AP Latin 2016 Summer Work Book titles/ notes: / 60 + Cast : / 15 + Grammar & Forms: /75 Total: / 150
Welcome to AP Latin: Vergil and Caesar! This year, we will have the pleasure of reading parts of Vergil s Aeneid, an epic poem in the tradition of Homer s Iliad and Odyssey, which recounts the trials and adventures (and loves and wars) of the Trojan hero Aeneas as he makes his way from the ruined city of Troy to his people s destined homeland in Italy. We will read key parts in the original Latin and in the entirety of the poem in English. (Note, P. Vergilius Maro s name is anglicized as Vergil (the American way, which is, technically speaking, the correct one) or Virgil (a misspelling that arose in the Early Middle Ages and which the British choose to retain rather than pedantically quibble with tradition). In the second semester we will read parts of Caesar s Gallic War, which recounts, as the title suggests, his conquest of Gaul during the 50 s BCE. To prepare for fall semester, please do the following over the summer: 1. Read Vergil s Aeneid in Translation For summer reading purposes, we are going to use Emily Frenkel s Aeneas: Virgil s Epic Retold for Young Readers (Bristol Classical Press, ISBN 0862921988. New copies are about $18, but you can be environmentally conscious and thrifty by ordering a used copy for $8-10.) Wait a minute, Dr. Marquis! As Retold for Young Readers? Is this a children s translation?! Yep, pretty much. I think an intrepid 5 th grader could handle it. Why did I choose it for AP? Because you need to be familiar with the plot and characters of the Aeneid, but you don t need to grapple with Vergil's poetic wording and recondite mythological references (we ll do plenty of that when we read it in Latin). I want you to come in knowing what the Aeneid is about, but I don t want your summer to be consumed with school work. This prose translation is an easy beach read. You re welcome. But (there is always a but ), I would like you to read Book 1 in a real, accurate, grown up translation that reflects Vergil s artistry, so that you get a sense for the style and tone, which Frenkel s prose translation doesn t capture. I have therefore also put on the summer booklist Allen Mandelbaum s The Aeneid of Virgil (Bantam Classics. ISBN: 0553210416) $6 new, used ones for a couple of bucks. We will use this translation, not Frenkel s, when we need to engage with the poem in English in class, so hold on to it.
A note to give you some context as you start reading: Aeneas is a Trojan prince, the son of Anchises and the goddess Venus (with whom the hero has a rather dysfunctional relationship). He is fated to leave Troy after the sack of the city and make his way to Italy, settling in Latium (the area around what would one day become Rome). If Aeneas were to fail, the Roman race would never come to be. He is fated to succeed, though, and has been told that several times (in murky prophecies). Still, he has reason to worry it may not be true, since he faces continual set-backs due to the (invisible) interference of Juno, who was a partisan of the Greeks during the Trojan war and harbors an abiding hatred of all things Trojan (among several other reasons for her hostility). Vergil begins the poem, after his invocation of the Muse, with the Trojans just about to reach Italy, when Juno spies them. 2. Write Bullet-Point Summaries and Titles for Each Book The poem is divided into 12 books (i.e., what in novels we call chapters ). After you read each book of the poem, list the three main events that occurred in it, and come up with an evocative title for the book that captures its essence or one of its key elements. For example: Book 1: Into the Arms of the Queen Aeneas is shipwrecked in a storm caused by Juno and washes up in Africa Directed by Venus in disguise, he goes to the city of Carthage The Queen Dido welcomes him and invites him to the palace to feast After grading it I will hand it back to you to keep this in your binders, as it will be useful for a quick review of the poem s contents before the AP Exam. Please note: the prologue and epilogue are additions written by the translator. Like a good epic poet, Vergil begins in medias res, and the ending well, we ll discuss that. Due: First day of class. 60 points (12 books x 4 items x 1 pt. each).
