Plutarch's Fortune of Alexander (extra credit)

I will read to you in class a few passages from Plutarch's On the Fortune of Alexander. Glance through the online translation of this work (you don't need to read the whole thing), and pick out any information that would help you in writing an essay on whether or not Alexander deserves to be called "great." Note that there are two different "Orations" on this site, both from Plutarch's "Moralia."

Philip's Letter to the Athenians (extra credit)

In response to Demosthenes' diatribes against him, Philip of Macedon wrote a fascinating letter to the Athenians. Read through the letter. What evidence do you see here of Philip's skill as a diplomat? What evidence that he in some ways deserves the title "great"?

Agesilaos, Pelopidas, and Demosthenes (extra credit)

Greek history in the 4th century BC is filled with fascinating characters, some of whom one might regard as real heroes despite the setbacks in their lives. The Greek/Roman historian Plutarch left us biographies of many of these figures, e.g., Agesilaus, Pelopidas, and Demosthenes. Please read Plutarch's account of the life of one of these men, and give your evaluation of that figure. To what extent is this man heroic? Do you see in their lives any elements of tragedy?

Plato (extra credit)

I won't have as much time for class discussion as I would like: mostly lectures from here on out.  However, in preparing the Greek philosophy question for the final exam, it will really help if you read a few selections from some of the philosophers we will be discussing.

You might find particularly useful Meno, one of Plato's shorter dialogs. You can find online editions at one of the links below:

• Meno at Internet Classics 
• Meno at Free Library 
• Meno PDF at University of Texas

Can virtue be taught? The apparent answer in this dialogue is no. But does reading the dialogue help at all in understanding/achieving virtue? If so, how?

Diogenes Laertius' Lives of the Philosophers (extra credit)

Diogenes Laertius' Lives of the Philosophers is filled with fascinating stories and sayings from the lives of the great men whose lives and ideas he describes. Read his account of any of the philosophers you would like to know more about. Comment here on what you thought the most interesting thing Diogenes Laertius had to say about that man.

For additional extra credit, read another of the selections in Diogenes Laertius and add a comment on what you found interesting in this new section.

You might find especially interesting the lives of Thales, Anaxagoras, and Diogenes. You might find even more interesting the lives of some of those philosophers who weren't discussed in class--and who often don't make it into the history books at all. If you read, for instance, the life of Bion, you'll perhaps be covering material that even Dr. Blanchard hasn't read.

(N.B., Do not confuse Diogenes Laertius with the Diogenes I discuss in class. A different man!)

Thucydides--Discussion II

We will probably cover most of this material on Tuesday, November 19.  I'd recommend reading books III and IV in their entirety (great stuff!), but reading the following excerpts will prepare you sufficiently for the Thucydides essay on the study guide and the related ID's.

III: 36-50 The Mytilene debate
III: 69-85 The revolution in Corcyra
IV: 42-48 Athenian successes/End of the revolution in Corcyra
V: 13-24 Peace of Nicias
V: 84-116 Melian Dialogue
VI: 89-93 Alcibiades justifies himself
VII: 76-87 Defeat of Nicias

Any particularly tragic elements here? Any elements of real tragedy? Are the themes/conflicts here comparable to the themes/conflicts in Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides? Anything that particularly warrants Thucydides' claim that he is writing a work for all time?

Plutarch's Lives: Aristides and Themistocles (extra credit)

 

 Please read Plutarch's Life of Aristides and/or his Life of Themistocles.

You can use the abridged "children's version" of the life of Aristides or the children's version of the life of Themistocles if you like, but, if you want fuller stories, see this online version of the Life of Aristides and/or this version of the Life of Themistocles. 

Do you see tragic elements in the life of either of these men?  What about elements of real tragedy?   Would either man make a good tragic here?  Why, or why not?

If you want to do *both* readings for double extra-credit, that's fine.  Make separate comments for each figure, though, to make it easy on me.

Thucydides Discussion I

I would like you to read all of Thucydides' history (and all the dialogues of Plato, all thirty two extant Greek tragedies, all the plays of Aristophanes, and all of Plutarch). For Thursday, November 14,  however, I will be satisfied if you skim all of Book I and read more carefully the following selections from Book II: Pericles' Funeral Oration (II:34-46), The Plague in Athens (II: 46-57), and Pericles' Justification of His Policies (II:57-65).

Comment here on what you think of Thucydides as a historian. Note one specific strength or weakness, and give an example or two of what you liked/didn't like about Thucydides.

