05.03.25: H & B; level 2; reading; the quest of the Golden Fleece

Ōlim cum Argonautīs, virīs multīs et intrepidīs, Iāsōn, quod ā patruō missus erat, ē Graeciā in Asiam nāvigāvit aureum vellus ab Aeētā* rēge petēbat. ‘Vellus dabō,’ respondit rēx, ‘sī sōlus taurōs arātrō iūnxeris, dentēs dracōnis in agrō sēveris.’ Mēdēa autem, rēgis fīlia, Iāsonis amōre superāta est: ubi patris verba audīvit magnō timōre movēbātur. Tamen cōnsilium Iāsonī dēdit. ‘Taurī,’ inquit, ‘ingentia cornua, aēneōs pedēs habent ; ex ōre flammās spīrant: ubi dentēs dracōnis sēveris, virī armātī ē terrā surgent tēlīsque oppugnābunt: dēnique aureum vellus dracō cūstōdit. Mēdēae tamen magicīs artibus omnia perīcula superābis.’ Sīc Jāsōn rēgis iussīs pāruit: aureum vellus ad nāvem portāvit, cum Mēdēā et Argonautīs discessit. Magna erat rēgis īra: nāvem parat, comitēs ad arma vocat. Mēdēa tamen parvum frātrem in nāvem dūxerat: ubi ōram relīquērunt, frātrem necāvit, corpus in multās partēs dīvīsit, membra in mare iactāvit. Rēx diū puerī īnfēlīcis membra colligēbat: itaque Iāsōn et Mēdēa incolumēs ad Graeciam nāvigāvērunt.

*Aeētēs or Aeta: King of Colchis

[A]

[1] Lines 1 – 2; translate (10)

Ōlim cum Argonautīs, virīs multīs et intrepidīs, Iāsōn, quod ā patruō missus erat, ē Graeciā in Asiam nāvigāvit aureum vellus ab Aeētā rēge petēbat.

[2] Lines 2 – 3 (Vellus … sevēris)

Under what conditions would the king give Jason the fleece? (5)

[3] Lines 3 – 5 (Mēdēa … dedit)

[i] Who was Medea? (1)

[ii] How did she feel about Jason? (2)

[iii] How did she react to what her father had said? (2)

[iv] How did she help Jason? (1)

[4] Lines 5 – 8 (Taurī … superābis)

[i] How are the bulls described? (3)

[ii] What will happen when the seeds are sown? (4)

[iii] What is the last obstacle? (2)

[iv] How does Medea think they will overcome these dangers? (2)

[5] Lines 8 – 9 (Sīc … discessit)

How do we know that Jason was successful? (3)

[6] Lines 9 – 10 (Magna … vocat)

How did the king react? (4)

[7] Lines 10 – end (Mēdēa … nāvigāvērunt)

How are Jason and Medea able to escape to Greece? Give details. (7)*

[i] Mēdēa tamen parvum frātrem in nāvem dūxerat: ¦ [ii] ubi ōram relīquērunt, ¦ [iii] frātrem necāvit, ¦ [iv] / [v] corpus ¦ in multās partēs ¦ dīvīsit, ¦ [vi] membra in mare iactāvit. ¦ [vii] Rēx diū puerī īnfēlīcis membra colligēbat: (itaque Iāsōn et Mēdēa incolumēs ad Graeciam nāvigāvērunt.)

[B] Look at these two extracts from the text:

[i] ‘Vellus dabō, … ¦ sī sōlus taurōs arātrō iūnxeris, dentēs dracōnis in agrō sēveris.’

[ii] ‘Ubi dentēs dracōnis sēveris, ¦ virī armātī ē terrā surgent.

[a] What tenses are being used?

dabō; surgent: __________

iūnxeris; sēveris: __________

[b] Compare and contrast the verbs in the Latin text with the English translations of the entire sentences.

[c] What type of clauses (in italics) are [i] and [ii]?**

Image #1: Representation of Jason, recovering the Golden Fleece after triumphing over the sleeping dragon. From “Mythology of Youth” by Pierre Blanchard 1803.

Image #2: Jason killing the fire-breathing bulls

Image #3: Depiction of King Aeetes (1487)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ae%C3%ABtes

Image #4: Depiction of Medea (1866)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medea

Image #5: “Mēdēa tamen parvum frātrem in nāvem dūxerat: ubi ōram relīquērunt, frātrem necāvit, corpus in multās partēs dīvīsit, membra in mare iactāvit”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absyrtus

Film excerpts from Jason and the Argonauts (1963)

“ubi dentēs dracōnis sēverīs, virī armātī ē terrā surgent tēlīsque oppugnābunt”

“aureum vellus dracō cūstōdit”

____________________

*[7]

[i] M. led her little brother onto the ship

[ii] They left the shore and ¦ [iii] M. killed her brother

[iv] She cut up his body ¦ [v] into many pieces and ¦ [vi] threw the pieces into the sea

[vii] king spent a long time collecting the body parts

**[B]

[a] dabō; surgent: future tense; iūnxeris; sēveris: future perfect

[b] Latin uses a future perfect tense to emphasise an action that will have been completed where English would use either a present or, more emphatically, perfect tense:

Vellus dabō [future = English], … ¦ sī sōlus taurōs arātrō iūnxeris [future perfect ≠ Engl.], dentēs dracōnis in agrō sēveris. [future perfect ≠ Engl.]’

Literally: I shall give you the fleece ¦ if alone you will have joined the bulls to the plough (and) will have sown dragon’s teeth in the field.

> Engl: I shall give (you) the fleece … ¦ if you alone have joined the bulls to the plough (and) have sown the dragon’s teeth in the field.

Similarly:

Ubi dentēs dracōnis sēveris [future perfect ≠ Engl.], ¦ virī armātī ē terrā surgent [future = English]

Literally: When you will have sown the dragon’s teeth, ¦ armed men will rise from the ground.

> Eng: When you have sown the dragon’s teeth, ¦ armed men will rise from the ground.

[c] [i] conditional clause; [ii] clause of time (temporal clause)