an art and literature lesson for Latin I or II
Sherley Blood
Bryan Whitchurch
Classics 608
In this lesson, in Step 1: Reading, you will read both Homer’s presentation of Polyphemus in the Odyssey with Theocritus’ presentation of the same character in Idyll 11. In each case, read the entire passage and answer the study questions that are posed next to the passages. You may think about why the story is presented.
Then, go to Step 2: Art Analysis, and spend some time looking at and comparing images of the Polyphemus myth. Each of the five images that you view will be connected to a series of questions structured to emphasize how different artists can interpret the same mythological figure in a variety of distinct, even opposite ways.
Finally, in Step 3: Synthesis, you will consider the reading and the artwork and comparisons you have made and will present their own retelling of a Polyphemus myth. You will need to explain your choices, using your answers to the study questions, in a final explanation of your myth and its retelling.