Virgil goes into great detail on animal husbandry in Book 3 of the Georgics. Discussion Prompts Pick one: Cattle, horses, sheep, or goats? Why? AP Credit: Compare/contrast the Biblical stories about sheep and goats with Virgil’s discussion of sheep and goats. What do you think about Virgil’s discussion of different herding practices? What’s your favorite partContinue reading “Roman Epics X: Virgil’s Georgics Book 3, or Look! Cows!”
Category Archives: The Romans
Roman Comedy XXIV: Terence’s Eunouchus, or The Eunuch is Not Who He Seems
The title character is not who he seems in Terence’s Eunouchus. Discussion Prompts Who is the titular eunuch? Why? If you were directing this today, how would you handle the rape that is central to the plot? And the usual directing questions: dream cast, setting, vision, etc.? Vengeance vs justice as presented in this play. Discuss.Continue reading “Roman Comedy XXIV: Terence’s Eunouchus, or The Eunuch is Not Who He Seems”
Roman Epics IX: Virgil’s Georgics Book 2, or The Lorax
Virgil speaks for the trees in Book 2 of the Georgics. Discussion Prompts If you were a tree what kind of tree would you be? Why? Discuss Virgil’s take on terroir. How has the land where you live and/or grew up affected who you are today? What do you think of the Georgics so far? Why?Continue reading “Roman Epics IX: Virgil’s Georgics Book 2, or The Lorax”
Roman Comedy XXIII: Terence’s Heauton Timorumenos, or Two Dads, Their Sons, and a Pizza Place
Two fathers, two sons, and two objects of their affection get mixed up in Heauton Timorumenos. Discussion Prompts Bacchis. Discuss. What does this play say about the relationship between father and son? The usual directing questions: vision? setting? dream cast? Is Syrus a “clever slave”? Why or why not? Mercenaries. Discuss.
Roman Epics VIII: Virgil’s Georgics Book 1, or Not Hesiod’s Works and Days
Virgil expounds on farming in the first book of the Georgics. Discussion Prompts. AP Credit: Compare/contrast Virgil’s story of early human existence and the biblical Garden of Eden. Are we better since Jupiter brought pain into the world? AP Credit: Compare/contrast Hesiod’s “fall of man” with Virgil’s. Do you believe Virgil really is happy aboutContinue reading “Roman Epics VIII: Virgil’s Georgics Book 1, or Not Hesiod’s Works and Days”
Roman Comedy XXII: Terence’s Andria, or No, the Other Woman from Andros
The marriage is on and off in Terence’s Andria. Discussion Prompts Who is the titular woman from Andros? Chrysis? Or Glycerium? Which translation of the title is better, The Girl from Andros or The Woman from Andros? Why? How does this play upend some of our stock characters? AP Credit: Compare/Contrast this play with Thornton Wilder’sContinue reading “Roman Comedy XXII: Terence’s Andria, or No, the Other Woman from Andros”
Roman Epics VII: Intro to Virgil, or Rome’s Favorite Propagandist
Virgil loved Rome and Rome loved Virgil. Discussion Prompts How familiar are you with the works of Virgil? What are you looking forward to reading?
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”
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”
Triumvir Clio's School of Classical Civilization 