Zeus of the Greeks The pantheon of Greek gods is still with us today: our planets are named after them (or, rather, after their Roman titles); their stories still enthrall ; and their narratives have shaped entire continents (Europe takes her name f Continue Reading...
Homeric Battle The Iliad is a collection of poems by Homer describing the 10-year siege on Troy by Greeks in what is now famously referred to as the Trojan War. Several Greek and Trojan characters are worth a special mention in these Homeric poems b Continue Reading...
Weaving Power of Athena and Penelope Homer's tale of the Odyssey is populated by many female characters, ranging in nature from the silent and submissive to the ferociously lethal. If one were to pick out two women who are most influential in the s Continue Reading...
Herodotus is called first historian, as he was the first known author of the historical book called the Histories, which contained various myths, legends and also many important historical events that were commented by this great Greek. Herodotus wa Continue Reading...
That argument - to die young as a hero or to live a long, uneventful life - is at the core of the Iliad. By Book XI, Homer has firmly established Odysseus as a hero for all time, but one whose failings made him distinctly human. Heroes such as Achil Continue Reading...
According to Griffin, the Odyssey is a didactic poem that delights precisely in its own lesson about human fate and its own rhetoric. Thus, as Griffin emphasizes, the Odyssey teaches its reader that the end of human life and of all the disasters, mi Continue Reading...
Homeric Similes In "Book Three," lines 2-7 describe the way in which the Trojans attack the Achaian men. Homer compares the Trojan Army's attack to the impassioned flight of wild birds, particularly cranes, as they flee the winter. Homer evokes the Continue Reading...
Free were the Ancient Greeks to Live their Lives as they Chose? The period covered by the term 'Ancient Greece' is a long one, encompassing the Mycenaean period and the subsequent so-called 'Dark Age' (c.1600-900 B.C.), the Archaic Period (c.900-48 Continue Reading...
Thucydides Peloponnesian War The Peloponnesian War history is based on the historical account of Peloponnesian War between 431 and 404 BC. The war was led by Athens (the Delian League), and the other led by Sparta within the Peloponnesian League. Th Continue Reading...
Is it a sign of inconsistency in Athena that at the end of the Odyssey she echoes the sentiment of Zeus and sues for peace whereas in Book 4 of the Iliad she is all too eager to ignore the sentiment of her father and manipulate the warriors into sh Continue Reading...
The two lovers are trapped by Hephaestus' chains and the gods are debating their fates. They contemplate the issue of whether being trapped in the chains is sufficient punishment, to which Hermes quips "...although I might be held by chains that are Continue Reading...
Aphrodite Biography Aphrodite was said to have been the most beautiful and sensual of all the goddesses. There are varying stories of her birth. One story holds that she was born from the loins of Uranus, when his sex was severed from him and thrown Continue Reading...
Odyssey: Daily Life for Women When it comes to the Greeks, Homer's Odyssey is recognized as a piece of literature that was not just about gods, men, and creatures, this historical read served as a cultural example about the women and their place in Continue Reading...
Persian Wars (490 BCE to 479 BCE) between the Greek city-states and the Persian Empire were predicated by various circumstances, ranging from cultural ideologies to political connivances. For the Greeks, particularly the Ionians and the Athenians, Pe Continue Reading...
Essay Topic Examples 1. The Parthenon: A Testament to Ancient Greek Architectural Genius: Explore the architectural features, construction techniques, and cultural significance of the Parthenon, highlighting its role as t Continue Reading...
One exception to this is Pausanias, a Greek writer. He recorded the quarrying done in Greece but he lived in the second century a.D. For other details, the information related to their architecture is limited to the writings of Vitruvius, an archite Continue Reading...
Achilles is the most prominent character and hero of The Iliad. He is the pride of the Greek army, having nearly god-like capability on the battlefield. His mother was to have been a nymph and his father, a king. Both Hector and Achilles are of not Continue Reading...
mythology is important for both individualistic and collective reasons. On an individual level, mythology could teach moral or human truths, whereas on a collective level mythology could be used to keep people in touch with their origins. Mythologic Continue Reading...
Greek Sports Sports in the ancient world evolved from the military traditions and are a reflection of the important elements of ancient life. When we consider the different elements of the ancient games, we see violence, beauty, the power of the god Continue Reading...
The tragic hero always elicits sympathy from the audience. According to Struck (2002): "Finally, Oedipus' downfall elicits a great sense of pity from the audience. First, by blinding himself, as opposed to committing suicide, Oedipus achieves a kin Continue Reading...
