Greek Epics XXXIII: Odyssey Book 8, or I Have a Song to Sing-O!

The Phaiakians play some games and sing some songs and still don’t know Odysseus’s name. 

Discussion Prompts
  1. AP Credit: Compare and contrast Athena’s actions as they relate to Telemakhos and Odysseus.
  2. What do you think happens in the rest of the first song, the one about the fight between Achilles and Odysseus?
  3. AP Credit: Discuss the gender dynamics in the song about Ares and Aphrodite.
  4. Where do you think Nausikaa has been this whole time? How do you think she’s feeling? How would you tell this story from her perspective?
  5. Why do you think it takes so long for Alkinoös to ask for his guest’s name? What do you think would have happened if Demodokos had sung different songs, ones that weren’t about Troy?
  6. Would you want to live in Phaiakia? Why or why not?

Greek Tragedy XXIII: Euripides’s The Suppliants, or How the Other Half Mourns

In today’s play, we learn what happens to the rest of the seven men who make up the famous Seven Against Thebes.

Discussion Prompts
  1. Why would the suppliants be assembled at a temple of Demeter instead of some other god?
  2. If you were directing this today, how would you cast your chorus? How many mothers would you include? Why? Who would you cast as Aethra? Why?
  3. AP Credit:  “What really poisons life for the better class of person is when a man of no principles rises from obscurity to a position of great importance through using his tongue to control the people.”  How is this line still relevant today? Provide examples.
  4. Given how political this play is, how would you design it for a modern audience? When and where would you set it? How would you cast it? Why?
  5. Discuss the role of women in this play and how women are spoken of by the men in the play.
  6. AP Credit: Funeral rites. Discuss.
  7. What purpose do the characters of Evadne and Iphis serve in this story?

Greek Myth XV: Hymn to Herakles the Lion-Hearted, or A Hymn to the OG GOAT

Today’s episode looks at Homeric Hymn #15, about the original greatest of all time.

Discussion Prompts
  1. What does Herakles’s ultimate marriage to Hebe say about youthfulness, death, and the afterlife?
  2. Why do you think this poem glosses over so many of the details of Herakles’s life?
  3. What other thoughts do you have about this poem?

Greek Epics XXXII: Odyssey Book 7, or Meet the Phaiakians

Odysseus meets the Phaiakians. He’s getting closer to home, but we still have a long way to go before he gets there.

The Acropolis in Athens. I like that this photo shows both the large Parthenon and the smaller and older Erektheon. Image by Dias12 from Pixabay 
Discussion Prompts
  1. What do you think about the utopia that Phaiakia is supposed to represent?
  2. Do you think Athena’s actions are necessary? Why or why not?
  3. Who is really in charge: Alkinoös or Arêtê?
  4. Where do you think Nausikaa is in this book?
  5. Who is your favorite character so far? Why?

Roman Comedy V: Plautus’s Bacchides, or Parent Trap

This is Bacchis. And this is her sister Bacchis. Confused yet?

Here are some clips from Bacchides that give you a sense of what it might have looked like when performed in Rome and how it can be made slightly more accessible when translated into English.

In Latin. Maybe how it would have appeared in ancient Rome. Except for the women.
In English, but with all the trappings of an ancient play
In English, but no masks, which may or may not be a plus in this production
Discussion Prompts
  1. What do you think happens in the missing first scene(s)?
  2. How would you handle this play if you were directing it today? The usual when/where/why, but also how would you deal with the missing opening?
  3. What does this play tell us about the worship of Bacchus?
  4. Does it matter that the worship of Bacchus was frequently gynocentric? Why or why not?
  5. Bacchis and Bacchis don’t appear much in what survives of this play. Why do you think it’s named after them?

Greek Epics XXXI: Odyssey Book 6, or The Princess and the Frog

Meet the Phaiakhians. And their princess Nausikaa. And watch Nausikaa meet Odysseus.

Discussion Prompts
  1. The poet describes Nausikaa as being like Artemis. Then Odysseus calls her Artemis. Is Odysseus being sincere?
  2. What do you like to do to celebrate laundry day?
  3. What would be wrong with Nausikaa bringing Odysseus home?
  4. Why does Nausikaa tell Odysseus to go to her mother and not her father?

Greek Tragedy XXII: Euripides’s Hekabe, or Queen Lear

Hekabe loses power and her children in this play about what happens after the fall of Troy.

Discussion Prompts
  1. If you were directing this, who would you cast as Hekabe? What about Polyxena?Where and when would you set it? Why?
  2. AP Credit: Compare and contrast the various human sacrifices surrounding the Trojan War.
  3. Why do you think Polyxena consents to the sacrifice?
  4. AP Credit: Guest friendship! And… go!
  5. How do you think we should feel after reading (or watching) this play? Why?

Greek Myth XIV: Hymn to Mother of the Gods, or Your Guess Is As Good As Mine

In this episode, we review #14 of the Homeric Hymns: Hymn to the Mother of the Gods.

Discussion Prompts
  1. AP Credit: Which goddess is this hymn dedicated to? Why?
  2. What does the Mother of the Gods’s association with nature and wild animals say about the role of women and mortal mothers?

Greek Epics XXX: Odyssey Book 5, or It Turns Out the Odyssey Really IS About Odysseus

We finally join Odysseus as he tries to get home from Troy.

Discussion Prompts
  1. How consensual do you think the relationship between Kalypso and Odysseus is? Why?
  2. Why is death in battle preferable to death at sea?
  3. AP Credit: Liminality. Discuss.
  4. How legitimate is Kalypso’s complaint about the double-standard when it comes to immortals sleeping with mortals? Why?
  5. Why do you think Ino helps Odysseus?
  6. Why do you think Poseidon decides to let Odysseus go?

Roman Comedy IV: Plautus’s Pseudolus, or Is “Comedy Tonight” Stuck In Your Head, Too?

We’ll talk about tragedy tomorrow and comedy tonight. Okay, we’ll really talk about tragedy next week and comedy today. Yes, this is the source for Sondheim’s Pseudolus, and if you already know A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, this play should have a familiar feel to you.

Nathan Lane as Pseudolus in a scene from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. The quality isn’t great, but I wanted to find something from a stage production and not the movie.

I also found this great YouTube channel with clips from some Plautus productions put on at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Here’s what they’ve shared from Pseudolus.

A scene in Latin
In English, a la Commedia dell’Arte, which is another theatrical form that makes heavy use of stock characters
A scene in English in modern dress
In ancient dress, but as a “hip-hopera” because why not?
Ancient costumes, renaissance masks, English language — You can do just about anything with these ancient comedies!
Discussion Prompts
  1. Who do you think should deliver the prologue?
  2. AP Credit: Discuss class as presented in this play.
  3. If you were directing this play today, how would you handle the metatheacricality of it? Plus the usual questions of where and when you’d set it, your dream cast, why…
  4. AP Credit: Discuss the metatheatrical elements of this play.
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