Short Answer Questions Mythology Exam 3
What types of justice do Apollo and the Furies stand for in the myth of Orestes (as told by Aeschylus)? What other symbols does the myth use to reinforce this distinction?
After Orestes avenges the death of his father the Furies pursue him for killing his mother. Orestes turns to Apollo for help, but the cleansing Apollo did on Orestes did not stop the Furies so Apollo turns to Athena and she sets up a court in Athens to try Orestes. There is where we can see what kind of justice Apollo stands for and what kind of justice the Furies stand for. The Furies argue that the family is most important and and that this is a crime against the institution of the family. Apollo makes the argument that social values, the right of kings, the laws of inheritance, and the laws of Zeus are what is most important. The symbols used to reinforce this distinction is gender symbolism. The Furies and Clytemnestra represented matriarchy and Zeus and Apollo represented the masculine rule.
What does Odysseus learn from Achilles and Agamemnon when he sees them in the underworld? Where else in the myth do these same ideas appear?
During Odysseus' adventures he goes to the underworld where is able to speak with Achilles and Agamemnon who also fought at Troy. Achilles tells him that he would rather be a servant to a poor man than to be king over all of the dead. Achilles now realizes that life is more important than glory. Agamemnon tells him about how he was killed and warns Odysseus to not trust even Penelope. The same idea for Achilles is revealed to him when his double fate is revealed to him. He can go back home and live a long life, but be forgotten or he can fight at Troy and die, but have immortal glory. Also the same idea of realizing that glory is not always the best thing a mortal can have is shown again when Odysseus reveals his true identity to the cyclops for the glory, but it really ends up just causing more problems for himself. The idea that Agamemnon reveals appears again in the Myth when Odysseus is wary of revealing himself when he finally gets home and only tells his son who he is, but not his wife Penelope, who eventually tricks him into revealing that he is Odysseus.
What is the argument between Achilles and Agamemnon in the Iliad "really" about, as discussed in the book and presentation? Why does Achilles refuse Agamemnon's gifts at first, and why does he eventually rejoin the fight?
During the raid of Chryse they captured two women. One was awarded to Agamemnon (Chryseis) and one was awarded to Achilles. Agamemnon refused to let Chryseis father take her back for a ransom. Chryseis prays to Apollo and Apollo sends a plague on the Greek camp. There are rumors that this plague is happening because Agamemnon won't give Chryseis back. Agamemnon is forced to give her back and he is angry that he was made to look bad in front of everyone so he takes Achilles prize, Briseis instead. Other warriors would have let it go because they know they need to keep the chain of command to maintain authority. Achilles was not like the other warriors so he refuses to fight until Agamemnon will acknowledge the contributions that Achilles makes. The argument between Achilles and Agamemnon is really about Agamemnon being the stubborn leader and Achiles being the stubborn warrior who wants to be recognized as being a valuable member of the "army". It's not really about the girl. Then Agamemnon realizes that he does need Achilles to fight this war so he promises Achilles gifts if he comes back. Achilles does not accept the gifts because he knows if he does he will also be accepting that Agamemnon is his overlord and is more kingly. Achilles want's to be treated like an equal not a pawn. Achilles eventually rejoins the fight when his friend Patroclus goes to take his place in the fight and is killed by Hector. Achilles wants revenge for the death of Partoclus and even though he is still mad at Agamemnon his want for revenge over powers that.
What are the key parts of Orphism that make it a "mystery religion"? What other ancient religions had similar traits?
Orpheus is the central character in a saga. Saga's are know to focus on heroes, have a specific geographical context, and they are built on some historical fact. His saga involves him going to the underworld after his bride, Eurdice, dies. The key parts that make Orphism a "mystery religion" are that there is an emphasis on the emotional impact of ritual instead of seeing sacrifice as a way of bargaining with the gods. In Orphism they demonstrate this with the various prohibitions they have like shedding blood and eating meat. There is also a promise of some afterlife. Orphism also promotes a body-soul dualism. For the most part we can figure out what their religion was about, but we do not have the original "bible" so all we can do is speculate from existing documents that mention Orphism which is why it remaits a mystery. Another mystery religion that has similar traits are the Eleusinian mysteries. Demeter was also the central character in a saga where she made a trip to the underworld to get her daughter, Persephone, back. Both of the saga's focus on the experiences and emotions of the central character. The Eleusinian mysteries also made a promise about the afterlife and has an emphasis on the emotional impact of ritual like Orphism. The Eleusinian mysteries also remain a mystery because we don't have the original text and again can only speculate about it as a religion.
What "tricks" does Penelope play on different characters in the story? Why is she the perfect wife for Odysseus (as opposed to one of the other heroes)?
