Re-read Philoctetes as needed
Friday, September 28, 2018
Thursday, September 27, 2018
Honors 9 Homework for 9/27/18
The Comma III & IV
Bring "Oedipus" to class tomorrow.
Honors 9 Notes for 9/27/18
The Comma III & IV
Bring "Oedipus" to class tomorrow.
Honors 9 Notes for 9/27/18
Intro to Greek Drama and Tragedy
The Greek theatre history began with festivals honoring their gods.
In early Greek plays, the actors, directors, and dramatists were all the same person. After some time, only three actors were allowed to perform in each play. Later a few non-speaking roles were allowed to perform on-stage. Due to limited number of actors allowed on-stage, the chorus evolved into a very active part of Greek theatre. Music was often played during the chorus' delivery of its lines.
The actors wore exaggerated costumes and masks.
The shape of the mask amplified the actor's voice, making his words easier for the audience to hear.
Early Greek plays were performed in outdoor theaters.
Orchestra: The orchestra (literally, "dancing space") was normally circular. It was a level space where the chorus would dance, sing, and interact with the actors who were on the stage near the skene. In the center of the orchestra there was often an altar. The orchestra of the theater of Dionysus in Athens was about 60 feet in diameter.
Theatron (thee-uh-tron): The theatron (literally, "viewing-place") is where the spectators sat. The theatron was usually part of hillside overlooking the orchestra, and often wrapped around a large portion of the orchestra.
Skene (skee-nee): The skene (literally, "tent") was the building directly behind the stage. The skene was directly in back of the stage, and was usually decorated as a palace, temple, or other building, depending on the play. It had at least one set of doors, and actors could make entrances and exits through them. There was also access to the roof of the skene from behind, so that actors playing gods and other characters could appear on the roof, if needed.
Orchestra: The orchestra (literally, "dancing space") was normally circular. It was a level space where the chorus would dance, sing, and interact with the actors who were on the stage near the skene. In the center of the orchestra there was often an altar. The orchestra of the theater of Dionysus in Athens was about 60 feet in diameter.
Theatron (thee-uh-tron): The theatron (literally, "viewing-place") is where the spectators sat. The theatron was usually part of hillside overlooking the orchestra, and often wrapped around a large portion of the orchestra.
Skene (skee-nee): The skene (literally, "tent") was the building directly behind the stage. The skene was directly in back of the stage, and was usually decorated as a palace, temple, or other building, depending on the play. It had at least one set of doors, and actors could make entrances and exits through them. There was also access to the roof of the skene from behind, so that actors playing gods and other characters could appear on the roof, if needed.
Deus ex machine means “god from the machine”. This was a literal machine that would drop a thespian playing a god or goddess into the scene. It is the term used for describing when a conflict within the plot is solved seemingly out of nowhere.
Parodos: (literally, "passageways") are the paths by which the chorus and some actors made their entrances and exits. The audience also used them to enter and exit the theater before and after the performance.
Parodos: (literally, "passageways") are the paths by which the chorus and some actors made their entrances and exits. The audience also used them to enter and exit the theater before and after the performance.
The ideas in Oedipus build upon Homer (Odyssey and Iliad), who tells us that fear of death motivates people beyond anything else. Remember the Homeric pattern?
Sophocles goes beyond this, and tells us that what really motivates humanity is fear of the unknown.
Greek tragedy also plays with the idea (paradoxically) of fate vs. free will.
Remember that a character is always a positive or negative example of the theme? In a tragedy, the tragic hero is always a negative example of the theme.
What happens to us is up to fate, but our free will is how we choose to deal with it.
Paradox: almost all of our lives are predetermined, nevertheless, we are responsible for how we react to our fate.
A paradox is a seemingly self-contradictory statement that proves to be true.
All tragedy teaches us that it’s how you deal with what you are dealt. In Greek tragedy, the gods generally control the fate of humankind.
The tragic playwrights, including Sophocles, add a fifth category to the Homeric pattern, anagnorisis.
Arete – striving for excellence
Hubris – excessive pride
Ate – the tragic hero goes too far, exceeds the bounds meant for him by the gods/universe
Anagnorisis – recognition by the tragic hero that he has gone to far, it happens after they have gone too far, and does not mitigate the nemesis they face
Nemesis – the ultimate punishment the tragic hero faces
If you do not deal with your fate with any kind of balance – if the hero has any sort of excessive behavior – they will face nemesis.
Tragedy teaches us how we deal with fate. There’s also the idea that we also have freedom vs. happiness. We kind of don’t want the freedom, because with freedom comes responsibility.
