Voices of the Trojan War:

Teaching Ideas for Latin Classes

(Adaptable for literature classes)

1. Voices of the Trojan War begins with the poem, Invocation: Talking with the Muse. The Latin cognate of invocation, invocationem, derives from the verb 'invocare,' meaning "to call upon or implore." Classical poets invariably began their works by calling upon or imploring a god or goddess to inspire or inform them in some way. Virgil begins The Aeneid with an invocation, imploring the goddess of poetry to answer certain questions:

"Tell me the reason, Muse: what was the wound
  to her divinity, so hurting her
  that she, the queen of the gods, compelled a man
  remarkable for goodness to endure
  so many crises, meet so many trials?
  Can such resentment hold the minds of gods?

In Book I of The Metamorphoses, Ovid calls upon the gods to inspire him:

"Now I shall tell of things that change, of new being
  Out of old: since you, O Gods, created
  Mutable arts and gifts, give me the voice
  To tell the shifting story of the world
  From its beginning to the present hour."

Discuss the use of the 'invocationem' by ancient poets, reading several examples from classical sources in both Latin and English. Have students write their own poetic invocations, asking a specific god, goddess, hero or heroine for inspiration or illumination regarding a favorite myth or episode from the Trojan War. Advanced students could write their invocations entirely in Latin; for beginning students, the invocations could include the Latin form of a repeated command, such as "tell me," "give me," or "sing to me."

2. In Voices of the Trojan War, the poet takes her opening poem a step beyond the classical invocation, turning it into an actual conversation with the goddess of poetry. Read and discuss "Invocation: Talking with the Muse." Have students' write down several questions they might ask a god, goddess or character from myth, then have them write poetic responses in the voice of the gods or characters being questioned. Different voices within the poems can be distinguished by using different fonts, or bold and italic typefaces. Advanced students could write these conversation poems entirely in Latin; beginning students could work on translating at least one of the questions or answers. 

3. Voices of the Trojan War contains many "persona poems," or poems written in the "voice of the mask." "Persona," the Latin word for mask, often refers to the invisible "mask" or face an individual wears in public, representing the role he or she performs in society. It is also commonly used in literature and drama to refer to the invisible "mask" of a character--the face a character presents to the reader or the audience. In ancient times these dramatic personae were highly visible, as actors always wore masks in performance. The theater arts began in ancient Greece, and the first drama was performed as part of a religious ceremony honoring the god Dionysus. When a Greek priest put on the mask of his god, he believed he was transformed by the power of the mask into the god himself. Writing in the "voice of the mask" allows the poet to see the world in an entirely new way, much as the ancient priest experienced the world through the power of his mask. Persona poems offer fresh perspectives on time-worn stories and events, and are a terrific way to introduce students to the art of writing poetry.

Discuss the term "persona," what it meant in ancient times and the different ways it is used today. Read and discuss some of the persona poems in Voices of the Trojan War Have each student either draw or make a mask representing a god, goddess or favorite character from myth, then create a poem in the voice represented by the mask. Groups of students could write poems from the points of view of different characters in the same myth. These poetic retellings could then be presented to the class in a masked performance (see instructions for making a hand-held mask.) Remember: anyone or anything can "speak" in a persona poem, even the Trojan Horse and the Trojan Wall!

4. Several persona poems in Voices of the Trojan War use repetition to help convey a character's emotional state. Some poems represent groups of voices, and repetition is used in these instances to convey a sense of unity among the group members as well a to convey the group's strong feelings. The words 'chant,' 'plea,' 'prayer;' 'song,' or 'lament' often appear in the titles of such poems. Select from the following list:

Cassandra's Chant, p. 6
Trojan Chant, p. 7-8
Greek Warrior's Chant, p. 23-24
Achilles' Plea, p. 27
Achilles' Wrath, (a pantoum), p. 42
Paris' Chant, p.49
Trojan Chant I, p.78
Trojan Chant II, p. 79
Cassandra's Lament, p. 83-84
Cassandra's Prayer, p. 95
Queen Hecuba's Song for Troy, p. 97
A Greek Soldier's Report, p. 98-100
Cassandra's Freedom Chant, p. 101

Discuss the role of repetition in the poems selected; what emotions are conveyed or reinforced by repeating words and phrases? Students could then write their own chant, pleas, prayers, songs or laments, using the poetic device of repetition to convey the heightened emotions of the characters portrayed. Writing repeated words and phrases in Latin would greatly enhance the other-worldly, ancient aspect of these poems.

5. The last poem in Voices of the Trojan War is entitled "Epilogue: Questioning the Muse." Read and discuss the poem:

Why did the Muse choose to answer the poet's question by talking about the Fates? What is the Muse saying about the importance of these sisters and the role they played in Greek life? What different answers might the Muse have given to the poet's question--what, other than "one man's act of love," might really have caused the war?

Students could write their own poetic epilogues to the story, using the same question and answer format as in the author's epilogue.