The adventures of perseus 2 story of the play in pageant, verse and fearsome argument the gods on olympus present themselves. With the help of the gods, perseus was able to kill the gorgon, medusa. Perseus pulled out medusas head to prove that he did kill medusa, which petrified king polydectes. Polydectes held perseus to his rash promise and demanded the head of the only mortal gorgon, medusa, whose gaze turned people to stone. Hercules accomplished these tasks, but eurystheus did not. Learn more about the traditional story of perseus in this article. David leeming seeks to answer this question in medusa, a biography of the mythical creature. There are myths from every culture in the world, but the bestknown ones are from ancient greece, rome or from the norse people of northern europe. It does miss out a few parts of the story that often come up in other versions, such as the involvement of the nymphs who gave perseus a. Polydectes, the king of seriphos, ordered perseus to provide him with the head of medusa as a wedding gift for him. As night came on, he reached the western limit of the earth, where the sun goes down.
Atlas and perseus the myth of atlas and perseus the mythical story of atlas and perseus by thomas bulfinch. The prezi that we are about to show you is about a greek demigod that is very famous for slaying medusa and saving andromeda his girlfriend. Plaster cast, painted plaster, after the original bronze of perseus with the head of medusa, by benvenuto cellini in padua, about 1545 and now in the museo nazionale bargello, florence, italy. John chadwick in the second edition of documents in mycenaean greek. Perseus finds medusa asleep inside her cave and makes sure not to wake her. Perseus did all he could to guard his mother against the kings unwanted attentions. Medusa the gorgon ks2 reading comprehension worksheets. He knew that medusa lived with her sisters, the gorgons. It was foretold to danaes father, acrisius the king of argos, that danaes son would kill him. He received help from athena and hermes who gave perseus a sword, a mirrored shield, and winged sandals, these gifts were used to escapes medusas sisters.
Perseus creeps into the cave, walking backward and using athenas shield as a 22 storyworks. Medusa and perseus, and the relationship between myth and. Perseus is determined to rescue andromeda, even though it means facing the hideous gorgon, medusa, whose glare turns warriors to stone. As soon as perseus was inside the room, phineas called to his men. Medusa was beheaded by the hero perseus, who thereafter used her head as a weapon until he gave it to the goddess athena to place on her shield. The sculpture stands on a square base which has bronze relief panels depicting the story of perseus and andromeda, similar to a predella on an altarpiece. This essay examines the greek myth of perseus killing the gorgon medusa as emblematic of the relationship between science and myth, and between culture and nature. Ovids account of medusas mortality tells that she had once been a woman, vain of her beautiful hair.
Perseus with the head of medusa is a bronze sculpture made by benvenuto cellini in the period 15451554. This engaging and detailed lesson enables students to gain a deep understanding of the greek myth perseus and medusa. Perseus is one of the greatest heroes spoken of in greek mythology, for perseus was the famed vanquisher of the gorgon medusa. He was, alongside cadmus and bellerophon, the greatest greek hero and slayer of monsters before the days of heracles. Read the complete script on the lazy bee scripts web site. Perseus in greek mythology greek legends and myths. So acrisius locked his daughter away in a bronze chamber, but zeus transformed into a. He locks up danae alone in an empty room before she has had any children. He beheaded the gorgon medusa for polydectes and saved andromeda from. Why do you think we dont see any strong female characters in this story. Why do you think the ancients imagined medusa as a character who contained or internalized both powers.
Medusa was a monster of legend, with hair turned to serpents and eyes that killed with just a glance. Edith hamilton students who enjoy reading greek and. This essay examines the greek myth of perseus killing the gorgon medusa as emblematic of the relationship between science and myth, and between culture. If he succeeded, he would be purified of his sin and, as myth says, he would be granted immortality. In greek mythology, perseus is the legendary founder of mycenae and of the perseid dynasty. As an educator and counselor, i often use tales from classic greek mythology as a way of relating common themes that speak to the human condition.
In the greek mythological pantheon, the gorgon medusa stands a head above all others in her power to terrify. She was a creature hated by the world, and her story spread far and wide, transmitting across time as well as space to reach the ears of the modern era. The myth of perseus and medusa is one of the best thrillerlike tales in greek mythology. Mythic warriors guardians of the legend perseus the search for medusa. Unhappily, she eventually came to the notice of the king. Perseus turned to atlas for help and when denied the guest friendship bond, perseus turned atlas into stone. Myths usually have heroes or heroines who are gods or people with amazing strength or super powers. The text is accompanied by 20 reading comprehension questions. When the oracle tells the human king, acrisius, that his grandson will kill him, the old miser locks his daughter, danae, up in a tower guarded by savage dogs. This readers theater literacy toolkit includes two readers theater scripts, as well as other activities and resources. Perseus was the son of danae and zeus, who came to danae in the form of a golden spring. Perseus takes the reflective bronze shield from athena and holds it up to use as a mirror to locate medusa.
Perseus had no horse to give, so he asked polydectes to name the gift. The story of perseus and medusa does not exist outside of the specific instances in. A description of perseus with the head of medusa by canova. Perseus and the medusa lesson set classroom drama and interactive learning is a fantastic way to explore a topic and to raise literacy attainment. Greek and roman mythology except for the whispering sounds of the serpents that were her hair. Greek mythology and main features and examples of mythic heroes. Who was the last person you went to advice for and what did you ask that person. Athena would supply perseus with a reflective shield, a razorsharp curved sword manufactured by hephaestus, hades helmet of invisibility, and hermes flying sandals. Perseus and medusa think about this before you read. Searching for the origins of medusas myth in cultures that predate ancient greece, leeming explores how and why the mythical figure of the gorgon has become one of the most important and enduring ideas in. One drop heals any wound, and the other drop is a deadly poison. Perseus confronting phineus with the head of medusa by sebastiano ricci, c. The students explore how visual elements of a story were combined to tell a particular myth, for example perseus and medusa.
