Aesop - tell us a story...

http://www.aesops-fables.org.uk/

The Hare and the Tortoise is probably the most famous but have a look at some others.

You can also enter proverbs on this site to find their meanings and origins:

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/proverbs.html

Sisyphus - nearly there... oh no.

Sisyphus is one of the most discussed and debated of all of the Greek myths. It is a simple tale of eternal punishment.

In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was the King of Corinth1, the son of Aeolus2, King of Thessaly. After enraging Zeus, Sisyphus was condemned to Tartarus, the part of Hades reserved for particularly wicked people. There he was compelled for eternity to roll a stone to the top of a steep hill, but before he could get it to the top, it rolled down again.

Others have written that for betraying the gods in favour of the mortals, Sisyphus was condemned to punishment. He was sent to perform the task of pushing a huge rock along a steep slope. Before he could topple the stone on the other side of the peak of the mountain he could not be free. Each time Sisyphus neared the peak the stone rolled back to the ground leaving him tired and throwing him in despair again and again. In pursuit of the realisation of his own will against the will of the gods Sisyphus is thus still undergoing the perpetual punishment.

Darwin - going ape?

http://darwin-online.org.uk/biography.html

Think about what Darwin was famous for. Duffy's poem is set 7 years before he published "The Origin of Species," his most famous and controversial work.

Midas - all that glistens is not gold...

Wikipedia has a helpful summary of the background to "Mrs Midas". Look for the section entitled 'the myth'; remember, Midas, like Herod, was both a real king and a figure from myth/legend. Duffy focuses on the fictional.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midas

Queen Herod weblinks

BBC website about the real King Herod (comparing him to the character he is given in the Bible)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/history/herod.shtml


This page discusses the Massacre of the Innocents, the event for which Herod is notorious. Notice what he did to his own sons and wife:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacre_of_the_Innocents


More detail about the real Herod:
http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/e-h/herod.html

Please add your own as a comment if you find anything useful.

Coursework Help

If you are really struggling, post me a comment here and I'll try and get back to you as soon as I can. Alternatively, come and see me in school. I can probably help more quickly and more effectively if I can see your drafts and understand your difficulty.

Coursework Mark Schemes

In case you lose your copies, this link will take you to the mark schemes

http://www.aqa.org.uk/qual/gce/pdf/AQA-2740-W-TRB-CGU2.PDF

CREATIVE WRITING: pages 9-12

ESSAY: pages 13-16

The drama task markscheme follows those two; you may find that useful when you are further on with "Top Girls".