grade 10 unit 3: the context of greek mythology

Grade 10 Unit 3: The Context of Greek Mythology

Table of Contents

Introduction 3

Unit Objectives 3

Lesson 1: Greece in 2000 BC 4 Warm-up! 4 Learn About It! 5 Check Your Understanding 9 Let’s Step Up! 9

Lesson 2: The Influence of Ancient Greece 10 Warm-up! 10 Learn About It! 11 Check Your Understanding 12 Let’s Step Up! 13

Lesson 3: Greek Myths and Religion 14 Warm-up! 14 Learn About It! 15 Check Your Understanding 18 Let’s Step Up! 18

Lesson 4: Textual Aids in Understanding Greek Myths 19 Warm-up! 20 Learn About It! 20 Check Your Understanding 22 Let’s Step Up! 23

Performance Task 24

Self-Check: How Well Did I Learn? 25

Wrap Up 26

Bibliography 27

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GRADE 10 |English

UNIT 3

The Context of Greek Mythology Greece is well-known for its contribution to the arts and literature. One may find that the Olympian gods and goddesses are often mentioned when talking about Greece. Likewise, Homer, along with his The Iliad and The Odyssey, and Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and their tragedies, will always be on the list of notable authors and works. Aside from these literary contributions, Greek civilization also has a rich legacy.

Unit Objectives

In this unit, you should be able to:

● explain the history of Greece from 2000 BC; ● recognize the distinct culture of Greece; ● recognize Greek culture through literature; and ● use textual aids in understanding Greek myths.


Lesson 1: Greece in 2000 BC

Edgar Allan Poe’s 1831 poem “To Helen” mentioned what eventually became a classic historical phrase--“the glory that was Greece.” This phrase alone summarizes the past of the country where modern people attribute the beginnings of politics, philosophy, art, literature, and many others to the influence of its rich civilization. In this lesson, you will find out more about the rise of Greek culture in the ancient times. This is a result of historical events and sociological factors that paved the way to its development.

Warm-up!

When you think of Greece, what words, objects, events, or type of people come to mind? Write down your impressions or ideas in the concept map below.


Learn About It!

To understand the Greek civilization, one should not only know the timeline of the key events in Ancient Greece but also relate it with the events of other civilizations in Europe, Asia, and South America. Below is a table that shows the cultural periods of Greece from the Bronze Age to the Hellenistic Age.

Topography of Greece The land of Greece is composed of mainland Greece and numerous islands scattered throughout the Aegean and Adriatic seas. It is a mountainous country with two seasons: summer (hot, dry) and winter (rainy and cool). Greek settlements


The land has short supply of fertile soil, which is why ancient Greek settlements were developed within small independent communities divided by mountains. Each of the city-states that developed from these communities had a strong individual identity, and the citizens were loyal to their home state and its patron god.

The map shows ancient Greece and the surrounding area. The first emigrants who traveled east settled in Ionia, a coastal area of Asia Minor. Beginning of Greek civilization The first great civilization of the Aegean world flourished on the Island of Crete. The first settlers of Crete probably came from western Asia Minor, which is now known as modern-day Turkey.

➔ In 1900, Sir Arthur Evans discovered Knossos (considered the oldest city in Europe). He discovered the Knossos Palace, which he named “Palace of Minos” after the legendary king of Crete. This is where the Minoan civilization also sprang from.

➔ As early as 6000 BC, Crete’s population began to rise. The Minoan civilization reached the height of its power and wealth between 2200 BC and 1450 BC. Its


wealth was a result of trading with the other towns in Greece including the Mediterranean, Egypt, and Syria. Crete produced oil, grain, and wine grapes.

➔ The island of Crete, with its creativity, diligence, and influence, became a powerful city around 2000 BC, generating trade with the civilizations surrounding it. It had a flourishing economy and politics, as well as social and cultural organizations.

➔ The Bronze Age (2000-1100 BC) brought changes to Greece and its islands. This period is characterized by the use of bronze in tool making and weaponry.

