Marc Becker, Professor
mbecker@ilstu.edu

Lope de Aguirre

We will watch Werner Herzog's film Aguirre: The Wrath of God on Thursday, July 16. This film is about an attempted sixteenth-century conquest of the Amazon which ran amok. The following is an assigned reading for this day:

Letter from Lope de Aguirre, rebel, to King Philip of Spain, 1561

Following are questions to help guide you in watching this film:

What are the explorers searching for in the Amazon?
Who survives to tell the story of this exploration?
Whom do the explorers seek to emulate in their conquest?
What role does the Indian prince assume on this conquest?
What does the priest expect to gain in this conquest?
What does Otello expect to gain in this conquest?
What motivates Aguirre?
Why does Aguirre want to marry his daughter?
How many kings does Aguirre say go to heaven?
What language are the actors speaking in Herzog's film, Aguirre: The Wrath of God?

Internet Sites on Lope de Aguirre

Aguirre: The Wrath of God (Internet Movie Database)
Aguirre: The Re-creation of a Sixteenth Century Across South America by Stephen Minta (book review by Peter Winn)
Amazon Explorers: Lope de Aguirre
Don Lope de Aguirre (in Spanish)