Comparing Characters and Conflicts
Medusa's Head
(Part 1)
Medusa's Head
(Part 2)
Medusa's Head
(Part 3)
Vocabulary
100
What is another name for a hero in a story?
protagonist
100
Who is the hero of the story?
Perseus
100
Who is the hero's grandfather?
King Acrisius
100
Who wanted Danae's hand in marriage?
Polydectes
100
floated; remained in the air
hovered
200
Who is the character that defeats the hero?
antagonist
200
Who is the hero's mother?
Danae
200
What is the main conflict of the story? (Hint: it is between the hero and his grandfather).
King Acrisius wants to make sure his grandson doesn't kill him.
200
Who came to Perseus in a vision to help him?
Athenes (or Athena)
200
eat in a greedy way
devour
300
Myths and folk tales usually focus on an obvious _________ conflict.
external
300
How does Danae have a son if she was locked away in a room with no escape?
Zeus came down through a hole so that she could have a baby.
300
What happened when the hero and his mother were sent out to see in a chest?
They washed up on an island, where Dictys found them.
300
What was so dangerous about Medusa?
Anyone who looked directly at her would immediately turn into stone.
300
grabbed; ran off with
snatched
400
The antagonists in myths and folktales are usually what kind of characters?
monsters
400
Why did the hero have to go retrieve Medusa's head?
Polydectes tricked him at a fake wedding. Because Perseus had nothing to offer as a gift, Polydectes forced him to retrieve Medusa's head, assuming he could never accomplish the task.
400
What were two of the three items the hero needed to retrieve to go fight Medusa?
Any two of the three: the hat of darkness, winged sandals, and knapsack
400
Why did the hero need to visit the garden nymphs?
They possessed the three items (winged shoes, knapsack, and hat of darkness) that Perseus needed to defeat Medusa.
400
rushing streams of water
torrents
500
Characters is myths or folktales are usually defined by a single character trait. We call these character types or ____________.
archetypes
500
Why was Andromeda tied up to a stone, waiting to eaten by the Leviathan?
Her mother, Cassiopeia, angered the sea gods by boasting about her beauty. To appease the gods, she sacrificed her daughter to the sea gods.
500
Who were the sisters Phorcides, what was so odd about them, and what information did the hero require of them?
They were three sisters who lived in a dim cavern. All three of them shared one eyeball and tooth. Perseus needed to find the location of the garden nymphs.
500
Explain the oracle of Apollo's prophecy and how it came true at the end of the story.
The prophecy foretold that King Acrisius would have a grandson that would kill him. At the end of the story, Perseus was competing in a competition in Greece. During the discus throwing event, he threw a disc that was caught by a strong wind. This ended up hitting Acrisius's foot, and he died from shock.
500
a violent disturbance
tumult
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