 You will be working with a partner for today’s
assignments!
 Read “The Life and Times of Hercules,” a well-known
account of a hero and heroic action, and annotate.
 With your partner, draft a list of characteristics and
qualities of a hero that were presented in the story.
 Now consider your list and create a list of heroes in
other areas such as history, religion, pop culture,
folktales, art, politics, literature and modern times.
 Try to have at least 3-4 heroes in EVERY category
 What constitutes a hero?
 What qualities do certain heroes have that make them
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exceptional?
When have we seen a situation give rise to an
unconventional hero or heroine?
Do all heroes have something in common about their
appearance?
What are some of the lessons that heroes can teach us?
What differences exist among cultures with regard to their
concept of heroes?
How can we compose an interesting way to present our
definition visually to the class? Create a visual
representation/mini-poster to present with your definition.
 Considered statements of cultural identity
 Heroes embody the values of Greek culture.
 Bravery, loyalty, intelligence, honor to the gods, heroism,
glory, determination, etc.
 Homer is said to be the first teller of adventures of all
times. He was not the first author because in his day
stories were passed down---they were told. He was a
blind man whose date of birth is unknown.
 In Medias Res
 In the middle of things
 The epics begin in the middle of the story but flashback to past
events.
 General outline and characters of stories were already known to
audience.
 The Trojan War
 Invocation (invoking Muses)
 Muses are goddesses of poetry, art, music, and dance.
 Invoking the Muse was a poet’s way of asking for inspiration and
ideas.
 The Odyssey, The Iliad, and Paradise Lost (Britain).
 Phrases used to rename characters based on traits
 Achilles of the swift feet
 Hector breaker of horses
 Singer emperor of knowledge
Fun Review (song)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiQ4j-D5o4o
 Eris – goddess of discord (disagreement)
 Upset about not being invited to the wedding of Thetis
and Peleus.
 Made a Golden Apple labeled “for the fairest one.”
 Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite
 Argue over apple
 Choose Paris, prince of Troy to make decision.
 Each goddess offered a bribe.
 Athena – wisdom; Hera – be a powerful king; and Aphrodite –
the most beautiful woman
 Aphrodite
 Offers Paris the most beautiful woman in the world,
Helen.
 Helen is already married to Menelaos, a Greek king.
 Paris
 Kidnaps Helen, the
“face that launched a
thousand ships.”
 Menelaos – Husband to Helen
 Seeks help from Agamemnon, king of Mycenae.
 War lasts ten years
 The Iliad focuses on the last two months of the war.
 Son of Thetis (sea goddess) and Peleus, a mortal.
 Dipped into the Styx all except for his heel. (Achilles
Heel)
 Best warrior for the Greeks
 Suffers from excessive
Pride (hubris) and anger.
 In war for fame
 Agamemnon – Leader of Greeks/suffers from pride
and stubbornness.
 Patroklos – close friend of Achilles
 Odysseus – most intelligent Greek and advisor to
Achilles.
 Hera and Athena – favor Greeks
 Hector – best Trojan soldier and prince of Troy
 King Priam – king of Troy
 Paris – Hector’s brother and prince of Troy/kills
Achilles.
 Andromache – Hector’s wife.
 Aphrodite, Apollo, and Ares – favor Trojans.
 Zeus – mostly neutral but appeases gods involved.
 Many different stories:
 Killed by Paris who finds out vulnerable spot from
Apollo
 Apollo in the disguise of Paris
 Achilles falls in love with one of Priam’s daughters and is
slain when he shows up for the wedding.
 While reading, annotate (use sticky notes):
 questions,
 comments,
 identification of literary elements (particularly evidence
of themes and examples of imagery and other figurative
language),
 vocabulary words (either words you aren’t that familiar
with and/or perfect words you want to add to your
writing vocabulary.)
Questions:
What are Achilles’
motivations for calling
a meeting?
Comments:
Agamemnon is so
disrespectful – I would
rebel!
Ln 57 – theme reference
Ln 61-65: Achille’
charac.
Ln 63-65: Greek Culture
 What values and beliefs of Greek culture have been
revealed so far in The Iliad?