Tragedies are studies of why the tragic hero makes the decisions he makes – how the decisions we make inform our outcomes, in large part.
Vicariously, the reader is able to learn from Oedipus by realizing that there are things that will be beyond the reader’s control and that they will, perhaps, deal with those things better than Oedipus has dealt with his fate.
The reader undergoes a catharsis – a purging of emotion. We have a sense of pity and fear for the tragic hero, and it is a relief that his circumstances are not ours. (“Boy, I’m glad I’m not Oedipus”).
Tragedy is not a bummer. We look at the tragic hero and think, “Wow, that guy’s awesome.”
As humans, we are all preconditioned to be losers. The ultimate paradox is that we are born to die, and yet, it is how we go about the dying that counts. It’s how we deal with what we are dealt.
Dionysus and Demeter are the two gods that suffer – Demeter because she loses her daughter, Persephone, for part of the year, and Dionysus because he is torn apart every year in a ritual sacrifice.
Humans relate to these two gods because they suffer and because they give us food (Demeter) and pleasure/wine/a good time (Dionysus).
Dionysus is a syncretized version of the god. There were many different interpretations of him that varied from city-state to city-state. The Dionysus that we know is an amalgamation of many of these versions.
Dionysus, according to myth, was desired so much that he was devoured. Though the ladies who did this were remorseful, it eventually became obvious that his death had positive effects on their crops. This became an annual spring ritual in which a young man stood in for Dionysus and was chased, torn apart, and consumed. Almost every society has a spring ritual such as this one where there is a blood sacrifice that is believed to rejuvenate the city/land.
The White Goddess by Robert Graves is a good book that deals with this topic.
After many centuries of this Dionysian springtime ritual, a patriarchal society supplants the matriarchal society. They didn’t like young boys being sacrificed, so they began to substitute a goat for the young man. The word tragedy comes from the Greek phrase, which means “singing of the goat”. This is where the phrase “scapegoat” comes from.
Dionysus is the god of chaos, revelry, suffering, rebirth, and wine. He is the opposite of Apollo, this creates a balance.
Often referred to as the tragic flaw, hamartia means, in Greek, “a missing of the mark”. Or, what makes them breaks them. What makes Oedipus great? His intelligence. Why does he have no eyes at the end? His intelligence.
Peripeteia - a sudden reversal of fortune or change in circumstances. This means that what the character wants to avoid, they end up doing.
Dramatic irony – the audience knows something that one or more characters on the stage do not. It is at the heart of tragedy. It creates suspense.
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Eurolit Homework for 9/26/18
Study for Drama: Comedy/Tragedy Quiz on Thursday
Eurolit Notes for 9/26/18
Dionysus and Demeter are the two gods that suffer – Demeter
because she loses her daughter for part of the year, and Dionysus because he is
torn apart every year in a ritual sacrifice
Humans relate to these two gods because they suffer and
because they give us food (Demeter) and pleasure/wine/a good time (Dionysus).
The big ideas in this text build upon Homer, who tells us
that fear of death motivates people beyond anything else.
Philoctetes goes beyond this, and tells us that what really
motivates humanity is fear of the unknown.
Greek tragedy also plays with the idea (paradoxically) of
fate vs. free will.
What happens to us is up to fate, but our free will is how
we choose to deal with it.
Almost all of our lives are predetermined, nevertheless, we
are responsible for how we react to our fate.
All tragedy teaches us that it’s how you deal with what you
are dealt. In Greek tragedy, the gods generally control the fate of humankind.
The tragic playwrights add a fifth category to the Homeric
pattern, anagnorisis.
Arete – striving for excellence
Hubris – excessive pride
Ate – the tragic hero goes too far, exceeds the bounds meant
for him by the gods/universe
Anagnorisis – recognition by the tragic hero that he has
gone to far, it happens after they have gone too far, and does not mitigate the
nemesis they face
Nemesis – the ultimate punishment the tragic hero faces
If you do not deal with your fate with any kind of balance –
if the hero has any sort of excessive behavior – they will face nemesis.
Essay prompt for “Philoctetes”: How is Philoctetes a tragic
hero?
Tragedy teaches us how we deal with fate. There’s also the
idea that we also have freedom vs. happiness. We kind of don’t want the
freedom, because with freedom comes responsibility.
Tragedies are studies of why the tragic hero makes the
decisions he makes – how the decisions we make inform our fate, in large part.
There are forces outside of our control. We have to be
humble and accept this.
Vicariously, the reader is able to learn from Philoctetes by
realizing that there are things that will be beyond the reader’s control and
that they will, perhaps, deal with those things better than Philoctetes has
dealt with his fate.
