Roman Literature Webquest (Sort of)
For this assignment, you will use the links provided to learn about some of the important figures
in Roman Literature, specifically poets, and about the work, The Metamorphoses, which we will
be reading from next week.
Be sure to answer all questions in complete sentences for full credit.
Our first Epic Roman poet is Virgil. Read this article and answer the following questions.
1. Who was Virgil?
2. How did he become well known?
3. What is he best known for writing and what is it about?
4. Did he finish? Why not? What did he want to happen to his poetry?
Other tenth grade classes are reading The Aeneid, but Mrs. Betancourt hates Virgil and his poetry
with the white-hot intensity of a thousand suns. You do, however, need to know who Virgil is for
when we cover Dante’s “Inferno” in January or so (I know that still seems so far off). So keep
him in mind.
The person I, your teacher, care more about making sure you learn is Ovid. Here is some
interesting information about him. Read it and answer the following questions.
5. What did Ovid’s family want for him and what did Ovid want for himself?
6. What are some of Ovid’s early works?
7. What caused Ovid to get in trouble and what was his punishment?
8. What is Ovid’s finest and best known work?
9. Was he ever freed from exile? Does the answer to that make you sad for him? Why or
why not?
The Metamorphoses
10. Surely many of you know some Ancient Greek/Roman stories, whether it’s from your
own interest or past experiences with literature, tell me what your favorite Greek story is.
11. Go here and look at this table of contents for Ovid’s Metamorphoses, do you see your
Greek/Roman story included there? If not, what story that you do see listed interests you
the most?
12. According to this link, what is The Metamorphoses?
Literary Terms
13. Here is the definition according to Mirriam-Webster’s Dictionary , what is a myth in
your own words?
Yay, you are done with your quest! Make sure you click the “turn in” button on Google
Classroom to get credit for this. If you still have time left, you may read Things Fall Apart or
quietly do work for another class.