Study QuestionsWinter2010

8/13/2019 Study QuestionsWinter2010

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EUR 3287 Mythology in Literature Study Questions p.1 O. Ewald

Study Questions for Gilgamesh(April 2nd)1. What are some general differences between ancient and modern

literature?2. What effects do the repetitions of particular

words/phrases/passages have?

3. What is the role of dreams in the Gilgameshepic?4. What are some similarities between Gilgameshand Genesis,particularl between the stor of !ta"napishti and that of #oah?

$. What does Gilgameshreveal about ancient religious practices?

Study Questions forAgamemnon(April 5th)1. %n &omer's Odyssey, (egisthus )ills (gamemnon. Wh did

(eschlus change this crucial plot detail?2. &ow does the audience learn about the murder of (gamemnon?3. &ow does *ltemnestra describe herself as opposed to how the

other characters describe her, and how does her self"portraal

change?4. What role does the +radioactive image of the net/web pla?$. %n the lion cub allegor -lines 1"30, who is the lion"cub?. Wh is *assandra included in the pla?

Study Questions for Libation-Bearers(April 7th01. &ow does the plaAgamemnonprepare for the action of the

Libation-Bearers?2. o an radioactive images return from the previous pla?3. &ow does (eschlus stage the return of restes?4. %n lines 2"22, two mths""the stories of (lthaea and 5clla""

are mentioned b the chorus. 6ead the notes on p. 17$ andcomment on how these mths relate to the main stor of thepla.

$. What counts as 8ustice in Gree) mth?

Study Questions for Eumenides(April 9th)1. &ow does the idea of 8ustice -Gree) dik0 change during the

trilog?2. What is frightening about the 9umenides/:uries?3. &ow are the divine characters in the pla portraed?4. What role does the cit of (thens pla in this wor)?

$. &ow is the trilog brought to an end so that there cannot be ase;uel?

Study Questions for Oedipus the King (April 12th)1. &ow is the audience reminded of the bac)stor of this pla?2. (lmost ever time edipus wonders about a person's

whereabouts, that person shows up -e.g.


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e=ception to this tendenc, and wh is he so important for theperipateia or turnabout of the drama?

3. %n ancient Gree) thought, humans are usuall placed below godsbut above animals. Where is edipus shown as god"li)e? Whereis he animal"li)e?

4.


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1. &ow does this version of restes' stor differ from (eschlus'Oresteia?

2. (n ancient commentator remar)ed, +9=cept for Alades,everone in this pla is bad. o ou agree? oes this plahave a moral compass at all?

3. &ow does the chorus in this pla compare to its role in othertragedies?4. a 3rd0

1. &ow do humans and gods interact in this epic?

2. What is the role of nature/genealog vs. nurture/education?3. >odern &indus do not, for the most part, practice polgam, et

in this epic, raupadi is the common wife of the five sons ofAandu, then (r8una marries 5ubhadra. &ow could thesepolgamous marriages wor)?

4. What does the scene of the -attempted0 disrobing of raupadiadd to the epic?


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EUR 3287 Mythology in Literature Study Questions p. O. Ewald

5tud Buestions for ahabharata, pp. 13"211 ->a $th0

1. &ow do included tales li)e the stor of #ala and amaanti -pp.11"1370 5avitri and 5atavan -pp. 172"170 reflect on the mainevents and characters of the epic?

2. &ow are outh and old age distinguished throughout the epic?3. *haracteriEe urodhana so far. Wh did Fuc) -the translator0thin) that understanding urodhana was essential tounderstanding the epic?

4. >edieval %ndia was a societ divided into various castes andoccupations -often hereditar0. What else do we learn aboutvarious societal roles?

$. What is the point of Fhima's ;uest for the 1"petaled lotus?

5tud Buestions for ahabharata, pp. 212"271 ->a th0

1. Cshatria harma -Warrior ut0 is summariEed b urodhanaas 5tand straight and never bow down, for this alone ismanliness. 6ather brea) at the )nees than bend -p. 2420. &owdoes urodhana -or others0 fulfill his dharma?

