Final Exam Study Guide Essay

1. What was the historical cause of the Trojan War (probably), and what was the mythological cause? Remember, Troy is a city that guards the entrance to the Black Sea, and so it's likely that they were harassing the Greeks' trade routes.

2. One of the horrific acts committed in the "House of Atreus" (not the literal house, but the family that includes Atreus) was that he did what to Thyestes' children?

3. Remember that Eris means "strife," not "love." Eros means "love."

4. What was the Judgment of Paris? If you don't know the story, you'll miss a question. :-(

5. Helen and Menelaos ruled over SPARTA.

6. The rape of Helen particularly offended Zeus because it violated his rules of a) hospitality b) maritime protocol c) father-son relations d) supplication e) the treatment of prisoners.

7. You'd better know about Philoctetes being abandoned on Lemnos . . .

8. Look in the book to answer this: What did Lucretius think the sacrifice of Iphigenia demonstrated?
9. The Iliad does NOT tell the story of the Trojan Horse. It tells of one incident in the 9th year of the war.

10. What amateurish thing did Schliemann do at Troy? Answer: he didn't realize cities are buried in layers, so he dug down indiscriminately . .

11. Milman Parry followed the Serbo-Croatian poets around and discovered what about their technique? This relates to the Homeric Question.

12. kleos = ???

13. patronymic = ??? This is in the chapter about the Iliad.

14. The Greek word hubris refers to a) the flower of youth b) the superiority of one soldier over another c) a refusal to ask the gods for help d) ill-health sent by the gods e) intentionally dishonoring behavior.

15. What is "Ate"?

16. How did Odysseus try to get out of fighting the Trojan War?

17. What did Thetis do to try to keep her son away from Troy?

18. According to Homer, the deciding factor in bringing about the death of Odysseus’ men was the following: a) their lack of love for their families b) the capriciousness of the gods, who toy with men’s lives as a kind of joke c) the unwillingness of Helen to admit her wrongdoing d) their recklessness during the return home, particularly the fact that they ate the cattle of Hyperion/Helios the sun god e) a storm sent by mistake by Poseidon.

19. Why did Odysseus give Polyphemus Ismarian wine?

20. What animal did Odysseus use to escape from Polyphemus' cave?

21. What made it possible for Polyphemus to curse Odysseus? Remember in class I talked about the power of the name.

22. Circe, after turning Odysseus’ men into swine, was temporarily able to “unman” Odysseus with a) a dazzling display of light b) sex c) effeminate clothing d) a drug that turned him into a pig farmer e) a disguise that made herself look like Penelope.

23. What was the secret power of the Sirens' song? Remember I called them "sycophants" in class.

24. Over whom does king Aeolus rule on the island of Aeolia?

25. What does Scylla look like?

26. A typical motif of the “hero on a journey” is the idea that he must navigate through obstacles of desire and a) discouragement b) euphoria c) confusion d) fear e) anger.

27. The literal meaning of nostalgia is ????? Think of the land of the Lotus-eaters.

28. What plant did the Lotus-eaters eat? (See how easy this class is?)

29. "Calypso" in Greek means ???? Remember I talked about the Apocalypse of John.

30. Which of the following words best characterizes Penelope, wife of Odysseus? a) deadly b) faithful c) heartless d) insane e) selfish.

31. Where did Penelope live?

32. Which of the following sins did Clytemnestra NOT commit? a) exiling her son Orestes b) killing Cassandra c) taking on a boyfriend even though married d) driving Aegisthus to drown his own daughter e) encouraging Agamemnon to walk on the tapestry of the gods.

33. Which of the following did NOT accrue to (count toward) the guilt or demise of Agamemnon? a) stepping on the tapestry of

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