Monday, April 26, 2010

The Aeneid: Book IV

1. Line 3: consumed by the fire buried in her heart. Line 68: These were the words that fanned her sister's fire. Virgil is trying to say that Dido's love is very strong and powerful because when you think of fire, you think of powerful flames that can burn anything in a second.
2. Aeneas and Dido are going on a hunt, and Juno is going to send a storm at first light so that Aeneas and Dido will have to go to a cave. Juno is going to be waiting, and she is going to bind Aeneas and Dido in lasting marriage. Line 149: I'll shower down a cloudburst, hail, black driving rain.
3. Mercury basically chews Aeneas out, so he got scared. Mercury tells Aeneas that his fate is bad. This scares Aeneas so he considers leaving Carthage. Line 330-331: Mercury lashes out at once: "You , so now you lay foundation stones for the soaring walls of Carthage!"
4. Aeneas tells Dido that Apollo's oracle says that he must seize on Italy's noble land. Line 431-432: Grynean Apollo's oracle says that I must seize on Italy's noble land.
5. Dido says that her ghost will stalk Aeneas, and she says she will hound him with pitch-black flames. Lines 482-483: I'll hound you then with pitch-black flames. Lines 484-485: then my ghost will stalk you through the world!.
6. I would have used low-key lighting and a high angle because those two techniques would show that Dido was weak, and that there were dark and scary things going on. Line 824-825: her women see her doubled over the sword, the blood foaming over the blade.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

The Aeneid: Book III

1. The battle of Actium is where Octavian defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra. The battle occurred in the city called Actium. The reason it is significant now is because the battle occur after Aeneas's time.
2. Andromache saw Aeneas at Hector's tomb. Andromache was pouring libations onto her husband's tomb when Aeneas saw her. Lines 364- (Andromache) implored Hector's shade to visit his tomb. Line 363- tipping wine to her husband's ashes.
3. They are both slaves. Line 393- he turned me over to Helenus, slave to slave.
4. Orestes killed Pyrrhus, so part of Pyrrhus's kingdom was passed to Helenus. Line 397- At Pyrrhus's death, part of his kingdom passed to Helenus.
5. The sign will be a snow white sow with 30 snow white piglets under the oaks along the bank of a river. Lines 464-465- A snow-white mother with snow0white young at her dugs: that will be the place to found your city.
6. Aeneas looses his father. Line 819- Here, after all the blows of sea and storm I lost my father.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

The Aeneid: Book 1

1. He will rule Italy for three summers. Lines 327-328- Only three summers will see him govern Latium.
2. Aeneus will be succeeded by his son Ilus. Ilus will rule for thirty sovereign years. Line 322- (Ilus) will fill out with his own reign thirty sovereign years.
3. Romulus will eventually lead Rome into a time of peace. Lines 348-350- Then will the violent centuries, battles set aside, grow gentle, kind. Vesta and silver-haired Good Faith and Romulus flanked by brother Remus will make the laws.
4. Sychaeus, the richest man in Tyre. Line 417- Dido was married to Sychaeus, the richest man in Tyre.
5. Sychaeus was killed by Dido's brother Pygmalion. A murderous feud broke out between the the two men. Pygmalion caught Sychaeus off guard at the altar, and Pygmalion killed Sychaeus. Lines 423-425- A murderous feud broke out between both men. Pygmalion, catching Sychaeus off guard at the altar, slaughtered him in blood.
6. Dido had a dream, and in her dream, Sychaeus told her to flee from Tyre. Line 434- He urged her on: Take flight from our homeland, quick!"
7. Seven ships left Troy with Aeneus. Aeneus started with only twenty ships. Lines 463-464- A mere seven, battered by wind and wave, survived the worst.
8. Her stride, her hair gave off an ambrosial fragance, and her neck shone with a rosy glow. Lines 488-489- as she turned away her neck shone with a rosy glow, her mane of hair gave off an ambrosial fragrance. Line 491- and her stirde alone revealed her as a goddess.
9. A gown stiff with figures stitched in gold, and a woven veil with yellow sprays of aacanthus round the border. The scepter Ilione used to bear, the eldest daughter of Priam; a necklace strung with pearls, and a crown of double bands, one studded with gems, the other with gold. Lines 771-780.
10. Sometimes rivers dry up and when it is cloudy, one cannot see the stars or shadows. This means that her honor, name, and her praise may not live forever.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Quote Weaving

