Study Like a Boss
During the first 125 lines of Book 18 in the Iliad, the character of Achilleus undergoes a metamorphosis as he responds to the death of his beloved friend, Patroklos. Tragically, Achilleus finally finds his role in the Trojan War just as he accepts the imminence of his own death. It is a decisive moment in … Read more
The Hollow Horse One of the main stories told throughout Greek mythology is the story of the Trojan War. In the story, the Greeks and The Trojans battle for the fair Helen. When it appeared that the Greeks had lost, they set sail, leaving behind a wooden horse. When Troy decided that they were victorious, … Read more
She was a Greek Titan Goddess, she was the Goddess of motherhood, and fertility. She took over most of her traits from her mother Gaia Goddess of earth. She was known as the “Mother of God” because she was the mother of the most powerful Titan Gods. Rhea was known as my Goddess such as … Read more
Athena and Venus Athena, the goddess of wisdom, rose from Zeus’ head clad in full armor. Zeus had swallowed his wife Metis in fear that she would give birth to a son that would overthrow him as he had overthrown his father Kronos. Athena was frequently thought of as a man because she did not … Read more
Types of Blindness Life is full of things that humans wish to forget. Using blindness as a buffer from reality is a natural response to dangerous stimuli. The types of blindness are easily classified into many categories. These classifications make understanding stories and characters much better. The characters in Oedipus Rex by Sophocles and The … Read more
Odysseus: A Realistic Barbaric Hero The ancient hero, often being assumed to be a beacon of perfection and civilization among the hordes of barbarians, is considered by modern standards to be less perfect, but more realistic. In the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer, the main protagonist, Odysseus, is meant to be seen as a … Read more
The Iliad: Book and Film Comparison The Iliad became adapted into a film during 2004 called Troy, in which the story was both dramatically and subtly changed in its adaptation. A major difference in the film was that there were no intervening or actions of the gods whatsoever, whereas in the book, the gods were … Read more
The painting Perseus and Andromeda or better known as Perseus rescues Andromeda was created by Peter Paul Rubens in 1622. This work of art remained in Rubens’s house until his death, and was then obtained by and housed in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. This oil painting tells the story of Perseus returning … Read more
We face moral dilemmas every day of our lives—whether it’s giving money to a homeless man or taking a peek at a peer’s chemistry test. Fortunately, the stakes aren’t high. The tragic figures of Hamlet, The Once and Future King, and Oedipus experience moral quandaries, too; only these characters struggle instead with violence, murder, and … Read more
Aristotle’s passage Poetics (350 BC) was written the century after the composition of Sophocles Oedipus the King (428 BC). Despite their chronological separation, the two texts relate in incisive ways. In particular, Aristotle used Oedipus as the foundation for his explanation theory. For Aristotle, a tragedy must have certain characteristics that Oedipus the King contains … Read more
Oedipus Rex is a play written by Sophocles a great Greek play writer. It is perhaps from one of the great tragedies written in the history. Here the question arises what is a tragedy? Tragedy, a branch of drama that treats in a serious and dignified style the sorrowful or terrible events encountered or caused … Read more
“Anyone who has common sense will remember that the bewilderments of the eye are of two kinds, and arise from two causes, either from coming out of the light or from going into the light,which is true of the mind’s eye, quite as much as the bodily eye; and he who remembers this when he … Read more
Cassandra’s final monologue in Aeschylus’s Agamemnon plays a transformative role in terms of the movement of the plot and, upon close examination, functions as a key for many of the tragedy’s larger themes. She begins by equating prophecy, be it the physical act or the emotional ramifications of foreknowledge of events, with intense pain. ‘Oh, … Read more
Frank Kermode writes in his book The Genesis of Secrecy “We are most unwilling to accept mystery, what cannot be reduced to other and more intelligible forms. Yet that is what we find here: something irreducible, therefore perpetually to be interpreted; not secrets to be found out one by one, but Secrecy” (143). Sophocles’ play … Read more
The Iliad celebrates the heroics of some of the most famous Greek heroes, yet perhaps the most memorable character to appear in the epic poem is the Trojan warrior Hector. Throughout the poem, we get the impression that Homer treats Hector as a unique character who should be looked at differently from the Greek heroes. … Read more
Pandora: The first mortal goddess The Pandora’s Box myth focuses much of its efforts towards exploring the curiosity which intrigues individuals of all gender (both men and women). Immediately Pandora decides to open the box given to her by her father, the outcomes are vivid depictions of her being a woman who brought evil to … Read more
The Greek goddess Athena was the goddess of wisdom and war. She was one of the most powerful goddesses. She was known for her strategic skill in war. Also, for being fierce and courageous in battle. Athena’s parents are Zeus and Metis. There’s a myth that says she was born from Zeus’s head. The story … Read more
