Dear Mythology Kids,
Don't forget that you will have a QUIZ
covering the irony found within the myth of "Heracles," and how those
aspects of irony add to the pathos experienced by our hero on Friday!
"How do I prepare for the quiz, Crampton?"
"Make sure you have read the myth of Heracles found on page 166 in your textbook. In addition, review the storyboard that we worked on in class on Thursday.
"Will there be extra credit for this quiz?"
"Absolutely! I have listed the aspects of irony below. Respond to each one as if you were taking the actual quiz. Originally, I was going to have you complete one of the six questions, but I have changed my mind. You will answer two of the six listed. If you review this way, you will clearly be successful, as you will have two of the six included below, you just don't know which two. You are to discuss the irony found in each excerpt from the myth of “Heracles,” and how the irony adds to the pathos experienced by Heracles. Please be thorough in your response; assume that your audience has no schema on the character of Heracles. Cut and paste the questions into a Word document, and then respond to them on your computer.
1.) Athena
“found” the infant Heracles outside the walls of Thebes, where Alcmene
had abandoned him in fear of Hera’s jealousy. Athena showed the child
to Hera and urged the goddess to pity the beautiful child so cruelly
neglected.
2.) The
goddess drove Heracles temporally mad, and he killed his children,
Megara as well—thinking they were either wild beasts or enemies of
Thebes. When his sanity returned, Heracles exiled himself from Thebes
for his crime. He traveled to Delphi to ask the oracle how best to atone
for his crime. The priestess of the oracle instructed Heracles to go
to Tiryns and perform any 10 labors devised for him by King Eurystheus.
3.) Eurystheus
directed Heracles to kill the Lernaean Hydra (water snake) as his
second labor. Heracles slew the beast by chopping off its immortal head
and burying the still-hissing head under a rock. Before returning to
Tiryns, Heracles dipped his arrows in the poisonous blood of the Hydra.
Thereafter, anyone wounded with one of these arrows would die.
4.) The
goddess sent two poisonous serpents with flaming eyes to destroy both
Heracles and his half-brother Iphicles. Yet the mighty infant seized
one in each hand and easily strangled the serpents, thinking they were
toys he found great glee in his kill of the snakes.
5.) The
perfect host, Admetus entertained his guest while hiding the fact that
he was mourning for his wife, Alcestis. When Heracles discovered his
host’s secret, he rushed to Alcestis tomb. Upon bringing her back to
Admetus, the host promptly died.
6) "He sent his servant home to Deianeira in order to obtain the special ceremonial shirt he wore on these religious occasions. When the servant mentioned to Deianeira that Iole was to accompany Heracles, Deianeira feared that her husband loved the beautiful princess.”