Juliet might live in heaven, but death is everywhere around her.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

The Odyssey Book 21 and 22

1. He did not have it at Troy because he does not fight with the bow, he only hunts with it. Lines 47-49. He kept it stored away in his stately house, guarding the memory of a cherished friend, and only took that bow on hunts at home.
2. She starts crying because she misses Odysseus. Line 62-65- Reaching tiptoe, lifting the bow down off its peg, still secure in the burnished case that held it, down she sank, laying the case across her knees and dissolved in tears with a high thin wail.
3. The prize is Penelope's house. Line 86-88- The hand that can string this bow with greatest ease, that shoots an arrow clean through all twelve axes-he is the man I follow, yes forsaking this house.
4. To line them up in a straight line because it would be impossible to shoot through them if they were not lined up perfectly.
5. Leodes. Line 163- The first man up was Leodes, Oenops' son.
6. He might not want any of the suitors to be able to leave because Odysseus is going to kill the suitors. Lines 456-458- so with his virtuoso ease Odysseus strung his mighty bow. Quickly his right hand plucked the string to test its pitch and under his touch it sang out clear and sharp as a swallow's cry.
7. Homer compares him stringing the bow to a singer skilled at lyre and song. Lines 453-456- then like an expert singer skilled at lyre and song- who strains a string to a new peg with ease, making the pliant sheep-gut fast at either end-so with his virtuoso ease Odysseus strung his mighty bow.
8. Odysseus shoots Antinous in the the neck with an arrow while Antinous is drinking wine. Line 8- with that he (Odysseus) trained a stabbing arrow on Antinous.
9. Odysseus hangs them. Line 497-498- so the women's heads were trapped in a line, nooses yanking their necks up one by one.
10. Odysseus wanted to purify the house. Line 519- Light me a fire to purify this house.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Penelope

Old: In the Odyssey, Penelope is a weak character. In line 410 of book one, Penelope's son tells her what to do, and in line 415, she obeys him. This shows that Penelope is a weak character because she obeys her son, and she does not even try to fight back. She is the mother, therefore she is supposed to tell her son what to do, not the other way around.

New: Penelope is a powerless charachter in the Odyssey. In line 410 of book one, Penelope is bossed around by her son, and she obeys him with no objection. This shows that she is a powerless character because she does not make an attempt to object to her son about being bossed around. This also shows she is powerless because in most familys, the mother has more power than the son, therefore she should have more power over him.

Monday, March 22, 2010

The Odyssey Books 7 and 8

1. The thought that Alcinous had which he said that the people and the gods are too close kin now. Line 240 - 241 Even when some lonely traveler meets them on the roads, they never disguise themselves. We're too close kin for that.
2. 10 days Line 291-292 drifted along nine days. On the tenth, at dead of night, the gods cast me up on Ogygia, Calypso's island.
3. She didn't escort Odysseus to the king's house with all her maids. Line 344 She never escorted you to our house with all her maids.
4. Odysseus said that he didn't want Alcinous to take offense that Odysseus was with his daughter. Line 351 what if you took offense, seeing us both together?
5. The meaning of the song is that the gods have control over what happens over the mortals. Line 93 For this was the victory sign that Apollo prophesied. Line 98 thanks to the will of Zeus who rules the world.
6. The tale of the Wooden Horse. Line 552 But come now, shift your ground. Sing of the Wooden Horse.
7. Line 585-588 but great Odysseus melted into tears, running down from his eyes to wet his cheeks... as a woman weeps, her arms flung round her darling husband.