Check out this motel. Would you dare to spend the night?    

Class Notes, Oct. 07

Bowers & Viebranz

Prediscussion Information:

 I. The divinities:

 At the beginning, there was Cronus, a titan, who married his sister, Rhea. Rhea gave birth to six children who became Olympians. Cronus was afraid that his children would overthrow him, so he ate his five children; but Rhea managed to  hide the sixth son. She gave Cronus a stone wrapped in a blanket , and  Cronus who thought the stone was the baby, Zeus, swallowed it. While  Cronus believed that Zeus was "history", Zeus grew up happily on an island. When grown, he decided to overthrow is father. With help of a potion made by the goddess of wisdom, Zeus made his father cough up few of his children, among them Poseidon, Hera, and Hades. But after they conquered their father, the children needed to decide how to share power.Zeus won the contest , which would determine the new ruler of heavens, by drawing straws. Zeus was married to his sister Hera, whose hand in marriage he won by trickery. He turned himself into an injured cuckoo bird hoping that Hera would show him compassion. Once close to her, he raped Hera. Hera was a patroness of marriage, and her bird was a peacock. Zeus was very unfaithful to his wife and had numerous affairs. Hera became a jealous wife punishing the women with whom Zeus had children. Zeus' patron bird was an eagle.

Zeus had two brothers: Poseidon, the god of the sea, and Hades, the god of the underworld. But Death itself was a separate god. Greeks ascribed the creation of a horse to Poseidon. Hades was greedy for power over more and more of his subjects. He was wealthy because of all the earth metals. He had an invisible helmet. 

Aries was a son of Zeus and Hera. He was a god of war.  Ironically, he was a coward. His bird was scavenger and his animal, a dog. 

Athene was born jumping from Zeus' head when he had a big headache. She was a goddess of agriculture, patroness of Athens, creator of many things such as a chariot. Owl was her bird and her symbol was an olive tree.

Apollo was a god of music. He drove the sun across the sky. He is famous for his Oracle at Delphi. His bird was a crow. 

Aphrodite was supposedly created from sea foam. Many other versions exist as to how she came to be. She was the goddess of love, beauty and fertility

Hermis had a magic wand. He was a patron of thieves. He was the messenger of the gods and guide of dead souls to the Underworld; he created the first lyre.

Artemis was a virgin goddess of the hunt to whom all animals were sacred Artemis and her brother Apollo were the children of Zeus and Leto. Niobe, queen of Thebes, once boasted that she was better than Leto because she had many children, while the goddess had but two. Artemis and Apollo avenged this insult to their mother by killing all of Niobe's children with their arrows.

Hephaestus was Aphrodite's husband. He was the lame god of fire and crafts or the two together, hence of blacksmiths. He is famous for the armor that he made for Achilles during the siege of Troy

There were many discrepancies as to how each god was created, what his symbol was, and what his contributions to humanity were. Many versions exist, and no version can be taken as a leading one.

II. The History of Theater: The Western Theater was created in Athens. The theater of Ancient Greece evolved from religious rites dating back  to 1200 B.C.

The beginning of the theater has its origin in The Cult of Dionysus,  the god of wine, and party. The cult's most controversial practice  involved uninhibited dancing, permitting of human and animal  sacrifices, alcohol drinking, and orgies. From the cult two parts of  theater evolved, tragedy and satire. The word 'tragedy' has an origin from a word for goat + song, a goat song. The tragedies were designed to show right and wrong. They answered  such questions as what was human place in the universe, what was the  scheme of human existence, and what was the price of hubris. The composition of tragedy began with a prolog that set the scene. Next, there was Parados, an ode to Dionysus sang by chorus of fifty men dressed as satyrs( Satyr was born with the legs and horns of a goat). They played lyres and flutes. Then, there were five dramatic scenes followed by Komos, lamentations. Next, came the climax; it ended with a conclusion.

The class discussion:

On Solon who was the father of Democracy: Solon initiated growth of a new group attempting to mitigate between two distinct groups: the aristocracy and the commoners.

On his poetry:

Solon's poetry suggested that Zeus was a balance keeper; Zeus would get angry if someone obtained wealth unrightfully and irresponsibly.

