Characteristics of Myth: Icarus

The story of “Icarus and Daedalus” is an effective myth to use when teaching about the mythology genre. Although brief, the tale contains many fundamental elements of Classical myths. Have students use storyboards to identify these elements and thus strengthen their understanding of this important genre. Provide students with a list of mythological characteristics, such as the one below, and ask them to identify and depict 3-5 elements present in “Icarus and Daedalus”. Have students include text boxes below each picture to explain their depiction.

Common Characteristics of Classical Myths

• Tragic ending
• Super-human abilities
• Supernatural activity
• Hero
• Character with a tragic flaw
• Explanation for history, culture, or natural phenomena
• Gods and goddesses
• Lesson

Student Instructions

Create a storyboard illustrating characteristics of myths in "Icarus and Daedalus".

1. Use the template provided by your teacher.
2. Identify different characteristics of Greek Myths.
3. In the description boxes, describe how those characteristics appear in "Icarus and Daedalus".
4. Illustrate each example with appropriate scenes, characters, and items.