Astyages’ Revenge four-level summary and question-answer
AStages Revenge
Herodotus (484 BC-425 BC)
Unit: Ancient Tales
Subject: Adventures in English Volume I
Literal Comprehension:
An Astyages, the king of media dreamed that his daughter’s urine flooded the whole of Asia. Then she was married to a Persian. Again the king dreamed that our of his daughter’s private part, there grew a covering all of Asia. After consulting the dream interpreter, he called back his daughter from Persia. She was imprisoned because the major had told the king that his grandchild would become a king in his palace. When she gave birth to a son, the king called his most faithful officer, Harpagus, and asked him to expose the child. He also warned him not to give this task to anyone. But Harpagus did not like to kill the royal child. He sent for the king’s Shephard nitrates and instructed him on this task. Mitradutes expose his own dead child as a royal child. And he brought up the royal child as his own. Once in a play in their village, this child was made king and he punished the boy of Astyager’s officer. Then this child and the sharper were taken to the court. The king came to know that it was his own grandchild, and harpagus was asked to send his son to the palace. At first, the king gave charge to his son’s place to eat. And thus the king took revenge on harpagus for disobeying the royal order, later the king sent his grandson, Cyrus to his parent’s house in Persia because the major had told him that they would no longer become the king in his placeInterpretation:
This story might be trying to tell us that the rulers do anything to sustain their power and that politics regards neither blood nor relation. This story tells us that the suffering of the people where there is no freedom. This story may also be interpreted to mean that power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.Critical Thinking:
Modern readers discharge with many things in this story. Is the king so merciless to expose his own child? Could not the impression the child? Is a man so coward as harpagus, who accept anything the king does? if we think that this story gives a real picture of a past life, we may find it acceptable.Assimilation:
By reading this story I came to know that man is basically a savage. He is so selfish that he does anything to his advantage. I also understood that politics is a dirty game. In politics anything a powerful person does is excusable the politician does not hesitate to use unfair means.Q1.Why Harpagus didn't want to kill the newly born baby Mandane?
ANSWER: Harpagus did not want to kill the newly born baby Mandane because he considered him his daughter. Also, King had no Son and Cyrus was the future king of media after the death of Astyages' to handle the media Empire.
Q2.What did Astyages do with Harpagus to take revenge?
Or,
What was Astyages' revenge?
ANSWER: To take revenge, Astyages invited Mitra dates and his son to have dinner. Astyages killed Harpagus' son, dismembered his body, and fed Harpagus his own son's meat.
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