was the beginning of drama which made him significant.
How does epic poetry use the supernatural?
Epic poetry includes long ________ and lengthy _________.
Epic poetry uses the supernatural intervene and mingle Gods and human beings in their lives.
Epic poetry includes long similes and lengthy speeches.