People The Minoans were a lively, pleasure-loving, and sensuous people. They are fond of bright colors, complex games (such as a version of backgammon), and elegant clothes. Language The first writing system in the Greek world, termed Linear A, was discovered in Crete. Arts and Crafts Art began to progress with natural sculptures and dances. Frescoes also began to be created with high quality. These frescoes or painted scenes were made by applying paint to wet plaster. In fact, the walls of Minoan palaces were highly decorated with these. Military Military bases were also placed in different parts of the city. Their strong fleet, with powers extending throughout the Aegean Sea, enabled them to establish colonies in various places.


Infrastructure The Minoans had homes, sometimes about five stories high, with light wells and setback terraces. Their palaces contained a system of plumbing that went unmatched until the Victorian period.

➔ A palace built during the Minoan period was discovered at Phaistos. ➔ Palaces were repeatedly wrecked by earthquakes but were also reconstructed

by the Minoans at around 1700 BC. At the same time, thalassocracy, the Minoan sea empire, was founded.

➔ Around 1600 BC, the palaces of Knossos and Phaistos were destroyed again. Knossos and Phaistos were reconstructed along with two new palaces that became the stellar center of trades with the mainland.

➔ Around 1450 BC, one of the palaces, Zakros, was destroyed by fire, while two of the remaining, Malia and Phaistos, had lost their importance. Around 1400 BC, Knossos was destroyed again and was no longer reconstructed. Based on the ruins uncovered from the lost city, Minoan civilization had peaceful relations with other civilizations surrounding the Aegean Sea. Unfortunately, the Minoan civilization disappeared, possibly due to volcanic eruptions in the area during that time.

➔ After the Minoan civilization’s downfall, a new civilization controlled the trade of Crete—the Mycenaean civilization.

➔ Sir Arthur Evans referred to the main edifices and the chronology of the residue of pottery found in the city to identify and produce an accurate record of the progress of the civilization.

Economy The Minoan period was characterized by significant trades and construction of beautiful palaces. The economy was based around rich palaces, one of which was Knossos. The palace of Knossos was made of stone with wooden roofs and ceilings. It was built and rebuilt several times. It had royal apartments, including a throne room.


Check Your Understanding

Fill in the blanks with the name of places, concepts, and objects to complete the description of the ancient Greek civilization.

1. The islands of Greece are scattered all over the Aegean and the _______________ seas. 2. Minoan civilization started in __________________, the oldest city in Europe. 3. During the Bronze Age, the Greeks traded with the Mediterranean, Egypt, and

_______________. 4. The Minoans were known for being lively, ________________, and sensuous people. 5. The ________________ civilization replaced Minoan civilization after its downfall.

Let’s Step Up!


Lesson 2: The Influence of Ancient Greece

In the previous lesson, you learned about how the ancient Greek civilization started, including its rise and fall afterward. Despite this, it did not stop the Greek culture from being known and from spreading to other parts of the world. In this lesson, you will learn more about how ancient Greece extended its influence to the world.

Warm-up!

Are your familiar with the following? Share with your seatmate what you know about the items listed below , such as their origin, meaning, and other related facts..

1. epic 2. lyric poetry 3. tragedy 4. comedy 5. Socratic method 6. democracy


Learn About It!

The Greeks had an immense cultural influence on Western civilization throughout centuries. Known as the cradle of Western civilization, ancient Greece had made important contributions to literature, visual arts, philosophy, politics, sports, and other aspects of human life.

● In terms of literature, ancient Greeks have

influenced the western world by forming the foundations of epic tradition, lyric poetry, and dramas. ➔ Epics originated from oral tradition and were

originally phrased in verse. The most famous Greek epics are Homer’s The Iliad and The Odyssey, which have been translated both in verse and prose in different languages.

➔ The Greek lyric poetry was originally influenced by the political, social, and intellectual climate of ancient Greece. It is shorter than the epic and is sung in different occasions. The lyric poetry is the origin of the modern day songs that we listen to today.

