Study Questions & Essay Topics
Study Questions
1. Compare and
contrast the characters of Odysseus and Aeneas. How do the aspects
of their heroism differ? What does this say about their respective
societies?
2. Compare and
contrast the visions of heroism in the Iliad and the Odyssey. How
do these visions reflect different ideas about human life and its
place in the world?
3. Discuss the
ways in which these myths functioned as literature, science, and
religion.
Suggested Essay Topics
1. In terms of the myths as a
whole, what is unusual about Hercules' character? How does he maintain
his heroic stature after committing so many crimes?
2. Discuss the role of women
in these myths. Do these stories offer one cohesive vision of the
role of women in Greek society?
3. Neither Oedipus, nor Orestes,
nor Antigone goes on any long adventure full of monsters and vicious
gods, yet all three are considered “heroes” of Greek myth. What
defines these three unusual characters as heroic?
4. Compare and contrast the stories
of Orestes and Medea. Both are about vengeance, but why is one character
celebrated and the other demonized?
5. Prometheus is an unusual character—among
other reasons, for defying both his fellow Titans and, later, Zeus.
What do you make of his actions? As what kind of symbol might he have
functioned for the classical authors?
6. The myths are full of instances
of the cruelty of the gods. Giving multiple examples, discuss the
reasons for the gods' cruelty. Is it always justified? What does
the cruelty of the gods say about the Greeks' view of the universe?
