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Greek and Roman Mythology

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Course Summary

Explore the fascinating world of mythology with this course. Learn about the origins and evolution of myths, and how they shaped cultures throughout history.

Key Learning Points

Discover the common themes and motifs in myths from different cultures
Understand the role of myths in shaping culture and society
Examine the historical and cultural context of myths

Learning Outcomes

Develop a deeper understanding of the role of myths in shaping culture and society
Gain insight into the historical and cultural context of myths
Learn to identify common themes and motifs in myths from different cultures

Prerequisites or good to have knowledge before taking this course

No prior knowledge of mythology is required
A basic understanding of history and culture is recommended

Course Difficulty Level

Beginner

Course Format

Online self-paced
Video lectures
Quizzes and assignments

Similar Courses

World Religions Through Their Scriptures
Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
Ancient Greek Religion

Related Education Paths

Notable People in This Field

Joseph Campbell
Carl Jung
Mircea Eliade

Related Books

Description

Myths are traditional stories that have endured over a long time. Some of them have to do with events of great importance, such as the founding of a nation. Others tell the stories of great heroes and heroines and their exploits and courage in the face of adversity. Still others are simple tales about otherwise unremarkable people who get into trouble or do some great deed. What are we to make of all these tales, and why do people seem to like to hear them? This course will focus on the myths of ancient Greece and Rome, as a way of exploring the nature of myth and the function it plays for individuals, societies, and nations. We will also pay some attention to the way the Greeks and Romans themselves understood their own myths. Are myths subtle codes that contain some universal truth? Are they a window on the deep recesses of a particular culture? Are they a set of blinders that all of us wear, though we do not realize it? Or are they just entertaining stories that people like to tell over and over? This course will investigate these questions through a variety of topics, including the creation of the universe, the relationship between gods and mortals, human nature, religion, the family, sex, love, madness, and death.

