The Hunger GamesGreek Mythology

and Ancient Rome

The Myth of Theseus and The Minotaur

Bad guy: King Minos of Crete• Feared by all

Greek people• Built a large

palace• Placed a large

labyrinth (maze) at the center of his palace.

Theseus and the Minotaur King Minos kept a large,

hungry Minotaur in the middle of his labyrinth.

Minos demanded people of Athens send him seven young men and seven young women, “tributes,” every year to feed the Minotaur.

In return, King Minos would not wage war on Athens.

Theseus and the Minotaur King Aegeus =

King of Athens Theseus = Prince

of Athens, Aegeus’ son

Theseus volunteers to go to Crete as a tribute to fight and kill the Minotaur

Theseus and the Minotaur Theseus arrives in

Crete with other tributes, volunteers to go into labyrinth first.

King Minos’s daughter, Ariadne, falls in love with Theseus at first sight.

Gives him a ball of string to unravel as he enters the maze so he can find his way out.

Theseus and the Minotaur Theseus fights and kills the Minotaur by

breaking its neck. Theseus knows Minos will kill Ariadne for

helping him, so he escapes with her back to Athens.

Theseus and the Minotaur Ariadne expresses love for Theseus,

but he does not return it. Theseus leaves her behind on a island

when they stop to get supplies.

Theseus and the Minotaur In a hurry to get away,

Theseus forgets to change his black sails to white.

King Aegeus (Theseus’s dad) sees the black sails in the distance, thinks his son is dead, and throws himself into the sea—Theseus’s punishment for his cruel treatment of Ariadne.

Theseus and the MinotaurSuzanne Collins has said that this myth

was part of the inspiration for The Hunger Games.

So, who is Theseus in The Hunger Games?

Who is the Minotaur?

Panem et Circenses“Bread and Circuses”

Panem et Circenses Coined by Ancient Roman satirist to

describe Rome’s governing methods Keep people fed (panem = bread)

and entertained (circenses = circuses)

Leaders remain in power by distracting citizens

Leaders can take away people’s freedom; as long as people are fed and entertained, they won’t notice.

Panem et Circenses Roman leaders

organized massive, violent spectacles.

Famous games:• 10,000 men battled

3,500 wild animals from Africa

• Over 10,000 gladiators battled 11,000 animals for 123 days.

Gladiators Usually prisoners of war

or slaves. Sometimes criminals Fought strong men and

wild animals German, Spanish,

British, African, Russian, Middle Eastern

Entertainment for the upper classes and the masses in the capitol

Arenas The Coliseum

• Used for gladiator combat

• Held over 50,000 people

The Circus Maximus• Used for chariot races

that usually resulted in violence

• Held over 350,000 people

• (Gillette Stadium holds 68,756 people)

So what? What point is Suzanne Collins trying

to make by naming the country “Panem”?

What parallels can we draw between Ancient Rome and The Hunger Games?

What parallels can we draw between The Hunger Games and our society today?