Classical Greek Mythology

Essays should have a central question (the questions set below are a guide, but may be modified slightly to suit your interests), and be evidence-based. The best approach is a) describe your approach to the question and proposed solution, b) suggest two or three types of evidence that will support your view and what each is intended to show, c) discuss individual 2-3 examples of discrete textual, material, or visual evidence under each section, d) describe how the examples support your view in the conclusion. These essays do not require outside reading, but should be well-structured and convincing Focal Questions: In what ways do Aeschylus’ plays add to the problems of family life depicted in Homer’s Iliad? How does Athena’s resolution to the murder trial of Orestes reflect the Greek view of women? In what sense is either the Homeric nostos (“homecoming”) or Sophocles’ use of the Theban saga religious? How do Sophocles’ plays use myth to make important points about the human condition? Set Sources: S. Lombardo (tr.), Homer: The Essential Iliad, Hackett Publ., 2000  S. Lombardo (tr.), Virgil: The Essential Aeneid, Hackett Publ., 2006