*********************************************************************************************************** COURSE SCHEDULE • Week 1: Introduction Welcome to Greek and Roman Mythology! This first week we’ll introduce the class, paying attention to how the course itself works. We’ll also begin to think about the topic at hand: myth! How can we begin to define "myth"? How does myth work? What have ancient and modern theorists, philosophers, and other thinkers had to say about myth? This week we’ll also begin our foray into Homer’s world, with an eye to how we can best approach epic poetry. Readings: No texts this week, but it would be a good idea to get started on next week's reading to get ahead of the game. Video Lectures: 1.1-1.7 Quiz: Complete the quiz by the end of the week. • Week 2: Becoming a Hero In week 2, we begin our intensive study of myth through Homer’s epic poem, the Odyssey. This core text not only gives us an exciting story to appreciate on its own merits but also offers us a kind of laboratory where we can investigate myth using different theoretical approaches. This week we focus on the young Telemachus’ tour as he begins to come of age; we also accompany his father Odysseus as he journeys homeward after the Trojan War. Along the way, we’ll examine questions of heroism, relationships between gods and mortals, family dynamics, and the Homeric values of hospitality and resourcefulness. Readings: Homer, Odyssey, books 1-8 Video Lectures: 2.1-2.10 Quiz: Complete the quiz by the end of the week. • Week 3: Adventures Out and Back This week we’ll follow the exciting peregrinations of Odysseus, "man of twists and turns," over sea and land. The hero’s journeys abroad and as he re-enters his homeland are fraught with perils. This portion of the Odyssey features unforgettable monsters and exotic witches; we also follow Odysseus into the Underworld, where he meets shades of comrades and relatives. Here we encounter some of the best-known stories to survive from all of ancient myth. Readings: Homer, Odyssey, books 9-16 Video Lectures: 3.1-3.10 Quiz: Complete the quiz by the end of the week. • Week 4: Identity and Signs As he makes his way closer and closer to re-taking his place on Ithaca and with his family, a disguised Odysseus must use all his resources to regain his kingdom. We’ll see many examples of reunion as Odysseus carefully begins to reveal his identity to various members of his household—his servants, his dog, his son, and finally, his wife Penelope—while also scheming against those who have usurped his place. Readings: Homer, Odyssey, books 17-24 Video Lectures: 4.1-4.8 Quiz: Complete the quiz by the end of the week. • Week 5: Gods and Humans We will take a close look at the most authoritative story on the origin of the cosmos from Greek antiquity: Hesiod’s Theogony. Hesiod was generally considered the only poet who could rival Homer. The Theogony, or "birth of the gods," tells of an older order of gods, before Zeus, who were driven by powerful passions—and strange appetites! This poem presents the beginning of the world as a time of fierce struggle and violence as the universe begins to take shape, and order, out of chaos. Readings: Hesiod, Theogony *(the Works and Days is NOT required for the course)* Video Lectures: 5.1-5.9 Quiz: Complete the quiz by the end of the week. • Week 6: Ritual and Religion This week’s readings give us a chance to look closely at Greek religion in its various guises. Myth, of course, forms one important aspect of religion, but so does ritual. How ancient myths and rituals interact teaches us a lot about both of these powerful cultural forms. We will read two of the greatest hymns to Olympian deities that tell up-close-and-personal stories about the gods while providing intricate descriptions of the rituals they like us humans to perform. Readings: Homeric Hymn to Apollo; Homeric Hymn to Demeter (there are two hymns to each that survive, only the LONGER Hymn to Apollo and the LONGER Hymn to Demeter are required for the course) Video Lectures: 6.1-6.7 Quiz: Complete the quiz by the end of the week. • Week 7: Justice What counts as a just action, and what counts as an unjust one? Who gets to decide? These are trickier questions than some will have us think. This unit looks at one of the most famously thorny issues of justice in all of the ancient world. In Aeschylus’ Oresteia—the only surviving example of tragedy in its original trilogy form—we hear the story of Agamemnon’s return home after the Trojan War. Unlike Odysseus’ eventual joyful reunion with his wife and children, this hero is betrayed by those he considered closest to him. This family's cycle of revenge, of which this story is but one episode, carries questions of justice and competing loyalties well beyond Agamemnon’s immediate family, eventually ending up on the Athenian Acropolis itself. Readings: Aeschylus, Agamemnon; Aeschylus, Eumenides Video Lectures: 7.1-7.10 Quiz: Complete the quiz by the end of the week. • Week 8: Unstable Selves This week we encounter two famous tragedies, both set at Thebes, that center on questions of guilt and identity: Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex and Eurpides’ Bacchae. Oedipus is confident that he can escape the unthinkable fate that was foretold by the Delphic oracle; we watch as he eventually realizes the horror of what he has done. With Odysseus, we saw how a great hero can re-build his identity after struggles, while Oedipus shows us how our identities can dissolve before our very eyes. The myth of Oedipus is one of transgressions—intentional and unintentional—and about the limits of human knowledge. In Euripides’ Bacchae, the identity of gods and mortals is under scrutiny. Here, Dionysus, the god of wine and of tragedy, and also madness, appears as a character on stage. Through the dissolution of Pentheus, we see the terrible consequences that can occur when a god’s divinity is not properly acknowledged. Readings: Sophocles, Oedipus Rex; Euripides, Bacchae Video Lectures: 8.1-8.9 Quiz: Complete the quiz by the end of the week. • Week 9: The Roman Hero, Remade Moving ahead several centuries, we jump into a different part of the Mediterranean to let the Romans give us their take on myth. Although many poets tried to rewrite Homer for their own times, no one succeeded quite like Vergil. His epic poem, the Aeneid, chronicles a powerful re-building of a culture that both identifies with and defines itself against previously told myths. In contrast to the scarcity of information about Homer, we know a great deal about Vergil’s life and historical context, allowing us insight into myth-making in action. Readings: Vergil, Aeneid, books 1-5 Video Lectures: 9.1-9.10 Quiz: Complete the quiz by the end of the week. • Week 10: Roman Myth and Ovid's Metamorphoses Our consideration of Vergil’s tale closes with his trip to the underworld in book 6. Next, we turn to a more playful Roman poet, Ovid, whose genius is apparent in nearly every kind of register. Profound, witty, and satiric all at once, Ovid’s powerful re-tellings of many ancient myths became the versions that are most familiar to us today. Finally, through the lens of the Romans and others who "remythologize," we wrap up the course with a retrospective look at myth. Readings: Vergil, Aeneid, book 6; Ovid, Metamorphoses, books 3, 12, and 13. Video Lectures: 10.1-10.9. Quiz: Complete the quiz by the end of the week. *********************************************************************************************************** READINGS There are no required texts for the course, however, Professor Struck will make reference to the following texts in the lecture: • Greek Tragedies, Volume 1, David Grene and Richmond Lattimore, trans. (Chicago) • Greek Tragedies, Volume 3, David Grene and Richmond Lattimore , trans. (Chicago) • Hesiod, Theogony and Works and Days, M. L. West, trans. (Oxford) • Homeric Hymns, Sarah Ruden, trans. (Hackett) • Homer, The Odyssey, Robert Fagles, trans. (Penguin) • Virgil, The Aeneid, Robert Fitzgerald, trans. (Vintage) • Ovid, Metamorphoses, David Raeburn, trans. (Penguin) These translations are a pleasure to work with, whereas many of the translations freely available on the internet are not. If you do not want to purchase them, they should also be available at many libraries. Again, these texts are not required, but they are helpful.

