Apollonius, the Argonautica
General Notes and QuestionsBook 1Book 2Book 3Book 4 |
Jason's journey with the Argonauts takes place before the Trojan War.
Look for examples of hubris throughout the text. Fate vs. Free Will What makes a person a "hero"? What role do the gods play? As you read, keep track of the places that the crew stops on their journey. What dangers and challenges do they face? How do they resolve them? After briefly setting the stage for their adventure, we are introduced to the heroes accompanying Jason on his quest for the Golden Fleece on pages 3-8. This section is somewhat tedious - I recommend skipping this section on your first read - it will help you to get into the text better and make it more enjoyable. There is some valuable background information in those pages about our heroes, so return later and read it - as well, once you have met some of the characters, you will care more about their backgrounds.
What task is Jason given? By who? Why? What are the criteria for being chosen leader of the expedition? Who is chosen? Why? What must they do before leaving? How does Idas differentiate himself from the other heroes? (p. 14-15) How does Orpheus' cosmogony compare to the other creation myths that we have read? (p. 15) What's going on with the Lemnian women? What do they decide to do and why? (starts on p. 18) On p. 20-21 Jason's cloak is described - why is it special? What is the symbolism of the decorations? Why did Jason bring refuse to bring Atalanta along on the journey? Who is responsible for what the Lemnian women did? Why can't Jason and the Argonauts stay in Lemnos? How do they end up leaving Heracles behind? How do the men feel about this? In this situation, do you feel that Jason is a good leader? Why or why not? How many of the crew have been lost by the end of Book 1? How? |
Characters to KnowJason
the Argo the Argonauts Pelias Herakles Orpheus |