The OJCL Torch Winter 2016 | Page 9

Winter 2016 From Ancient Rome to your TV! The big thing from ancient Roman comedies were the stock characters and they are still definitely in our movies, shows, and books today. Here are some modern day characters identified with the ancient title. Stock Character Modern Day Characters Miles Gloriosus (The Gaston (Beauty and the Beast); Captain Parolles (All’s Well That Ends Swaggering Soldier) Well) Parasitus (Parasite) Lefou (Beauty and the Beast); Hyenas (The Lion King); Iago (Aladdin) Adulescens (Young Man) Will Turner (Pirates of the Caribbean); Romeo (Romeo and Juliet) Virgo (Young Maiden) Elizabeth Swan (Pirates of the Caribbean); Nancy (Oliver Twist); Juliet (Romeo and Juliet) Servus Callidus (Clever Slave) Enchanted Objects (Beauty and the Beast); Captain Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean); Genie (Aladdin) By Julia Cardinal, OJCL SW Guber, McAuley Tips & Tricks to Surviving AP Latin Not going to lie to you, AP Latin is a tough course and requires a significant amount of work to score high on the AP exam. Despite this, it is extremely rewarding and fun. If you’re considering taking AP Latin, I highly recommend going for it. Here are some free tips about how to survive the class. • When you begin translating Caesar’s prose make sure you know the ablative absolute and indirect statement like you know your own mother or the back of your hand. Recognizing them and knowing how to translate them is invaluable. • Don’t be surprised when Vergil breaks the rules of grammar. The dude had a tough job fitting all those lines into perfect meter, so give him a break on the liberties he takes with Latin grammar. It’s all for the meter. • In Vergil especially, words are in wacky order so make sure to first identify the subject and the main verbs as well as what adjective goes with what noun. Do this before you even consider the meanings of the words. Then, put together the words and translate. It makes it a lot easier and reduces the chance that you will make a mistake. • Know the story. Although many Latin teachers would strongly discourage memorizing only an English translation and trying to recite it when given a passage to translate, knowing what is going on in the passages you are given will help you considerably in deciphering the sentence structure and meanings. • When studying for an exam or test, go through each line, and try to fit the sentence structure and grammar together without worrying about meanings. If you find any lines that confuse you, review them thoroughly until you understand how the lines will be translated. I definitely recommend the class, and I know that if you put in a solid amount of work, you will achieve great things in AP Latin. Fortuna fortibus favet. By Dustin Argo, OJCL Secretary, Summit IX