AMS 1060 Unit 12 PowerPoint

UNIT TWELVE: THE METAMORPHOSES, BOOK FOUR

UNIT 12 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • After completing this unit, students will be able to:

    • Cadmus and Thebes: Summarize Cadmus’s story and founding of Thebes, identifying his lineage.

    • Jupiter, Semele, and Juno: Summarize their story and main characters.

    • Echo and Narcissus: Summarize their narrative and identify key characters.

    • Pentheus and Bacchus: Summarize their relationship and principal events.

1. Cadmus and Thebes

Cadmus and the Dragon

  • Exile and Delphi: Cadmus, exiled, seeks guidance from the Oracle at Delphi.

  • Discovery of the Cow: Cadmus follows a cow as instructed.

  • Battle with the Dragon: Cadmus discovers and slays a dragon guarding the site for Thebes.

2. Encounter with Minerva

Cadmus and Minerva

  • Cadmus’s Despair: After losing followers in battle, Cadmus feels hopeless.

  • Minerva’s Advice: Minerva advises him on how to replace lost followers.

  • The Spartoi: Cadmus sows dragon’s teeth, leading to the creation of the Spartoi soldiers, who help establish Thebes.

3. Family Lineage of Cadmus

  • Key Figures: Cadmus, Harmonia, Ino, Agave, and their descendants.

  • Generational Connections: Children and grandchildren involved in subsequent myths and tragedies (Oedipus, Pentheus, etc.).

4. Actaeon and Diana

Encounter with Diana

  • Actaeon’s Identity: A skilled hunter, Actaeon accidentally encounters the goddess Diana while she is bathing.

  • Consequences: Diana transforms Actaeon into a stag, leading to his demise by his own hounds; a tragic commentary on divine retribution.

5. Semele, Jupiter, and Juno

Anger of Juno

  • Juno’s Hatred: Juno is angered by Semele after discovering Jupiter’s affair with her.

  • Juno’s Deception: Posing as a nurse, Juno plants doubt in Semele’s mind regarding Jupiter’s true nature.

6. Jupiter’s Attempts to Save Semele

  • Semele’s Demands: Semele requests Jupiter reveal himself in his true form.

  • Consequences: This leads to her destruction, but Jupiter saves their unborn son, Bacchus/Dionysus.

7. Tiresias and Prophecy

Tiresias’ Insights

  • Origins of Tiresias’s Powers: Received through a transformation after encountering snakes, yielding prophetic capabilities.

  • Warning to Narcissus’ Mother: Tiresias warns her about the fate of her son, foreseeing tragic events.

8. The Story of Echo

Origin of Echo

  • Cursed by Juno: Echo, a talkative nymph, is cursed by Juno to only repeat sounds.

  • Connections to Pan: Alternate stories explaining her curse involve Pan and her interactions in the woods.

9. Echo and Narcissus’ Love Story

  • Unreciprocated Affection: Echo falls in love with Narcissus, who rejects her.

  • Metamorphosis of Narcissus: His punishment leads to his transformation into a flower, highlighting themes of vanity and despair.

10. Pentheus and Bacchus

Rejection of Bacchus

  • Tiresias Warns Pentheus: Tiresias implores Pentheus to accept Bacchus; Pentheus dismisses him.

  • Consequences of Hubris: Continues a cycle of hubris leading to nemesis in the Bacchae narrative.

11. Acoetes and Bacchus

Encounter Results

  • Crew’s Capture: Pentheus’ men capture Acoetes, who warns them about Bacchus.

  • Metamorphosis of Crew: The crew deceives Bacchus, resulting in their transformation.

12. Pentheus and Agave

Fatal Confrontation

  • Acoetes Freed: Acoetes is released and warns Pentheus.

  • Agave’s Delusion: In a trance, Agave kills her own son, Pentheus, mistaking him for a wild animal, emphasizing the tragic consequences of ignoring the divine.