LLT 121 CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY LECTURE 30 GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME TO LLT 121 CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY. I'M YOUR INSTRUCTOR DR. HUGHES. TODAY WE'RE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT VARIOUS MISCELLANEOUS MYTHS AND VARIOUS B MOVIE HERO TYPES. ALREADY WE HAVE ENCOUNTERED HERACLES THE PAN-HELLENIC HERO. HE'S SO GOOD THAT EVERY TOWN JUST ABOUT IN THE GREEK WORLD AND MEDITERRANEAN WANTED A PIECE OF THE HERACLES ACTION BECAUSE HE MET ALL EIGHT POINTS ON THE HEROMETER. THE SECOND HERO WE COVERED WAS THESEUS, THE HERO OF ATTICA AND OF ATHENS. NOWHERE NEAR THE HEROIC QUALITY OF HERACLES BUT IT WAS NOT FOR THE LACK OF ATHENIANS TRYING TO MAKE HIM LOOK GOOD. THEY TRIED. THEY GAVE HIM SIX LABORS IN WHICH HE VERY INVENTIVELY KILLED VARIOUS CREATURES IN WAYS THAT THEY KILLED OTHER PEOPLE. YOU CHUCKLED. YOU WEREN'T IMPRESSED. THEN WE SENT HIM IN AFTER THE MENOTAUR. YOU LIKED THAT ONE BETTER. SO DID I BUT THAT WAS BECAUSE IT HAD A BULL IN IT. WHAT WAS THESEUS' GREAT PRIZE? HE DIED, THE END. JASON, THE HERO OF IOLCUS IS NOT A VERY NICE GUY. HE LOVES THEM AND LEAVES THEM. HE TRADED IN HIS WIFE ON A SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD. WOMEN, LOOK WHERE IT GOT HIM. WE THEN GOT TO MEET THE BELLEROPHON, THE FELLOW WHO TOOK PEGASUS ON THAT WONDROUS ONE WAY RIDE UP TO MOUNT OLYMPUS. WHAT DID IT READ ON BELLEROPHON'S DEATH CERTIFICATE MIKE? HUBRIS. WE ALSO MET PERSEUS PLAYED BY HARRY HAMLIN IN THAT CINEMATIC TRIUMPH.CLASH OF THE TITANS. HE IS THE LOCAL HERO OF ARGOS. IT WAS PRETTY GOOD. FOR WHATEVER REASON HIS MOVIE IS THE MOST POPULAR OF ANY OF THESE CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY HEROIC MOVIES EVEN THOUGH I DIDN'T LIKE IT. AT THIS POINT, WHOA THIS IS THE WORST COFFEE I'VE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE. WE START SCRAPING THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL. WE START GETTING TO THE LOW RENT B MOVIE HEROES. WHEN LAST WE LEFT OFF WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE CAREER OF PELEUS. PELEUS COMMITS MIASMA. WHY DOES HE COMMIT MIASMA? WHY DOES HE KILL SOMEBODY? WHO DO I WANT TO TORMENT? I WANT TO TORMENT SCOT. YOU'RE SCOT RIGHT? WHY DOES HE HAVE TO? EXACTLY, MIASMA IS VERY OFTEN JUST NOTHING MORE THAN A GLORIFIED PLOT DEVICE. PELEUS GOES OFF TO THE AWARD WINNING TOWN OF PHTHIA WHERE HE IS PURIFIED BY HIS BUDDY KING EURYTION AND ACCIDENTALLY KILLS EURYTION IN THE SUBSEQUENT CALYDONIAN BOAR HUNT. I'M GOING TO WRITE THAT DOWN HERE SO I REMEMBER TO TALK ABOUT THAT. EURYTION GETS KILLED. PELEUS GOES TO IOLCUS. HE'S PURIFIED BY THE LOCAL KING. THE LOCAL KING'S WIFE FALLS IN LOVE WITH HIM. IF I RECALL CORRECTLY JEREMY WAS LECTURING TO ME ABOUT THIS LAST TIME BECAUSE HE HAS SEEN THIS PLOT DEVICE HAPPEN SO MANY TIMES. WELL, OKAY PELEUS DOESN'T WANT ANY PART OF THE QUEEN. SO THEY TAKE HIM OUT ON MOUNT SYTHERON, A LOCAL MOUNTAIN. HE IS ASLEEP. THEY