Greeks in Western Civilization. There are five references used for this paper. It is felt that 'Captive Greece made Rome captive'. It is important to examine what is meant by this belief in terms of literature, art and philosophy. Two Captive Coun Continue Reading...
Dark Age and the Archaic Age Having watched the lectures for the prior learning unit on video, I was prepared to enjoy the video lecture presentation for this learning unit. I previously found the presentation of lectures in the video format to be v Continue Reading...
In addition to the diplomatic relationships established between the Greek poleis, in the frame of the political arena, there were also the alliances made between persons, usually high raking members of the ruling classes: "there was a fine-meshed ne Continue Reading...
By taking part in his destiny, she somewhat disproves Zeus' claim that humans are wrong to suggest that the gods are to blame -- for without her interference, the many suitors would not have been slaughtered by Odysseus. Athena's speech here, which Continue Reading...
"The Odyssey" also demands that guests show similar kindness in return to their hosts. While Odysseus is not blameless and morally upright in his actions towards others and he has an occasionally violent temper, he usually only strikes back at a hos Continue Reading...
Functions Disguise "The Odyssey" Throughout the Odyssey reader notices characters adopt disguises facilitate complicate's passage world. In fact, characters multiple disguises tale. Disguise in Homer's Odyssey The idea of disguise takes on a whole Continue Reading...
Universal Themes in Homer's The Odyssey Homer's The Odyssey is an ancient work that has managed to survive up to the present time. Virginia Woolf argues that the themes and situations presented in The Odyssey are universal themes that all humans can Continue Reading...
Although my family is not made up of English speakers, they have always stressed that succeeding in school is an important part of being successful in life. It is not just grades that are important. The lessons a student learns in school will help t Continue Reading...
Fakes & Forgery in Classical Literature Epic Fake? Forgery, Fraud, and the Birth of Philology A set of epigrams in the Planudean Appendix to the Greek Anthology record the trope that even in antiquity seven different cities contended for the ri Continue Reading...
Whereas the perception and description of Gilgamesh changed from rash individualism to a more hesitant and socially conscious figure, the perception of Odysseus -- along with the other Greek heroes -- changed from the rather unflattering view that h Continue Reading...
(Homer) Clearly, both Odysseus and Penelope are representing a conflict that most people will go through during the course of their lives. As, there will be times that: they will be away from one another and how they must not lose faith in themselv Continue Reading...
Divine Comedy vs. The Odyssey Both Dante's epic poem The Divine Comedy and Homer's The Odyssey begin in media res, or in the middle of the protagonists' respective stories. Dante, the narrator, has reached middle age and is confronted with the spec Continue Reading...
Adaptations Mythology - Adaptations When watching the Coen Brothers' film Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?, it becomes immediately apparent that the film is meant to be a creative adaptation of The Odyssey by Homer. Rather than a straightforward mimicki Continue Reading...
She suggests the contest of the bow and the axes, which allows Odysseus to reveal himself and put the fear of Zeus into the suitors. Odysseus gets the credit for his great feat of arms, but it is Penelope's idea. Homer is showing that though man is Continue Reading...
Thematic Comparison: Divine Intervention in Homer & Virgil Both works decently portray the horrors of warfare, and (albeit it in a reverent fashion) place the blame for this horror soundly at the feet of the gods. However while in Homer this int Continue Reading...
mythology and ancient beliefs. Specifically it will compare the myths of heroism in the myth of Achilles to the modern film "Troy." The film "Troy," from 2004, is a remake of the Homer classic "The Iliad," which recounts the legend of the Greek warr Continue Reading...
Religion in the Odyssey of Homer Homer has the reputation of having "given the Greeks their gods." In so doing Homer has created a type of religion that does not have one god, but one that has many. Each god governs over one or more aspect of the wo Continue Reading...
Heroic Ideal Greece, Rome An Analysis of the Heroic Ideal from Ancient Greece to Roman Empire The mythopoetic tradition in Greece begins with Homer's Iliad, which balances the heroic figures of Achilles and Hector, two opposing warriors and men of Continue Reading...
It is also worth noting that the "story" is something of a fictional account, unlike some of the tales we encounter in The Odyssey. Storytelling was a form of entertainment, just as songs and poetry. In this culture, one is actually no greater than Continue Reading...
With respect to the mythology of the male gods, Zeus, Apollo, and Hephaestus seem to be a combination that matches the dynamism of their female goddess counterparts. These gods represent the good and the bad of males; they also represent the spectr Continue Reading...