Tragedy is not a bummer. We look at the tragic hero and
think, “Wow, that guy’s awesome.”
As humans, we are all preconditioned to be losers. The
ultimate paradox is that we are born to die, and yet, it is how we go about the
dying that counts. It’s how we deal with what we are dealt.
Dionysus is a syncretized version of the god. There were
many different interpretations of him that varied from city-state to
city-state. The Dionysus represented in our reading is an amalgamation of many
of these versions.
Dionysus, according to myth, was desired so much that he was
devoured. Though the ladies who did this were remorseful, it eventually became
obvious that his death had positive affects on their crops. This became an
annual spring ritual in which a young man stood in for Dionysus and was
devoured, torn limb from limb. Almost every society has a spring ritual such as
this one where there is a blood sacrifice that is believed to rejuvenate the
city/land.
The White Goddess by Robert Graves is a good book
that deals with this topic.
Somebody has to suffer (they die, gouge out their eyes,
etc.) – this is true in every society.
After many centuries of this Dionysian springtime ritual, a
patriarchal society supplants the matriarchal society. They didn’t like young
boys being sacrificed but were scared of the Maenads, so they began to
substitute a goat for the young man. The word tragedy comes from the Greek
phrase, which means “singing of the goat”.
This is where the phrase “scapegoat” comes from.
Catharsis – a purging of emotion. We have a sense of pity and fear for the tragic hero, and it is a
relief that his circumstances are not ours. (“Boy, I’m glad I’m not Oedipus”).
Hamartia – what makes them breaks them. What makes Oedipus
great? His intelligence. Why does he have no eyes at the end? His intelligence.
Peripeteia - a sudden reversal of fortune or change in
circumstances. This means that what the character wants to avoid, they end up
doing.
Dramatic irony – the audience knows
something that one or more characters on the stage do not. It is at the heart
of tragedy. It creates suspense.
Deus ex machine means “god from the machine”. This was a
literal machine that would drop a thespian playing a god or goddess into the
scene. It is the term used for describing when a conflict within the plot is
solved seemingly out of nowhere.
Dionysus is the god of chaos, revelry, suffering, rebirth, and wine. He is the opposite of Apollo, which creates a balance.
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
Honors 9 Homework for 9/25/18
Capitalization Review and End Marks Worksheet
Bring Student ID Cards
Honors 9 Notes for 9/25/18
Capitalization Review and End Marks Worksheet
Bring Student ID Cards
Honors 9 Notes for 9/25/18
Intro to Hero’s Journey
Connotative - signifying or suggestive of an associative or secondary meaning in addition to the primary meaning
Denotative - explicit; overt
3 types of symbolism: archetypal/universal, cultural, personal
The idea of archetypal symbols comes from Carl Jung, Freud’s student.
Freud is the father of psychoanalysis.
- 1st scientific approach to understanding the conscious and unconscious mind
- Conscious is the “knowing mind” and unconscious is the unaware mind
There are 3 parts of the unconscious: the id, the ego, and the superego.
Id = animal part and the oldest part, developed first, concerned with immediate gratification, mememe, not overtly violent but may become so if what it wants is withheld
Ego - Latin for “I”, I am what I decide to do, it the the decider (the angel and devil on the shoulder)
Superego - most recently acquired part of the subconscious, it is the parental voice that says thou shalt/thou shalt not, it regulates behavior
Freud’s approach to psychoanalysis was mostly through dream analysis. His first book was called “The Interpretation of Dreams”.
When Freud began to analyze data from his many patients, he noticed that lots of them complained about disturbing dreams. Upon collecting data from hundreds of patients, patterns emerged in these dreams. He found that many of his patients’ dreams had similar content.
Freud used free association to analyze dream content.
He coined the phrase Oedipus Complex, based on the “Oedipal Dream” -- many dreams express libidinous desires toward the opposite sex parent and violent or hostile feelings toward the same sex parent.
This phrase comes from the play “Oedipus”, where the titular character kills his father (unbeknownst to him) and marries his mother.
When Freud asked patients to talk about their dreams, he would ask them to break them down into parts. He would ask them to use free association to determine the symbolic meaning of dreams.
As a result, he was able to separate these symbols into three categories: symbols that had a personal meaning, symbols that had a cultural meaning, and symbols that appeared to be universal, and are also called archetypes.
Freud was very pessimistic. He thought that neuroses and mental illnesses were caused by repressed childhood trauma. These could only be treated through psychoanalysis.
Darwin’s work was influential in that it prompted people to begin thinking about what might be inherited. It also posited that humans had a common progenitor(s), meaning that we are all descended from a small group of ancestors.