BURY HIS SWORD IN A PILE OF DUNG. HE WAKES UP. POUR PELEUS WAKES UP AND SEES CENTAURS ALL AROUND.HIM. HE HEARS HOOVES GALLOPING IN FROM THE DISTANCE. I THINK THIS IS WHERE I LEFT YOU OFF LAST TIME. ELIZABETH WHO DO THESE HOOVES BELONG TO? YEAH THE CENTAURS ARE STANDING THERE. THEN THERE'S MORE HOOVES. NO, ALTHOUGH IT COULD HAVE BEEN PEGASUS. I WILL HAVE TO PUNISH YOU FOR THAT. THE CORRECT ANSWER IS CHIRON, THE NICE CENTAUR, THE ARTISTIC CENTAUR. HE IS THE TEACHER OF YOUNG HEROES. CHIRON THE NICE CENTAUR SAYS PELEUS, YOUR SWORD IS IN THAT THERE PILE OF DUNG. PICK IT UP AND KICK BOOTIE. IN RETURN FOR THIS CONSPICUOUS DISPLAY OF VIRTUE PELEUS IS AWARDED AS HIS WIFE AN INFLUENTIAL YOUNG SEA NYMPH BY THE NAME OF THETIS. SOMEBODY IN THE CLASS CAN REDEEM THE CLASS BY TELLING ME PRECISELY WHY THE GODS WERE SO HAPPY TO MARRY OFF THETIS? PHIL. SO CLOSE YET SO FAR. SHE IS DESTINED TO BEAR A SON GREATER THAN HIS FATHER. THE ONE THAT ZEUS WAS AFRAID WAS GOING TO DO THE HORRIBLE THINGS THAT ZEUS HAD DONE TO HIS FATHER, THAT HIS FATHER DID TO HIS GRANDFATHER, ETC. BOY DID THEY THROW A BASH FOR PELEUS AND THETIS WHEN THEY GOT MARRIED. PARDON. PROMETHEUS DID. YEAH, THE WORD GOT OUT. THEY STILL DIDN'T FIGURE THEY WERE OUT OF THE WOODS UNTIL THEY GOT HER MARRIED OFF. SO SHE GETS MARRIED TO THIS MORTAL GOD. THEY DIDN'T ASK HER WHAT SHE THOUGHT ABOUT IT. SHE PROBABLY WOULD HAVE PREFERRED TO HAVE CONTINUED HER CAREER AS AN OCEAN.NYMPH LIVING DOWN IN THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA. AGAIN THIS REFLECTS THE VALUES AND FOLK WAYS OF A PATRIARCHAL SOCIETY. THE GODS AND GODDESSES ARE SO THRILLED TO GET THIS ONE MARRIED OFF THAT THEY THROW A BIG BASH. ALL THE GODS AND GODDESSES ARE INVITED TO THE WEDDING OF PELEUS AND THETIS EXCEPT FOR ONE. RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU KNOW WHO IT IS. NOW I'M GOING TO ASK SOMEBODY WHO DOESN'T KNOW WHOM IT IS. MONA, WHO WAS IT. OH NO SHE'S THERE. OH NO YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE APHRODITE AT A WEDDING. ARES, GODDESS OF DISCORD. GUESS WHAT? SHE SHOWS UP ANYWAY ARMED WITH AN APPLE. THIS IS A DIVERSION BUT A VERY GOOD DIVERSION, WHICH BACK IN THE DAYS. BEFORE THE DAYS IT WAS SYNONYMOUS WITH TOP NOTCH COMPUTING. SHE BRINGS A GOLDEN APPLE. IT SAYS ON IT TAKE CALISTEA, WHICH IS ANCIENT GREEK FOR THE FAIREST. IMMEDIATELY THREE VOICES RISE UP. THREE GODDESSES EACH CLAIM IT, THIS APPLE FOR THE FAIREST AS HER OWN. NUMBER ONE IS HERA. NUMBER TWO IS APHRODITE GODDESS OF BEAUTY AND LOVE. NUMBER THREE SURPRISINGLY ENOUGH IS ATHENA GODDESS OF WAR, WISDOM, AND QUOTE/UNQUOTE WOMEN'S WORK. NOW LET'S SAY ERIKA THAT YOU ARE ZEUS. NOTICE I'M NOT GOING TO ASK RAY THIS. I KNOW BETTER. ERIKA YOU ARE ZEUS. THESE THREE GODDESS COME UP TO YOU OH ZEUS. THEY SAY WHICH OF US IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL? WHAT DO YOU DO? BUT THEN APHRODITE IS GOING TO BE MAD AT YOU. WHAT HAPPENS IF APHRODITE GETS MAD AT YOU? SO TO.SPEAK. THAT IS A GOOD