Euripides II--Andromache

Please read Euripides' Andromache for Tuesday's class (October 27).

Choose one of the five narrative essentials (plot, character, theme, setting, tone) and compare this play to one of the other tragedies we've read in terms of that "essential."  Does Euripides do something particularly impressive with that feature of his story, something that makes you especially like this play?  Is there anything in Euripides treatment of this essential that makes you not like this play as much as some of the others?

Euripides Discussion I--Alcestis

Suppose you have just seen the first Athenian production of Euripides' Alcestis and that you are trying to decide whether or not Euripides should be the playwright who wins this year's prize. What do you see in this play that would make you lean toward Euripides as the prize winner?  Anything in the play that would incline you not to vote for Euripides?

Philoctetes (read for Tuesday, October 22)

Many think that Oedipus Rex is Sophocles' finest play--perhaps the finest tragedy ever written. Others think the lesser-known Philoctetes an even greater play. Did you like Philoctetes better than Oedipus Rex? Not as much? Why? What do you think Sophocles does particularly well in Philoctetes--or, perhaps, not so well?

Oedipus Rex

For Thursday's class (October 17), please read Sophocles' Oedipus Rex (either online or in Levi Lind's Ten Greek Plays in Contemporary Translation).

Choose one (1) of the "narrative essentials" (plot, theme, character, setting, and tone) and note one way in which Sophocles' Oedipus Rex reflects a particularly skillful handling of that "essential." 

Please cite the passage you have in mind both by line number and a general description of that passage.

Alternatively, suggest here some ways Oedipus Rex either does or does not support the claim that Sophocles is one of the greatest of all playwrights.

Agamemnon (due before class, October 15)

Please read Aeschylus' Agamemnon (pp. 37-76 of Levi Lind's Ten Greek Plays in Contemporary Translation).  If this is the first time you have read this play, I would recommend skipping over the long choral passages. Great writing, but not essential to what we'll be talking about Thursday.

Directors sometimes encourage their actors to choose one special line and to center their whole performance on building to and building off that line. Assume you are asked to play one of the characters in Agamemnon or to be a member of the chorus. What line would you choose for your "special" line? How would you build up to or build off that line? Why would you choose that particular line?

Prometheus Bound (Reading for Thursday, October 10)

Please read Prometheus Bound (pp. 6-32 in Levi Lind's Ten Greek Plays in Contemporary Translation or online here or here).

Suppose you were writing a commercial promoting a production of Prometheus Bound as a "must see" kind of show. Choose some "sound bites" from the play itself to use in your commercial. Be prepared to work with other students in class to create a full version of your commercial.

Herodotus--Discussion III

Among his many works, Plutarch wrote an essay "On the Malignity (Malice) of Herodotus," a work in which he criticizes the father of history as a slanderer and a blasphemer, a man who dwells on the negative and omits the noble and the good. He admits that Herodotus is a great artist, but (he says) that only makes things worse.

Please read as much as you can of Books 8 and 9 of Herodotus' history. Be sure to read Book 9, Sections 90-122 (pp. 590-603 in the new Penguin edition). Cite one story from this section *and* one story *from some other part* of Herodotus' Histories that either supports Plutarch's criticisms or shows that Herodotus includes more than just negatives.

(Thompson translation of The Malice of Herodotus.)

Herodotus Discusssion II (for Tuesday, October 1)

Please skim Books 3 and 7 of Herodotus' Histories. You might find particularly helpful Book III, Section 80 and Book VII, Sections 10-20, 28, 35, 51, 61, 135 and 140.

We've agreed that a good history should be interesting--and, occasionally, funny as well. From these sections, pick out a Herodotus story that seems to you to be particularly interesting or particularly amusing. Explain why you like this particular story.

Remembers that the midterm study guide lists HERODOTUS STORY I, HERODOTUS STORY II, HERODOTUS STORY III, and HERODOTUS STORY IV as potential ID's.  As you read through the material, be sure to look for Herodotus stories you can use for these ID's  They should be stories that either show Herodotus' strengths or weaknesses as a historian.

Herodotus' Persian War (Discussion I--Thursday, 9-26)

Please read as much of you can of Books I and II of Herodotus' Persian War. Concentrate especially on Sections 1-14 of Book I and Sections 10-27, 123-131, 160, and 174 of Book II.

Suppose that, instead of looking for a poet, Zeus and Dionysus were trying to find a great historian to bring back with them to Olympus. Cite a story or two from Herodotus showing why he might be a good candidate for the spot, and explain how this material shows Herodotus' strengths as a historian. If you're not impressed with Herodotus, cite a passage that shows why he ought to be left in Hades.

