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Homework Notes The World of Man
Ate- temporary madness
golden mean- the balance between ate and arête, fulfilling potential without pride
Arête-excellence
hubris-excessive pride
Myth Title
Characters and their
qualities, both physical
and emotional…
What does the myth
explain?
What does the myth
teach?
Link back to the
Mycenaean and Minoan
cultures…
“The World of Man”
“The Ages of Man”
Pages 97-101
Gold race-no work, no pain, no
sadness. Food was abundance.
No fear, crime, or a need for
law. No obsession with land or
boundary.
Silver race-remained as
children for 100 years before
maturing-adulthood short lived.
Poor decisions brought own pain
and suffering. Seasons
appeared (thus had to work the
land) . Violence and crime
appear.
Bronze age-very strong but
very violent. Died at own hands
through violence. Lived a dismal
afterlife as well as earth life.
Iron race- a time of conquest.
Sailors explore to take more
land. We rely on earth for
everything-cannot sustain
ourselves well. Kindness to each
other is dying out. Success
only occasional.
Prometheus-clever, creative, a
planner-can foresee future or
potential problems. He also
taught mankind morals and how
to handle the world’s
environment and make
sacrifices to the gods (by
tricking Zeus)-than stole fire
Generations of mankind
That if people do not try to
stop the downward spiral,
humankind will wipe itself out.
Myceanaens-monogamy,
marriage a sacred bond
Minoans, women would mate
with whomever. The
action/consequence structure
of the myths reflect one
culture (Mycenaean) trying to
eradicate the old world
(Minoan) practices
Man should not take more than
what the gods allow without
facing severe punishment
Because of the ;lack of female
power in this myth, one would
assume it reflects more of a
Mycenaean culture; however,
the only aggression shown here
is between the gods themselves,
so there is very little proof to
prove even that.
IN CLASS
“Prometheus””
Pages 102-111
(HW Choice
Violence, disease, pain,
suffering, seasons appeared
The creation of all animals and
all their unique qualities
How mankind was created
How fire was brought to earth
That the liver regenerates
The spirit can withstand any
challenge, if you are determined
enough
Presenter)
and suffered eternally for
mankind
No thinking or planning ahead
can lead to bigger problems.
Epimetheus-got carried away
with his job and did not
consider the consequences of
using up all his gifts.
To believe in yourself and your
own creations
Sacrifices must be made to
protect what you truly love.
Hephaestus and Athena-they
knowingly taught mankind the
skills of arts and crafts, behind
Zeus’s back. Hepha-also the
first to give man fire
“Pandora”
Pages 112-116
IN CLASS
“Arachne”
Pages 127-130
(HW Choice
Presenter)
“Niobe”
Pages 131-136
(HW Choice
Zeus-angry over being tricked,
he refused to give mankind
fiore, knowing it would destroy
humans
Pandora-beautiful but evil
Prometheus-creative (made
man)
Zeus-vengeful-punishing man
out of anger towards
Prometheus
Hephasetus-Agreat artistcreates woman
Athena-pleases dad-creates
dress for Pandora-is part of
trick against man
Arachne-a great weaver, proud,
rude
Athena-also a great weaver,
also proud, vengeful
Creation of women
Disease, suffering, hardship
The patriarchal structure of
society
Women are beautiful but
manipulative, dangerous
Don’t trust all gifts
Hope remains in face of tragedy
Tapestries
Pride (hubris)= punishment
Spiders
Be kind to strangers-they could
be a god in disguise
Heed the warnings of elders
webs
Since Mycenaeans feared the
Minoan women’s powers, this
story reinforces the idea that
such dangerous women should
be controlled, thereby securing
a patriarchal society.
The negative portrayal of
women, both immortal and
mortal, reinforce a patriarchal
power
Keep a balance of golden mean
Niobe-wife and daughter of
kings, full of hubris; ungrateful
Leto-Zeu’s lover, mother of
Apollo and Artemis-vengeful
Artemis-gidess of the huntkills all of Niobe’s children-
Lifelike statues
Terrible tragedy beyond
comprehension
Avoid hubris
Do not live through your
children
Do not disrespect the god
Your whole world can change in
a day
Minoan
battle of female power
Fertility competition
Defending mother and
motherhood is most important.
Presenter)
“Midas”
Pages 141-146
(HW Choice
Presenter)
“Daedalus and
Icarus”
Pages 147-155
(HW Choice
Presenter)
defenders her mother’s honor
Apollo-sun god., music god, kills
all of Niobe’s soncs, defender
of hismother’s honor
Midas-greedy
Impulsive poor judgment
Dionysus-wine god-grant Midas
the wish
IN CLASS
“Narcissus and Echo”
Pages 165-70
(HW Choice
Presenter)
Gold in Patulous River
Be careful what you wish for
The sound of reeds
Keep secrets
Gold statues
Respect the gods
Practice the golden mean-aim
for personal fulfillment, not
material wealth
Daedal us-great inventor
Icarus-D’s son
Perdix-D’s Nephew-shows signs
of greatness
King Minos-imprisons D + I in
labyrinth
Theseus-a Greek hero
“Pygmalion”
Pages 163-164
How you act is more important
than what you create or
produce
Pygmalion-scared of womenthought they were evil
Aphrodite-goddess of lovegrants Pygmalion his wish
Pygmalion’s statue-“the perfect
woman”
Narcissus-a man who was not
allowed to see self b/c of
prophecy
Echo-river nymph-chatty, good
conversationalist-Hera’s friend
Hera-Z’s wife
Zeus-the big man
Name for the Icarian sea and
the island Icaria
Ate-shown through Icarus
Lifelike statues
Hubris/jealousy shown by
Daedalus
Saw
Arête shown by Daedalus
Compass
Icarus’ death is meant to warn
people to keep golden mean
Labyrinth
Low-flying partridges
Ivory statues
Artists’ obsession with their
work
echoes
Origin Narcissus flower
Little evidence of with culture
being overly present here.
Since Midas was a king, this is
indicative of Mycenaean power,
since men were given such
positions. Here, he is shown to
be an impulsive rule.
No women present in the story.
Daedalus’ fear of Perdix’s
intelligence overshadowing his
own is certainly reminiscent of
the Mycenaean’s unwillingness
and fear of their sons taking
over the thrown and the battle
to retain power in general
Invention can save you in
difficult situations, as long as
you maintain the golden mean
If you worship the gods
properly, they will reward you
Women are flawed and evil, so a
woman-substitute is acceptable
The damage of self-love and
arrogance –end up alone
The result of being part of a
scheme (echo is punished)
The consequences of revenge
Mycenaean influence is clear
since Pygmalion represents in
the very Mycenaen belief that
women are evil and flawed. He
would rather have lifeless
statues (who is voiceless and
empty-headed) than a real
thinking, breathing woman.
Patriarchal themes-the male can
cheat while women become
jealous and vengeful