Enhanced eText
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Map
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dirge – a song of mourning
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“Your mother…among all mankind.” – Greek men of action prized the idea of heroic death—this is one of the reasons why Agamemnon's ghost is unhappy. Instead of dying in war, Clytemnestra, his wife, stabbed him to death in his bathtub.
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“He filled both hands…as he did so.” – Covering oneself with dust was a ritual of mourning in the ancient world.
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“And Zeus answered…plenty reign.” – Zeus is acting as a diplomat—he tells Athena how to bring peace, but gives her the illusion of autonomy to placate her strong will.
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infused – injected
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“He hit Eupeithes'…to the ground.” – As with the suitors, Odysseus kills the ringleader first. Fortunately, this time Athena intervenes, averting more needless death.
