AP LITERATURE - MYTHS AND ALLUSIONS
Know the background, significance and relevance of the following:
Myth/Allusion
Background
Significance
Examples where
you have
encountered it…
In the Lord of the
Achilles was the son of
An Achilles heel is a
Achilles Heel
Thetis and Peleus, the
bravest hero in the Trojan
war, according to Greek
mythology.
When Achilles was born,
his mother, Thetis, tried to
make him immortal by
dipping him in the River
Styx. As she immersed
him, she held him by one
heel and forgot to dip him
a second time so the heel
she held could get wet too.
Therefore, the place where
she held him remained
untouched by the magic
water of the Styx and that
part stayed mortal or
vulnerable.
weakness in spite of
overall strength, which
can actually or potentially
lead to downfall.
His weakness was said to
be his pride and/or love
for the princess Polyxena
Also called tragic/fatal
flaw or Harmartia
Rings series of books, the
ring is Frodo’s fatal flaw.
Although the character
himself is mostly a very
good person, the ring
threatens to undo him the
same way it did Gollum –
by driving him mad with
the power the ring’s
possession affords him.
According to Dumbledore
in Harry Potter series,
Voldemort's weakness is
his inability to love.
Narcissus Complex
Adonis
Pandora’s Box
Prometheus – a
Titan
Sisyphus
Atlas – a Titan
Mount Olympus
Greek gods:
Zeus
Hera
Poseidon
Aphrodite
Athena
Hades
god of ?
Related to:
Significance and/or
examples:
AP LITERATURE - MYTHS AND ALLUSIONS
Hermes
Ares
Apollo
Roman gods:
Jupiter (Jove)
Juno
Neptune
Venus
Minerva
Pluto
Mercury
Mars
Other:
Amazons
Jason and the
Argonauts
The Twelve Labors
of Hercules
Orpheus and
Eurydice
Medusa – a Gorgon
The song of the
sirens
Dionysus/Dionysian
Bacchus:
Bacchanalian
Daedalus and
Icarus
Cassandra
Background
Significance
Examples
AP LITERATURE - MYTHS AND ALLUSIONS
An Oedipus complex
Centaurs
Circe
Riddle of the Sphinx
Satyrs
Gordian knot
Sword of Damocles
Nemesis
Romulus and
Remus
Aeneas
Aesop’s Fables
Pegasus
Theseus and the
Labyrinth and the
Minotaur
Demeter and
Persephone (7
pomegranates) and
Hades
Charon and the
River Styx and the
River Lethe
Odysseus (Ulysses)
and Penelope
The Cyclops:
Polyphemus
Trojan War – Helen
of Troy
Menelaus
Paris of Troy
Priam and Hecuba
AP LITERATURE - MYTHS AND ALLUSIONS
Nine Muses:
Terpsichore
Background
Significance
Examples
Clio
Melpomene
Urania
Thalia
Calliope
Erato
Euterpe
Polyhymnia
**Students should have an understanding of the allusions and basic knowledge of all the major religions.
Major religions:
Islam
Confucianism
Taoism
Buddhism
Hinduism
Judaism
Christianity
Basic belief:
AP LITERATURE - MYTHS AND ALLUSIONS
**The Bible is the holy book of Judaism and Christianity and is the most widely known book in the Englishspeaking world. It is divided into two main parts: the Old Testament and the New Testament.
The Old Testament includes: Genesis, Exodus, the Psalms, Book of Job, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon and
the book of Isaiah.
The New Testament includes: the 4 gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and the book of Revelation.
For Biblical allusions, it would be helpful to read the following: Genesis, Exodus, Matthew and Mark
Biblical
Allusions:
Cain and Abel
David and
Goliath
Wisdom of
Solomon
The good
fortune of My
cup runneth
over
The relations
between
parents and
children in
Abraham and
Isaac
Story of Job’s
patience
12 Apostles
Noah and the
flood
Armageddon
Tower of Babel
Babylon
Daviel in the
lion’s den
Doubting
Thomas
Garden of
Eden
Four
Horsemen of
the Apocalypse
Background
Significance
Examples
AP LITERATURE - MYTHS AND ALLUSIONS
The Good
Shepherd
The Last
Supper
Jesus and
loaves and
fishes
Judas Iscariot
The Magi
Manna from
heaven
Moses
Prodigal son
Shiboleth
(password,
arbitrary test)
Sodom and
Gomorrah
Walking on
water