Description
Paper #2 (3 full pages): “Wholeness and Fragmentation in Euripides’ Bacchae”
Assignment:
In his discussion of Euripides’ Bacchae, Bennett Simon suggests that madness is, at least in part, a result of characters’ unwillingness to accept parts of themselves, or inability to appropriately balance key parts of the human experience. Discuss at least two ways in which two different characters (excluding Dionysus) in the Bacchae could be said to be rejecting or denying a part of themselves or failing to balance parts of the human experience and what the repercussion are or what the rejection or denial mean for the characters in each instance.
For comparison, compare or contrast one situation in Homer’s Iliad in which a character appears to (or is said to) reject or deny some part of himself or to fail to balance parts of the human experience (this excludes all deities). Are the outcomes for such rejection different in Homer than in Euripides? In what ways is Euripides’ portrayal of human mental and emotional processes similar to or different from Homer’s?
In addition to specific references to, and/or quotes from, Euripides’ Bacchae and Homer’s Iliad, your paper should also include at least one relevant quote from Bennett Simon’s article.
Reminders on Format:
1. Begin with an introduction that makes clear what you will be talking about and why. End with a conclusion that indicates what you have learned or demonstrated through your exploration of this topic.
2. Use parenthetical references to direct readers to passages you are summarizing or referring to. When citing Euripides use line numbers (not modern page numbers), for example: (Euripides 10-12); for Homer give book and line numbers, for example: (Homer 1.47-68). For Simon use page numbers, for example: (Simon 118). Use quotes for special emphasis and to illustrate specific points. Quotes should be exact words, in quotation marks, followed by parenthetical references.
3. Your paper should be double-spaced in 12-point font, with your name and the date at the upper left or right corner of the first page and the title centered immediately above the start of your introduction (no separate title page, please).
4. Include at the end (as a separate, fourth page) a list of Works Cited, including full bibliographical information for all works used, according to the format below.
For works cited use the MLA format (as relevant):
Author. Title. Translated by (translator). Place of publication: publisher, date.
Author. “Section or chapter title”. Book Title, pp. page numbers. Place of publication: publisher, date.