Penelope has many suitors while Odysseus is at war since she is somewhat left in charge, but is still just a women the men think they have a good shot at becoming king if they marry her. She tells them she needs to finish weaving something for Odysseus' father and then she will pick someone. The trick she plays on them is that every night she undoes her weaving. One of her servants reveals her trick to the suitors, but she stills remains loyal and waits for Odysseus to return. Also once Odysseus returns, but is disguised as a beggar she tells the suitors that Odysseus said she can choose a suitor once her son becomes a man. The next morning she also tells the "beggar" that she had a dream that Odysseus returned. She sets up a competition involving Odysseus' bow so of course we knows how to use it and kills the other suitors, but Penelope still "denies" that it's really Odysseus. She tells her maid to move Odysseus' room out to the hallway. This is the tick of the bed. So of course Odysseus freaks out and objects to this and reveals a detail about where he placed the bed when he built the house. The reason why this makes Penelope the perfect wife for Odysseus as opposed to one of the other heroes is that Odysseus did the same thing to Athena when he landed at Ithaca. They both play tricks.
What does Odysseus do that allows Polyphemus to curse him? Why does he do it? How does he use the lesson he learned later in the myth?
Polyphemus is a cyclops that Odysseus encounters during his adventures. Odysseus and his men get trapped in a cave with the cyclops and a couple of the men get eaten. Odysseus knows he can't just kill the cyclops because he is the only one who can removed the stone from the entrance of the cave. They sharpen a wooden stake and get the cyclops drunk. The cyclops offers Odysseus a gift if he tells him his name. Odysseus says that his name is nobody and the cyclops promises to eat him last. Then they heat their wooden stake and plunge it into the eye of the cyclops. The cyclops is shouting "nobody" is killing me so the other cyclops don't take him seriously. The men hide under the sheep to escape. Odysseus can't stop from bragging so he says to the cyclops that if anyone asks who blinded him to tell them it was Odysseus because he wants the glory. This was a big mistake because now he can pray to his father Poseidon to curse Odysseus to never return home or to take a long time to return home on someone else's ship and to find trouble at home.
How does the myth of Oedipus deal with the question of fate and free will? Be able to summarize the argument for either side.
The Greeks have a problem with fate and free will. They have a strong sense of not being able to escape your free will, but at the same time had a really strong sense of independence and being able to create their own destinies. In the myth of Oedipus this problem is very evident. Oedipus' father was cursed to be killed by his son and have his son marry his own mother. Laius and Jocasta tried to avoid this by piercing the babies ankles and giving it to a shepherd to abandon in the wilderness. Oedipus ended up in the care of Polybus and Merope. Oedipus never know that he is not their son until one day someone tells him that he is not the son of Polybus. His parents till try to keep it a secret so he goes to Delphi and asks Apollo who his parents really are. At the oracle he is told that he is doomed to kill his father and marry his mother. This worries him so he heads to Thebes away from the kingdom of Polybus and Merope. On his way to Thebes he meets king Laius. One of them has to back up to let the other pass on the road. Oedipus and Laius get into a fight and Laius is killed by Oedipus. He then solves the riddle of the Sphinx and the town of Thebes is so grateful that they reward Oedipus by making him king and he marries Jocasta. Oedipus has now complete his fate. You can argue that there was not way for him to escape his fate because he did kill his father and marry his mother. He attempted to find out who his real father was and he was just reminded of his fate and because of that he was too scared to go back home and because of that he runs into his real father and kills him and then marries his mother. You can also argue that during this myth he did have free will because he had the opportunity to go back home after learning about his fate. If he had gone back home he would have avoided his real father and avoided saving Thebes and marrying his mother. He had choices that would have helped him avoid his fate, but he made the choices that went along with his fate. Another expression of free will is when Oedipus blinds himself. He recognizes that he might have been fated to kill his father and marry his mother, but he still has free will in his life.
What is the Indo-European interpretation of the Judgment of Paris? What does it say the three goddesses and their bribes represent?
The Judgement of Paris is when at a wedding Eris throws and apple as says its for the fairest. Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite all think they are the fairest. Zeus refuses to judge who is the fairest and makes Paris judge who the fairest is. Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite all bribe Paris to pick them. Hera promises him royal power, Athena offers to make him a skilled warrior, and Aphrodite promises to give him the most beautiful women as his wife. Paris picks Aphrodite. The Indo-European interpretation says that the goddesses involved in the myth represent the 3 casts. Hera represents the ruling caste. Athena represents the warrior cast. Aphrodite represents the peasant or productive casts who's main interest was infertility.
What parts of the legend of Orpheus lead scholars to think it was based on a real person? How strong is the case?
The case is pretty strong the lecture says that we are almost certain that Orpheus was a real person. In the legend Orpheus is active in Thrace (far north of Greece). Also Orpheus' death at the hands of the Bacchae can be evidence of him being in Thrace because the worship of Dionysus was popular in that area of Greece. It is also very likely that Orpheus was a priest of Apollo and was opposed by the adherence of Dionysus. There is also a theory that he was an innovator inside of the religion of Dionysus. One thing that we can be sure of is that the historical Orpheus left behind and organized set of teachings (Orpihc Bible). We don't have the original set of teachings, but we can peace together a lot of the content from surviving references. All of these versions suggest that he met a violent end and he also met a violent end in his saga. It is generally agreed though that Orpheus was a historical figure.
Where does the curse of Pelops originally come from? How is the curse finally broken?
