I. The first question will be a matching question asking you to match the characters in the works
read to a brief description of the character. Each identification will be worth 2 points. Be familiar
with the following characters from module 1:
Name
Noah
Work
Genesis
Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh
Enkidu
Gilgamesh
Utnapishtim
Gilgamesh
Achilles
Iliad
Zeus
Hector
Iliad;
Sappho’s
poems
Iliad
Athena
Iliad
Aeneas
Aeneid
Sappho
Sappho’s
Poems
Aphrodite
Sappho’s
poems
Lysistrata
Lysistrata
Arjuna
Krishna
Antigone
BhagavadGita
BhagavadGita
Antigone
Details
God chose him to build the Ark because he was righteous of all those on
Earth; his family was saved to repopulate wiped out earth; got
drunk=shame
Greatest (king) of Uruk; hero to their people; 2/3 divine, 1/3 human; not
a nice guy at first: rapes and takes what he wants; balanced out by
Enkidu: soul mates; grief stricken/heart broken when Enkidu dies, roams
the steppe as a beast then journeys to Utnapishtim (see below)
Was created to be Gilgamesh’s playmate; raised by beasts on the steppe;
was “civilized” by Shamhat and her seduction; together he and Gil defeat
Humbaba
Lived at the edge of the world; Noah-not-Noah: survived the flood and
was blessed with immortality because of his loyalty; Gilgamesh goes to
him seeking immortality
Strongest of the Greeks; hero; kills Hector (no honor); argues with
Agamemnon over Apollo’s priest’s daughter; gives up his “prize” to
resolve the issue but cries to his mommy about it
King of the gods; married to Hera, they fight over the Trojans/Greeks;
Thetis asks him to intervene on Achilles’s behalf; He is right all the time
Strongest of Trojans, hero, son of Priam; killed by Achilles after being
tricked by Athena; asks for honorable burial (doesn’t get it)
Tricks Hector by pretending/disguised as his brother which gives
Achilles the upper hand; revenge for not being picked by Paris (Golden
Apple)
Survivor of Troy/Trojan War; washes up on Dido’s land; falls in love,
“marries” her, then abandons her to fulfill his destiny in Italy, she kills
herself out of heartbreak
The only female writer of the time with existing work; “first” recorded
female writer; wrote about love (most important aspect of life) and
celebrated women and women-love; explored all emotions associated
with love (i.e. jealousy)
Goddess of love/sexual desire, Sappho had the most reverence for her;
called on her for help in poem
Woman who called on all Athenian and Spartan women to withhold sex
in order to end the war; difficult to convince them and keep them on
target but they are successful; gains a higher level of respect from men
for her fortitude
Warrior who puts down his weapons when fsced with friends/family as
his enemy; asks Krishna what to do
Earthly embodiment of Vishnu; explains to Arjuna the concepts of Hindu
reincarnation, self vs. Self, and enlightenment of the yogi
Sister to Poly, daughter to Oedipus, defies Kreon to bury her brother,
commits suicide in cave where she was sent to starve herself, Haimon
(fiancé) also kills himself when he learns of her death
II. The next type of question will be short answer. These will each be worth 5 points. Be prepared
to define, describe, illustrate, and/or briefly explain the following terms and concepts that are
important in the study of ancient literature:

Myth
myth-a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining
some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events.
Examples: blacks cats are evil, Hercules, Odysseus,Zues, Pandoras Box
Typical Topics
 The origin of the world
 The origin of man
 Division of the world
 The cause of thunder
Deities of Greek Mythology
 Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty
 Apollo, god of music, poetry, enlightenment, and prophecy
 Athena, goddess of warfare, wisdom and skill
 Hades, king of the dead and the underworld
 Hera, wife of Zeus, queen of heavens, goddess of women and childbirth
 Zeus, king of the gods and ruler of the sky, weather, law, and fate

the role of the gods
o People are the pawns
o They make the rules
o People exist because of the will of the gods.
o People put the gods above all.
o They meddle in things they shouldn’t and don’t care what everyone thinks.
o They don’t care how it all ends as long as happens as they want at that moment.
o Some gods have everything planned out.
o Gods fight among each other and get into pissing contests.

the significance of nature/natural settings
o division of instinct and civilized behavior (Enkidu)
o gods’ intervening with humans (Aeneas and Dido in the cave, Noah)
o exile in Antigone

the characteristics of a hero
o People look up to them
o Have an appearance of selflessness and bravery
o Embody the best qualities of their culture
o Anyone has the potential to be a hero, it is how they apply their strength, judgement, and
other talents/qualities
o Gilgamesh (arguable), Noah, Hector, Achilles, Sappho, Lysistrata, Aneaus

the concepts of "universal" and "specific" as they apply to theme and meaning in works of
literature.
o Universal: can be interpreted in different ways depending on the culture/religion
o Specific: can mainly only be interpreted in one way
The third type of question will require that you write a brief essay (2-3 paragraphs). There are 3
of these and each is worth 35 points, so leave plenty of time to write these answers. The topics
are:
1) compare the role of love, sex, and the body as portrayed in the Egyptian "Love Poems," the
works of Sappho, and Lysistrata;
Egyptian Love Poems:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Love is more of a spiritual connection than a physical connection
Analogies often used to describe the beauty of the body and the beauty of love
Love provides strength to push through any obstacle in life
Love becomes an obsession
Sappho:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Love isn’t about nice, fluffy feelings
Love is about rage, anger, jealousy, and all emotions opposite of love basically
Sappho believes that love is the end all be all
Cherishes women
Love is all encompassing
We romanticize war when we should be romanticizing romance and love
Love for women is like war for men
Lysistrata:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
The body is a powerful motivator for men
Sex is hard for people to live without
Again, distinguishes between sex and war
Women classify their worth by their beauty because they have grown so accustom to men doing
the same
If women don’t give men their bodies, they are often beaten or raped. This is interesting because
men value a woman for sex and look at her only for her body…but when men don’t get their way,
they destroy the very thing that they value
Man is to fire as woman is to water (women scorch man’s desire for sex and war)
Men believe that “wife” and “sex slave” are synonymous
Even women who are uneducated have the power and know-how to get what they deserve
2) compare the depictions of heroism in Gilgamesh, the Iliad, and the Bhagavad-Gita;
Gilgmesh:
Hero for his physical being and courage in conquering beasts.
Iliad:
Achilles was a hero for conquering his enemies and for not giving in to honoring hector’s death rites.
Bhagavad-Gita:
The admirable trait is devotion to Hinduism. Actions do not dictate the quality of a person.
3) explore the concept of "duty" in Antigone, Genesis, the Aeneid, and Bhagavad-Gita.
Antigone= her duty is to her family/brother to bury Euky. This duty transcends her earthly life. She
would rather please the dead because she will be with them a lot longer.
Genesis= Noah's duty is to perform God's actions and leave behind the entirety of the human race. He
sacrifices everything in his past earthly life to create a new world.
Aeneid= Aeneas has to leave Dido to fulfill his prophecy of starting Rome. He leaves his love and he leaves
her heartbroken. He struggles with the idea of a fallen Troy and feels helpless but still works to
accomplish his prophecy.
Bhagavad-Gita= Arjun's duty is to his greater self versus his earthly self. He has to fulfill the war and kill
his earthly family. Krishna teaches him that his family is only earthly and their souls will still be alive. It is
more important for Arjun to honor his duty than to "save" his family