Western literature week 4

À The Iliad

Iliad, this epic Homeric poem tells the story of the Trojan War and the battle of Troy (Ilium), one of the most important and well-known events in Greek mythology when the gods still visited mortals. It tells of Achilles, leader of the Achaeans and his great wrath towards King Agamemnon, leader of the Greeks. Narrated by one informed by the Muses, it includes other such important Achaean and Trojan figures as Zeus, Patroclus, Diomed, Ajax, Menelaus, Hector, Hecuba, Helen, Paris, and Aeneas. Iliad is a glorification of war and the bravery of Achilles, demi-god and great military warrior.

À Greek mythology

Greek mythology is the body of myths and teachings that belong to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. It was a part of the religion in ancient Greece. Modern scholars refer to and study the myths in an attempt to shed light on the religious and political institutions of Ancient Greece and its civilization, and to gain understanding of the nature of myth-making itself.

ö Survey of mythic history

Greek mythology has changed over time to accommodate the evolution of their culture, of which mythology, both overtly and in its unspoken assumptions, is an index of the changes. In Greek mythology's surviving literary forms, as found mostly at the end of the progressive changes, it is inherently political, as Gilbert Cuthbertson has argued.

1.      The myths of origin or age of gods (Theogonies, "births of gods"): myths about the origins of    the world, the gods, and the human race.

2.      The age when gods and mortals mingled freely: stories of the early interactions between gods, demigods, and mortals.

3.      The age of heroes (heroic age), where divine activity was more limited. The last and greatest of the heroic legends is the story of the Trojan War and after (which is regarded by some researchers as a separate fourth period).

r VR/ Virtual reality: First things first, you're going to need to know what VR actually is. The clue is in the name - it's the experience of a world that doesn't actually exist. We aren't talking about getting yourself lost in a book or day dreaming about a photo or painting however, even if these technically are also experiencing some sort of virtual reality.

The virtual reality we are talking about is one created by computers that allows you to experience and interact with a 3D world that isn't real by putting on a head-mounted display and some form of input tracking.

                rAR/ Augmented reality:Augmented reality (AR) is a live direct or indirect view                   of  a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented (or supplemented) by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data. It is  related to a more general concept called mediated reality, in which a view of reality modified (possibly even diminished rather than augmented) by a computer. As a result, the technology functions by enhancing one’s current perception of reality. By contrast,  virtual reality replaces the real world with a simulated one.

 ö Twelve Olympians

                   In the ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, the Twelve Olympians are the major deities of the Greek pantheon, commonly considered to be Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Hermes, and either Hestia or Dionysus.Hades and Persephone were sometimes included as part of the twelve Olympians (primarily due to the influence of the Eleusinian Mysteries), although in general Hades was excluded, because he resided permanently in the underworld and never visited Olympus.

