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 Activity Pack Literature Made Fun!

Edith Hamilton’s Mythology

by E dith H amilton

Copyright © 2001 by Prestwick House, Inc., P.O. Box 658, Clayton, DE 19938.
1-800-932-4593 • www.prestwickhouse.com
Permission to copy this unit for classroom use is extended to purchaser for his or
her personal use. This material, in whole or part, may not be copied for resale.

ISBN 978-1-58049-608-7
Item No. 200119
 Table of Contents
Pre-Reading
Historical Periods..........................................................................................................................4
Political Views...............................................................................................................................6
Greek and Roman Culture............................................................................................................12
Historical Events...........................................................................................................................14

Chapter 1
Reading for Details and Character Comprehension.....................................................................18

Chapter 2
Visualization and Characterization...............................................................................................22

Chapter 3
Comparison, Tragic Flaw, and Theme...........................................................................................24

Chapter 4
Group Work, Dramatization, Inference, and Dialogue.................................................................32

Chapter 5
Theme............................................................................................................................................36

Chapter 6
Group Work, Setting, and Narrator..............................................................................................42

Chapter 7
Group Work, Reading for Details, Tragedy, Tragic Flaw, and Dialogue........................................48

Chapter 8
Reading for Detail, Rising Action, and Climax.............................................................................54

Chapters 9 – 11
Group Work..................................................................................................................................58

Chapters 13 – 14
Character Comprehension............................................................................................................68

Chapter 15
Creative Writing, Character Comparison, and Epic Hero............................................................74

Chapters 1 – 26
Epithets and Image........................................................................................................................82

Chapter 17
Reading for Detail, Creative Writing, and Dues ex Machina........................................................90

© Copyright 2001, Prestwick House, Inc. 2

Chapter 18
Reading Comprehension, Irony, and Tragic Flaw.........................................................................94

Chapter 19
Visualization, Characterization, and Inference.............................................................................96

Chapters 17 – 19
Group Work and Oratory..............................................................................................................98

Chapter 20
Simile, Metaphor, and Anecdote...................................................................................................100

Chapter 21
Character Comprehension............................................................................................................104

Chapter 22
Group Work, Character Comparison, and Oral Tradition............................................................106

Chapter 23
Reading for Details and Critical Thinking....................................................................................112

Chapters 22 – 23
Reading for Details........................................................................................................................114

Wrap-Up
Zodiac Sign....................................................................................................................................118

Appendices
Terms and Definitions...................................................................................................................120
Dramatization of Scenes in the Novel...........................................................................................123
Directions for Interviews...............................................................................................................124
Newspaper.....................................................................................................................................125
Small Group Learning...................................................................................................................127
Procedures for Small Group Work................................................................................................129
Small Group Evaluation Sheet......................................................................................................130
Student Roles in Group Discussions.............................................................................................131

All references come from the Warner Books Edition of Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes, by
Edith Hamilton, copyright 1969.

3 © Copyright 2001, Prestwick House, Inc.

 Student’s Page­ Mythology

Name: ________________________________ Date:_________________

Pre-Reading
Political Views

Objective: Appreciating the moral and political views of ancient Greece

Activity

Read the excerpt and answer the questions that follow:

Pericles’ funeral oration

As political and military leader of Athens, 460-429 B.C.E., Pericles delivered this eulogy at a mass funeral
of troops who had died of plague in the early years of the Peloponnesian War. It is reported to be one of the
great proclamations of the civic, aesthetic, moral, and personal virtues of the Athenian city-state.
Our system of government does not copy the institutions of our neighbors. It is more the case of our being
a model to others, than of our imitating anyone else. Our constitution is called a democracy because power
is in the hands not of a minority but of the whole people. When it is a question of settling private disputes,
everyone is equal before the law; when it is a question of putting one person before another in positions of
public responsibility, what counts is not membership of a particular class, but the actual ability which the
man possesses. No one, so long as he has it in him to be of service to the state, is kept in political obscurity
because of poverty….
We [obey] those whom we put in positions of authority, and we obey the laws themselves, especially those
which are for the protection of the oppressed, and those unwritten laws which it is an acknowledged shame
to break….
When our work is over, we are in a position to enjoy all kinds of recreation for our spirits…all the good
things from all over the world flow in to us, so that to us it seems just as natural to enjoy foreign goods as our
own local products….
Our love of what is beautiful does not lead to extravagance; our love of the things of the mind does not
make us soft. We regard wealth as something to be properly used, rather than as something to boast about. As
for poverty, no one need be ashamed to admit it: the real shame is in not taking practical measures to escape
from it. Here each individual is interested not only in his own affairs but in the affairs of the state as well: even
those who are mostly occupied with their own business are extremely well informed on general politics—this
is a peculiarity of ours: we do not say that a man who takes no interest in politics is a man who minds his
own business; we say that he has no business here at all. We Athenians, in our own persons, take our deci-
sions on policy or submit them to proper discussions: for we do not think that there is an incompatibility
between words and deeds; the worst thing is to rush into action before the consequences have been properly
debated…
I declare that our city is an education to Greece, and I declare that in my opinion each single on of our
citizens, in all the manifold aspects of life, is able to show himself the rightful lord and owner of his own
person, and do this, moreover, with exceptional grace and exceptional versatility.

S-7 Reproducible Student Worksheet

 Student’s Page­ Mythology

Name: ________________________________ Date:_________________

Chapter 1
Reading for Details and Character Comprehension

Objective: Identifying characters through their distinguishing traits

Activity

Greek culture began as early as the eighth century B.C.E., and it continued to flourish in art, architecture,
and literature until the “Golden Age” of the fifth century B.C.E. People lived close to nature and had a strong
connection to it, and this relationship, in conjunction with curiosity about the cosmos, the creation of man,
and life after death, led to the birth of mythology. The Greek gods of Olympus are depicted as having human
characteristics and emotions, while at the same time possessing immortality and divine powers. Hamilton
gives detailed accounts of the Olympian gods, including gods of the water, earth, and underworld.

