Triumvir Clio

Roman Comedy XXI: Terence’s Hecyra, or And You Thought the Honeymooners Was Messed Up

The honeymooners in Terence’s Hecyra have a lot to unpack. Discussion Prompts AP Credit: There are several instances in which traditional Roman gender roles seem to be switched. Discuss. Who is the titular “mother-in-law”? Sostrata? Or Myrrina? Why? Pamphilus is a horrible human being. Discuss. The usual directing questions: setting, dream cast, concept. Why? Write the playContinue reading “Roman Comedy XXI: Terence’s Hecyra, or And You Thought the Honeymooners Was Messed Up”

Greek Myth XXIX: Pseudo-Apollodorus’s Bibliotheca Book I, Chapter IV – Apollo & Artemis, or When Archers Get Mad

In today’s episode, we get a few stories about Apollo and Artemis. Don’t cross them. Discussion Prompts If Aphrodite has caused someone to be in love, are they consenting to the subsequent relationship? Why or why not? Tityus: Does the punishment fit the crime? Which story of Orion’s death do you think is right? DoesContinue reading “Greek Myth XXIX: Pseudo-Apollodorus’s Bibliotheca Book I, Chapter IV – Apollo & Artemis, or When Archers Get Mad”

Roman Epics VI: De Rerum Natura Book 6, or Lucretius Drives Home His Point

Lucretius wraps up his epic take on Epicurus. Discussion Prompts AP Credit: Compare/Contrast Epicurus and Lucretius. Has Lucretius convinced you not to fear death? Or not to fear the gods? What do you think about Lucretius’s physics? Do the gods exist? Why or why not? Any other thoughts on Lucretius and De Rerum Natura?

Roman Comedy XX: Plautus’s Rudens, or Down by the Bay Where the Watermelons Grow

Plautus steps away from the city and from Rome, or rather Greece, in Rudens. Discussion Prompts Does the setting of this play (on the shore, outside the city, in neither Rome nor Greece) change how we should think about it? Why or why not? AP Credit: Compare/contrast with Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Palaestra and Ampelisca. Discuss. IfContinue reading “Roman Comedy XX: Plautus’s Rudens, or Down by the Bay Where the Watermelons Grow”

Greek Myth XXVIII: Pseudo-Apollodorus’s Bibliotheca Book I, Chapter III – Theogony: Olympian Gods, or Zeus Does a Lot of Begetting

The author of the Bibliotheca tries to decipher the Olympian family tree. Discussion Prompts Who are Aphrodite’s parents? Persephone’s? Coming off of Prompt #1, how does a shift in the parentage of these goddesses impact the power of them? In the case of Persephone, how does this impact the power of Demeter? Metis. Discuss. WhichContinue reading “Greek Myth XXVIII: Pseudo-Apollodorus’s Bibliotheca Book I, Chapter III – Theogony: Olympian Gods, or Zeus Does a Lot of Begetting”

Roman Epics V: De Rerum Natura Book 5, or Darwin Didn’t Get There First

Lucretius gives a logical explanation for why chimeras can’t exist in Book 5 of De Rerum Natura. Discussion Prompts What’s your favorite mythological creature that combines two different animals? Can religion and science coexist? Be polite. AP Credit: What are some modern equivalents of this epic? Discuss. What does Lucretius (and/or Epicurus) get right about evolution?Continue reading “Roman Epics V: De Rerum Natura Book 5, or Darwin Didn’t Get There First”

Roman Comedy XIX: Plautus’s Poenulus, or But I Thought Carthage and Rome Were Mortal Enemies

What language is that? Discussion Prompts Why do you think Plautus didn’t change Hanno’s nationality? How does Adelphasium really feel about Agorastocles? Does Lycus deserve what he gets? What do you think will happen to Anthemonides? The usual directing questions: Concept, setting, dream cast, etc.

Greek Myth XXVIII: Pseudo-Apollodorus’s Bibliotheca Book I, Chapter II – Theogony: War of the Titans, or So… There Was This War…

We learn all about the War of the Titans in today’s episode… Sort of… Not really… Discussion Prompts Metis. Discuss. Campe is female and is replaced as guardian of Tartarus by the male Hundred-handed Ones. What does this say about gender status prior to the Olympians and after? Do you think this work survived theContinue reading “Greek Myth XXVIII: Pseudo-Apollodorus’s Bibliotheca Book I, Chapter II – Theogony: War of the Titans, or So… There Was This War…”

Roman Epics IV: De Rerum Natura Book 4, or How to Strut Your Hour Upon the Stage Without Fretting

Lucretius insists that we don’t have to fear death. We’ll see if his reasoning is at all helpful. Discussion Prompts If a tree falls in the woods, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Love: Good or bad? Why? Does the belief that there is no afterlife increase orContinue reading “Roman Epics IV: De Rerum Natura Book 4, or How to Strut Your Hour Upon the Stage Without Fretting”

Roman Comedy XVIII: Plautus’s Mostellaria, or I Ain’t Afraid of No Ghost

Is the house haunted? Find out in Plautus’s Mostellaria. Discussion Prompts How clever is Tranio really? AP Credit: Discuss status as we see it presented in this play. Is Tranio truly forgiven by Theopropides when this play ends? Why did Henry Thomas Riley insist on changing the names of characters in a manner that bringsContinue reading “Roman Comedy XVIII: Plautus’s Mostellaria, or I Ain’t Afraid of No Ghost”