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Paired Texts > Echo and Narcissus

by Ovid, translated by Brookes More

1 A.D.

We've identified these texts as great options for text pairings based on similar themes, literary devices, topic, or writing style. Supplement your lesson with one or more of these options and challenge students to compare and contrast the texts. To assign a paired text, click on the text to go to its page and click the "Assign Text" button there.

8th Grade Myth 1070L
Pygmalion
  • Ovid, translated by Anthony S. Kline
  • 1 A.D.

Ovid was a Roman poet born in 43 B.C. who is best known for his book of classic mythology, Metamorphoses. Pygmalion is a classic story about a sculptor who falls in love with his creation.

Pair "Echo and Narcissus" with “Pygmalion” to allow students to compare texts by the same author, and to further discuss how the classic perception of love might have changed over time.

11th Grade Myth 1190L
The Myth of Daedalus and Icarus
  • Ovid
  • 8 A.D.

Ovid (43 BCE – 17/18 CE), or Publius Ovidius Naso, was a Roman poet best known for the Metamorphoses, which now remains an important source of classical mythology. In this classic myth, Daedalus attempts to escape imprisonment on the island of Crete by crafting a pair of wax wings for himself and his son, Icarus.

Pair “The Myth of Echo and Narcissus” with “The Myth of Daedalus and Icarus” and ask students to compare the myths. What were these myths used to teach ancient peoples and what can we learn from them today?

9th Grade Informational Text 1050L
Ancient Greece: The Birthplace of Western Individualism
  • USHistory.org
  • 2016

“Ancient Greece: The Birthplace of Western Individualism” contemplates the relationship between the ancient Greeks’ human-oriented polytheism and their cultural endorsement of individualism.

Pair “Ancient Greece: The Birthplace of Western Individualism” with “Echo and Narcissus” and have students discuss the nature of the lesson promulgated in the Roman mythological tale. Is it in contrast with the Greek ideas about society and how best to live, as they are presented in the article? What are we supposed to learn from the story of Narcissus? Does this reinforce or challenge the lessons we are meant to internalize based on Greek mythology and spirituality?

9th Grade Poem 840L
Excerpt from The Odyssey: The Sirens
  • Homer
  • 8th Century BCE

In this excerpt from Homer’s The Odyssey, Ulysses must protect himself and his crew from the dangerous song of the Sirens.

Pair “Echo and Narcissus” with “Excerpt from The Odyssey” and ask students to discuss what similar themes are portrayed in the two myths. Why is Narcissus’ beauty dangerous and how does this compare to the dangers posed by the Sirens’ beautiful song?