Gods, Heroes, Myths:
The Legacy of Ancient GreeceATI Summer 2001
Professor Monica Cyrino
This seminar explored the representation, interpretation and influence of the classical Greek myths. We considered how the Greek gods and heroes function as objects of deep religious awe and reverence for the ancient Greeks, and yet at the same time how they are portrayed as colorful, unpredictable, subjectively "anthropomorphic" characters in the popular art and literature of classical antiquity. We investigated how archetypal figures and narrative patterns emerged in Greek mythology and how these configurations developed in the different representational media and literary genres. We inquired how the Greek myths continue to influence our culture today.
In our survey of the principal ancient myths, we primarily focused on the myths as they were adapted and presented in classical Greek literature: as such, most of the readings in this seminar came directly from the ancient epic poems, hymns and tragedies. During the seminar period we viewed images taken from ancient Greek vase painting and sculpture, so that we were also able to examine the representation of the gods, heroes, story-patterns and myths in their visual cultural context.
The first week of the seminar introduced some background to the study of myth, with an emphasis on the universality of mythic archetypes and story-patterns. We surveyed many historical and current methodologies for the analysis of myth, including anthropological, psychoanalytic, literary and historical modes of interpretation. We studied the classical Greek version of the birth of the cosmos in Hesiod’s Theogony, and explored the story of the rise of the great sky-god Zeus and the formation of the Olympian pantheon. We studied each of the major gods and goddesses severally, their characters, attributes, acolytes, spheres of influence, and significant appearances in literature. We enjoyed a close reading of the long Homeric Hymns to Aphrodite, Demeter, Apollo and Hermes, and discussed the way these particular deities are represented in the narrative genre.
During the second part of the seminar, we continued our investigation of the way the major Greek gods are portrayed in literature by reading Euripides’ Bacchae, one of the most influential of all Greek tragedies. We asked what the representation in this play of the cult of the god Dionysus, the god of wine, drama and ecstasy, might say about the nature of Greek mystery religions, the celebration of theatrical festivals in fifth-century Athens, and the genre of Greek tragedy itself. We also discussed the story-patterns involved in tales of divine retribution such as the Bacchae, and surveyed several versions of the punishment archetype. We explored the Greek version of the geography of the underworld, and reviewed stories of successful descent and return to Hades. This section of the seminar concluded with a viewing of the film, Black Orpheus (Brazil, 1958).
The seminar then turned from the divine to the mortal realm, as we began our study of the archetypal hero-myth pattern. We investigated the pattern through a close reading of the myths of Herakles, Theseus and Jason, together with an analysis of the monomyth as presented by Joseph Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces (Princeton, 1968). We looked at the various intertwined stages of the hero’s journey, including his extraordinary origins, his call to adventure, the quest itself, and his return or reintegration. We explored a female version of the challenges of heroism by reading Euripides’ Medea, and discussing the ways in which the authors of Greek tragedy reinterpreted the traditional myths to suit their contemporary purposes. We continued our survey of the diverse expressions of the heroic myth archetype with a study of the Trojan War saga, which included reading parts of Homer’s Iliad, where we discussed the distinctive outlines of the warrior hero archetype manifest on the battlefield at Troy. Next we considered the contours of the new hero Odysseus, and the implications of his heroic journey and homecoming, as we read much of Homer’s Odyssey. Finally, the seminar concluded with a reading of the Oresteia of Aeschylus, in order to consider the homecoming of the great Greek general Agamemnon from the war at Troy, and the story of the family curse that plagued the royal house of Mycenae for generations, until the hero Orestes was cleansed of the miasma in the city of Athens, home of Athena, goddess of wisdom and justice.
For their curriculum units, the Fellows were encouraged to choose to focus on those myths that would most inspire and motivate themselves and their students. The Fellows selected myths from the vast array of stories presented in the seminar, and beyond, and the units are intended for a broad spectrum of middle and high school grade levels and subjects. They introduced several insightful connections of ancient mythology with contemporary popular culture, in film, television, novels, animation, and the internet. The curriculum units that follow represent the particular academic expertise and intellectual passion of each Fellow, and I am extremely pleased and proud to observe the scholarly rigor and literary elegance expressed therein.
Gods, Heroes, Myths:
The Legacy of Ancient GreeceATI Summer 2001
Seminar Leader: Monica Cyrino
This seminar will explore the representation, interpretation and influence of the classical Greek myths. We will consider how the gods and heroes function as objects of deep religious awe and reverence for the ancient Greeks, and yet at the same time how they are portrayed as colorful, unpredictable, subjectively "anthropomorphic" characters in the popular art and literature of classical antiquity. We will investigate how archetypal figures and narratives emerge in Greek mythology and how these patterns develop in different representational media and literary genres. We will ask how the Greek myths continue to influence our culture today.
In our survey of the principal ancient myths, the primary emphasis will be on the myths as they are presented in classical Greek literature: readings will come from the ancient epic poems, hymns and tragedies. During the seminar period we will view images taken from ancient Greek vase painting and sculpture, so that we may also examine the representation of the gods, heroes and myths in their visual cultural context.
Required Texts:
Harris and Platzner, Classical Mythology: Images and Insights (abbreviated CM)
Evelyn-White, Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns and Homerica (abbreviated HHH)
**Seminar participants who wish to pursue a specific topic more deeply will be given ample opportunity to pursue recommended readings
Monday, June 4 Course Introduction/ the Universality of Myth
**CM 3-26
Ways of Interpreting Myth
**CM 27-46
Cosmogonies and Theogonies
**CM 49-83, HHH 79-155 (Hesiod’s Theogony)Wednesday, June 6 The Divine/Human Axis: Prometheus, Pandora, Deucalion
**CM 142-157, HHH 3-19 (Works and Days)
The Rise of Zeus/ the Formation of the Olympian Circle
**CM 118-141Thursday, June 7 Goddesses: Aphrodite, Artemis, Demeter, Hestia, Athena
**CM 84-117, HHH 289-325, 407-429, 435, 453, 455-457
(Hymns to Aphrodite, Demeter, Artemis, Hestia)
Boy Gods: Ares, Hephaestus, Apollo, Hermes
**CM 158-183, HHH 325-363, 363-405, 433-435
(Hymns to Apollo, Hermes, Ares)Monday, June 11 Dionysus and his Narcotic Power
**CM 184-204
The Theater of Dionysus and the Bacchae
**CM 423-479 (Euripides’ Bacchae)Wednesday, June 13 Hades Explored/ Tales of Descent and Return Myths of Punishment
**CM 205-227
Black OrpheusThursday, June 14 The Archetypal Hero: Herakles, Theseus, Jason
**CM 228-254
The Heroism of Medea
**CM 739-777 (Euripides’ Medea)Monday, June 18 Heroes at War: the Trojan Saga
**CM 255-341 (Homer’s Iliad selections)
Wednesday, June 20 A New Kind of Hero: Odysseus
**CM 342-420 (Homer’s Odyssey selections)Thursday, June 21 The Curse of the House of Atreus
**CM 522-608 (Aeschylus’ Oresteia)Monday, June 25 Teacher Presentations
Tuesday, June 26 Teacher Presentations