Solon created four classes based on wealth rather than birth. The first class of people were the richest who maintained the  power over money. Solon's reasoning for this was that the rich needed  not to steal money and if they did, it would be easier to take it from  them than the poor. The fourth group was a representative assembly to which people who were not aristocrats could freely join.

 Solon taught people values. To the poor, he taught how to be virtuous and not greedy. He told them that immediate wealth bred hubris and extreme violence which results would corrupt the mind and bring people into constant state of error. The person would fall into a cycle and continue to err. Solon preached that if injustice happened in the city, it ramified and went everywhere; there was no escape from it. The cure for discord was justice that came from unomia, 'good laws'

Solon taught that good laws were men-made; they were imperfect creations of an imperfect creator yet they worked. The bottom line was that no one could know the truth and no one man could rule; one ruler would be as if elevated to a god. That man would eventually became corrupted and become a tyrant As a result of acquiring a sole power to rule, the tyrant would err and corrupt everyone. Solon himself was an aristocrat who sided with the poor people. His goal was to make a trading capital out of Athens. His poetry was more community centered; for Solon, communal unity resulted in prosperity.

On Agamemnon, the play:

In the play, there is evidence of the human condition that humans know  of Zeus' power but know nothing about its nature or the nature of  Zeus. Full understanding could only come through suffering. The  suffering would have to create memories that would not leave humans  for long time. The suffering would force humans to acknowledge that  they were not the center of the Universe. Human actions had boundaries that mustn't be crossed. If one crossed the boundaries, gods would punish him. Pursuing wealth was wrong because it had no limits; it was as if trying to catch a flying bird, fruitless and shameful.

Salesses & Roberge   

Aeschylus:

Aeschylus was known as Father of tragedy, had a vision that he was supposed to write tragedy. At first they were only sung by  choir, and only one guy was speaking it. Men danced under the spell on  Dionysus. Eventually dances were choreographed, it celebrated sexual  liberation. One of Dionysus followers were half men half goat or  Satyrs. Tragedy means goat talk, so one goat would come out and talk. He re-introduced a second speaker coming up and talking. The chorus was just a commentator, commented on the speakers of the play. It was a religious festival to celebrate the God of Dionysus. Supposedly he wrote 90 but we only have 7 plays. We have a group of plays that were meant to be given at one point. All of them were about Agamemnon. Three plays together that constitutes a tragic sequence. Aeschylus died by an eagle thinking he was a stone and dropping a tortoise on him and it cracked his head and he died. Aeschylus died 456 BC. After him Sophocles and Euripides also wrote tragedies.

 Clytemestra.

Born of Leta, Clytaemestra had 4 brothers and sister, her most famous sister was Helen, they had different parents. Helen was immortal and she was mortal. Two were mortal and two were immortal of all the siblings. Clytaemestra was a virgin when she was given to first husband. Then Agamemnon killed Clytemnestra's husband. She had a kid, from the first marriage, but it was killed. In order to get approval to marry Clytaemestra, Agamemnon saved her father Tidonarious. Agamemnon told Clytaemestra that he was going to take his first daughter to get her married, but she found out that he was lying (he was going to kill her). She tried to save her daughter but it did not work. Agamemnon killed their daughter anyway. Clytaemestra has a son that she did not like, Orestes, because he was hostile to Agamemnon.

Clytaemestra had an affair and killed Agamemnon. A jury found out and threatened to exile her but she uses the fact that he killed their first child. So how can he get away with it and she not. So she stays. She gets killed by her son Orestes, she also had daughter named Electra.

Solon:

Solon was the first Athenian poet and his poems were handed down through the ages. People think that Solon's poems are not very poetic but Solon's work is cast in epic meter. So it would be easy to memorize it if one tried. His poems have messages in it both moral and theological. Themes of the Iliad were re-worked in the poems. Civil war was a political threat around his time because the city was getting rich. The common people (the demos) were getting money but were not part of the decision making of the city. The rich (aristocracy) were in charge, but were only considered about themselves. Solon is part of the Aristocracy and he seems to take into account the people. He made free men, and did things that he said he was going to do. He also kept that people from getting hurt. If someone else had tried to do what he did, it would not have come out the same.

