Love and Hate in Ancient Greece and Rome
Midterm Information

Overview

The midterm consists of 3 parts:

I. Multiple choice (30%): 15 questions, which may be in the form of simple ID’s, or which may ask you to identify authors or characters or apply concepts from the class.  The questions will be taken from the terms and names studied so far.  For definitions of some key terms, go here.

II. Quote comment (15%):  I will give you a choice of three quotes from various authors we’ve studied during the term, and you will comment on ONE of them.  The quotes will be about 6-8 lines long; I am choosing pretty central quotes and usually ones we have specifically spoken on in class.  All quotes should identify important ideas and themes raised by the quote, and give comments on culture and/or literary context that illuminate these themes.  Examples of good and poor responses to quotes are linked here, to give you an idea of what I’m looking for.

III. Essay ( 55%):  Six essay questions are below.  On the midterm, I will give you a choice between two of them, and you will write an essay on ONE.  You may prepare as much or as little as you like, but no books or notes are allowed during the test.

Essay topics 

On the test, I will give you a choice between two of these topics, and you will write an essay on ONE.

1. Mothers and Daughters

The Homeric Hymn to Demeter shows a close bond between a mother and daughter, and the Choephoroi shows a relationship in which a mother and daughter are very much at odds with one another.  Describe how these bonds contrast one another or are similar.  You can focus on some of the following:  what is the grounding of the emotional tenor of these relationships?  To what extent are they grounded in actual situations and events?  How do they play out in words and in reality in the two works of literature?  And how do they play out in actions?  Are both relationships straightforward, or do they have twists and turns that are implied but not specified by the text?

2. Marriage:

You could regard Hector and Andromache as an ideal marriage, and Jason and Medea as a model for a marriage gone wrong.  Compare and contrast the two, focusing on: What makes up a good marriage?  How are masculine and feminine balanced in the marriages?  Does a “good marriage” depend in part on external factors, as portrayed in the situations of the different marriages?  To what extent does a wife’s obedience or lack of it contribute to the success of the marriage?  Is the significance of obedience dependent on other factors?  You may identify and discuss other issues you feel are important, and bring in other marriages we have seen to support your points.

3. Heroic Friendship:

Achilles and Patroclus are a model of heroic friendship in Greek society.  Plutarch holds up Pelopidas and Epaminondas as a model of heroic friendship in recent history.  Compare and contrast the two relationships, considering such issues as the basis of the friendship, the interaction of the two, the role of warfare in the construction or manifestation of the friendship, and so on.

4. Relationships between women:

Sappho is the most famous woman poet in Greece, and one of the few sources we have for actual women’s voices; much of her poetry concerns relationships with women/girls.  Erinna is another female poet who describes an emotional relationship with another woman.  Describe the similarities and differences of these two women poets in areas such as the kind of emotional relationship, with whom it is,the nature of the love, the eventual fate of the relationship, the visual and other imagery that reflects these relationships, and anything else you think important.  Then, briefly discuss what (if any) relationships between women friends/lovers you have seen in the other sources.  If you see some, describe the connection (or lack of it) with what you see in the women poets, and if you don’t see women/women friendships you consider significant or visible, discuss what about the portrayal of women in the sources or a source might explain this lack.

5. Fathers and sons:

Father/son relationships have appeared in many forms in the literature we have read so far (either portrayed in the action of the poem/epic/drama, or through allusions to relationships that are not directly shown in the action, but are discussed or described or alluded to).  What role do bonds between fathers and sons play in the literature we have studied so far?  Are they significant?  Are they in general supportive, nurturing, inspiring., loving, contentious, etc.?  Is there a variety?  Can any overall statement be made about the nature of father/son relationships from what we have seen, or are they too diverse to sum up easily?

6. Gender contention and humor:

While serious conflicts between men and women appear in some of our sources, in comedy and humor (in our readings, primarily through Athenaeus and Aristophanes) the conflicts may emerge on a broader scale.  How do comedy and humor portray the nature of this gender conflict?  What actions and activities are portrayed as reflecting or causing it? To what extent is it explored or explained through the violation of gender roles, and to what extent is it based in the fulfillment of stereotypical gender roles?  (That is, are men mainly funny when they act like stereotypical men and women when they act like stereotypical women, or are they funnier when they step out of those roles, or is it a combination of the two?)  Consider any other issues you think important to explain gender conflict as manifested in humor.