The curse of Pelops originally comes from when Tantalus decides to kill his son and serve him to the gods to eat. The gods don't fall for his trick, but Demeter does eat some of Peolops. Pelops was put back together, but Tantalus was to be punished in the underworld and tantalized by what he couldn't have. Pelops flees to Pisa and he plans to marry Hippodamia. He wins a chariot race against her father and is married to Hippodamia. He really bribed Myrtilus to tamper with Oenomaus chariot and in the race the chariot falls apart and he is killed. Myrtilus thought he would be able to sleep with Hippodamia because of what he did. Pelops kills him for trying to sleep with his wife and with his last breath he curses Pelops. Pelops and Hippodamia have two sons (Ateus and Thyestes) that are affected by the curse. They struggle for the throne and Atreus is awarded the golden ram which awards him the throne. In revenge Thyestes seduces the wife of Atreus who gives Thyestes the ram so that Thyestes will be the king. Atreus has been plotting his revenge, but pretends to be reconciled. He invites Thyestes to return to Mycenae, but Atreus kills the children of Thyestes and feeds him his children. Thyestes goes into exile and curses Atreus. Thyestes recieves and oracle from Apollo and he concieves a son with Pelopia who gives birth to Aeisthus who carries the curse. Atreus has two sons (agamemnon and Menelaus). Agamemnon inherits the thrown and Menelaus goes to Sparta. Agamemnon marries Clytemnestra and they have 4 children (Iphigeneia, Electra, Orestes, and Chryothemis). Agamemnon sacrifices his daughter Iphigeneia so he can sail to Troy. This sets his wife against him. While Agamemnon is at Troy Aegisthus who wants revenge on Agamemnon seduces his wife and when Agamemnon returns from Troy Aegisthus and Clytemnestra stab him to death. 7 years later Orestes comes back to take revenge on his father's murderers because Apollo tells him. So again the curse of vengeance returns. Electra, Orestes, and Pylades plot the revenge. They kill Aegisthus and Clytemnestra. Originally the story ends here, but later generations weren't satisfied with the lack of resolution to the curse of vengeance. So another play is added to this myth and in this play the Furies pursue Orestes, who then asks Apollo to help him. Apollo purifies him, but that doesn't stop the Furies. Apollo then decides to refer the matter to Athena. Athena sets up a court in Athens to try Orestes. Orestes is acquitted at this trial. Orestes returns to Mycenae and the curse of vengeance is lifted.
Why does the myth employ so many heroes on the Greek side of the Trojan War? How do the heroes work together as a "system" (as discussed in the presentation)?
The myth employs so many heroes on the Greek side of the Trojan War because it is used as a plot device. The Greek heroes for a system where no role is duplicated. It is also similar to the system of the gods. They all have their own role/idea of the divine. On the Greek side you have a character who is the the leader of the expedition and plays a foil to the other warrior roles (Agamemnon), a character who is always second places/cause of the war (Menelaus), a character who is the ultimate warrior/brilliant/young/angry (Achilles), a character who is also an excellent warrior, but second to Achilles, he is also more steady and the favorite of Athena (Diomedes) and Neoptolemus is the son of Achilles and is the kid that has something to prove. All of these characters in the myth work together to create and interesting story line within the myth of the Trojan War. Since they all play a different role and sometimes opposing roles it creates conflicts to make the story more interesting.
Summarize the psychoanalytic approach to the myth of Oedipus, as discussed in the book and presentation. What details in the myth are particularly important in this approach (even if you aren't convinced by the approach generally)?
The psychoanalytic approach of the myth of Oedipus is that this story is so compelling or interesting to as as humans because the story of Oedipus is also our story. All humans went through this in childhood and then pushed it down into our subconscious mind. Freud believes that during childhood around the age of 4-5 we have to start to come to terms with our relationships with our parents. When this happens Freud says that we have instincts to get rid of the parent of the same sex so we can monopolize the attention of parents of the opposite sex. Normally we repress these desires according to Freud and because we can't just get rid of these desires when we here of Oedipus it all sounds familiar. The details of the myth that are particularly important to this approach are when Oedipus is in Thebes and kills Laius after having a conflict on a road and when he marries his mother Jocasta who had just been widowed when Oedipus killed Laius his father.
Why does Achilles agree to hand Hector's body back to King Priam? How does this show that Achilles has changed or grown over the course of the story?
When Hector is killed by Achilles he asks that his body be returned to his parents, but Achilles refuses. Even after killing Hector he cannot let go of the anger he has about losing his friends at the hands of Hector. So every day he mutilates Hectors corps, but every day Apollo restores Hector's body. Hermes guides Priam to Achilles tent to ransom back Hectors body. Priam kisses Achilles hand and Achilles is reminded of his own father. He stops thinking about his own needs and passions and realizes that everyone is a human with their own feeling and he is finally able to let go of his anger and give back Hector's body. This shows that Achilles has grown over time because before he would always hold grudges and felt that his feelings were always the right ones and he was justified in his actions whether they were right or wrong. Once he realized that everyone else including Priam has feelings he was able to let go of his anger at Hector for killing his friend and that's something a less mature Achilles wouldn't have been able to realize/do.