 Solon was called in to settle disputes. Solon freed slaves that were born of Athenian parents who were sold into slavery. They were sold because they couldn't pay there debt at one point and were sold to pay it off, but they couldn't because as a slave they didn't get paid. So the only way to get out of it was to run away and leave Athens.

 Solon has brought a sense of justice and community to the people of Athens. He enacted debt laws. He tried to talk to people who acquired money quickly and those who might do evil deeds through his poems. And he is saying that they will get there dues sooner rather then later. That there evil could grow and be worse and then bring there own destruction. The vengeance of Zeus is like a hurricane and it destroys everything. It sweeps through the entire community and gets the whole land. That the sins they did will affect everybody around him and not just them. And it will not happen immediately after the deed because Zeus is not quick to wrath and it will probably affect their children or their children's children. No crime passes unnoticed and in the end if you escape it your family or future family will be affected even if innocent.

The Gods will never destroy Athens, just for the sake of destroying Athens. The people will destroy Athens. The leadership of Athens will help in the undoing and the poor will also contribute to the undoing of Athens. It's not just when the poor people are suffering that they are doing injustices but also when they are prospering. Sometimes things that are good build up pride (hubris) and that builds and causes a person to do things that they would not normally do like take things from the temple or  not want to pay for things they would normally pay for. Once that happens then you are thrown to atea or fate. And that is a state of permanent error. Civil war is a result of poor leadership of the people. This causes the poor to go into slavery. The common evil is so common and it will come to every doorstep and leap into every chamber and wait. No matter what you can not escape justice. If you are going to take some responsibility for what happens in the city you have to take sides. A person cannot be indifferent. Solon sets up a council or assembly. Were all the people come to make decisions. This assembly can override the decisions of the aristocracy. But as soon as Solon leaves the people/council commit themselves into the hand of the tyrant.

 We will never know what comes of our actions because we never know what the gods are thinking. The origins of the justice that prevail in the city must come from within the city. There must also be a measure of justice. It must have a human origin. There is no such thing of a private individual or an idiot in Athens. "So commeth evil into every house".

Good laws or justice fix a lot of the bad things that happen. Good laws make things orderly and perfect. Not all laws are good; therefore, laws cannot themselves be perfect. They can not always be right but a person needs to obey them and the lawful authorities whether you think it is right or not. There is a choice of living without law with destruction and anarchy, or to follow the imperfect law. One may try to find a smart and fair ruler, but he will become a despot as a result of the power that they have gained. A despot, who thinks like the common people will take care of things with the unfair aristocracy but then the people will have lose their liberties. Because the person who was raised to a far above position in power will not care anymore because they have all the power (who cares about Zeus). Money corrupts the newly rich. In order for things to continue going well, one must moderate in what he or she does. So Solon gives laws that will help the community and not corrupt any one man. Then he leaves because he does not want the responsibility of what happens. What happens is that his system collapses. Solon believes that you cannot have a democracy if the people do not assume responsibility for what happens. The common people fight each other and make tyrant for a couple of decades. Once the tyrant was thrown out then a guy who likes Solon's ideas adds institutions. And so the first democracy was created. Could a community have a democracy without Solon's thoughts of obeying the law even if they were imperfect. Once a slave had freed there selves they could have their own ships. They got freedom by earning money; they got money by working overtime. Solon gave the Athenians a new way of thinking about the Gods. Solon gave Athens the laws, but gave Athens a way of thinking of politics and a new way of thinking about the gods. Instead of worship and prayer, do it for yourself to get the same outcomes. Gods were like the aristocrats. They were equal opportunity law givers. Solon also said that there is justice of for those who are or not aristocrats. Solon is a reworking of Homeric religion. Solon taught a theology. He felt that gods enforce the boundaries on human behavior. You are responsible for your own actions and can expect retribution for what you do. It will come in the form of a tyrant or a civil war. READ the book the GREEK WAY. Gives background information on the Greeks. Gods think about you even if not an aristocrat-greediness will not go punished if you an aristocrat. Gods did not favor individuals. Agamemnon:

