Greek language

where the Montagues and Capulets fought, again, sparked by the love of two young lovers. Back in mythological times, Zeus, the father of the gods and god of the sky and thunder, held a celebration after the recent marriage of Peleus and Themis. Every Greek god was invited, all but one, Discord, goddess of fighting. Zeus figured that fighting had no place at a wedding. The newlyweds had enough on their minds,…

that he must sacrifice his daughter, to which Euripides writes that he must comply and go forth with said sacrifice. It is interesting to compare the two motivating factors, divine vs. human, between the two playwrights. Seneca is able to adapt the Greek dramatic template, which includes divine powers having ultimate and decisive control in atrocious acts, to now putting the control in that of the culprit. The adaptation in approach between divine power and human intellect speaks volumes to what…

Task 18 In the Royal House of Thebes, Oedipus finds out that he has killed his own father and married his own mother. After realizing what he has done, Oedipus takes his own eyes out and becomes blind. In addition, he also steps down from his position as king of Thebes, but never leaves the city. There, Oedipus dies peacefully with Antigone by his side. What happened to Oedipus symbolizes that people have to repent for what they have done in order to have peace. Antigone’s final action, to bury…

eloped back to Troy, which starts a war. Greek cities banded together including Argos, Athens, Corinth, Arcadia,…

The Laws of Gods and Men in the Odyssey The odyssey is one of the most famous ancient epic Greek poems credited to Homer around the 8th century. It is a magnificent novel about a man on a journey to return home while overcoming various hardships to return to his kingdom and to his beloved family. Greek poet, Homer recited his tale about the Trojan War by stating that the war took place in 1250 B.C when Queen Helen of Sparta was kidnapped by Paris, thus King Menelaus, king Agamemnon and Odysseus…

The human-god relationships and their purpose in ancient civilizations often tell much about the beliefs and ideals of the culture as a whole. The connection between humans and their gods in both ancient Hebrew and ancient Greek culture are similar, but also vary in multiple ways. Both of these relationships can be seen between the humans and their gods in literature from the time period, specifically the relationship of Moses and God in Exodus, and between Athena and Odysseus and Telemachus in…

One of the most revered classical symbols of heroism is Odysseus. The mythological superhuman hero depicted most completely in Homer’s epic, The Odyssey, embodies ideal that many Greeks and people afterwards look up to, like valor, loyalty, and intelligence. For this alone, the popularity of The Odyssey has transcended time, and Odysseus is still admired to this day. Through Homer’s epic Odysseus must struggle with obstacles in his attempt to return home from the Trojan War. Interestingly, the…

In classical Greek mythology, Phaedra is the daughter of King Minos of Crete and Pasiphaë, and is the wife of Theseus. Due to a divine plan set into motion by Aphrodite, Phaedra falls in love with Hippolytus, Theseus’ son from another marriage, bringing about the destruction of both individuals. These themes of incest, fate, and adultery are all present in Desire Under the Elms. This play can be shown to have been influenced greatly by classical representations of this myth. Desire Under the…

The gods in the Iliad control the plot line. In a very short summary of the Iliad, we can say it is the story of Achilles’ anger instigated by the gods. The Iliad is an epic where besides the anger of Achilles, and the Trojan War, the gods are a central emphasis in the book. Most of the events that occur are the result of the gods. For example, they use their power to persuade the Trojan soldiers of the battle of Troy to get the outcome they want. The gods and goddesses in the story are…

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: (A discussion of Milton’s Theodicy in Paradise Lost) Mythology is a way for people to explain the unexplainable. From the Greek gods and mythology to the Biblical version of the creation, people use stories like these to explain how and why things happen the way they do. Milton uses the story of Adam and Eve to explain why terrible things like death, illness, and suffering occur in the world today. He uses the story to explain how God can be an all loving, all…