DECISION BUT IT'S GOING TO GET YOU IN TROUBLE. WHAT DO YOU DO? NO, WHO SAID THAT? THERE IS NO HEDGING. KRISTEN YOU CAME IN LATE. WHAT DO YOU DO? YOU'RE STILL GOING TO HACK SOMEBODY OFF. CARRIE, YOU PROBABLY HAVE THE HIGHEST AVERAGE IN THE CLASS YOU SHOULD KNOW. SHE DOES BUT SHE'S NOT TELLING US. ELIZABETH WHAT DO YOU THINK? HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN A SITUATION IN YOUR LIFE WHERE I DON'T KNOW IS NOT A CHOICE? HEATHER WHAT DO YOU DO? YOU CANNOT SEND OUT TO THE DELPHIC ORACLE BY THE WAY. MARK, WHAT DO YOU DO? JEREMY. COMMIT SUICIDE. THAT IS NOT BAD BUT YOU'RE ZEUS AND YOU CAN'T DIE. GET SOMEBODY ELSE TO DECIDE. BRILLIANT. NOW WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR IN THIS PERSON? THERE IS ONE MAJOR QUALITY. IT IS STUPIDITY. WE NEED SOMEBODY WHO IS AS DUMB AS A ROCK. WE FIND ONE IN THE PRESENCE OF THIS STUDLY YOUNG SHEPHERD BY THE NAME OF PARIS, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS ALEXANDER. A STUDLY YOUNG SHEPHERD CONNECTED WITH THE TROJAN ROYAL FAMILY. EACH OF THE GODDESS SUPPOSEDLY PROMISES HIM SOMETHING. HERA SAYS I WILL GIVE YOU POWER IF YOU PICK ME. ATHENA SAYS I WILL GIVE YOU WISDOM IF YOU PICK ME. APHRODITE SAYS IF YOU PICK ME I WILL GIVE YOU THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GIRL IN THE WORLD. WELL, THAT'S A NO BRAINER TO PARIS, WHICH IS GOOD BECAUSE PARIS IS NOT REALLY LONG IN THE BRAINS DEPARTMENT ANYWAY. HE PICKS APHRODITE THEREBY.TICKING OFF HERA AND ATHENA AGAINST THE TOWN OF TROY FOR ALL TIME. HE DOES GET THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN IN THE WORLD. ONLY ONE MINOR CATCH, SHE'S MARRIED. SHE IS MARRIED TO KING MENELAUS OF SPARTA. WELL, ONE DAY WHILE KING MENELAUS OF SPARTA IS OFF ON A BUSINESS TRIP, PARIS ROWS IN ON A SHIP WITH A BUNCH OF MANLY MEN AND INVITES HELEN OF TROY WHICH IS ANOTHER NAME OF MRS MENELAUS TO COME BACK TO TROY WITH HIM. NOW I THROW THIS OUT SIMPLY FOR YOUR INFORMATION. I'M NOT GOING TO TEST YOU ON IT AT THIS POINT. IT'S SOMETHING GOOD TO KEEP IN THE BACK OF YOUR HEAD. WHO IS TO BLAME FOR THIS? VERY SMART JEREMY. PARIS, NO. THE GODS, PARIS, ARES, HOMER. WELL, AT ANY RATE THIS KICKS OFF. MENELAUS RUNS SCREAMING TO HIS BIG BROTHER KING AGAMEMNON HE TOOK MY GIRL AND WE HAVE THE TROJAN WAR. WHO WON THE TROJAN WAR? THERE WERE NO WINNERS. ALTHOUGH KEEP IN MIND THE CHRONOLOGY HERE. THE TROJAN WAR WAS A DIRECT RESULT OF THE MARRIAGE OF PELEUS AND THETIS. LET'S SEE WHICH OF YOU KNOW A LITTLE MATH HERE. MEANWHILE, PELEUS AND THETIS GO DO WHAT NEWLY MARRIED COUPLES DO. THE RESULT OF THEIR CONNUBIAL BLISS IS A LITTLE BABY BOY NAMED ACHILLES. THE FIRST THING THETIS DOES WITH HER NEW BABY BOY ACHILLES IS SHE TAKES HIM TO THE RIVER STYX, THE RIVER OF LOATHING AND BAD MUSIC FROM THE EARLY 1980S. SHE TAKES HIM TO THE RIVER, DIPS HIM IN THE WATER HOLDING HIM BY THE HEEL MAKING HIM INVULNERABLE EVERYWHERE BUT HIS HEEL..GUESS WHAT? THAT IS WHERE HE'S GOING TO GET KILLED. GUESS WHAT? THAT'S WHERE HE GETS SHOT.