Triumvir Clio

Greek Epics LIII: Argonautica Book 4, or Who is the Real Hero?

Medea rocks, and I finally let loose on the Homer comparisons. Discussion Prompts Medea or Jason? Why? Which translation did you read? Pros? Cons? Would you recommend it? What role does divine intervention play in this epic? Does it help or hurt the story? What do you think of where the Argonautica ends? Is anyoneContinue reading “Greek Epics LIII: Argonautica Book 4, or Who is the Real Hero?”

Greek Tragedy XXXIII: Euripides’s Bacchae, or, Dude, Dionysos Gets Dark

Whatever you do, don’t question Dionysos’s divinity! Discussion Prompts Traditionally, maenads are women. How would you cast the chorus of maenads if you were directing today? Some of the humor in this play originally derived from Pentheus being dressed up as a woman. How would you handle that scene if you were directing this playContinue reading “Greek Tragedy XXXIII: Euripides’s Bacchae, or, Dude, Dionysos Gets Dark”

Greek Myth XXV: Hymn to Selene, or That Other Moon Goddess

In today’s episode, we meet the goddess of the moon. No, not that one. No, not that one either. You know, Selene. Discussion Prompts Why do you think the poet describes Selene as having wings when there is no other place she is described or depicted this way? If you were making a new lunarContinue reading “Greek Myth XXV: Hymn to Selene, or That Other Moon Goddess”

Greek Epics LII: Argonautica Book 3, or How Medea Met Jason

Long before the events she’s most famous for, Medea was just a girl, looking at a boy, telling him she loved him. Discussion Prompts Do you think the story would turn out differently if Medea hadn’t been shot by Eros? Why/how or why not/how not? What is the importance of Chalciope’s relationship to Telamon andContinue reading “Greek Epics LII: Argonautica Book 3, or How Medea Met Jason”

Roman Comedy XV: Plautus’s Epidicus, or If Gilbert & Sullivan Met Plautus

Gilbert and Sullivan wish they’d come up with plots as complicated as the one in Plautus’s Epidicus. Discussion Prompts If directing this play today, how would you handle the complicated plot? The four women are some of the cleverest characters in this play. Discuss. Why isn’t Periphanes aware that the soldiers are returning from Thebes?Continue reading “Roman Comedy XV: Plautus’s Epidicus, or If Gilbert & Sullivan Met Plautus”

Greek Epics LI: Argonautica Book 2, or I Don’t Think We’re in Greece Anymore

The Argonauts continue their journey in Book 2 of the Argonautica. Discussion Prompts AP Credit: Compare/Contrast Herodotus and Book 2 of the Argonautica. What does the character of Phineas tell us about age versus youth? In Book 1, the Argo lost three crew members. In Book 2, it gains seven new ones. Is that enoughContinue reading “Greek Epics LI: Argonautica Book 2, or I Don’t Think We’re in Greece Anymore”

Greek Tragedy XXXII: Euripides’s Orestes, or Mourning Does Not Become Orestes

We aren’t quite done with variations on the story of Orestes, as we see in today’s play from Euripides. I’ve told you that my brain makes fun connections. Here’s where my brain went when I was putting together today’s episode. Discussion Prompts Why is the focus on the murder of Clytaemestra and not Aegisthus? APContinue reading “Greek Tragedy XXXII: Euripides’s Orestes, or Mourning Does Not Become Orestes”

Greek Myth XXIV: Hymn to Helios, or This God Is Hot

Today we cover Homeric Hymn 31, about that hottest of the gods, Helios. Discussion Prompts Who do you think Euryphaëssa is? This hymn appears to be the prelude to an epic. What do you think that epic was about? Hyperion, Helios, and Apollo are all sun gods. Why do you think there was so muchContinue reading “Greek Myth XXIV: Hymn to Helios, or This God Is Hot”

Greek Epics L: Apollonius of Rhodes & Argonautica Book 1, or Meet the Crew

In today’s episode, we join Jason and a bunch of his friends as they set off in their boat, the Argo, in Apollonius of Rhodes’s The Argonautica. Discussion Prompts AP Credit: Discuss the women presented in Book 1 of the Argonautica. AP Credit: Compare/Contrast Pelias and Oedipus. What do you think the history is behind theContinue reading “Greek Epics L: Apollonius of Rhodes & Argonautica Book 1, or Meet the Crew”

Roman Comedy XIV: Plautus’s Curculio, or My Daughter! My Sister!

In today’s episode, we cover the shortest of Plautus’s surviving plays. Discussion Prompts AP Credit: What does this play have to say about “modern” medicine (modern being the time in which the play was written)? This is the shortest play we have by Plautus. Does this make it better or worse than the others we’veContinue reading “Roman Comedy XIV: Plautus’s Curculio, or My Daughter! My Sister!”