Introduction
Orpheus and Eurydice
Have you ever been with a person who made you happy?
Have you ever been left by someone you really love?
You will be enlightened and amazed by the interesting characters. You must be stunned by the characters on how they handle challenges, seek power and take risks. You will be exploring the web to discover the different kinds of characters and conflicts
Task
1. As a class, you will discuss the meaning of the following literary terms; elements of a short story.
2. As a class, discuss the elements of a short story.
3. Read the story of Orpheus and Eurydice.
4. You will define the following; characters, setting, plot, conflict and theme.
5. Identify the characters, setting, plot, conflict and theme of Orpheus and Eurydice.
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Step 1: As a class, search on the internet about the definitions of the following words; characters, setting, plot, conflict and theme.
https://users.aber.ac.uk/jpm/ellsa/ellsa_elements.html
a. What is character? ___________________________________________.
b. What is setting? ____________________________________________.
c. What is the meaning of plot? ____________________________________________.
d. What is the conflict? _______________________________________________.
e. What is theme? _________________________________________________________-.
Step 2: Discuss in class the elements of a short story
Process
Read the story of Orpheus and Eurydice
THE STORY OF ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE
The Thracian bard ORPHEUS [orf'e-us] summoned HYMEN [heye'men], the god of marriage, to be present at his marriage to his beloved EURYDICE [you-ri'di-see]. The omens, however, were bad, and the new bride was bitten on the ankle by a snake and died.
The grieving Orpheus was so inconsolable that he dared to descend to the Underworld, where he made his appeal to the king and queen themselves, Hades (Pluto) and Persephone (Proserpina), in a song sung to the accompaniment of his lyre. In the name of Love, Orpheus asked that his Eurydice be returned to him in life; if not, he would prefer to remain there in death with his beloved. His words, his music, and his art held the shades spellbound, and the king and queen were moved to grant his request, but on one condition: Orpheus was not to turn back to look at Eurydice until he had left the Underworld. As they approached the border of the world above, Orpheus, anxious and yearning, turned and looked back, through love. At his gaze, Eurydice slipped away from her husband’s embrace with a faint farewell, to die a second time. Orpheus was stunned, and his appeals to Charon that he cross the Styx again were denied. Overwhelmed by grief, he withdrew to the mountains and for three years rejected the many advances of passionate women. Thus he was the originator of homosexuality among the Thracians.
While he was charming the woods, rocks, and wild beasts to follow him, a group of Bacchic women, clad in animal skins, caught sight of him and, angry at his rejection of them, hurled weapons and stones, which at first did no harm because they were softened by his song. As the madness and the frenzied music of the maenads grew more wild and the bard’s song was drowned out, he was overcome and killed and finally torn to pieces by their fury. His limbs were scattered, but his head and lyre floated on the river Hebrus out to sea, both all the while making lamentations. They were washed ashore at Lesbos. Here, Apollo froze into stone a serpent that was about to bite the head of Orpheus.
Orpheus now at last was reunited with his Eurydice in the Underworld, where they remain together, side by side, forever.
Upon reading the story, answer the following questions:
1. Who are the characters in the story?
2. Where did the story happen?
3. What is the plot of the story?
4. What are the conflicts found on the characters?
5. What is the theme of the story?
Evaluation
The class will write a well organized script.
You have significant information about events, characters, conflict, setting and theme.
The script is well organized and has all of the significant information from the story.
Conclusion
From this lesson, you will learn some information about love and trust. You will also learn how to write a story with important information or through the use of elements of a short story.