THESEUS PRESENTATION

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Theseus retold by Edith Hamilton
Feature Menu
Introducing the Myth Literary Focus Myths and
Heroes Reading Focus Summarizing TechFocus Writin
g Focus Think as a Reader/Writer
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Theseus Introducing the Myth
What makes someone a hero?
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Theseus retold by Edith Hamilton
Click on the title to start the video.
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Theseus Introducing the Myth
Long ago in ancient Greece, the young man Theseus
sets out to meet his father King Aegeus for the
first time.
To prove his courage and worthiness, Theseus
takes the dangerous land route to Athens.
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Theseus Introducing the Myth
Help with Pronunciation
Theseus THEE see uhs
Aegeus ee JEE uhs
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Theseus Introducing the Myth
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Theseus Introducing the Myth
In Athens, King Aegeus assigns his son Theseus a
terrible task.
Theseus must travel to the Labyrinth in Crete and
defeat the Minotaur, a half-human monster who
devours people.
Will Theseus succeed?
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Theseus Introducing the Myth
Help with Pronunciation
Labyrinth LAB uh rinth
Minotaur MINH uh tohr
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Theseus Introducing the Myth
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Theseus Literary Focus Myths and Heroes
In ancient Greece, as in other places in the
world, myths were the primary story form.
Recounted over time, these traditional stories
about gods and heroes were more than a source of
entertainment.

• They were part of the Greek religion.

• They embodied the values of the people..

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Theseus Literary Focus Myths and Heroes
In a typical hero myth, a young man is sent on a
quest to find something of great value or to
attempt a dangerous feat.
The Greek hero

• often has supernatural powers but is recognizably
  human in the myths

• gains self-knowledge and/or self-control on the
  quest

• embodies qualities that the ancient Greeks valued

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Theseus Reading Focus Summarizing
When you summarize a narrative, you briefly
retell it in your own words.
In a summary, you include only the key points and
events.

• Significant details are sometimes included.

• Connections between events, as well as results,
  belong in a summary..

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Theseus Reading Focus Summarizing
Summarizing helps you recognize which parts of
the story are most important to the plot.
A summary confirms your understanding of the
story.
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Theseus Reading Focus Summarizing
Into Action As you read, jot down the principal
events of the myth in a graphic organizer like
the one below.
Theseus finds his fathers sword.
He goes by land to meet his father.
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Theseus
TechFocus As you read the selection, ask
yourself which scenes or parts of the story would
best lend themselves to a short film.
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Theseus Writing Focus Think as a Reader/Writer
Find It in Your Reading Hamilton uses complex
sentences and formal diction in retelling this
myth.
Diction is a writers or speakers choice of
words.
Formal Give me your attention.
Informal Listen up.
Informal He got tired.
Formal He grew listless.
As you read, copy examples of formal diction into
a notebook.
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Vocabulary
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TheseusVocabulary
acknowledged adj. admitted recognized to be
true.
endear v. inspire affection.
afflicted adj. upset saddened.
prosperous adj. wealthy.
consent v. agree.
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TheseusVocabulary
The word acknowledged can be used as an adjective
to mean recognized as true.
Does it take a crown or a medal to be the
acknowledged leader in a particular field? Why or
why not?
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TheseusVocabulary
How might someone recognize that George
Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt,
and Abraham Lincoln were acknowledged leaders in
their time?
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TheseusVocabulary
Helpful individuals are likely to endear
themselves to people who benefit from their
assistance.
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TheseusVocabulary
The neighborhood association wanted to name a
Humanitarian of the Year. Which action would most
likely endear one resident to the whole
neighborhood?

• Keep six barking dogs in a small yard.
• Pick up litter on neighborhood walkways.
• Post complaint signs on peoples doors.

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TheseusVocabulary
The neighborhood association wanted to name a
Humanitarian of the Year. Which action would most
likely endear one resident to the whole
neighborhood?

• Keep six barking dogs in a small yard.
• Pick up litter on neighborhood walkways.
• Post complaint signs on peoples doors.

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TheseusVocabulary
Someone who is afflicted is likely to be . . .
disturbed
upset
frustrated
distressed
saddened
hurt
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TheseusVocabulary
What would be likely to leave the adults in a
community most afflicted?

• Finding a large number of rodents in town.
• Being forced to pay a rat-catchers bill.
• Discovering that their children had vanished.

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TheseusVocabulary
What would most likely leave the adults in a
community most afflicted?

• Finding a large number of rodents in town.
• Being forced to pay a rat-catchers bill.
• Discovering that their children had vanished.

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TheseusVocabulary
The word prosperous suggests a comfortable
lifestyle with plenty of time for leisure.
A person doesnt need to live in a palace to be
considered prosperous.
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TheseusVocabulary
When you think of the word prosperous, what other
words come to mind?
adj. wealthy.
prosperous
Examples
rich
wealthy
successful
Most people in a prosperous country have
comfortable homes.
well-off
comfortable
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TheseusVocabulary
Consent can be a verb meaning agree.
Besides shaking hands, what other body language
might indicate consent?
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TheseusVocabulary
Based on their expressions and body language,
which people below consent and which ones
disagree?
consent
consent
disagree
disagree
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The End
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QuickWrite
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TheseusQuickWrite
Think about examples of dangerous journeys in
movies, video games, and books. Why does the
hero undertake the journey? Jot down some
examples of modern heroes and quests.
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Meet the Writer
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Theseus Meet the Writer
Born in 1867, Edith Hamilton grew up fascinated
with the literature of ancient Greece and Rome.
After retiring from teaching the classics in
Baltimore, she began writing Mythology, which
soon became a bestseller. She became so
identified with Greece that in 1957, she was
named an honorary citizen of Athens.
More about the writer
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Build Background
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Theseus Background
Some people today believe that the myths about
Theseus are based on the life of an actual early
king. Most scholars, however, believe that
Theseus is totally mythic.
According to the legend, when Theseus became king
of Athens, he united several small independent
kingdoms into a federation the great city of
Athens.
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Theseus Background
Theseus is credited with beginning the first
peoples democracy.
Athens became the home of libertyat least for
free males. It was the first place in the world
where people governed themselves.
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Preview the Selection
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Theseus
Preview the Selection
In the myth, Theseus is the son of Aegeus, king
of Athens, and Aethra (ee THRUH), princess of
Troizen (TROY zuhn), a city in southern Greece.
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