Bruegel's Landscape with the Fall of Icarus: how the myth inspired the painting
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how Pieter Bruegel’s painting 'Landscape with the Fall of Icarus' was inspired by a Greek myth.
Key learning points
- Greek myths are stories originally told by the ancient Greeks as a way of explaining the origin and nature of the world.
- Sometimes Greek myths contain morals.
- The moral of the Fall of Icarus is that hubris is dangerous.
- Pieter Bruegel’s 'Landscape with the Fall of Icarus' (c. 1558) was inspired by the Greek myth.
- Bruegel’s painting celebrates the humility of labourers by making them the focus of the painting.
Keywords
Myth - stories which explain how the world began and what the world is like and why
Hubris - excessive pride
Humility - being modest, humble, the opposite of hubristic
Inspired - to be filled with the desire and motivation to do something
Moral - a lesson, often about how to behave, taught through a story
Common misconception
All the Greek myths have morals.
The Greek myths are not all moralistic. Indeed, the gods, mythological creatures and mortals often act in cruel, reactive, vengeful and immoral ways.
Teacher tip
LC2's focus is Pieter Bruegel's 'Landscape with the Fall of Icarus'. Consider how you will display this so that pupils can examine the picture carefully and closely. What features would you like to draw their attention to? What further questions might they need in order to understand the landscape?
Equipment
Pupils will need access to an image of Pieter Bruegel's 'Landscape with the Fall of Icarus' (c. 1558).
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Creative people – writers, painters, sculptors etc. – are often inspired by other pieces of art they have read, seen, listened to or heard of. What does it mean to be inspired?
Q2.In the unit 'Myths, legends and stories that inspire', we are going to read a story in which Greece, Athens and Crete are important locations. Match each place to a fact about it.
a country in southeastern Europe
a large island in the Mediterranean sea
a capital city
Q3.In 'Myths, legends and stories that inspire', we explore a story called the Fall of Icarus, a famous Greek myth. What is a myth?
Q4.In the unit 'Myths, legends and stories that inspire', we will look at a range of different stories. There are so many different ways to tells stories. Match each text type to its definition.
stories which explain how the world began and what the world is like
a story about humans, often seeming historical but still fictitious
a piece of writing written in stanzas and with a close focus on rhythm
a visual art in which colour and brushes are used to convey meaning
Q5.Some texts you will read in the unit 'Myths, legends and stories that inspire' will include morals. What is a moral?
Q6.Some of the stories in 'Myths, legends and stories that inspire' inspire artwork. For example, Pieter Bruegel painted a picture in around 1558 inspired by a myth. What is true of the year 1558?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.In the unit 'Myths, legends and stories that inspire', one of the myths is called 'The Fall of Icarus'. Match the most important characters from this myth to what we know about them.
a renowned inventor
a boy who drowns
a king who imprisons two of his subjects
a man who escapes a labyrinth created by Daedalus
Q2.Starting with the first, put these plot points from the myth 'the Fall of Icarus' ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire') in chronological order.
Q3.In 'Myths, legends and stories that inspire', we read the myth called 'The Fall of Icarus'. This myth is designed to teach us about the dangers of hubris. What does it mean to be full of hubris?
Q4.In 'Myths, legends and stories that inspire', we look at a painting called 'Landscape with the Fall of Icarus'. The most important figures are shepherds and workers. What word best describes them?
Q5.Found in many cultures, are stories which explain how the world began and what the world is like and why.
Q6.In 'Myths, legends and stories that inspire', we look at a painting entitled ' with the Fall of Icarus', a painting inspired by a Greek myth.
To help you plan your 8 English lesson on: Bruegel's Landscape with the Fall of Icarus: how the myth inspired the painting, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 English lesson on: Bruegel's Landscape with the Fall of Icarus: how the myth inspired the painting, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 English lessons from the Myths, legends and stories that inspire unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.