The basic theme of Oedipus Rex is the irony of fate. No mortal man, no matter how powerful and wealthy, can be pronounced happy until he is dead; for no man, however wise, knows what tomorrow will bring. This is the burden of the last complete choral song and of the last lines of the play (which ar...
The Iliad The Iliad by Homer is an epic poem that has several heroes. Heroism is the most important aspect of the characters" lives, giving definition to their actions and their raison d"etre. A hero is always of noble birth, strong, intelligent, and a great leader. Another way the reader can d...
Zeus didn't want to get involved, so he sent a prince named Paris, the son of King Priam of Troy in Anatolia to be the judge because he was the most honest person on earth (or he was too stupid to know the dispute between the goddess). ... Menelaus enraged and summoned the princes that promised to protect Helen and his brother, Agamemnon (the leader of the expedition) to attack Troy. ...
The movie shows many individuals' characteristics, such as the good and moral prince of Troy, Hector, or the greedy and powerful King of Mycenae, Agamemnon. ... For example, Achilles revenges towards Prince Hector for killing his cousin, Patroclus. ...
In Sophocles," Oedipus the King, Oedipus introduces himself by saying "I Oedipus, whom all men call the great." (8) Oedipus was a "great" man, but he also was cursed. He was cursed by the almighty god, Apollo, but he was too arrogant to believe the curse would be fulfilled. This story questions the ...
He ordered Hermes to take three goddesses to Mount Ida in Phrygia where the Trojan prince Paris would decide which one of them was the most beautiful. ... In the fight between Paris and Menelaus she surrounded the Trojan prince with fog and led him away from the battlefield into Helen's bedroom. ...
Paggeus Zeus fell in love with Paggallous the first moment he laid his eyes on her. Paggallous was the only child of King Meggellous of Idonia, a little country near the sea. She was beautiful, inside and out, intelligent, humorous, and can hunt as well as a man can. Many kings, princes, and ro...
His pride and honor must be restored, and only an apology from Agamemnon will do: "All the other prizes of hounour he gave the great men and the princes are held fast by them, but from me alone of all the Achaians he has taken and keeps the bride of my heart- (9. 334-336) " not if he gave me gifts as many as the sand or dust is, not even so would Agamemnon have his way with my spirit until he had made good to me all this heartrending insolence." (9. 385-387) This need to have his wounded pride healed is made clear when he sees the injured Machaon driven past his ship...
The idea of Greek tragedy stems from Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero. In Aristotle's definition, the tragic hero must be a person of high standing so their fall from glory will be all the more horrible. The hero also must be a man like ourselves in elemental feelings and emotions. Also, the ...
Hercules father was Zeus his mother was Princes Alcmena. Hera Zeus's Queen hate Alcmena and Hercules, once Hera tried to kill Hercules but he kill the serpents before their could bite him. Being of noble at birth, he had to learn to sing and play the lyre, but Hercules rather wrestle and fight. O...
Gilgamesh is the first heroic narrative in world literature, dating back from about 2700 B.C. Fate is a problem dealt with throughout the entirety of the poem. In Greek literature we often find a common theme of characters foolishly attempting to escape their own fate, and of course failing misera...
The Odyssey and the Iliad are two of Homer's most famous works. The two classic poems are also the two most famous and most beloved epic narratives in the world. Likely written between 900 and 700 BC, the two works both tell of fictional events that are likely based on actual historical occurrences ...
Vase painters were confronted with the problem of applying a two-dimensional technique to a three dimensional object. A number of vase painters have been successful in arranging their compositions to suit the available space. Some black figure artists include, Exekias: kylix, Exekias: belly amphora and Lydos vase. A number of red figure artists have also been successful, including: Euthymides, The Kleophrades Painter: pointed amphora, The Berlin Painter: volute krater, Makron and Euphronois. A white ground artist which has also been successful is The Penthesileia Painter: pyxis. ...
It's a tale of a few days' fighting in the tenth year of the Trojan War, which had been occasioned by an offence given to Menelaus, the Greek King of Sparta, by the Trojan Prince, Paris (also called Alexandros). ... In order to recover Helen, Menelaus's brother, Agamemnon, the powerful king of Mykenai, had gathered a large force that included many prominent Greek warriors, themselves either princes or kings, and sailed across the Aegean to win back Helen and humble the great fortress-city of King Priam. ...
Barry Strauss is a classics and history professor at Cornell University. He is a leading expert on ancient history and ancient military history, so he knows what he is talking about. His book, The Trojan War: A New History, is filled with his own interpretations and opinion, based on research and ne...
The drama Oedipus Rex starts off with the plague, which is happening in the city of Thebes. As Thebes's King, Oedipus has to solve this plague. However, by soling this plague, Oedipus finds his origin and his background of where he came from. And here it comes the plot of the dramatic conflicts of t...
Sophocles's play, Oedipus Rex is possibly one of the greatest tragedies ever written. It is the story of the downfall of a man. When the play begins, Oedipus is an honored king, respected and admired by his people. By the end of the story the name of Oedipus is a curse. Some would argue that all of...
Achilles vs. Hector: The Epic Hero In today's world, a hero is commonly thought of as someone who has saved lives, or has donated his service to their country or groups of beleifs. According to Homer, though, an epic hero is a brute fighting force of a man, whom often may cruelly and unnecess...
Before modern times, Homer, a blind poet, wrote an epic poem called the Odyssey. The Odyssey is the sequel to another epic by Homer, called the Iliad. These two poems cover the story of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, and his twenty years away from home. The Iliad is the bloody, yet compelling, tale of ...
The drama Oedipus Rex starts off with the plague, which is happening in the city of Thebes. As Thebes's King, Oedipus has to solve this plague. However, by soling this plague, Oedipus finds his origin and his background of where he came from. And here it comes the plot of the dramatic conflicts of t...
The drama Oedipus Rex starts off with the plague, which is happening in the city of Thebes. As Thebes's King, Oedipus has to solve this plague. However, by soling this plague, Oedipus finds his origin and his background of where he came from. And here it comes the plot of the dramatic conflicts of t...
The Journey of Odysseus and Telemachos In The Odyssey written by Homer and translated by Richard Lattimore, several themes are made evident, conceived by the nature of the time period, and customs of the Greek people. These molded and shaped the actual flow of events and outcomes of the poem. Beliefs of this characteristic were represented by the sheer reverence towards the gods and the humanities the Greek society exhibited, and are both deeply rooted within the story. In the intricate and well-developed plot of The Odyssey, Homer harmonized several subjects. One of these, was the ques...
Prometheus and Io Prometheus was a titan who was the savior of all mankind. In those days when he had just given fire to men and when he was bound to the rocky peak of Caucasus, he encountered a strange visitor in the form of a heifer (a young cow; one that has not had a calf). It had apparently ...
Throughout the first five books of the Odyssey we hear little of Odysseus the hero of the poem, instead we focus of his son Telemachus and his journey to seek information of his father. This journey initiated by Athena is to spark Telemachus" growth into a mature man. But I shall make my way to ...
