From Myth to Citizenship: Fate, Reason, and the Birth of the Greek Polis

In this lesson, students will trace how Greek civilization moved from myth and fate toward reason, law, and citizenship. Using selections from Homer, Greek tragedy (especially *The Oresteia*), and Socrates, we will follow the intellectual progression from myth and religion to politics, philosophy, and rhetoric. Students will explore how the ideas of fate, justice, civic responsibility, and persuasion shaped the Greek polis and laid the moral and political foundations of Western civilization. Through discussion, writing, and brief primary source excerpts, students will evaluate how these developments still influence the modern world.