Homer’s Iliad tells the tale of how Achilleus, the all-powerful warrior of the Achaian army, turned the tides of the Trojan War following a dispute with Agamemnon, the king of Mycenae. While this story does not serve as a telling of the commencement or conclusion for this great war, much like its companion piece The … Read more
Who is Medusa? Many parts of the myth suggest, through its basic obscurity, the tragic nature of Medusa. Even though the gifts that Medusa was given was the gift from Athena to Asclepius of two drops of Gorgon’s blood. One of the drops has the power to cure and even resurrect, while the other is … Read more
Andromache, one of the few female characters in the Iliad, is part of perhaps one of the tenderest sections of Iliad. Along with Helen, she is the only other mortal woman to have any substantial speaking lines in the entire epic. Unlike women in general in the Iliad, Andromache’s role goes beyond being just another … Read more
Writing towards the end of the twentieth century, German literary scholar Hans Wagener reflects on the deep resonance of war literature, stating: “When we think about certain periods of history, epoch-making books come to mind that capture the spirit of those times most vividly”. Indeed, literary expressions of the Great War have performed a crucial … Read more
Thesis The Trojan War started in c.1200 BC when Aphrodite offered Paris of Troy Helen of Sparta for the apple of discord, He accepted her offer. Aphrodite made a plan to make Helen of Sparta fall in love with Paris; She disguised Paris as a diplomatic emissary. Then he went to Sparta, Helen welcomed him … Read more
The characters in Homer’s The Odyssey are forever at the mercy of the Gods, those immortals who live in the heights of Mount Olympus, and who, on occasion, walk the lands of earth. Throughout the epic poem the main characters are visited quite often at pivotal times in the storyline. No god visits these characters … Read more
The eternal struggle between optimism and pessimism is never more apparent than in the comparison of the creation myths of the Yoruba and the Babylonians, The Creation of the Universe and Ife and The Enuma Elish respectively. Humanity springs forth in much the same manner in each story: starting with a world of water and … Read more
Aristotle’s favorite tragedy was Oedipus the King by Sophocles. The play begins with the Laius and Jocasta, the king and queen of Thebes. Upon the birth of their son, Oedipus, an oracle proclaims that he will kill his father and marry his mother. Petrified the king and queen abandon their son to die in the … Read more
The Iliad by the Greek poet Homer is a patriarchal epic led by fearless men with a supporting cast of female characters. In Greek society, women are either a man’s prized possession or a man’s impediment and are the symbol of masculine pride. In the Iliad, Homer illustrates that these women have depth and that … Read more
In Homer’s epic ballads The Iliad and The Odyssey, Achilles and Odysseus are the outstanding saints. Achilles battles Hector outside the dividers of Troy since Hector executed his closest companion, Patroclus. In the wake of battling in the Trojan War, Odysseus goes up against an excursion to return back to Ithaca to see his significant … Read more
In Euripides’ Medea, Plutarch’s Sayings of Spartan Women, Lycurgus and Xenophon’s Spartan Society, it is made clear that filicide is a byproduct of the dichotomy of an honor vs. shame society. Medea, the barbarian wife of a man who remarries in order to gain citizenship, resolves to inflict what she believes to be the same … Read more
Sophocles makes frequent use of seafaring imagery in his Oedipus the King, creating new perspectives from which to view its characters and cities. Oedipus tells the story of a king undone by a lack of faith in prophesy, the king of a people in need of spiritual rescue. Arrogant Oedipus is reduced to a wretch … Read more
Sophocles used his plays to encourage Athenians to take responsibility for their own actions. In the fifth century B.C., Greece was experiencing an era of military exploration, political turmoil and social revolution, including women’s empowerment. Sophocles included all of these elements in plays, especially in Oedipus Rex and Antigone. Despite his upper class upbringing, Sophocles … Read more
Characterization of The Tragic Hero Creon in Antigone A tragic hero is an overall good person who has flaws that lead to their own downfall. The concept of a tragic hero is represented in the drama “Antigone” written by Sophocles. Creon, the king of Thebes, is the tragic hero. The characteristics of Creon, the way … Read more
Who was Rhea? Rhea was an Earth Goddess, responsible for the fertility of the soil, women and motherhood. She took over most of these responsibilities from her mother Gaia/Gaea. Rhea was the “Mother of the Gods”, her name means “flow” and “ease”. Rhea was the goddess of motherhood and not only that she saved her … Read more
The influence of the philosophers, Cicero, in De Natura Deorum (“Concerning the Nature of the Gods”), claims that he was the offspring of the ancient gods Aether and Hemera, Air and Day. According to the Orphic hymns, Uranus was the son of Nyx, the personification of night. I n the Olympian creation myth, as Hesiod … Read more
Opening scenes of plays or any piece of performance work allows the audience to enter into the world seamlessly; the world of the play can be built through the dynamic between the actors and the audience and the exposition itself. In the original script of Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, there is no opening exposition of … Read more
