Select 4 (four) of the 6(six) essay questions listed below and respond to each question in 250- 300 words (1/2 page single space or a whole page double-spaced). Please use examples from the text to support your answer.
1. Are women, according to Homer’s epic/s, to be trusted, cherished, feared, or treated as possessions? Compare the treatment of women in the ancient epics read so far in the class. Use specific examples from the text in your response.
2. Death by hanging was considered the most dishonorable form of death in ancient Greece. Do you believe Odysseus was justified in executing the maids who slept with the suitors? Why? Or Why not? Which of the Greek values is represented in this scene?
3. Greek epics use themes and motifs to promote the narrative and develop characters and scene; some of the recurrent elements include experiencing adventures and returning home, performance of dangerous feats,
receiving counsel from the gods who decide heroes’ fate, and divine intervention and retribution. Select one of the Greek epics read so far in class. What theme/s does the epic purport? How does the text support this theme?
4. Is Gilgamesh a virtuous character? What is the crucial point for his transformation from a tyrant to one who seeks knowledge? Is Gilgamesh a man of action or a man of contemplation?
5. What is hospitality as it is presented in these works? Is it a virtue?? Is it a duty? Is it a disposition? To what end is hospitality directed? Aside from Zeus’s love of hospitality, what binds humans to be hospitable?
6. List the primary female characters in the epics read so far, and discuss their roles in the epics. In what ways were they significant?
