Two elaborately painted pairs of eyes set on either side of the cup is the focus of the exterior decoration. These eyes are called "apotropaic" and are supposedly magical. The eyes are set beneath a painted pair of eyebrows and two elongated tear ducts frame what is probably a small stylised nose. ... In the center of the vase the god Dionysus relaxes on an elaborate ship with a tall mast and a broad sail. ... The terrified sailors, realising they had abducted a god, jumped into the water where they were promptly turned into dolphins. ...

• Word Count: 2963
• Approx Pages: 12
• Grade Level: High School

Achilles as the son of Thetis has a special relationship which allows him to communicate with the gods by way of Thetis's favor in the eyes of Zeus (Il. 1.490) Both characters are headstrong warriors; the epics do relate their preeminence in battle. ... Gilgamesh and Enkidu do battle and Enkidu yields; the result is their friendship and the setting of their status. ... In the story of Gilgamesh and Enkidu, the characters have a series of adventures in which we further watch the development of their relationship. The first event involves a journey to the mythical cedar forest to defeat th...

• Word Count: 4256
• Approx Pages: 17
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Major conflict of the poem is Agamemnon's demand for Achilles' war prize, the maiden Briseis, which wounds Achilles' pride; Achilles' consequent refusal to fight causes the Achaeans to suffer greatly in their battle against the Trojans. ... In the first half of the epic the climax is when, Venus and Juno contrive to isolate Dido and Aeneas in a cave during a hunting trip, and there the two lovers consummate their affair. ... And yet they bear smaller differences from their dissimilar authors. ... Their goddess-mothers didn't want them harmed, and often they fragmente...

• Word Count: 8864
• Approx Pages: 35
• Grade Level: High School