Outline

Introduction
1.0 Promo Video
1.1 What is Myth?
1.2 Course Overview
1.3 Ancient Ideas on Myth
1.4 Ideas on Myth from the Modern Era
1.5 The Trojan War & The World of Homer
1.6 Trojan War Aftermath and The Homer Question
1.7 On Reading Homer
Course Readings
Quiz 1: Introduction to the Course

Becoming a Hero
2.1 On Reading Homer, Part II
2.2 Telemachus' Troubles
2.3 Telemachus' Tour
2.4 Odysseus on Ogygia
2.5 Odysseus on Scheria
2.6 Alcinous
2.7 Knee-Grabbing
2.8 Functionalism
2.9 Reassembling the Hero
2.10 Poetry and Demodocus
Odyssey, books 1-8
Quiz 2: Becoming a Hero

Adventures Out and Back
3.1 Odysseus and the Cyclops
3.2 Cycle Two: Circe
3.3 The Underworld
3.4 Cycle 3: The Cattle of the Sun
3.5 Food/Not Food
3.6 Structuralism
3.7 Inner and Outer Worlds
3.8 Extracting Knowledge
3.9 Meanwhile Telemachus...
3.10 Reunion: Father and Sons
Odyssey, books 9-16
Quiz 3: Adventures Out and Back

Identity and Signs
4.1 Odysseus Meets the Suitors
4.2 Signs as a Way of Knowing
4.3 What Does Penelope Know?
4.4 The Scar
4.5 Penelope's Dream
4.6 The Bow
4.7 Reunion (Almost)
4.8 Reunion
Odyssey, books 17-24
Quiz 4: Identity and Signs

Gods and Humans
5.1 Introducing the Greek Gods
5.2 Hesiod and Ancient Near East Connections
5.3 Intro to Hesiod
5.4 Hesiod's Opening Hymn to the Muses
5.5 Earth and Sky
5.6 Kronos and Rhea
5.7 Humans and Sacrifice
5.8 War, Cosmos, Reproduction
5.9 Freud
Further Reading: Freud (et al.) on myth
Hesiod's Theogony
Quiz 5: Gods and Humans

Ritual and Religion
6.1 Introduction to the Homeric Hymns
6.2 Ritual and Religion
6.3 The Hymn to Demeter
6.4 Themes in The Hymn to Demeter
6.5 The Hymn to Apollo: Delos
6.6 The Hymn to Apollo: Delphi
6.7 Myth and Ritual
Homeric Hymn to Apollo, Homeric Hymn to Demeter
Quiz 6: The Homeric Hymns

Justice
7.1 Introduction to Tragedy
7.2 Family Ties, Betrayals
7.3 Introducing Agamemnon
7.4 Agamemnon Themes
7.5 Ideas of Justice
7.6 Libation Bearers
7.7 Intro to the Eumenides
7.8 Measuring Evil
7.9 Historical Background
7.10 Readings of the Oresteia
Aeschylus, Agamemnon; Aeschylus, Eumenides
Quiz 7: The Oresteia

Unstable Selves
8.1 Introduction to Oedipus
8.2 Oedipus and Fate
8.3 Oedipus and Oracles
8.4 The Land and Identity
8.5 Chthonic Identity
8.6 Readings of Oedipus
8.7 Greek and Dionysian Ritual
8.8 Bacchae Themes
8.9 Reading The Bacchae
Sophocles, Oedipus Rex; Euripides, Bacchae
Quiz 8: Unstable Selves

The Roman Hero, Remade
9.1 Myth and History
9.2 Myth, History, and Vergil
9.3 Aeneid Opening
9.4 On Reading Vergil
9.5 Landing on an Unknown Shore
9.6 Trojan War Again
9.7 Retelling Tales
9.8 Two Themes
9.9 Dido and Marriage
9.10 Funeral Games for Anchises
Aeneid, books 1-5
Further Readings: Aeneas Before the Aeneid
Quiz 9: The Roman Hero, Remade

Roman Myth and Ovid's Metamorphoses
10.1 The Afterlife and the Underworld
10.2 Themes in the Underworld
10.3 Vergil and the Theories of Myth
10.4 Ovid—Background and Themes
10.5 Re-visiting Thebes
10.6 Trojan War Again
10.7 Battle for the Arms of Achilles
10.8 The Fall of Troy and the Founding of Rome
10.9 Conclusion
Vergil, Aeneid, book 6; Ovid, Metamorphoses, books 3, 12, 13
Quiz 10: Roman Myth and Ovid's Metamorphoses

Summary of User Reviews

Discover the power and richness of mythology with this engaging course on Coursera. Students rave about the comprehensive and insightful content, which is presented in an easy-to-understand format. One aspect that many users appreciate is the instructor's passion for the subject and their ability to make the material come alive.

Pros from User Reviews

Comprehensive and insightful content
Easy-to-understand format
Passionate instructor
Engaging assignments
Great for beginners

Cons from User Reviews

Limited interaction with instructor
Some technical issues with course platform
Not enough depth for advanced learners
No certificate for free version
Some users found the pacing too slow

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