There are some who theorize that certain types of memories can be inherited - ancestral memory = phobias of darkness, spiders, snakes
Darwin’s theories had some influence on Carl Jung, who was also Freud’s student.
Jung came to see the unconscious as an incredible repository (storage) of help - this is because the unconscious mind knows more than the conscious mind. Jung thought that dreams could be compensatory, meaning that they exist in order to relieve the pressures we face in our waking lives.
Jung posits that there is a 4th part of the unconscious in addition to the id, ego, and superego -- the collective unconscious, which builds upon the idea that as we inherit physical traits, so too do we inherit psychological traits. Jung called these “collective images” or “archetypes”.
The packet we are about to read is by Joseph Campbell and essentially comes from Jungian psychology.
Campbell’s best known book is “Hero with 1,000 Faces” and describes the pattern of behavior for all heroes and most stories.
This is the Hero’s Journey. It describes the hero’s quest from known world to unknown world and back to known world.
Friday, September 21, 2018
Honors 9 Homework 9/21/18
Study "King Arthur"
Test Monday!!!!!
"King Arthur" Vocabulary List: jousting, chivalry, sovereign, dismay, stern, to embellish, scabbard, conjurer, homage, tempest
"King Arthur" College Bowl Questions: (The study guide questions we worked on in class have been added to the college bowl questions.)
Study "King Arthur"
Test Monday!!!!!
"King Arthur" Vocabulary List: jousting, chivalry, sovereign, dismay, stern, to embellish, scabbard, conjurer, homage, tempest
"King Arthur" College Bowl Questions: (The study guide questions we worked on in class have been added to the college bowl questions.)
In the beginning of the story, how would you describe the general state of things in England?
- Not good.
- “We see wasted fields, and no one is safe from the wild beasts and robbers roaming the highways.”
Who is Arthur’s biological father? Uther Pendragon
Who was Uther Pendragon? He was the king “in the old days”.
What was England like under his rule? “Peace was in the land… [There were] chances aplenty for friendly jousting and the courtesies of chivalry”.
What is the text setting us up to associate with order and peace? Chivalry and knighthood.
How old is Arthur when the legend begins? 17
How old are the heroes of the other myths we’ve read? Theseus is 16, others are adolescents when their stories begin.
Why do you think this is? Coming of age, this is around the time adulthood begins, children had more responsibility early on before modern times.
How does Arthur prove he will be king?
- He pulls the sword from the anvil on the stone in St. Stephen’s churchyard.
- This occurs after Sir Kay forgets his sword and Arthur goes to retrieve it.
- The inscription on the sword says “Whoso shall pull this sword out of the anvil, he is King of England by right”.
Is this merely chance, or is something else at play here? Why?
What does Sir Hector do when Arthur brings back the sword? Returns to the churchyard and has Arthur replace the sword. Then, asks Sir Kay to draw it.
Why? Sir Kay is his real son and Sir Hector wants him to be king.
Who is Merlin? A magician, was an adviser to Uther Pendragon.
What does Merlin foretell? One day a new ruler would appear.
This would imply what? Merlin can foretell the future.
How else does Merlin demonstrate that he can foretell the future? He warns Arthur against marrying Guinevere and also foretells the completion of the Knights of the Round Table.
- Why are there two swords? Even though Arthur pulled the sword from the anvil in the churchyard, there were still many who are reluctant to follow a 17 year old king. After a year as king, Arthur defends his kingship against King Lot of Orkney, who is the husband of his half sister Morgana (Morgan le Fay). During the battle, his sword is broken in two.
How does Arthur receive his second sword? It is given to him by the Lady of the Lake. She rises out of the lake and walks across the water to give the sword to him.
What is significant about this? It is an allusion (designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly) to Christ/Christianity.
- The story represents the clash between two traditions. On the one hand, you have a nature-revering, matriarchal Celtic/pagan tradition, centered in Avalon. On the other, a patriarchal Christian tradition, centered in Camelot. There are characters who bridge the gap between the two, for example Lancelot (du Lac), who was raised in the Celtic/pagan religion but comes to Camelot to be a knight. There is also Merlin, who is an adviser to Arthur even though he is a magician and part of the Celtic/pagan society, as well. Merlin is trying to foster magic so that Avalon is not destroyed.
What is the sword called and what does it look like? Excalibur. It has a jeweled hilt and a scabbard embellished with gold.
What does Arthur promise to do in return for the sword? Give the Lady of the Lake a favor when she asks for it.
What possible significance could this interaction have? (Where Arthur receive his power from?)
What could the sword symbolize? Justice, power, truth, righteousness
What is engraved on either side of the blade? Take me. Cast me away.