Perseus was the son of zeus and danae, the daughter of acrisius of argos. This greek myth, retelling the tale of perseus and medusa the gorgon, can be used to test reading comprehension skills in ks2. This book gives readers a closeup look at this snakehaired horror. Perseus though was a son of zeus, and also a mortal favoured by his halfsister, the goddess athena. Starting with details about medusas history, physical features, and supernatural powers, the text continues with a retelling of the classic myth of perseus. Perseus confronting phineus with the head of medusa. In doing so, students learn to interpret and infer the key elements of plot in texts, comment upon the key themes and plot ideas running through a text, and empathise with the firstperson perspective of a character. Using the gifts from the gods, perseus locates and enters medusa s cave. According to other sources for this myth, after athena takes medusas head from perseus, she gives asclepius, the god of medicine and healing, two drops of medusas blood. Edith hamilton students who enjoy reading greek and roman mythology as part of their english. Perseus was determined to protect his mother, which was his motive of going on a quest and killing medusa. Perseus, the maiden medusa, and the imagery of abduction ascsa.
The myth of perseus and medusa was one the most powerful inspiration for many artists in the ancient times, but it hasnt lost its artistic significance to the present day either. The story of perseus long ago, king acrisius of argos learned from an oracle that he would one day be killed by his grandson. There were pretty girls there, and medusa was one of them. Clash of the titans which interpretated many aspects of the perseus myth loosely, redefined the image of medusa as much more monstr. Download the free pdf resource free members and subscribers see other resources.
Silently thanking the gods for the invisible helmet, perseus backed into the cave, watching the images in the mirrored surface of his shield. The story and myth of perseus and the medusa features pictures from mythology and legend. Fearing that, he hid his daughter danae in a chamber underground. During that time, perseus grew into a strong, handsome youth who was very protective of his lovely mother. The myth of perseus and medusa is one of the best thrillerlike tales in greek mythology with a promising plot that gets more complicated as the story progresses, this myth has a typical hollywoodlike scenario with the main character not being born yet at the moment when his destiny was determined. There are many versions of the medusa myth, and this poem tells one of the most popular ones. Climax noun mood or feeling of a story at the gorgons lair, perseus used the shield to block medusas. Perseus may hack medusas head off with a sword, but in most cases his success comes from quick, clever thinking rather than through mad fighting skills. The traditional greek myth specially retold for children growing in reading confidence. Mythic warriors guardians of the legend perseus the search. It also provides a model text and prompts for writing activities. In this story, perseus is sent out to claim the head of the only mortal gorgon, medusa. The tale behind perseus turning phineas and his followers to stone by pie corbett. The myth of perseus and medusa, according to pindar and apollodorus, started with a quest.
Character profile for medusa from the greek myths page 1. Olympus in the form of a stream of gold, which poured through the roof of the chamber, and soon danae had a baby named perseus. Paintings and sculptures of the moment of beheading or medusa s portrait itself are famous all over the world. Perseus creeps into the cave, walking backward and using athenas shield as a mirror to see. Complete with activities including comprehension, illustrating and reading. Focusing on the reflection of medusas head, he rose a bit on the winged sandals, raised the sword above him, and athena, who was always there at. The main character in this epic, who is sent to kill medusa. After a short discussion about what a myth is, students are introduced to the idea of visual clues that will help them recognise characters on greek vases including herakles, athena, hermes and medusa. But as phineas roared his command, perseus tugged the medusas head from the bag. She was a very kind and she obeyed her greek gods and goddesses. Perseus was flying back to seriphos when he saw a young woman crying because she was chained to a rock near the. Perseus and medusa acrisius, king of argos, receives an oracle that any child born of his daughter, danae, will grow up to kill its grandfather i. One of my favorites is the medusa story, sometimes referred to as perseus and the gorgon medusa.
Perseus, son of danae daughter of the king of argos is famed in greek mythology for defeating beheading medusa and freeing andromeda from a sea monster or titon released by the god poseidon. There are a number of coins imaging aspects of this mythology. Jpg from wikimedia commons, the free media repository jump to navigation jump to search. As perseus nears, the snakes in medusas hair begin hissing and rearing. Surrounded by spears, swords and shields, perseus stood quite still. A greek legend told in the style of ancient greek drama. Perseus found a gorgon called medusa perseus put on his cap so that medusa could not see him. Perseus, in greek mythology, the slayer of the gorgon medusa and the rescuer of andromeda from a sea monster. Perseus hid the medusas head in his leather bag and strode into the great hall. The adventures of perseus pdf 153kb opens in a new window. Acrisius, scared that perseus will grow up to kill him, throws perseus. Appropriate for the english national curriculum ks2 history topic ancient greece.
He cut off medusas head with his sickle, and put the head in his shoulder bag. The story of medusa and the greek goddess athena a myth submitted to the site by shainuja many years ago there was a beautiful women called medusa. Adapted from the myths and legends of ancient greece and rome by e. The archers drew back their bowstrings, men raised their spears ready to strike down perseus. Ellen shealy portergaud school, sc charleston, sc 410 views. In other words, in this myth, we dont see any strong female characters at least not any that survive. Perseus and the medusa classroom drama into literacy. The myth of atlas and perseus after the slaughter of medusa, perseus, bearing with him the head of the gorgon, flew far and wide, over land and sea. Perseus saves the damsels and defeats the monsters either through might medusa or clever tricks other gorgons, icky sisters. See more ideas about mythology, medusa and perseus and medusa. Why do you think king acisius sent his daughter and grandson away. The adventures of perseus have been told, and retold, over the millennia, and even today his story regularly appears on the big screen.
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