➔ In terms of drama, the ancient Greeks were famous for tragedy and comedy. Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides were famous Greek tragedy playwrights. Aristophanes and Menander were famous Greek comedy playwrights. These Greek dramas are adapted and performed in different stages all over the world. Some high school and college theatre groups produce native language translations of Greek dramas.

● In terms of visual arts, ancient Greek artists have contributed various styles in painting, sculpture, and pottery.


● In terms of philosophy, Ancient Greeks such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle developed an intricate philosophical thought. The Socratic method in philosophizing, which was developed by Socrates, is the origin and basis of today’s argument and debate. Plato, on the other hand, is famous for his Allegory of the Cave, his collection of allegories or long form analogies. Their methods of philosophizing and explaining abstract themes are still used until today. Likewise, Aristotle, who was Plato’s student, philosophized using observations instead of abstractions. His famous work, Corpus Aristotelicum, is a collection of his essays in different subjects.

● In terms of politics, the Ancient Greeks founded the initial concept of democracy, which is the form of government in our country and many other countries across the globe.


Identify a specific example of each influence from ancient Greek culture:

1. epic - _______________________________ 2. playwright - _______________________________ 3. art form - _______________________________


4. way of thinking - _______________________________ 5. political form - _______________________________

Let’s Step Up!


Lesson 3: Greek Myths and Religion

In the previous lesson, you learned about the contributions of ancient Greek civilization to the world. In this lesson, you will learn further about the fascinating and colorful aspect of Greek culture that also influenced ancient world literature significantly, which is their religion.

Warm-up!

What makes the following heroes human and extraordinary at the same time? Discuss your answers with your seatmate.


Learn About It!

The Greeks are responsible for so many early stages in literature, visual and dramatic arts, philosophy, politics, sports, mathematics, among other aspects of human life. However, one of the most important contributions of Greek culture to our world today is religion. Greek religion lasted for more than thousands of years since the time of Homer, and its origins may be traced even in the remote areas of Greece. It is reflected in Greece’s edifices and monuments, and although Greek mythology is not about Greek religion, religion had somehow influenced Greek literature and mythology.

Myths, as a literary form, reflect various aspects of human life such as religion, human actions, history, and even romance.

➔ The myths about gods were intended to explain religious matters such as the displacement of a group of gods with another. For example, “The Battle of the Titans” or “The Titanomachy” narrated the 10-year battle between the Titans (old generation of gods) and the Olympians (new generation of gods led by Zeus). This myth also told how Zeus overthrew his father Cronos and sent him to Tartarus, a region of the underworld or hell.

➔ Myths explain how and why the gods control nature. In “The Rape of Persephone,” Hades fell in love with Persephone, the daughter of the Earth goddess Demeter, and brought her to the underworld. While Demeter grieved, no crops grew. Later, when the other gods interfered, Hades let Persephone spend part of the year with her mother.

➔ Myths explain human actions. The legend of Oedipus serves to explain why boys have an unconscious desire to supplant their father in their mother’s affections.

➔ Other myths teach morals. After having acquired Pegasus, a winged horse, Bellerophon, with the help of the gods, proudly tried to fly the horse to Mount


Olympus, only to be thrown off and lamed. As a result, he wandered alone eternally. Another character, Tantalus, also suffered a hard fate of eternal hunger and thirst because he served the gods the flesh of his own son.

➔ Myths contain embellished versions of history. These myths are usually full of action and conflicts, violence, and suffering. The Greeks were not concerned with happy endings and preferred to hear of brave men facing their catastrophic death. This taste for tragedy may be explained by the hard conditions of their own lives. The story of Agamemnon, for example, is an embellished version of history. Agamemnon is the commander-in-chief of the siege of Troy. He was killed by his wife Clytemnestra, who was then killed by her own son Orestes.

➔ Myths touch on sympathy and romance. One example is a story in which Perseus rescued Andromeda from a sea monster. Another is a story in which Alcestis offered to die in place of her husband Admetus, who accepted the offer and buried her with a glorious funeral.