Given what you know about the rest of the legend, why is this inscription important? Could be foreshadowing the inevitable end of Arthur’s reign or downfall of Camelot.
What could an alternate meaning of the inscription be? Perhaps it is related to the bearer’s knowing when to use it and when to cast it away, in other words, the responsibility of power.
Why does Merlin ask Arthur whether he likes the blade or scabbard better? He’s asking is Arthur prefers war or peace (will he be a peaceful ruler or a warlike ruler?).
Why is the scabbard worth more than the sword? “You will not lose a drop of blood as long as you have the scabbard with you”.
How does this underscore the values that we have already seen expressed in this myth? Being peaceful is valued more than waging war.
“King Arthur bore himself in such a noble fashion that all those kings who were not slain [in the rebellion] … accepted him as their overlord”. Also, Arthur forgives those who rose against him in the rebellion and gives them their land back, including King Lot.
What kind of attitude does Sir Mordred have towards Arthur? Sullen attitude. Doesn’t understand chivalry and honor. He “swore fealty with a sullen face”.
Describe how Camelot comes to be. Merlin causes it to be built using magic.
What does Camelot look like? “Spires and turrets, like visions out of Fairyland….” Gray walls of stone rising out of “golden mist”.
What might Camelot symbolize? Utopia/perfection on earth.
Is perfection on earth attainable? Utopia in Greek means “nowhere”.
Who does Arthur want to marry and how many times has he seen her? Guinevere. Once.
Though Merlin warns Arthur against Guinevere, what does Merlin say to Arthur? “When a man has given his heart, he will be loath to change”.
When Guinevere is introduced, the text says that she “did not always choose to follow the rules”. What is this an example of? Foreshadowing. Guinevere will commit adultery with Lancelot.
- The King Arthur legend has two main strains: one concerned with the relationship between Guinevere and Lancelot, which leads to the downfall of Camelot, and another concerned with the Round Table and the quest for the Holy Grail.
What does King Leodegrance send to Camelot as Guinevere’s dowry? The round table and 100 knights.
How many knights does the table seat and how many does King Leodegrance send? Seats 150. He sends 100.
How does Merlin again demonstrate knowledge of future events? He says, “Before your reign shall come to an end, the Round Table shall be filled”.
Who blessed the Round Table? The Archbishop of Canterbury. (Again we see the link between Christianity and the legitimization of power.)
What was the oath of knighthood? “To speak the truth; to maintain the right; to practice courtesy; to avoid the alurements of ease and safety; to maintain honor in every perilous adventure; to uphold Christianity; to destroy tyranny wherever it might be; to defend and protect to the uttermost, women, the poor, and the oppressed”.
- King Arthur says, “none shall sit higher, none lower… as brother unto brother... a good man will always do unto another man as he would be done to himself”.
What is the table a symbol of? Democracy. They will see that “justice and mercy prevail”.
What happens after the knights recited their oaths of knighthood? Their names appeared on their sieges (chairs) in gold letters.
What is the Siege Perilous and why is it perilous? One of the empty chairs around the Round Table. Only one can sit in it. If anyone else does, they will die.
Who is destined to sit in the Siege Perilous? Sir Galahad
Who is destined to sit in the Siege Perilous? Sir Galahad
What happens when Galahad comes to Camelot? The Siege Perilous says This is the Siege of Sir Galahad.
How does the Holy Grail appear to the knights? When Galahad sits at the Round Table, there is thunder and a bright light, then the Grail appears covered in a white cloth.
What is the Grail? It is the dish or cup that Jesus used during the Last Supper (important to Christian tradition, reputed to have healing powers).
What was King Arthur’s greatest joy and what was the sorrow that followed caused by? Joy - the Round Table finally full. Sorrow - the knights leave on a quest to find the Holy Grail and he knows that some will not complete the quest.
- “For he knew that this quest was not for the many, but only for the chosen few -- the blameless and perfect knights… Many would become discouraged of their knighthood, and many would die”.
Lancelot has a vision of the Grail, but ultimately will not complete the quest for the Grail. Why is this? The brave deeds he had done were not done for their sake alone, but for Guinevere’s.
Who finds the Grail and why? Galahad, Percival, and Bors. They find it because they are worthy (perfect, blameless). They find it on a boat and Galahad ascends with it to heaven. Percival becomes a monk. Bors returns to Camelot. Before Galahad ascends to heaven he heals King Pecheur with the Grail (allusion to Christ).
How does the heroic ideal presented in the King Arthur stories differ from that in the Greek stories? Think about the Oath of Knighthood and the values it expresses. Think about instances in the Greek myths where different values where shown.
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