The sources that may be used are Sophocles’ Theban Plays [Oedipus, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone], Aeschylus’ Oresteia [Agamemnon, Libation Bearers, Furies], Homer’s Iliad (selections available on Blackboard), Hesiod’s Theogony, Apollodorus’ Library, Hyginus’ Fabulae, and/or Ovid’s Metamorphoses, as appropriate for the topic. No secondary sources are to be used. You may use a maximum of two direct quotations. As in the other essays, the goal is to extract information and express it in your own words, while at the same time accurately directing the reader to the underlying source of information. Citations will follow the system used for ancient sources explained in the syllabus. The reference list may use MLA, APA, or Hesperia format.

The essay should be 1200-1500 words in length; it must be typed and double-spaced. Margins should be no greater than 1.5 inches on the left and no greater than 1 inch on the others. Use a 12-point font and black ink/toner only; do not use a cursive font. Be sure to include a separate “Work Cited” page with the title of the work in the appropriate format for the documentation style that you selected. In addition to the hard copy you will turn in to me, upload a copy to Turnitin.com and to Livetext.com, using the course information provided in the syllabus. Submission of the assignment is not complete until you have turned in a hard copy to me AND performed the necessary uploads.

If you use the APA style, you do NOT need to include an abstract page

You will not be able to re-write this assignment, so take care in preparing it.

The topics:

1) A very major issue seen in a number of myths examined in the last part of the course is the idea of fate or necessity. You must use some specific examples from the Sophocles’ Theban Plays and Aeschylus’ Oresteia, although you may use other myths as well. Explore how mythological characters are enmeshed in plots that turn on the idea of forces outside their control directing the eventual outcomes. Is there room here for the notion of free will and the belief that individuals have real control over their behavior and destiny? Can the characters be held responsible for their actions if they are in fact merely puppets of fate?

2) A number of mythographers have suggested that the notion of transgression lies at the heart of many Greek myths and that the most interesting characters are fundamentally transgressive in their actions. By “transgression” these critics mean ignoring or crossing normal social boundaries of behavior, normal gender roles, or atypical interactions with supernatural forces. Myths can then serve as a way for societies to think about deviant behavior and its consequences without actually engaging in transgressive acts themselves. Using specific examples, which important characters that have we seen can be labeled as “transgressive” and why do you classify them as transgressive? Are some characters more “transgressive” than others? You must deal with a minimum of five different characters.

NOTE CAREFULLY: page references are required with your documentation of modern sources, whether you employ MLA, APA, or Hesperia format. You are typically not citing science articles that are 1-4 pages long, so page numbers are necessary. Citations of ancient sources will follow the system I outline below and that we will practice in class. I will deduct five points from the paper grade for improper note or reference list format.

Examples:

Hom. Il .2.100 = Homer, Iliad, Book 2, line 100.

Verg. Aen. 3.110-156 = Vergil, Aeneid, Book 3, lines 110-156.

Hdt. 2.91.3 = Herodotus, Histories, Book 2, Chapter 91, Section 3.

Xen. An. 1.10.6 = Xenophon, Anabasis, Book 1, Chapter 10, Section 6.

Plaut. Mil. 2.3 = Plautus, Miles Gloriosus, Act 2, Scene 3.

Plut. Vit.Flam. 2.3 = Plutarch, Life of Flaminius, Chapter 2, Section 3.

Suet. Vesp. 19 = Suetonius, Life of Vespasian, Chapter 19.

Callim. Hymn 2.50 = Callimachus, Hymn to Apollo, line 50.

Tac. Ann.4.38 = Tacitus, Annals, Book 4, Chapter 38.

Provide Url's, page number and line number for all sources