Daedalus and Icarus

Daedalus
and Icarus
A Myth
TASK 1: Watch and Learn
Watch the video carefully and answer the questions.
1. Who is the main character in the

story?
2. What is the story all about?
3. What personal challenges of
the character are highlighted in
the video?
4. How would you compare
yourself to the character in that
video?
5. What insights have you gained
from the video?
Lesson Presentation
 A myth is an ancient Daedalus and
story created to Icarus is a myth.
explain natural
events.
 Gods, goddesses It discusses
and heroes are adventures and
among the
characters.
mistakes of heroes
 Presents lesson to
or characters.
live or serve as
warning to follow
society’s rules.
Silent Reading
of the Selection
Daedalus and Icarus
Daedalus was a highly respected and talented
Athenian artisan descendent from the royal family of
Cecrops, the mythical first king of Athens. He was
known for his skill as an architect, sculpture, and
inventor, and he produced many famous works.
Despite his self-confidence, Daedalus once
committed a crime of envy against Talus, his nephew
and apprentice. Talus, who seemed destined to
become as great an artisan as his uncle Daedalus,
was inspired one day to invent the saw after having
seen the way a snake used its jaws. Daedalus,
momentarily stricken with jealousy, threw Talus off of
the Acropolis. For this crime, Daedalus was exiled to
Crete and placed in the service of King Minos, where
he eventually had a son, Icarus, with the beautiful
Naucrate, a mistress-slave of the King.
Minos called on Daedalus to build the famous
Labyrinth in order to imprison the dreaded
Minotaur. The Minotaur was a monster with
the head of a bull and the body of a man. He
was the son of Pasiphae, the wife of Minos,
and a bull that Poseidon had sent to Minos as
a gift. Minos was shamed by the birth of this
horrible creature and resolved to imprison the
Minotaur in the Labyrinth where it fed on
humans, which were taken as "tribute" by
Minos and sacrificed to the Minotaur in
memory of his fallen son Androgenos.
Theseus, the heroic King of Athens,
volunteered himself to be sent to the
Minotaur in the hopes of killing the beast
and ending the "human tribute" that his city
was forced to pay Minos. When Theseus
arrived to Crete, Ariadne, Minos's daughter,
fell in love with him and wished to help him
survive the Minotaur. Daedalus revealed
the mystery of the Labyrinth to Ariadne who
in turn advised Theseus, thus enabling him
to slay the Minotaur and escape from the
Labyrinth. When Minos found out what
Daedalus had done he was so enraged
that he imprisoned Daedalus & Icarus in the
Labyrinth themselves.
DISCUSSION POINTS
WHAT’S GOING ON?
FACTS AND DETAILS  Why did Minos imprisoned
 Who hired Daedalus? Daedalus in the Labyrinth?
 What did Daedalus
 Why did Minos think that, if
Daedalus can’t find his
design to hold the way out, “so much the
Minotaur? better.”
 What did Daedalus  Minos tells Icarus that the
invent to help them plan is dangerous. Why
escape from the does he want them to
Labyrinth? take the risk?
 What did he warn  Why did Daedalus leave
Icarus not to do? his wings on the altar of
Apollo? Why wouldn’t he
 What happened to
want to fly some more?
Icarus?
Daedalus conceived to escape from the
Labyrinth with Icarus from Crete by constructing
wings and then flying to safety. He built the wings
from feathers and wax, and before the two set off
he warned Icarus not to fly too low lest his wings
touch the waves and get wet, and not too high lest
the sun melt the wax. But the young Icarus,
overwhelmed by the thrill of flying, did not heed his
father's warning, and flew too close to the sun
whereupon the wax in his wings melted and he fell
into the sea. Daedalus escaped to Sicily and Icarus'
body was carried ashore by the current to an island
then without a name. Heracles came across the
body and recognized it, giving it burial where today
there still stands a small rock promontory jutting out
into the Aegean Sea, and naming the island and
the sea around it after the fallen Icarus.
DIGGING DEEPER
 Which
events in the myth could have
happened in real life?
LITERARY APPRECIATION
 Watching the Myth of Daedalus and
Icarus
EVALUATION
Character Cycle
Daedalus’ actions:
________________________
What it tells about him:
________________________
Daedalus’ dialogue
________________________
________________________ Daedalus’ thoughts
________________________
________________________

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Daedalus

1. Who is the main character in the

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