IN CLASS: Compare the Táin
- Due Apr 24, 2024 by 11:59pm
- Points 10
- Submitting a text entry box or a file upload
- Available Apr 24, 2024 at 12am - May 31, 2024 at 11:59pm
Some modern commentators have referred to the Táin Bó Cuailnge as the “Irish Iliad.” Let's see if you agree!
Your task today is to compare the Táin to the Iliad and to the Epic of Gilgamesh.
First: Put your heads together and see what you can come up with—what similarities do you see? Make a list of some points of comparison, either similarities or different way of tackling the same question. Do any two of these three epic poems seem more similar to each other than the third one?
Second: Consider whether the Táin helps shed some light on the Iliad or the Epic of Gilgamesh, or vice versa. Do you see Achilles, Agamemon, Gilgamesh, and others differently now that you've met Cú Chulainn, Ailill, Fergus, and the rest of the Irish cast? Do you see the killing of Humbaba or the Trojan war differently now that you've read the Táin? In short, what do you derive, what conclusion can you draw from reading these epic together?
Group One Links to an external site.
Group Two Links to an external site.
Group Three Links to an external site.
Group Four Links to an external site.
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