Directions: You will write a 2-3-page paper 500-700, using MLA format: times new roman, double spaced, 12 pt. font, 1” margins. This paper does not need research, but you are encouraged to find out more about your artwork so that you can understand it and enjoy it even more. If you decide to do research, be sure to include a works cited page.
Read through the options given below. In your paper, you will give an explanation and description of your artwork and relate it to a myth or myths from our textbook. The purpose of the paper is to understand the influence of Greek mythology in culture. Whichever artwork you choose, be sure to discuss why this myth is important for us to know about today.
Make sure you get specific. For example, pick a particular painting, a sculpture, a film, a play, or an example from architecture and discuss how it represents or connects with the Greek mythology. Make sure you connect it to the stories that we have read and discussed in class. Your grade will be determined by the quality of the review and how well it fulfills all the requirements.
Option #1 National Gallery of Art Choose two works of art from the list below.
Mercury/Hermes
Diana and Endymion
Oedipus Cursing His Son Polynices
Titian’s ‘s Feast of the Gods
Titian Venus with Mirror
Tiepolo’s Apollo Pursuing Daphne
Pannini’s Pantheon
Lorrain’s Judgement of Paris
Romulus and Remus
Option #2 Tour the Parthenon in Athens, Greece
Parthenon Tour
Option #3 The Historical Site of the House of Atreus (Agamemnon and Menelaus)
Palace and Grave of Mycenae
Option #4 Famous Museum in Rome: Choose two works to discuss.
Tour the Capitoline Museum Rome, Italy
Romulus and Remus
Medusa
Artemis
Option #5
Raphael Room Parnassus Vatican Museum Rome, Italy
Option #6 Modern Day Turkey and Finding the Real Troy from the Trojan War
The Search for the Real Troy
Option #7
Choose one film from the options below, and discuss how the film relates to the myths we have studied in class.
Life is Beautiful
Compare with the one of the Greek tragedies we have studied.
Seven
Discuss the idea of sin (the seven deadly sins) and punishment in the film. Discuss the aspects of the underworld.
Unforgiven
Discuss the role of revenge and honor in the film. You might want to make connections to Achilles in The Iliad.
O Brother Where Art Thou or 1917
Discuss the importance of a journey and how a journey changes the main character. Compare the film with The Odyssey
Folger Theatre full production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth
Compare Macbeth to Agamemnon and/or Lady Macbeth to Clytemnestra.
Choose Any Shakespeare play from the Globe Theatre in London, England
Connect a theme from Shakespeare to a theme from Greek mythology. Or discuss the genre of tragedy and the tragic hero.
For example, suffering in King Lear and Oedipus Rex
The role of Theseus in mythology and a Midsummer’s Night’s Dream
Hamlet and Oedipus as tragic heroes.
What Dreams May Come
Compare how the film depicts the underworld with Homer and Virgil’s depiction of the underworld.