The purpose of this play is to show the subjugation of the female to the male and the subordination of the family to the polis. In other words this play is why women have had a backseat to society in the western society for two thousand years. Its also bad propaganda for women and its just bad. Why do we have mass murders in our society? Why do we have so many families that fall apart by all the little crimes that occur? Those are all thoughts that pop up when this is being read. Aeschylus is just a follower Solon. This starts as a very famous ode to Zeus by a bunch of old men, the chorus. We don't know his purposes or even if we are calling by his right name. Through suffering comes wisdom, just like Apollonian wisdom. But suffering does not mean you automatically know. You might get an understanding but you get it through something violent.  Like Achilles when he lost Patroklos, he gained wisdom through the violence that lost Patroklos. If you loose someone you love then everything you did or had before means absolutely nothing. You gain a new perspective of the value of your belonging in comparison to your loved one. Memories may come back in dreams of your loved ones, since the suffering never truly goes away. They were not as high as you originally thought. Also, people are temperate. They try to have pleasure but are forced to moderation. The gods are allowed to have whatever they want, not the common man. One must learn through the bad things that happen to them. Everyone must learn through individual experiences. Wisdom is knowing your place in life.

Humans are free to do whatever they want, but there are consequences that will have to be faced.

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Class Notes, Oct. 09

Tobin & Walker

Greek Sexuality

Greek men have penis envy . Sex was considered by men to be pleasing to the gods . Zeus raped numerous girls by being rain and a bull . Who it was really didn't matter . Woman were allowed to cheat . Affairs: men allowed to do whatever they wanted, women's affairs had  to be hush-hush, did it in house where no one would find out . Had 'afternoon delight' somewhat like modern day swinger's party

 The House of Atreus

Tentalis punished for cannibal soup . Hippodamia's father fixed the chariot races b/c he didn't want anyone else to have her . Clytamestra takes a lover while he is away . Cassandra sleeps with Agamemnon. Tentalis gets a 'taste of his own medicine' by his brother doing the same thing he did (making cannibal soup for him to eat)

Class Discussion

There is a god that sends limitations . goddess of designing ruin - . once ruin lets out there is not cure for a sin . it's the nature of humans to commit more and more sins. . Transgression really strikes your character. . Couldn't get favorable winds b/c Artemus was angry with Zeus . Maybe to the gods humans aren't any more important than animals

Zeus' trespass in her domain, shows her seriousness . Agamemnon ask the princes of Troy; leave their families behind to go on a risky expedition, asks everyone to make a sacrifice.. Agamemnon's choice is to disobey Zeus . Without Agamemnon in leadership, the whole country would fall apart

Agamemnon went about it (sacrificing his daughter) in a determined manner . To consider you are doing god's work with no questions, is justice written so clearly that we can become the exclusive interpreters

Make some adjustments don't think you're superior, you'll never be working hand in hand with the gods . Once Agamemnon was free now he's enchained . Agamemnon's crimes are as follows: sacrifices his daughter (crime against family), abandons wife and other children to go on expedition (crime against family), Clytamestra took over (crime against city), killed everyone in town (crime against humanity), crimes against humanity, religion . Clytamestra divinely appointed to send him there? Or does she appoint herself? . Her crime is not that she rejected Apollo.

Brought an article to read, we were working on Agamemnon, We were still working on the notion of guilt and punishment. Law and Order references.the Oresteia is just like law and  order starts w/ crime then goes to punishment.

Only things criminal are what society labels as such. Are there limitations that are set from on high? Suggestion on page 16 says that there is a god that labels  transgressions and deals out punishments. Alexander killed Achilles  with an arrow.

Old men represent the old way of doing things (Zeus worshipers). All the wealth will not save you from the wrath of Zeus. There is no  way you can escape once ruin is set forth on you, no way to escape a  sin. It becomes nature of humans to create more and more sin. There is amazement at the height that evil aspires. Bronze in to fire w/o the correct mixture it can turn to dust. Your transgressions can truly test you character.

