Product Description
The Neap smartstudy English text guide to Ransom explores a contemporary adaptation of the Greek classic, Homer’s Iliad, by the award-winning author, David Malouf. Ransom is concerned with Achilles’s slaying of Hector in revenge of Patroclus’s death. On the cusp of the fall of Troy, King Priam humbly sets out to negotiate with Achilles for the return of his beloved son’s body. Parallels are drawn between the enemies and questions arise about the nature of men, honour, loyalty and what it means to be a hero.
Key features:
- notes about the author/director/poet/playwright
- an overview of the historical and cultural context
- chapter/scene/story summaries
- character profiles
- analysis of themes and genres
- critical perspectives of the text
- key quotations
- focus questions in each section
- marginal notes explaining key passages, ideas, terms and characters
- a guide to planning and writing an essay
- sample essays with annotations
- further exam-style essay questions
- a bibliography and further reading section