             The major Olympians

GREEK	ROMAN	GOD OF...	SYMBOL
1. Zeus	Jupiter/Jove	King of the Gods	King of the gods and ruler of Mount Olympus; god of the sky, lightning, thunder, law, order, justice. Youngest child of the Titans Cronus and Rhea. Symbols include the thunderbolt, eagle, oak tree, scepter, and scales. Brother and husband of Hera, although he had many lovers, also brother of Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, and Hestia.
2. Hera	Juno	Queen of the Gods	Queen of the gods and the goddess of marriage and family. Symbols include the peacock, cuckoo, and cow. Youngest daughter of Cronus and Rhea. Wife and sister of Zeus. Being the goddess of marriage, she frequently tried to get revenge on Zeus' lovers and their children.
3. Poseidon	Neptune	The Sea	God of the seas, earthquakes, and tidal wave. Symbols include the horse, bull, dolphin, and trident. Middle son of Cronus and Rhea. Brother of Zeus and Hades. Married to the Nereid Amphitrite, although, like most male Greek Gods, he had many lovers.
4. Demeter	Ceres	poppy, wheat, torch, cornucopia, and pig	Goddess of fertility, agriculture, nature, and the seasons. Symbols include the poppy, wheat, torch, cornucopia, and pig. Middle daughter of Cronus and Rhea.
5. Hestia	Vesta	Hearth/Home	Goddess of the hearth and of the right ordering of domesticity and the family; she was born into the first Olympian generation and was one of the original twelve Olympians. Some lists of the Twelve Olympians omit her in favor of Dionysus, but the speculation that she gave her throne to him in order to keep the peace seems to be modern invention. She is the first child of Cronus and Rhea, eldest sister of Hades, Demeter, Poseidon, Hera, and Zeus.
6 Athena	Minerva	Wisdom/War	Goddess of wisdom, reason, intelligent activity, literature, handicrafts and science, defense and strategic warfare. Symbols include the owl and the olive tree. Daughter of Zeus and the Oceanid Metis, she rose from her father's head fully grown and in full battle armor.
7. Artemis	Diana	Moon/Hunt	Goddess of the hunt, virginity, archery, the moon, and all animals. Symbols include the moon, deer, hound, she-bear, snake, cypress tree, and bow and arrow. Daughter of Zeus and Leto and twin sister of Apollo.
8. Apollo	Apollo	Light/Music/Prophecy	God of light, prophecy, inspiration, poetry, music and arts, medicine and healing. Son of Zeus and Leto. Symbols include the sun, lyre, swan, and mouse. Twin brother of Artemis.
9. Aphrodite	Venus	Love/Beauty	Goddess of love, beauty, and desire. Symbols include the dove, bird, apple, bee, swan, myrtle, and rose. Daughter of Zeus and the Oceanid Dione, or perhaps born from the sea foam after Uranus' semen dripped into the sea after being castrated by his youngest son, Cronus, who then threw his father's genitals into the sea. Married to Hephaestus, although she had many adulterous affairs, most notably with Ares. Her name gave us the word "aphrodisiac", while her Latin name, Venus, gave us the word "venereal
10.Hephaestus	Vulcan	Fire/Forge	Master blacksmith and craftsman of the gods; god of fire and the forge. Symbols include fire, anvil, axe, donkey, hammer, tongs, and quail. Son of Hera, either by Zeus or alone. Married to Aphrodite, though unlike most divine husbands, he was rarely ever licentious. His Latin name, Vulcan, gave us the word "volcano.
11. Ares	Mars	War	God of war, violence, and bloodshed. Symbols include the boar, serpent, dog, vulture, spear, and shield. Son of Zeus and Hera, all the other gods despised him. His Latin name, Mars, gave us the word "martial."
12. Hermes	Mercury	Messenger/Divine Herald	Messenger of the gods; god of commerce, communication, borders, eloquence, diplomacy, thieves and games. Symbols include the caduceus (staff entwined with two snakes), winged sandals and cap, stork, and tortoise (whose shell he used to invent the lyre). Son of Zeus and the nymph Maia. The second-youngest Olympian, just older than Dionysus.

       rpyre: A pyre also known as a funeral pyre, is a structure, usually made of wood, for burning a body as part of a funeral rite or execution. As a form of cremation, a body is placed upon or under the pyre, which is then set on fire.

                     rAstrology: Astrology is the study of the movements and relative positions of celestial objects as a means for divining information about human affairs and terrestrial events.

                     rVulcan: The god of fire and metalworking

                     rlame: boring, dull, uninspired.

                     rflashback: a short part of a film, story, or play that goes back to events in the past

                     rForeshadowing: Foreshadowing is a literary device by which an author hints what is to come. Foreshadowing is a dramatic device in which an important plot-point is mentioned early in the story and will return in a more significant way.It is used to avoid disappointment. It is also sometimes used to arouse the reader.

           öAchilles’ heel

An Achilles' heel is a weakness in spite of overall strength, which can actually or potentially lead to downfall. While the mythological origin refers to a physical vulnerability, idiomatic references to other attributes or qualities that can lead to downfall are common.

   

     Oil painting (c. 1625) by Peter Paul Rubens of the goddess Thetis dipping her son Achilles in the River Styx, which runs through Hades. In the background, the ferryman Charon rows the dead across the river in his boat.

    The death of Achilles was not mentioned in Homer's Iliad, but appeared in later Greek and Roman poetry and drama concerning events after the Iliad, later in the Trojan War. In the myths surrounding the war, Achilles was said to have died from a heel wound which was the result of an arrow—possibly poisoned—shot by Paris.