The human conditioned was described by Reynolds as a Child chasing  after pigeons in the park. Every thing is believed too be able to  attain through violence. You keep chasing and Grabbing but the bird  keeps flying away -individual sin has political consequences, very  Solon like. The individual may try to apart of stand above the community, but he ends up bringing the community down with him.

Reynolds read an article about Yates, from the New York Times, he  brought a tiger home and his mother left the house and Yates could not control the tiger, he moved out of the house. The police managed to  remove the tiger after shooting it with the tranquilizer gun. They are  still trying to figure out where Yates got the cub and how he managed to raise it to a menace. This relates to the lion described on page 27.   Page 27 is describing Helen, at first she was aw cute and nice but she turned into a menace and caused more problems then some thought she was worth.

Artemis was angry with Zeus about a couple of Eagles. They are  feasting on the mother rabbit about to give birth and the Eagles swoop  down to eat the rabbit. She then turns her will against man kind. She  then stalls the ships so that they cannot go back to get Helen. Man  running off with Helen is a violation of Zeus's laws. Agamemnon and his brother have lost all of their credits with the Greeks. They finally get everybody with them and Artimis stops their ships. Artemis demands a sacrifice of Agamemnon's daughter. Artemis is basically exchanging a rabbit for a human life. Agamemnon is asking all that go to troy to leave their families behind for 20 years. He then shows that he is able to sacrifice something of his as well so he kills his daughter. Agamemnon then stops giving things up in the Iliad because he feels that he has gone too far. W/O Agamemnon and Menelaus to lead Greece would be lost w/o leaders and many wars would be fought. Agamemnon just seems damned  if he does and damned if he doesn't it is a no win situation. Once  necessity was put upon him he changed. His will was now to be stopped  at nothing. He had to do it but he did not have to do it with his  heart committed to it. He gagged her and had her dragged away and lifted her as a goat for sacrifice. It is like she is being married to death by her father. He went about everything in a determined manor which shows he will be just as determined at Troy. Clytemnestra wants all to return safely home so that she can kill him herself.

 Agamemnon is often referred to as the "spade of Zeus" he is basically bragging about doing "God's work on Earth." Reference to Osama Bin Laden beliefs of doing god s work when he destroyed the twin towers. Can anyone become the exclusive interpreters of god work? Human laws are imperfect but we must obey them. The law deals with moderation, not of excess. Ajax and Odysseus, and Patrokles all warned Achilles. Once he was free and now he is changed. Agamemnon's crimes are: Sacrifice of daughter (crime of family) abandons wife and children (crime against family) He left the city in his wife's hands (crime against t his city) Killing women and challenged (humanity) Desecrated temples  (Religion) Wife divinely places her self to kill him.

Ricardo & Rhodes

Heralds – Baths

            Special shoes to avoid burning feet – heating from underneath

            Always near public places/recreation

            Pools of water for relaxing

            ‘Free Zones’ – outside laws’ rule – free reign of activities

            Opened mid day, and bathe to relax – not opened Sunday/holidays after Christians

            Tepid – largest with private rooms

            Hot

            Cold – prep for massage/ then cold water

Divine limitations imposed on human behavior?

            Guidelines/values for actions

Relationship between rule/law and God’s order

            If you break rules, you will be punished (Solon)

                        Not only you will be punished, no matter how small the sin

            Steer clear of excess – allow moderation and compromise our desires

Basis of rules

            We must create laws to catch a few ‘wrongdoers’

Agamemnon

            --Bring about the steps to the crime

            Old choir probably followers of Solon

                        Zeus is mad at Paris for stealing Menelaus’ wife

                                    Universal laws of hospitality supported by Zeus

                        Accusing Paris of not believing the god’s judgment

                                    Bring about God’s punishment by not knowing when to stop storing up  wealth

                                    Nothing can help you after you commit your sin

                                    Humans chase after things that we can never obtain and end up committing acts of violence and up bring down more than just  yourself

                        Individual sin has communal consequences

                                    Achilles

                        Zeus must restore the balance through reciprocity

            Comparison of Helen (portrayed as a lion) and man in NY with the tiger cub

                        Sins are charming and innocent in the beginning, and as we grow, they explode  into more seriousness and expand in trouble