2. What are some attitudes other characters ta)e towards war?3. Hasa is not onl the narrator of but also a character in the

>ahabharata. What does his treatment b other charactersshow about the status of the epic genre in ancient 5outh (sia?

4. >antras in this epic are 10 repeated praers for meditation 6 20magic spells. Where do the meanings overlap? Where are theonl 10 or 20?

5tud Buestions for ahabharata, pp. 272"3$ ->a 1th0

1. Which characters on each side of the war correspond to eachother? :or e=ample, if Dudhishthira corresponds to urodhanaas the leader of the arm and eldest brother, who corresponds toFhima?

2. What might be the smbolic meaning of urodhanaresting/hiding at the bottom of a la)e -p. 32 with illustration onp. 330?

3. &ow does 5an8aa the charioteer as narrator of the battle scenes

-pp. 2$7"327 in our translation0 compare to Hasa, narrator ofthe entire wor)?

4. Where did the Curus begin to lose the war?

5tud Buestions for ahabharata, pp. 3$1"412 ->a 12th0


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EUR 3287 Mythology in Literature Study Questions p.! O. Ewald

1. &induism and Fuddhism both have the idea of reincarnation -lifeafter life or reccling of souls0. Fut what other concepts of whathappens to humans after death also appear in this epic?

2. What is the role of the forest in the epic? %n other words, whatsignificant events happen there and wh there -and not

elsewhere0?3. (sceticism/austerit for spiritual purposes is a repeated theme in&induismI how does it appear in this epic?

4. &ow well/badl does the epic end?

5tud Buestions for !ill "e #a$e %aces, pp. 3"$, 311"313 ->a 1th01. What is rual, the main character/narrator, li)e?2. What does the stle of this novel resemble wor)s we have

alread read? Where does its stle differ?3. *ompare !ngit to other deities involved with lust/passionJ

(phrodite -Gree)0, %shtar -#ear 9astern0, and Cama -5outh (sia0.4. &ow Gree) is the :o=? What ideas of his seem familiar?$. &ow is the theme of beaut introduced in the novel?

5tud Buestions for !ill "e #a$e %aces, pp. $"11 ->a 1th01. &ow is Gree) traged used in this section of the wor)?2. &ow does the Cing stand for the values of Glome? &ow does

Fardia?3. &ow do the :o='s ideas, derived from Gree) philosoph -7, 7$0

the help characters ma)e sense of events?4. Where have we seen human sacrifice and god"sent drought

before?$. %s there theological meaning in the 8ourne to the +secret valle

of the god -110? What about the +single leafless tree on -70?

5tud Buestions for !ill "e #a$e %aces, pp. 12"1$3 ->a 21st01. &ow has Asche changed?2. What ma)es it so hard for rual to believe Asche?3. rual describes herself as having a +charge against the gods

-110. What is this charge? Who else in mtholog criti;ues thegods, and wh?

4. &ow does this section deal with custom -what is conventional for

human beings0 and nature -what is natural0? 5ee p. 147 for ane=plicit discussion.

$. Where are the gods seen as personal? Where are the seen ascollective or shared?

5tud Buestions for !ill "e #a$e %aces, pp. 1$4"22 ->a 24th01. &ow does the image on the cover of our version show the

relationship between *upid -the Frute in our version0 andAsche?


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EUR 3287 Mythology in Literature Study Questions p." O. Ewald

2. &ow do rual and Asche argue -1$"10?3. What views of love have we seen so far in this novel?4. a 2th01. What do we learn about ancient views of slaver from this

section? oes Kewis understand the ancient world as well as9uripides?

2. *ompare and contrast the ritual practices and theologies of thetemples of Asche/%stra and !ngit.

3. &ow has rual changed in this section?4. %f the boo) ended on page 2$, what would ou thin) of this

ending?

5tud Buestions for !ill "e #a$e %aces, pp. 2$1"3, -Lune 2nd01. &ow do the illustrations contribute to this wor)?2. What moments recall the version of (puleius -review 311"3130?3. Which passages in this section recall 5cripture -#ew

Study QuestionsWinter2010

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