Classical Literature, Life and Myth: overview of the SQA National 5 Classical Studies area
An overview of the SQA National 5 Classical Studies area Classical Literature, Life and Myth, based on Homer's Odyssey: the story, Odysseus as a hero, the gods and mortals, fate and free will, and values such as hospitality (xenia), with how the topic is examined.
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Classical Literature, Life and Myth is one of the three areas of SQA National 5 Classical Studies. It studies a work of classical literature, most commonly Homer's Odyssey, alongside the values, beliefs and mythology it reflects. The area covers the story itself, the idea of the hero, the relationship between gods and mortals, the question of fate and free will, and values such as hospitality (xenia). As in the rest of the course, you compare these themes with the modern world. This page maps the area and shows how its parts connect. Centres may study a different set text, but the kinds of theme and question are the same.
The area in topics
- The story of the Odyssey
- Odysseus's ten-year struggle home from Troy through dangers such as the Lotus-Eaters, the Cyclops, Circe, the underworld and the Sirens, ending in his return to Ithaca and the defeat of the suitors.
- Odysseus the hero
- His heroic qualities, above all cunning and endurance, alongside flaws such as pride and curiosity, and what this shows about the Greek idea of a hero.
- The gods and mortals
- How gods such as Athena and Poseidon help and harm Odysseus, and how the poem balances divine power with human responsibility.
- Fate and free will
- The destined homecoming and the prophecies that guide the plot, set against the free choices, such as the crew eating the sun god's cattle, that decide fortunes.
- Xenia and values
- The sacred duty of hospitality and how good and bad hosts are judged, alongside loyalty, cunning and respect for the gods.
How to study this area
- Know the story well. The plot underpins every theme, so learn the key episodes and the order of events.
- Link episodes to themes. The same events illustrate heroism, the gods, fate and xenia, so connect them rather than learning them separately.
- Master the contrasts. Helping versus hostile gods, good versus bad hosts, and fate versus free will are favourite evaluative questions.
- Practise comparison. Set the poem's values, such as hospitality, against the modern world, since this is the subject's key skill.
- Drill the question types. Describe and evaluative "how far" questions each have their own pattern; practise them on past papers.
For the official course specification
The SQA (now Qualifications Scotland) publishes the full National 5 Classical Studies course specification, specimen and past papers, marking instructions and the assignment task at sqa.org.uk. Always revise from the current specification and SQA past papers, and confirm which text and themes your centre is teaching within this area.