Click here for direct link to audio podcast Episode #70.
Click here for previous audio podcasts.
Bru. Hold then my sword, and turn away thy face, while I do run upon it.
Alas, poor Brutus. Shakespeare read his Plutarch, and so should you!
Today’s episode ends our reading of Plutarch’s Lives for Boys & Girls, retold by W.H. Weston, and illustrated by W. Rainey, published in London & Edinburgh in the early 1900′s.
Click here for direct link to audio podcast Episode #69. 
Click here for link to previous audio podcast episodes.
Quite early one morning, a couple of months ago, our backyard was inundated with water from someone’s broken sprinkler system. I threw on my robe and drove up the hill to try to locate the neighbor whose house had the leak. I knocked on the door to a house that appeared to be awake, and a kind, calm gentleman opened the door and invited me in. As we were trying to figure out which yards backed up to mine, I noticed that his house had a full-on Greek theme going on! He determined that the leak was from his neighbor’s yard, and we very soon stood at the door again, saying farewell. I reached out to shake his hand in thanks, and asked his name. Imagine the shock when he said his name was “Achilles!” I nearly fell down to the ground in disbelief! Of all names on Earth, his name happened to be Achilles! I told him about my work with ancient world stuff and about my cat Achilles, and we decided to get the neighbors together for a party. So, on Saturday night, some neighbors gathered together here at our house and we all bonded over costumes and scripts. What a treat it was, to have Katerina invoke the muse in her native Greek language! Here are a couple of pics from the night. (above: Achilles and his family, with me on the right)
Today’s episode is our second installment on Brutus, from Plutarch’s Lives for Boys & Girls, retold by W.H. Weston, and illustrated by W. Rainey, published in London & Edinburgh in the early 1900′s. Enjoy!
(below left: Larry, Cathy, Katerina, David, Melina, Scott, Estelle, and Debra—thanks for being such good sports! and below right: my David!)
Click here for direct link to audio podcast Episode #68. 
Click here for link to previous audio podcast episodes.
“Et tu, Brute? Then fall, Caesar.” ~ Julius Caesar: III,ii,77. William Shakespeare.
Brutus was all that a Roman father wanted in a son: piety, integrity, and loyalty.
Brutus honored his duty to his family and he honored his duty to the state.
He was a patriot to the very idea of Rome, and in a time of civil upheaval, that meant taking sides and
making choices. We have all learned that Brutus betrayed his friendship with Julius Caesar
and struck the final blow that brought him down, but what were Brutus’s motives for his action?
For an excellent teaching resource from the Washington State Courts, check out:
Today we begin our final series from Plutarch’s Lives for Boys & Girls, retold by W.H. Weston, and illustrated by W. Rainey, published in London & Edinburgh in the early 1900′s.
Enjoy!