The Greeks took all the necessary steps to keep in contact with their gods. They offered prayers, hymns, and sacrifices, consulted oracles, and built shrines with images of their gods. They felt the gods’ presence everywhere, including battles and festivals. They thought that the gods are beautiful beyond compare, and they did not expect them to be just like them. This quality of gods is called anthropomorphism. The word anthropomorphism comes from two Greek words: anthropos meaning “man” and morphe meaning “form.” Also used as a literary device, anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, ambitions, emotions, or entire behavior to animals, nonhuman beings, natural phenomena, or objects. The Greek gods and goddesses exemplify anthropomorphic qualities such as falling in love, and feeling offended by and envious of fellow gods and mortals.

Anthropomorphism is evident in various stories from Greek mythology. Examples of these stories are “The Myth of Europa,” “Theseus and the Minotaur,” and “The Golden Apple of Discord.” “The Myth of Europa” tells the story of Zeus falling in love with a beautiful princess named Europa. Zeus turned himself into a white bull and swam to Crete with Europa riding his back. They bore three sons, one of whom was Minos, who became the king of Crete. “Theseus and the Minotaur” narrates the story of a young prince of Athens named Theseus. Queen Pasiphae slept with a bull sent by Poseidon, and she gave birth to the Minotaur, a creature that is half man and half bull. King Minos was ashamed of it, so he kept him in a


maze called the Labyrinth. Because the son of King Minos, Androgeos, was killed in Athens, King Minos demanded that Athens send several young Athenian men and women to Crete every few years. These young men and women were sacrificed to the Minotaur. Theseus, the prince of Athens, took it upon himself to be among the men sent to Crete, and he killed the Minotaur with the help of King Minos’s daughter Princess Ariadne.

“The Golden Apple of Discord” recounts the events that led to the abduction of Helen of Sparta and the beginning of the Trojan War. Eris, the goddess of Discord, was not invited by Zeus to a wedding banquet, so she threw into the party the golden apple in which the word kallisti—“to the fairest”—was inscribed. Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena vied for the title of “fairest” or “most beautiful,” and each of them wooed Paris of Troy, whom Zeus asked to judge. Aphrodite offered beauty; Hera offered an empire; Athena offered military might and wisdom. Offering the love of Helen of Sparta, who is the wife of Menelaus, Aphrodite won the title. This event caused the 10-year war between the Greeks and the Trojans.

The divine intervention of the Olympian gods and goddesses on human lives is undeniably present in these myths. These gods usually take on the form of beautiful humans. Despite the power they possess, these gods act and feel like mortals do.


Match the descriptions in Column A with the names and concepts in B.

Column A Column B

1. the enemy of the Titans A. Agamemnon

2. Hades kidnapped this daughter of Demeter B. Persephone


3. learned a lesson on pride in a hard way C. Olympians

4. commander-in-chief of the Greeks during the Trojan War

D. Perseus

5. saved Andromeda from a sea monster E. Pegasus

F. Bellerophon

Let’s Step Up!


Lesson 4: Textual Aids in Understanding Greek Myths

There are more than a hundred Greek gods and goddesses in different categories. Likewise, each Greek god and goddess has a distinct characteristic and has his or her own story. Thus, it makes it more complex to study Greek myths as a whole. In this lesson, you will learn how textual aids can help readers understand and appreciate Greek mythology.

Warm-up!

Share your answer to the questions below with a seatmate.

What strategies do you employ when reading the following: 1. a story that has many characters of different families or groups to familiarize? 2. a story that has a plot with many twists and turns? 3. a story that has many characters with similar and different characteristics?


Learn About It!

Aside from asking guide questions, there are other textual aids that will help you in identifying these elements from the literary selections. These textual aids include the storyboard, family tree chart, and character chart.

● The storyboard is used for highlighting key

events in the story, which are important in understanding the text. The events to be written in each storyboard panel should correspond to the events in the story. In this way, the reader is focused only on the most important events in the story. Below is an example storyboard for “The Golden Apple of Discord.”

● The family tree chart helps the reader trace the connection or relationship between

the characters in the text. In using this, the reader may identify the motives of each character based on his or her relationship with the other characters. (You may use the information in Chapter 2 about the Olympian gods and goddesses when tracking their genealogy.)