            --Artemis is upset at Zeus for overstepping the boundaries of balance by allowing the eagles to attack the rabbit, so Agamemnon must sacrifice a human to calm  Artemis and restore the winds so the battle may continue and Agamemnon may  avenge his brother

            --Agamemnon must do what he asked all his soldiers to do and sacrifice his family  member, his daughter

            --Must debate the lesser of two evils and shows his commitment to his troops

            --Compared to Achilles when he hardens his heart to the cries of his daughter and gags  her, he’s forced to give up his humanity for the expedition

            --Ultimate betrayal by one who loves her so much, forced to kill the daughter he loves

            --Clytaemestra visualizes the whole battle in a destructive manner

                        Wants Agamemnon to return so she may kill him herself

            --Agamemnon has sacrificed his own daughter, why should he stop with a few Trojans?

            CRIMES OF AGAMEMNON

            --Sacrifices daughter

            --Abandons family for ten years

            --Causes deaths of soldiers

            --Left city without a leader – wife took over

            --Kills a plethora Trojans

            --Overturns temples

            --Clytaemestra plans elaborate bath for Agamemnon

                        Treats him with great love to build his pride and make him feel better then  everyone else before she kills him

                        He does not want to be treated like a god, feels he does not deserve it

                        He gives in because she really wants it and it was her will

                                    Agamemnon has changed a little since his attack of Troy; his mind has been molded differently

                        She feels she is doing the will of Zeus and enjoys it and wants to kill him

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Class Notes, Oct. 14

Sonntag & Stall
Morales & Mavhurume

Herald 1: Athens: every class had duties and the rules were strict in order to maintain their culture. Citizenship was given to males only, for a child to be legitimate both  parents had to be citizens of Athens. Slaves could not participate in  religious activities and politics; they had to buy their way to get  citizenship. However they were able to dominate a lot of trade because masters (Athenians) looked down on trade, this enabled them to accumulate wealth which they then used to buy citizenship. The masters' children could bring slaves to school. They had no social rights and only domestic slaves were allowed in the homes.

Herald 2: Alexandra the great, king of Macedonia, was tutored by Aristotle, one of the smartest people. He started off when his father was assassinated, and people did not like him because he was so young. He killed all the people who were against him and his father had built everything  for him before he died. Led the attack on Persia, 335bc attacked the  Greek city of the Thersians one of the most powerful cities in Greek.  334bc fought against the Persians with an army of 40000people, he had  very good war tactics. Fought Darius 3rd and defeated him abandoning his whole family, went to Gaza, and Egypt. He went and sliced the Goring knot which was believed to be the key to the destruction of Asia, people were supposed to untie it; instead he went and cut it. He created a city in Egypt at the mouth of the Nile called Alexandria. It became a centre of great culture. He wanted to be recognized by the gods as a son of a god and he won all his battles. He is said to have been a drunk and alcoholic, he destroyed one city when he was drunk; Killed his best friend once. His death is mysterious since there are different tales to it. All these conquests were over 3years, no one knows where he is buried, probably somewhere in Egypt.

The Agamemnon

- Agamemnon just wants things to return to normal as soon as possible, and questions his wife's welcome saying he does not deserve such treatment. This tradition of robes was done for kings of kings and walking on them would mean power and  acceptance of that responsibility. It also includes absolute freedom  to be godlike. If they can not take complete control of the world then  they destroy it.

- Agamemnon says some wise words when he arrives, repeats at some of Solon's teachings. This shows us a different Agamemnon from  the one who killed his daughter, who goes to war in Troy, and who  returns only wanting to settle down. He pleads insanity and says he  had treacherous dreams which he uses to excuse his treatment to Achilleus. Agamemnon says he did not receive anything from the war in Troy, except Cassandra.

 - Clytaemestra shames him when he refuses to walk on the robes because he knows what that would entail if he did and Clytaemestra continues to persist until he gives in. She tells him not to pay attention to the public opinion and tells him to proceed to give himself such treatment.