Iliad Quiz 1

表單的頂端

1.      Achilles is the son of

Aphrodite and Patroclus

Thetis and Peleus

Thetis and Zeus

Chryseis and Agamemnon

2.      In Book 1, Apollo brings plague on the Achaeans because

Achilles insults Leto's beauty

Agamemnon mistreats a priest of Apollo

Troy is Apollo's birthplace

Menelaus plunders Apollo's temple

3.      In Book 1, Achilles is stopped from killing Agamemnon by

Zeus

Odysseus

Hector

Pallas Athena

4.      Achilles asks Thetis to prevail on Zeus to

grant the Achaeans victory through the deception of the Trojan Horse

make the Achaeans lose as long as Achilles does not fight

protect Patroclus

destroy Troy with an earthquake

5.      Three gods have a particularly strong hatred for Troy. Who are they?

Hera, Poseidon, and Athena

Hera, Poseidon, and Artemis

Zeus, Aphrodite, and Apollo

Zeus, Athena, and Apollo

6.      The Trojan War was caused by

the fight over who would possess the jewel-studded Trojan horse

Paris' abduction of Helen

Agamemnon's abduction of Chryseis

Troy's monopoly of the spice trade

7.      Who is the first Achaean warrior Athena aids in battle?

Meriones

Ajax

Diomedes

Hector

8.      Who is Achilles' most beloved companion?

Hector

Diomedes

Nestor

Patroclus

9.      Which two Achaeans go on the night raid in Book 10?

Diomedes and Odysseus

Achilles and Patroclus

Agamemnon and Odysseus

Ajax and Odysseus

10.  Which of these gods is the most consistent helper of the Trojans?

Poseidon

Artemis

Athena

Apollo

11.  When Diomedes and Glaucos realize that their families have a friendly history, the two warriors

desert their respective armies

pledge friendship and vow never to kill each other

realize that Athena is playing a trick on them

curse their fathers and charge into battle

12.  In the Iliad, who is the messenger of the gods?

Zephyrus

Athena

Iris

Andromache

13.  To hold back the Trojans and protect their ships, the Achaeans

put the ships into the harbor, using Odysseus' new invention, the anchor

set fire to the plain around Troy

build fortifications in front of the ships

set up booby traps outside their beached vessels

14.  Who is the greatest Trojan champion?

Aeneas

Hector

Priam

Paris

15.  Who is the king of Troy?

Sarpedon

Priam

Hector

Agamemnon

16.  Thanks to direct and indirect aid from Athena, which gods are wounded by Diomedes in Book 5?

Xanthus and Aphrodite

Zeus and Hera

Ares and Aphrodite

Ares and Apollo

17.  Who is Hector's wife?

Hecuba

Andromache

Briseis

Chryseis

18.  Who among the Trojans is destined to survive, to be the king of the Trojans left after the war?

Hector

Sarpedon

Aeneas

Helenus

19.  Who is the oldest of the Achaean chieftains?

Diomedes

Agamemnon

Achilles

Nestor

20.  In Book 14, Hera makes it possible for Poseidon to help the Achaeans by

using a love charm to seduce Zeus and enlisting the aid of Sleep to keep his attention off of the war

stealing Zeus's thunderbolts and giving them to Poseidon

revealing the prophecies of fate to Poseidon

shackling Zeus with chains made by Hephaestus

21.  Homer's attitude toward the interaction between fate and free will could best be described as

a belief that the gods control everything and men have no agency

a belief in an often paradoxical combination of man's free will, the intervention of the gods, and the dictates of fate

a belief that man's destiny is always completely in his own hands

a belief that fate is an illusion

22.  In many works of Greek literature, pride

is a horrible sin, the opposite of the important heroic virtue of humility

is the road to success

is always successfully held in check

is a cause of ruin but also an inextricable part of greatness

23.  Odysseus is especially beloved by which goddess?

Hera

Aphrodite

Thetis

Athena

24.  Patroclus could best be described as

both fierce and compassionate

both angry and bitter

both deranged and wise

both happy and drunk

25.  Who is the greatest warrior of the Trojan War?

Achilles

Patroclus

Ajax

Hector