Plutarch's Life of Solon (extra credit)

Plutarch's "Life of Solon" is an important source for both Solon and Pisistratos. For extra credit, read this abridged version of Plutarch's Life of Solon.  What do you see here that makes Solon worth comparing to a legendary figure like Theseus? 

 

Plutarch's Life of Theseus (Extra Credit)

Plutarch wrote his Life of Theseus more than 1000 years after the real Theseus (if there was one) died, and Plutarch knows his sources aren't always reliable.  He tells the story anyway. A good choice?  What do you find particularly interesting/helpful to a historian in this treatment of (mostly) legendary material?

Sparta--Extra Credit

Plutarch's Life of Lycurgus, a work written more than 500 years after the time of Lycurgus, isn't a terribly reliable source, but it at least reflects what many of the Greeks thought about the earliest days of Sparta and the great Spartan law giver.  The abridged version here is well worth the 10 or fifteen minutes it will take you to read, as is this version for children.. However, to get a better picture of Sparta, you should also read this Sparta Reconsidered article.

Comment on either of these two sources here, noting what the source suggests is unusual in Spartan society and why that unusual feature may have well suited Spartan needs.  If you comment on both linked selections, please put your responses in separate comments: you'll get extra credit for both.

 

Iliad Discussion III

For Tuesday's class, I will cover the final chapters of the Iliad (Books XVIII-XXIV). I would like you to read this excellent (and short) summary of the Iliad and then Books 22,23 and/or 24. Concentrate on finding evidence to address the following prompt rather than trying to figure out the story line.

Christians and Jews turn to the Bible as a source of comfort in difficult circumstances: "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil." Does Homer offer any similar consolation? Are there key lines here showing how one can/should face loss, fear, death, and destruction?

Iliad Discussion II (Thursday, September 5)

We will move on to Books VII-XVII of the Iliad Thursday.  You can skim over the descriptions of the actual fighting if you like These scenes are exciting, but it's not essential for you to try to follow the ebb and flow of the battles: I'll summarize that for you in class. Books 9 (pp. 216-235) ,14 (pp. 315-329.  15 (pp. 330-350), and 16 (pp. 351-374)  are probably the most helpful in giving you material for your potential exam essay.  That's 75 pages.  Still too much?  I want quality over quantity, so figure out what's manageable for you, even if it's only one chapter.

For the blog here, choose one incident/passage  from these books that reminds you of something in the Bible or that differs substantially from the kind of thing one might expect to find in a Bible and explain your choice, noting how this passage shows the Iliad to be either like the Bible or quite different.

You might look especially at the attempts to mend the relationship between Agamemnon and Achilles, the very odd scene between Zeus and Hera, and Zeus' lament about fate.

Iliad--Discussion I (For Tuesday, September 3)

Homer's works were in some ways the closest thing the Greeks had to a Bible. If one wanted authoritative teaching about the gods and about their dealings with mankind, one turned to Homer. Passages culled from the Iliad and the Odyssey served as "proof texts" for any point one might try to make. Likewise, Homer's writings were also the starting point for later "inspired" writers--the poets and playwrights of ancient Greece. But Homer's works are a very strange sort of Bible, and it's not always easy to say exactly what his religious views were.

Please read the Iliad study questions on the syllabus, and then as much of you can of Books I-VI. Cite here a line or incident that shows how the Iliad is like a Bible or how it makes a very strange "Bible."

This is the first time I've used the Lattimore translation.  I like it, but I'm finding it slower going than some translations.  I prefer quality on your part to quantity, so if you only get through Books I and II, that's ok.  The introduction is great, and you'll get from it a bit more about Schliemann, Evans, and Ventris. 

Brek-ek-ek-ek-coax-coax.

Welcome!

Welcome to Greek Keyline Blog 2019!

You have just crossed the river Styx and are ready to join Aeschylus and Euripides in a great line contest. Fortunately for you, you don't have to invent your own lines. Much of the time, you will just pick out a great line from whatever Greek writer we happen to be studying in History 440 this week and explain why this line is key to understanding the whole work or particularly worth remembering and applying to real life.

For today, I'd just like to make sure everyone in the class can post to the blog.  Please click on the "comment" button below.  Post here one of your favorite quotes--a line from one of your professors, a favorite novel or play, or (perhaps) from one of your fellow students.

Brek-ek-ek-ek, koax, koax....