I hope you’re not too attached to Dido. Discussion Prompts Is Dido really in love with Aeneas? How good of a counselor is Anna? Also, is Dido in middle school? Are Dido and Aeneas married? Why or why not? How might this story be different if the gods stayed out of it? Can Aeneas make different choices?Continue reading “Roman Epics XIII: Virgil’s Aeneid Book 4, or It’s Not Pretty When Euripides is Your Model”
Category Archives: The Romans
Roman Tragedy II: Seneca’s Agamemnon, or He’ll Enter Eventually
We finally get around to covering Seneca’s Agamemnon in today’s episode. Discussion Prompts I know I’ve asked this before, but how old is Orestes?!? What is the purpose of Pylades entering with Stropius? Do you think this work was written for performance? Why or why not? The usual directing questions: Vision? Setting? Dream cast? Compare/contrast Cassandra andContinue reading “Roman Tragedy II: Seneca’s Agamemnon, or He’ll Enter Eventually”
Roman Epics XII: Virgil’s Aeneid Book 3, or Wait, Haven’t I Heard This Story Before?
This journey sounds vaguely familiar… Discussion Prompts How might this story be different if the Trojans had listened to Cassandra? Discuss the role trauma plays in this story. How would you go about writing an epic about the Trojan War and its aftermath? Compare/contrast Andromache’s story as told by Virgil and as told by Euripides.Continue reading “Roman Epics XII: Virgil’s Aeneid Book 3, or Wait, Haven’t I Heard This Story Before?”
Roman Tragedy I: Meet Seneca the Younger, Not to Be Confused with Seneca the Elder
Stoicism meets tragedy. Discussion Prompts Why does it make sense for a stoic philosopher to write tragedy? What play or plays are you most looking forward to? How do you think Seneca’s philosophy will impact how he tells myths that we’ve covered before?
Roman Epics XI: Virgil’s Aeneid Book 2, or We Finally Hear About the Horse
I knew there was a horse in Troy! I’m not finding a royalty-free photo of the Bernini’s “Aeneas, Anchises, and Ascanius,” but you can read all about it at the Museo Borghese website here. Is it Bernini’s best? Meh. But I still love his work. I was, however, able to find a royalty-free picture ofContinue reading “Roman Epics XI: Virgil’s Aeneid Book 2, or We Finally Hear About the Horse”
Roman Comedy XXVII: Humanism in Roman Comedy
We wrap up the Roman comedies in today’s episode. Roman comedies are very domestic, so they have much to say about human relationships. What do they tell us about being parents or children? Neighbors? Husbands? Wives? Siblings? Friends? Any of the other relationships we’ve seen? Roman comedies are also filled with stock characters. What doContinue reading “Roman Comedy XXVII: Humanism in Roman Comedy”
Roman Epics X: Virgil’s Aeneid Book 1, or Joanie Loves Chachi, I Mean, Juno Loves Carthage
Aeneas gets shipwrecked in Book 1 of The Aeneid. Discussion Prompts What does Juno’s love of Carthage say about her relationship to Rome? AP Credit: Roman imperialism as shown in this book. And… GO! How much free will does Dido have? Why? How would you feel about having Venus as your mother? Why? AP Credit:Continue reading “Roman Epics X: Virgil’s Aeneid Book 1, or Joanie Loves Chachi, I Mean, Juno Loves Carthage”
Roman Comedy XXVI: Terence’s Adelphoe, or Oh Brother!
Terence takes a stab at the Mommy Wars in Adelphoe. Discussion Prompts Whose parenting style is superior: Micio’s or Demea’s? Why? Retell this story from the point-of-view of Bacchis or Pamphila. What do Micio’s circumstances at the end of the play tell us about the expectations of a proper Roman man? Directing questions: vision? theme? modernContinue reading “Roman Comedy XXVI: Terence’s Adelphoe, or Oh Brother!”
Roman Epics XI: Virgil’s Georgics Book 4, or The Birds and the Bees Minus the Birds
Virgil likes bees for their honey and their metaphorical nature. If you have PBS Passport, I highly recommend this version of the Gluck opera about Orpheus and Eurydice. It is a beautiful reimagining, modern update. It’s available until 1/16/22, so there’s still time to catch it unless you’ve come to this episode long after itContinue reading “Roman Epics XI: Virgil’s Georgics Book 4, or The Birds and the Bees Minus the Birds”
Roman Comedy XXV: Terence’s Phormio, or Athens Legal
Liars and lovers and lawyers, oh my! Discussion Prompts Retell this story from the perspective of the women seen or mentioned in this play. The usual directing questions: vision, interpretation, setting, dream cast. Discuss Geta and Phormio and how they fit (or don’t fit) the stock characters of the clever slave and parasite. Discuss howContinue reading “Roman Comedy XXV: Terence’s Phormio, or Athens Legal”
Triumvir Clio's School of Classical Civilization 