Comparison Studies Lesson 3: Glossary Weight

Lesson Three: Glossary Weight

Materials needed: With Rough Gods


Read the following information and the relevant poems and Dramatis Personae (Glossary) entries:

Apollo appears in four poems: "Apollo & Dionysus" (15), "Apollo & Eros" (16), "Apollo & Daphne" (17), and "Apollo & Amalthea" (18) yet the Dramatis Personae (Glossary) entry for Apollo (63) is only three lines long. The Dramatis Personae (Glossary) entry for Zeus is (79) is slightly longer at four lines, though Zeus appears only in three poems: "Cronus & Zeus" (5), "Semele & Zeus" (13), and "Danaë & Zeus" (33). Conversely, Tiresias (78), whose Dramatis Personae (Glossary) entry is 14 lines long appears only in two poems: "Tiresias & Oedipus" (37) and "Tiresias & Creon" (38). Helen (69) also has a 14-line Dramatis Personae (Glossary) entry despite only appearing in two poems: "Helen & Paris" (45) and "Helen & Menelaus" (52).

Answer the following questions:

1: What does the apparent emphasis on humanity over deities, at least in the Dramatis Personae (Glossary) section, say about With Rough Gods as a book about or based upon Greek mythology?

2: Does this apparent emphasis hold true for the entire Dramatis Personae (Glossary) section? For the entire book? Why or why not?

3: What entries in the Dramatis Personae (Glossary) section would you rewrite? Provide examples of your revisions.