1 2 3 4

5 6

7 8 9

10

11 12

13 14 15

16

17 18

19

Across Down

1. ACROSS
Goddess of hunting 1. DOWN
Goddess of love and beauty
5. God of war 2. The elder gods
7. God of the underworld 3. Goddess of the rainbow
8. Queen 1 Goddess
of the underworldof hunting 1 Goddess
4. God of love and beauty
of art and truth
13.
5
Goddess ofGod of war
the hearth
2
6. GodThe
of theelder
vine gods
14. God of fire 8. God of the Sea
16. God of 7
loveGod of the underworld 3 Goddess
9. Goddess of the rainbow
of marriage
Father 8
17. Queen of the underworld
of Zeus
4 God of art and truth
10. Three sisters; Incarnation of grace and beauty
18. Messenger of the gods 11. Goddess of battle and wisdom
19. 13theGoddess
God of shepherds of the hearth 6 God
12. The of god
mightiest the vine
14 Gof of fire 8 God of the Sea
15. Goddess of youth

16 God of love 9 Goddess of marriage

17 Father of Zeus S - 19 10 Three sisters; Incarnation ofStudent
Reproducible graceWorksheet
18 Messenger of the gods and beauty
 Student’s Page­ Mythology

Name: ________________________________ Date:_________________

Chapter 5
Theme

Objective: Extracting an intended theme or lesson from a story

Activity

The classical story of Cupid and Psyche deals with the hardships that true love must sometimes endure.
Cupid’s mother, Venus, is extremely jealous of Psyche, and she orders the mortal princess to complete
a series of tasks. Successfully accomplishing the difficult chores, Psyche is once again united with her
husband, only now as a goddess.

Every test Psyche undertakes has an ethical theme. Complete the chart on the following page by supplying
the virtue or characteristic pertaining to the task. The first one has been done as an example.

Psyche and Venus compete in a battle of wills over Cupid. Write a brief paragraph comparing traits of the
two women.

Cupid represents love and Psyche means spirit or soul. Based on these elements, what do you believe is
the theme of the story? Support your answer.

S - 37 Reproducible Student Worksheet

 Student’s Page­ Mythology

Name: ________________________________ Date:_________________

Greek myths provide the foundation for a multitude of works of art, music, and literature. An example is
the musical My Fair Lady, based on a play called Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw, who based his work
on the Greek myth of Pygmalion and Galatea. My Fair Lady is a story about Henry Higgins, a professor
of linguistics and a confirmed bachelor, and Eliza Doolittle, a common flower girl with ambitions of
becoming a proper lady. Professor Higgins takes on the challenge of transforming Eliza, whom he perceives
as a lowly creature hardly worth his attention, into a woman of class. She, in return, despises the
professor because of his harsh treatment of her. Ironically, after months of working together, a mutual
appreciation and deep love forms between them. Essentially, these stories are the same.

In your groups, answer the following questions:

1. Why does Pygmalion, who is a woman-hater, decide to construct a statue of a woman?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

2. What reasons lead Pygmalion to fall in love with his creation?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

3. Is the love Pygmalion feels for the statue Galatea complete? Why or why not?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

4. Why does Venus show mercy on Pygmalion instead of seeking retribution for his earlier hatred of women?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

5. Has Pygmalion’s viewpoint on women as a whole changed, or is he only enamored with Galatea?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

6. What
 similarities exist between the story of Pygmalion and Galatea and My Fair Lady? What are the
differences?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

S - 47 Reproducible Student Worksheet

 Student’s Page­ Mythology

Name: ________________________________ Date:_________________

Chapters 13 – 14
Character Comprehension

Objective: Identifying the essential characters and events of the Trojan War

Activity

The beginning of Greek literature is marked by The Iliad, which cannot be accurately dated, and which is
attributed to the poet Homer, about whom nothing is known except his name and that he was blind. In
fact, many scholars believe Homer may have actually been a woman. The Iliad itself describes the events of
a few weeks in the ten-year siege of Troy. The particular subject of the epic poem is the anger of Achilles;
the crisis of the poem is the duel between Achilles and Hector. War and peace, with their corresponding
aspects of human nature are implicit in every situation and statement of the poem.

The story of the Trojan War is a complicated tale full of numerous characters. Match the following descriptions
to the appropriate characters.

____ 1. Patroclus
____ 2. Achilles A. Queen of Troy
____ 3. Hecuba B. Fairest woman in the world; cause of Trojan War
____ 4. Odysseus C. Achilles’ best friend; killed by Hector
____ 5. Pandarus D. Husband chosen for Helen; King of Sparta
____ 6. Paris E. Nymph abandoned by Paris
____ 7. Oenone F. King of Troy
____ 8. Andromache G. Achilles’ mother
____ 9. Agamemnon H. Evil goddess of Discord
____ 10. Eris I. Greatest Greek warrior and victor; weakness in the heel
____ 11. Briseis J. His judgment began the Trojan War
____ 12. Thetis K. King of Ithaca; feigned madness to avoid going to war
____ 13. Priam L. Broke truce by shooting an arrow at Menelaus
____ 14. Helen M. Maiden who was stolen from Achilles
____ 15. Hector N. Hector’s wife
____ 16. Menelaus O. Greek commander who steals Achilles’ prize of honor
P. Prince of Troy; “Tamer of Horses;” lost to Achilles

S - 69 Reproducible Student Worksheet