A Song for Ella Grey reconstructs the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice in the setting of the Ouseburn of Tyneside and in the ambience of the beaches of Northumberland. It’s very much a local story. Being part of a local audience, in a local theatre, there was a lot extra I was able to take … Read more
Across cultures, fire has been considered both a life-sustaining and destructive force – it has the ability to warm and the potential to burn. The duality of fire parallels that of a Homeric hero’s pursuit of honor. On one hand, the pursuit is an enticing quest for meaning and worth. The Homeric hero bows to … Read more
Writer Oscar Wilde once said: “A mask tells us more than a face.” Throughout history, lies and masks have been a means to an end in achieving the goals of women who are limited in their current situations – social, political, or economical. Women traditionally cannot simply lash out in moments of angry frustration. The … Read more
Phoebe was the daughter of the titans. The titans were son and daughters of Uranus and Gaia, as told in Hesiod’s “theogony”. Phoebe the goddess of intellect , was married to Koios. Their children were Asteria and Leto as told in the “Dictionary of Greek and roman bibliography and mythology” Leto went on to bear … Read more
In Homer’s Iliad, two conflicting desires motivate Hector. He adheres to the heroic code by fighting for honor and glory, but he does not always actively pursue battle. He has a strong instinct for self survival that urges him to remove himself from danger and conflicts with his desire to fight heroically. However, his desire … Read more
In his Iliad, Homer uses the character of Diomedes to personify his definition of effective leadership, often juxtaposing him with the unproductive and cowardly Agamemnon. Homer believes that the bravery to assert one’s opinions and the willingness to act independently, even against authority, constitutes a successful leader. After suffering severe casualties and losses at the … Read more
The Iliad, written by ancient Greek poet Homer, chronicles the battle and events during the final weeks of The Trojan War, an armed conflict between the Achaeans army and the defenders of Troy. It further recounts the story of the wrath of Achilles, the greatest warrior in the Greek army, against King Agamemnon, who unfairly … Read more
Fate and Free Will The elements of fate and free will are not black and white. Humans have an unconscious free will while making everyday decisions: what we want to wear, where we want to go, and when we want to sleep. Sometimes, however, we make large-scale mistakes, so large they haunt us our entire … Read more
The City Walls of Thebes: An Analysis of Greek Society In Oedipus The King, Sophocles tells the tale of a man from a foreign land that champions his way to the throne of the city Thebes. As the play progresses, the audience learns that this foreign man, Oedipus, is in actuality, a native Theban. Oedipus, … Read more
Spanning an elemental and violent family conflict, The Oresteia by Aeschylus is a trilogy containing the plays Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, and The Eumenides. As a whole, the trilogy deals with Agamemnon’s murder at the hands of his wife Clytemnestra, Orestes’ revenge on his father’s killers, and his ultimate trial for matricide. Although not present … Read more
The idea of hubris is monumental in a plethora of Greek mythological works. In many ways the excessive pride of certain characters fuels their own destruction. This is certainly true with respect to the characters of Pentheus, Antigone, and Oedipus. All three of these characters demonstrate, through their actions, various degrees of arrogance that seem … Read more
Historically, Greek tragedies have been used as a means to convey particular political and ethical testimonials about society, usually in order to convey certain morals or to ensure order. In such chronicles, a protagonist grapples with a particular conflict or sets of conflicts, usually pertaining to some universal moral code. Aeschylus’ The Oresteia, like many … Read more
What makes a Hero? Being known as a hero is a great honor. You are held in high esteem by people all over the world. You have great fame and sometimes even great fortune. But to become a hero is a challenging path. It requires you to have great strength of character, being honorable and … Read more
The purpose of this paper is to expound on the plot of “Oedipus rex”. The plot of a play contains a rising activity, falling activity, determination, exposition and peak. The rising activity takes after exposition and works towards the greatest part of a play. The falling activity is after the peak and guides the reader … Read more
Oedipus is a self-confident, intelligent, strong willed man and a great king. Ironically these are the very traits that bring about his tragic discovery. There are many themes in the play that add to his character, which ultimately instigates his own undoing. Going through the play the audience recognises the reasons why Oedipus ends up … Read more
In Greek mythology, Prometheus is a Titan, culture hero, and trickster figure who is credited with The creationofmanfrom clay, and who defies the gods by stealingfire and giving it to humanity,an act that enabled progress and civilization. Prometheus isknown for his intelligence and as a champion of mankind.The punishment of Prometheus as a consequence of … Read more
