Tantalus

Odysseus shows his courage and determination by literally confronting the dead, witnessing many of the fabled punishments handed out by the Gods including: the pushing of Sisyphus’ boulder, and Tantalus never being able to reach the grapes above him or the water below him. After leaving the Underworld, Odysseus would next encounter the sirens, women who lured sailors to the jagged rocks of their island by singing the sweetest songs, only to transform…

The plays Thyestes by Seneca and Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare have several similarities regarding life and death. Titus Andronicus and Atreus both regard murder as a tool for their means and destroy as they please for their benefit. This is shown with how Atreus disgraces Thyestes by killing his sons in order to fulfill a revenge plot that goes against the furies. This is also shown with Titus when he sacrifices Tamora’s eldest son Alarbus for the gods and murders his own son Mutius…

Myths are an inexhaustible source of motifs, themes and symbols. Myths not only deepen people’s knowledge about the life and beliefs of the ancient Greeks, but also present the image of the contemporary worldview and system of values. They represent attitudes and patterns of timeless values, and rise the universal content. In myths one of the most present aspect of life, which concerns every person, is suffering. However, suffering is not just the domain of people, but it also affects gods and…

The appropriation of Greek myth in modern narrative fiction has increased in the last ten years, specifically in the young adult genre. Book series such as Oh. My. Gods. and The Goddess Test draw young girls into the world of classical myths, while Percy Jackson and the Olympians captivated an entire generation and introduced them to the complexities and themes of the poll of mythic traditions from Ancient Greece. These new stories that incorporate the mythos help "[re-introduce] an audience…

Artemis and Apollo slaying the children of Niobe. In Greek mythology, Artemis and Apollo were twin gods. Artemis was the goddess of the Hunt, nature, and the moon. Apollo was the god of the Sun, music, and truth. Niobe was the daughter of the king Tantalus, a son of Zeus. The story goes that Niobe had six sons and six daughters, of which she flaunted and claimed she was superior to the Titan Leto, mother of the twin gods Artemis and Apollo. As punishment for hubris, Artemis and Apollo killed all…

Revenge for Masculinity “Away, morality!” exclaims Atreus to a servant who appears unconvinced by the former’s determination for suffering torment to be a just price for his brother’s crime (Seneca 404). With this simple statement, the king acknowledges morality as being compromised within his revenge scheme, but he thinks little of it; in fact, Atreus dismisses morality as though it were his servant. With this dismissal, he establishes that his revenge against Thyestes, tricking him to eat his…

what the gods say and do are thought to be correct and able to be used as models for moral action. Purging and "houses ridden by a curse" are also common (Aeschylus 203, 553). Orestes ' entire family is plagued by a curse; his entire family, from Tantalus to Agamemnon, has been tortured throughout history with a cycle of killings that are justified with the excuse of bringing justice to the previous victim (Aeschylus 279). Because of the curse, doing the right thing brings punishment to those…

Task 9 and 10 The greater hero is Theseus instead of Perseus for many reasons. For example, Perseus has no idea that he is a hero, he never really helps anyone so should not be considered a hero. He just goes through some challenges that only benefit him and no one else. He actually gets a lot of help from some gods along the way and does not really do anything that helps. The only reason he actually defeats Acrisius is luck, he accidently kills him. His quest is also very fictional, it does…

Revenge for Masculinity “Away, morality!” demands Atreus. In dismissing morality as though it were a servant, Atreus acknowledges that his revenge scheme is unethical (Seneca 249) However, he disregards this and disregards moral justice. His revenge instead emerges as an expression of prideful rage that roots itself in a bruised and diminished masculinity’s attempt to assure itself of its strength. Self-value and rationality become irrelevant in this prideful attempt to reclaim masculinity as…

this case, he writes an English sonnet in perfect iambic pentameter with a rhyme scheme of ABAB CDCD EEFF and finally, GG. He also uses poetic devices such as assonance (e.g. …doubt not God…) allusion (e.g. Sisyphus) and alliteration (e.g. …tortured Tantalus.) to perfect his poem. The most excellent part of this poem is the paradox that Cullen tackles during the piece. It makes us wonder why there is suffering in our world. The piece was written during the Harlem Renaissance, when people of…