 - Clytamestra uses the argument that he was is own person and so he could do whatever he pleases, to which he manages to change his opinion and does it for her. This is a different Agamemnon from the one we see in the Iliad, he just wants to settle down with his wife after a war

 - Clytemestra gives her no chance to plead for himself even though all he is doing points to a changed man who deserves a second chance. She pleads guilty to killing Agamemnon but says that the devil had possessed her through the curse of the house of Atreus. She appeals to the chorus by this argument so that they could let her go.

 - When she explains to the chorus how she killed him, she explains with such detail that it only points to how much she enjoyed the act of killing him. She is jealous of Cassandra who comes as a mistress to her husband to her household. She seems to get the kicks out of killing these two.

- Aegisthus claims that he is the one who planned the whole murder; he comes to take his revenge on Atreus' family by coming to have an affair with Clytaemestra. He relives the statement "sins of the father" (Solonic wisdom)

 - Cassandra was given the power of prophecy by Apollo in return she is asked to have children for him. She refuses and Apollo rapes her. The hero whom Apollo wanted doesn't come to be and the gods are frustrated then take it out on her. She is a contrast to Aegisthus who is so caught up in the past, yet she is so caught up in the future, she can project the future but has no influence in the events. - Clytaemestra's qualities; deceitful, vengeful, jealous, deranged (emotionally disturbed), cunning, manipulative, lacks compassion, strong willed, intelligent, cowardly.

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Class Notes, Oct. 16

Sivixay & Reichwein

Stephenson & McLean

Danielle’s Rough Draft Part of The Scribe Speech for October 16^th 2003

Heralds topics- Zeus and Greek Giants

Zeus was the sixth child and his mother hid him so his father would not be able to eat him…His father ate his siblings so when he grew up he deceived Cronus and forced him to spit up his siblings.He  came to power through fraud and he married his sister Hera and nobody knows how many kids he had. Zeus is referred to as Son of Cronus, Zeus of the Thunderbolt, The Cloud Gatherer, The Sky Dweller. Hesiot wrote something about agricultural called works and days. He himself was a farmer. He wrote something about the creation of man and woman and the first woman was Pandora which was created as a punishment to mankind. Prometheus was a minor deity who Aeschylus blew up.

The Greek Giants

-when Zeus defeated the Titans, Gaia was upset and wanted revenge so  she made the Giants.

- The gods killed the giants with the help of Heracles(Hercules) who was a mortal but after showing amazing skill the gods gave him immortality.

In the Agamemnon Zeus enforces the boundaries and if they cross them he comes down hard on them.He seems like a guy who loves humanity and restores balance.

In Prometheus Bound see line 220 when Zeus is angry with mankind and wants to blot it out like when God of the Old Testament sent the flood . Prometheus saves mankind. Prometheus is responsible for Zeus’ victory and Zeus is somewhat ungrateful and Prometheus harbors some resentment to Zeus on two grounds ,the unfair distribution of rewards and the pain he has undergone  from trying to save mankind.

Line 160 – shows that Zeus is a tyrant (Who of Gods is so hard of heart that he finds joy in this)

Line149

Line 33

All the people in the play are being somewhat tortured by Zeus. Might and Violence are the props of Zeus’ rule as that is how he attained his throne.

A tyrant alone is free; everyone else is a slave as explained by Might in lines 49 and 50

In line 190 it shows that Zeus doesn’t explain himself, he basically sets his own rules as he goes that are pleasing to him.

Solon warns Athens against tyrants. They might seem like a temporary solution but once you have embarked along those lines it is hard to come back.

Zeus never gives reasons for his actions; Hera is his voice of reasoning.

Zeus is setting up Prometheus as an example for anyone who might try to cross him..

Prometheus knows who is going to overthrow Zeus and Zeus doesn’t .Zeus is insecure and his actions come from his basic insecurities and he knows that his father and father’s father got overthrown.

Oceanus is very concerned and shows some sympathy to Prometheus and tells him to get in line because he suffered at the hands of Zeus.

Zeus is scared that he is losing power.

Zeus changes his ideas and punishes Prometheus a second time by locking him away..

Long speech Prometheus line 440- 500..he talks about the advantages that he has given to mankind and draw up a list of benefits…pick one out and tell me why this is the best benefit.