Perseus and Medusa

 Ellyn Carroll, Lauren Toddy,

Kirsten Smith, Julian ThomasHour 5

 Perseus

• Son of Zeus and Danae• married to Argos and

also father of Electryon•  most gods loved him•  killed his father •  once was a mortal, but

turned immortal 

Medusa

• Chief of the Gorgons• daughter of Phorcys and Ceto• once beautiful• only mortal out of the three

sisters• also she is the youngest• turned people into stone when

they looked into her eyes. 

minor characters    

• King of Acrisius-warned by an oracle that he would be killed by a son born to his daughter Danae.

• Danea-mother of Persues. was locked up in a tower.• Dictys-a fishermen, his brother wanted to be with Danea• Athena-goddess of crafts and war.

o disliked Medusa for many reasono helped Persues on his mission to chop of medusa's head.

• Atlas-gave directions• Graeae-old sea hags• nymphs• Hermes• Medusa's sisters• Peqasus- a horse that was born from the bleeding neck of

medusa

 

Creative Retelling    

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/religion/myths/perseus2.htm

 

MetaphysicalRelated-• When Danea got locked up in the tower and Zues got in anyway

disguised as a golden shower, and as a result perseus was born.• Perseus had an ally Athena, the goddest of craft and war.• The Gray Sisters will help you and tell you who holds the heavens

on his back.• Athena lent Perseus her mirrored shield.• The God Hermes helped by providing a special cutting implement.• Athena immortalized Perseus and placed him in the sky as a

constilation.Lesson-• Don't trust everything you see or hear because it could be a trap.• Even if you feel alone you always can find someone to help you like

Perseus did with the God Athena, the Gray Sisters, Nymphs, and Hermes.

• If you do something great you will be remembered for it like Perseus. When people look in the sky the see him.

 

CosmologicalRelated-• Acrisius dumped the chest into the sea expecting it to sink

but it floated to an island called Seriphos.• Perseus said that he would scour the sea, he would quest to

the ends of the earth.• When Perseus chopped off Medusa's head a Pegasus was

born of her blood.• Perseus killed the sea monster with the sword.

Lesson-•  Dont underestimate nature like Arcrisius did thinking the

sea would kill his daughter and infant.• To protect someone you love you will even face nature at its

best.• Even from the blood of something gross and evil something

majestic and beautiful can be born from it.• Even the biggest and badest things of nature can be slain.

Psychological

Related-•  When Perseus had to go get Medusa's head, he was afraid

but he had to do it because he needed to save his mother.• Perseus questioned himself as to how much protection he

needed to escape Medusa and her sisters. •  Perseus debated whether he should go see the beautiful

maiden or not. Lesson- •  Do what's right and face your fears because sometimes if

you don't, bad things will happen. • You can never be over prepaired for a dangerous situation.• Sometimes letting yourself fall into temptation can lead to

beautiful things.

SociologicalRelated-•  So Acrisius straightaway stuck daughter and infant into a

chest and pushed it out to sea.• Dictys... adopted a protective attitude toward [the chest's]

contents. [the daughter, Danae and infant, Perseus]• Dictys' brother took fancy to Danae and pressed his

attentions on her. Perseus didn't like that so Polydectes (Dictys' brother) grew subtle in the means of achieving his desires.

• When Perseus came back with Medusa's head, he asked if Polydectes wanted to see it. Polydectes said yes, and was turned to stone.

Lesson-• Pushing aside problems, instead of dealing with them, can

find a way to get back at you.• Getting what you want can really be what's worst for you.

Allusions: Perseus-Perseus by Hitomi Shimatani song

-Perseus by Robert Hayden poem  Her sleeping head with its great gelid mass of serpents torpidly astirburned into the mirroring shield--a scathing image direas hated truth the mind accepts at lastand festers on. I struck. The shield flashed bare. 

Yet even as I lifted up the headand started from that placeof gazing silences and terrored stone,I thirsted to destroy.None could have passed me then--no garland-bearing girl, no priestor staring boy--and lived.

Allusions: Perseus

PC game: F.E.A.R  Mission Perseus

ART

"Perseus" by Cellini

Allusions: Medusa "Medusa" by:Matthew WhitakerI song With gaping mouths the serpents waveMadly in the shadows of a darkened caveHanging there like snakes upon Medusa’s head

So Medusa’s gonna turn them into statues today!

Medusa’s gonna turn you into limestone tonight And you feel like you’re a mountainLike a hundred thousand people here beforeAnd you know that in the morning when you wake up

You’ll be stone for ever more Medusa petrifies your children

   I had come to the house, in a cave of trees, Facing a sheer sky. Everything moved, -- a bell hung ready to strike,

Sun and reflection wheeled by. When the bare eyes were before me And the hissing hair,

The stiff bald eyes, the serpents on the forehead  Deep on the ground. And I shall stand here like a shadow

Medusa, by Louise Bogan poem

Allusions: Medusa

Medusa Lounge pop culture~Los Angeles, CA  

 

ART