➔ All the goddesses involved in the text are related to Zeus. Marked by broken lines,

Athena, Aphrodite, and Eris are all daughters of Zeus, whereas marked by a solid line, Hera is the wife of Zeus and the mother of Eris. (This representation may vary based on how one interprets the connection between the characters, and the chart’s appearance changes based on the story’s characters.)

● The character chart is used to further understand the motives of each character. This chart contains the characters’ attributes and behavior based on the story.


This chart can also be used to compare and contrast the characters. It is easier with myths because the titles of the gods and goddesses also help show their characterization.


Identify which textual aid would help you answer the following questions on Greek myths.

1. When did the Greeks lose over the Trojans? 2. Who were the wives of Zeus? 3. What makes Achilles extraordinary? 4. How did Jason triumph in finding the Golden Fleece? 5. How different are Athena, Aphrodite, and Artemis?


Let’s Step Up!


Performance Task

Brochure Making

Goal: Your task is to educate Filipino tourists to Greece about the ancient history and cultural influences from Greece. Role: You are the marketing manager of a travel agency and you are tasked to create a brochure that would include interesting details about the history and culture of Greece. Audience: You will be writing to Filipino tourists to Greece. Situation: The owner of the travel agency assigned you to come up with a travel brochure that highlights the “glory that was Greece” as it will be the theme and highlight of the tour package to Greece that will be participated in by Filipino tourists. Product/Performance and Purpose:

1. Incorporate details you learned from the lessons in this unit with your brochure. You can also research further.

2. You can use any type of paper or design materials. It can be handmade or printed. 3. The brochure must have three folds and in landscape orientation. 4. Make sure the presentation of information is reader-friendly and light for the readers to

understand. 5. It should also be enticing to read so they would be persuaded to visit Greece due to its

“glory.”

Standards & Criteria for Success: • Your work will be judged by looking at the following:

Criteria Beginning (0-12 points)

Developing (13-16 points)

Accomplished (17-20 points)

Score

Content (Necessary details are


present.)

Organization (There is a flawless transition from one plot element to another.)

Language (Proper spelling, mechanics, grammar, and usage were observed.)

Creativity and Originality of Design (The design is creative and unique.)

Persuasive Word Choice (Three or more persuasive words or phrases were used.)

Total Score:

Self-Check: How Well Did I Learn?

Do a self-check on how well you learned the lessons in this unit. Place a checkmark in the appropriate box.

Skills I think I need more

practice and assistance

I am familiar and can perform well

with minimal assistance

I am confident that I can perform this on

my own

I can explain the history of Greece from 2000 BC.

I can recognize the distinct culture of


Greece. I can recognize Greek culture through literature.

I can use textual aids in understanding Greek myths.

Wrap Up

● The early settlers of Crete formed the first Greek civilization known as the Minoan civilization.

● This period is called the Bronze Age because of the distinct use of

bronze in tool making and weaponry.

● Myths, as a literary form, reflect various aspects of human life such as religion, human actions, history, and even romance.

● Myths shows the anthropomorphic qualities of Greek gods and

goddesses.

Bibliography

Bowra, C.M. 1992. Classical Greece. NV: Time-Life International. 1970. Person, Anne.

Ancient Greece. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Hamilton, Edith. 2011. Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes. New York, NY:

Grand Central Publishing.


Littleton, C. Scott. “Greek Mythology.” World Book Encyclopedia. Chicago: World Book,

Inc., 1990. 979. Roman, Luke, and Monica Roman. 2010. Encyclopedia of Greek and Roman Mythology.

New York, NY: Facts On File, Inc.

Recommended Links for This Unit:

Greece Timeline. n.d. AncientGreece.org. Accessed March 25, 2018. http://ancient-greece.org/resources/timeline.html

Greek Gods and Religious Practices. n.d. MetMuseum.org. Accessed March 25, 2018.

https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/grlg/hd_grlg.htm


grade 10 unit 3: the context of greek mythology

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