Alexander Schmid Podcast

In this lecture we (a) review Agamemnon's disgraceful treatment of Chryses, (b) consider Achilleus' assembly, Kalchas' prophecy, and Agamemnon's (over)reaction, and (c) conclude with meeting Thetis, Zeus and Hera, and sharing a laugh at Hephaistos' expense.

In this lecture we traverse Circles 1-4 and Cantos 3-8. Specifically, we (a) meet Minos, Charon, Cerberus, and Plutus from the Greco-Roman tradition; (b) we meet and consider Francesca and Paolo among the Lustful, and (c) we consider the concept of contrapasso and how it connects sin and punishment in Dante's "Inferno".

In this lecture, we consider (a) the proem of Homer's "Iliad" and how it prefigures the events of the narrative; (b) the hubris of Agamemnon and the rage of Apollo; and (c) the assembly called by Achilleus (and Kalchas' history with Agamemnon).

In this lecture, we (a) review the symbolic significance of the three animals which Dante encounters in Canto 1; (b) we consider Dante's "invocation to the muse" and how that relates to Homer's and Virgil's epic poems; and (c) we conclude by considering Joseph Campbell's Monomyth and how Homer's "Iliad" and "Odyssey", and Virgil's "Aeneid", and Dante's "The Divine Comedy" have a "Refusal of the Call to Adventure."

In this lecture, we consider (a) differing mythological accounts of Achilleus' near vulnerability and Homer's alteration of mythology; (b) Achilleus' stint on Skyros pretending to be a daughter of King Lykomedes, and (c) how the cunning Odysseus tricked Achilleus into revealing himself. Additionally, we consider what uncertainty underlies the myth of Achilleus and how that relates to all people.

In this lecture, we (a) lay-out the fundamentals of an allegorical interpretation of Dante vs. a literal one, (b) meet Virgil, three beasts, and are introduced to three angelic-women; finally, we (c) discuss the structure of Plato's tripartite soul and relate his conception to the types of sin in Dante's "Inferno."

In this lecture, we (a) consider the mythic background of Homer's "Iliad"; (b) examine the reasons for the sacrifice of Iphigeneia, and (c) establish the theme that no one gets away with anything in Greek mythology (especially when they challenge a god).

In this lecture, we (a) review the basic structure of Dante's "The Divine Comedy", (b) consider the influence of Virgil on Dante and the middle-ages, and (c) conclude by looking specifically at the structure of Dante's hell and his Platonic/Aristotelian conception of the soul.

In this lecture, we (a) review the Judgment of Paris, (b) talk about the starting point of Homer's "Iliad" in media res, and (c) read together the proem, or first seven lines, of the poem together.