For
a plot summary of the film, see:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1646987/plotsummary?ref_=tt_stry_pl
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1646987/synopsis?ref_=tt_stry_pl
http://clash-of-the-titans.wikia.com/wiki/Wrath_of_the_Titans
Mythic Background
The plot of the film is
loosely based on the Titanomachy,
the war between the Titans and the Olympians, told by
Apollodorus
and in Hesiod’s
Theogony 612-712.
Note that there is no “return of Cronos” in the ancient myth. You
should read about the Titanomachy before you watch the movie.
Death of the Gods
The theme of death of the gods, so central to
Wrath, is not found in
ancient Greek mythology, but it appears in both
Egyptian and Germanic (See
Ragnarök and
Götterdammerung)
myths. The theme of a dying god is also important in Christianity. For a
discussion of the theme in modern media, see
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DeathOfTheOldGods.
Some Comments on the Characters
Zeus, father of gods and men
and god of thunderbolts; father of Perseus
Hades, god of the
Underworld; attribute is pitchfork
Poseidon, god of the sea;
attribute is trident
Ares, god of War; son of
Zeus
Hephaestus. crippled god of
blacksmithing who makes the gods’ weapons in his forge
Cronos, the Titan; father of
Zeus, Hades and Poseidon
Perseus, son of Zeus and the
mortal woman Danae; in ancient mythology he slays Medusa the Gorgon and
rescues the Ethiopian princess Andromeda from a sea monster. In
Clash of Titans he kills a
beast called the Kracken, which is probably based on the sea monster in
the story of Andromenda. See
Apollodorus for the
story of Perseus.
Cyclopes. These one-eyed
creatures work in Hephaestus’ forge.
Minotaur, half-human and
half-bull son of King Minos. Slain by Theseus in the labyrinth. Note
that Dante also meets the
Minotaur in Hell.
Io, the name of Perseus’
dead wife. In Greek Mythology Io is mortal daughter of the Phoenician
king Agenor. Io was loved by Zeus and changed into a cow. See
Apollodorus on the
story of Io.
Helius, the son of Perseus
and Io. In Greek Mythology Perseus has no such son. (His name means
“sun” in ancient Greek.
Andromeda, an Amazon-like
female warrior who fights with Perseus to defeat Cronos. See Apollodorus
for the story of
Andromeda.
Agenor, the “Navigator”, son
of Poseidon. Perseus’ helper. There are several characters by this name
in Greek mythology, but the Agenor in the film seems to be based upon
one mentioned by Apollodorus in
Book 3.
Clash of the Titans Wiki:
http://clash-of-the-titans.wikia.com/wiki/Clash_of_the_Titans_Wiki.
This is a reasonably accurate resource on the mythological aspects of
the film, but especially the characters.
Assignment
1.
Watch the film and take good notes. Hand
in these notes on Thursday, April 25th.
2.
Answer the discussion questions
listed below. Hand in your answers on Thursday, April 25th.
3.
Each member of the class is expected to
post a 150-word critique of the film in terms of
Classical mythology at the
IMDb Discussion Board (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1646987/board/?ref_=tt_bd_sm).
In this post you must identify yourself by name and as a student at
Monmouth College. This must
be done by Tuesday, April 23, at 8 AM. No late posts will be
counted for grade.
4.
In your weekly paper (due April 25th)
provide an overview of your comparisons of the
Underworld in Wrath of the
Titans to the
depictions of Hades and the Land of the Dead in Homer’s
Odyssey, Vergil’s
Aeneid, the
Homeric Hymn to Demeter and
Ovid’s Metamorphoses.
Discussion Questions
1.
Find an ancient image of each of the
following on www.theoi.com and
compare it to the depiction of this character in
Wrath: Zeus, Hades, Poseidon,
Hephaestus, Minotaur, Perseus, and Andromeda. Discuss how an ancient
Greek would have cast each character for this film differently. (Be sure
to include the images you discuss with your answer.)
2.
Explain how
Wrath includes an example of
katabasis. (Hint: Don’t forget about Theseus in the Labyrinth.)
3.
Discuss how Zeus is depicted as a
Christ-type in Wrath; i.e.,
how are Zeus and Jesus similar.
4.
Compare the depiction of the
Underworld in Wrath of the
Titans to the Land of the Dead in Homer’s
Odyssey.
5.
Compare the depiction of the
Underworld in Wrath of the
Titans to the Underworld in Vergil’s
Aeneid.
6.
Compare the depiction of the god Hades in
Wrath of the Titans to the
Hades in the Homeric Hymn to
Demeter.
7.
Compare the depiction of the
Underworld in Wrath of the
Titans to the Underworld depicted by Ovid and Vergil in their
depicted of the story of Orpheus.