3. Cast Actors to Play Major Characters in a Film Version As you re reading, keep this in mind: the Aeneid is a really weird poem. Vergil really challenges his readers to use their imaginations and to fill in the gaps by speculating about why characters say and do the things they say and do. As you read, really try to deduce the various characters motives, which Vergil rarely states explicitly. Look at each character from a few different angles, and try to imagine what you would be thinking or feeling in their circumstances. Because epic diction is lofty and the poem is old, it can be hard to do this to imagine the characters as real people. (Frenkel s translation helps with this; compare it to Mandelbaum s to see what I mean.) When you read their words, try to hear the tone and attitude. It can help to visualize the poem as a film and give the characters faces. To this end, I would like you to cast 3 of the characters with actors that you think could play them. Everyone must cast Aeneas and Dido and may choose any additional character (consider: Jupiter, Juno, Venus, Turnus, Anchises, Latinus, Amata, Turnus, Mezentius, Evander, Pallas, Ascanius (AKA Iulus), Lavinia, Juturna). Include a sentence explaining what features of the character s personality this actor would capture. For example: Camilla, played by Evangeline Lily Camilla is a young warrior maiden who looks like a nymph but fights men in battle with an axe. Evangeline Lily would be a good fit, as she often plays characters who are small but strong, with the potential for gritty violence. Due: Email to me in a Word document the first day of class. I will make a PowerPoint of the photos for us to vote for winners on day 2, so I need an electronic copy from which I can pull the photo. 15 points (3 characters x 5 pts. each)
4. Forms Review (Write the whole word! 3 pts. per chart) casus, - s (m.), chance, event declension: morbus, (m.), disease declension: ra, -ae (f.), altar declension:
mos, moris (m.), custom declension: Don t forget to use the genitive stem! tergum, - (n.), back declension: corpus, corporis (n.), body declension: Don t forget to use the genitive stem AND remember nom. & acc. are the same
res, re, f. thing Quiz yourself on these out of order! We will do a quiz the first week back and you will be expected to know the forms of all declensions backward and forward, inside out without writing out the whole chart. To practice, see how quickly you can identify the following without looking back at the carts or singing a little song to yourself. (If there is more than one option, indicate all possibilities; 1 pt. each) 1. rēs: nom. sg.; nom. or acc. pl 2. tergō: 3. arā: 4. corporis: 5. morī: 6. rebus: 7. terga: 8. morbum: 9. casuum: 10. arās: 11. morbīs: 12. corpore: 13. reī: 14. casūs: 15. rē: 16. morem:
II. Grammar Review Subordinate Clauses (2 pts. each) Explain the following types of clauses, and give an example in English (3 pts. each) Relative Clause: Introduced by a conjunction like, and (circle one) requires/does not require the subjunctive Write in Latin: I saw the girl who was sitting under the tree. Result Clause: Introduced by the conjunction, and (circle one) requires/does not require the subjunctive Write in Latin: Father is so busy that I never see him. Purpose Clause: Introduced by the conjunction, and (circle one) requires/does not require the subjunctive Write in Latin: The slave-women hurried to prepare everything. Indirect Statement: Introduced by a verb of ; the subject will be in the case, the verb will be an. Add the English word when translating. Write in Latin: I think that Titus will come to the games.
Indirect Question: Introduced by a word like, and (circle one) requires/does not require the subjunctive Write in Latin: The pirates asked from where (unde) we had come. Indirect Command: Introduced by a conjunction like, and (circle one) requires/does not require the subjunctive Write in Latin: The door-keeper was ordering everyone to remain in the road. Not sure which tense of subjunctive to use? Look back at your Sequence of Tenses POGIL. In a nutshell: if your main verb is present, use a present or perfect subjunctive (depending on relative time); if your main verb is past, use an imperfect or pluperfect subjunctive (depending on relative time): Main Verb Present Subjunctive Verb Present (same time/subsequent) Perfect (prior) Past Imperfect (same time/subsequent) Pluperfect (prior)
Verb Forms: Synopsis: audiō, audīre, audīvī, auditus (to hear); 3 rd person sg., fem. (.5 pt. each) Indicative: Active Translation Passive Translation Present Imperfect Future Perfect Pluperfect FuturePerfect Subjunctives: Present Imperfect Perfect Pluperfect Imperatives: 2 nd sg. There are passive imperatives, but they don t show up as commonly (primarily deponents) so we re not learning them. 2 nd pl. Infinitives: Present Perfect Future N/A, very rare