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Though depicted as a hero by Virgil, Aeneas had lost the war of Troy. He showed signs of imperfection in his character. Aeneas was sent out by the gods to create the city of Rome and establish it into a powerful empire. He is separated from his men when Juno creates a devastating storm that lands him at Carthage. When he gets to Carthage his mother Venus tells him to go and find the city newly built by Dido, who is the queen of Carthage. When he arrives in Carthage Dido and Aeneas quickly
In the novel Pedro Paramo, Juan Rulfo uses religiousness as a characteristic that contrasts with the characters' lack of moral codes and lack of faith normally attributed to religion. The people in the town of Comala are obsessed with the afterlife and prayer, and they even attend church regularly, but these are just habits that have lost their original meaning. Rulfo uses these symbolic activities to make the characters' dichotomous nature more apparent. Father Renteria's occupation, the tow
Tanizaki and Solzhenitsyn's works both contain an underlying philosophy of realism. This realism is a balance between optimism and pessimism, and can be seen in both authors' discussions of society and characters, and their language. Defined by Roget's Dictionary-Thesaurus and WordNet, realism is "a tendency to see or present things as they actually are," and "art and literature that represents events and social conditions…(without idealization)." Whether Tanizaki and Solzhenitsy
It has been said that there are under thirty plots in the world, and that all stories, in all languages, all over the world and throughout history, are simply variations on these. Parallels can be drawn between all literature; however, classical mythology has had particularly far-reaching effects on our present civilization. Modern society holds a fascination with Greek and Roman society, and classical literature and mythology are certainly no exceptions. In addition to demonstrating the many
James Joyce, Alan Sillitoe, and J. D. Salinger are authors, who show that most conflicts exists because of the difference between the loveliness of the ideal and the drabness of the actual. They convey their criticism through their short stories. The recurring themes in Joyce's stories depict Dubliners ambitions being crushed by harsh realities and/or being restrained because of society. Sillitoe's stories portray the lives of the working class and their struggle to adjust to the industrial so
Lysistrata is a play written in 411 BC by Aristophanes. At that time in Greek history, the city-states were constantly warring with one another. Consequently, the women were left at home. One woman, Lysistrata, was so fed up with the fighting that she called all of the women of Greece to a meeting. When they finally showed up, Lysistrata presented her plan for peace: no sex until the wars ceased. She eventually convinced all of the other women that this was the only way to bring peace to th
Respect for authority plays an important role in The Iliad. Achilles is a major character in it whose views on authority change throughout the book. In Book One, he seems to have no respect for King Agamemnon. Achilles questions his judgment as well as rebelling against his authority. This is shown best when Achilles says, "What a worthless, burnt-out coward I'd be called if I would submit to you and all your orders." (Pg. 87 line 43-45). This is an outright lack of respect directed toward
Misdirection of Anger "Anger is better [than shame]. There is a sense of being in anger. A reality of presence. An awareness of worth."(50) This is how many of the blacks in Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye felt. They faked love when they felt powerless to hate, and destroyed what love they did have with anger. The Bluest Eye shows the way that the blacks were compelled to place their anger on their own families and on their own blackness instead of on the white people who were the cause of
I. Apollo is angry because Agamemnon has failed to let one of the god's priests ransom a daughter Agamemnon had alloted himself as a war-prize. Agamemnon reluctantly gives the girl up but insists on taking in her place Briseis, a captive originally assigned to Achilles--hence the "wrath of Achilles," which iis the epic's announced topic. Achilles complains to his divine mother, Thetis, who presuades Zeus to let the Trojans prevail in battle until Achilles's honor is satisfied. I
Socrates Accepts His Fate Socrates was condemned to death for corrupting the youth of Athens. One of his students, Crito, visited Socrates in prison and tried to convince him to escape. Socrates refused, warranting that laws are meant to be obeyed. Socrates argued by stating that without the laws, he would not be the man he was. In other words, the laws had a sort of parental authority over him. He also stated that he had entered into an implied contract with the city-state of Athens. Fin
Super Girl Growing up, every child has his/her own personal idols, ranging anywhere from He-man to Barbie to the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. The teenage master sleuth Nancy Drew is one of these prominent figures in the eyes of many young girls. Her stories tell of adventure and mystery, yet they also seem to find a place in there somewhere to reflect the lady-like and proper nature of Miss Drew. Nancy is a paradox, but a paradox that often goes unnoticed. The Nancy Drew stories satisfy
01/02/98 English IV Mr. Hadox Samuel Taylor Coleridge is considered to be one of the leaders of the Romantic Era, along with other writers such as William Blake and William Wordsworth. He was born on October 21, 1772 in Ottery St.Mary. He attended Jesus College University of Cambridge. He left college without a degree. Samuel's friend, Robert Southey and himself wrote and published, "Poems of Various Subjects" in 1796. Then afte
Advanced English 10 3rd hour September 28, 1997 Oedipus's Inextinguishable Flaws Flaws plague every man and woman on this planet. Flaws are what we have in common with each other, and all characteristics that make us human. Sophocles's Oedipus, shows that sometimes the combination of certain flaws and other human characteristics can have a tragic outcome. The caring King Oedipus was paranoid and short tempered, and these characteristics brought him to his downfall. From the beginning
Ancient Egyptian Beliefs in the Afterlife by Amanda Rains popqueen@intellex.com -------------------------------------------------- What were the religious beliefs of ancient Egyptians? Why did they mummify their dead? Many people have wondered and thought these questions for centuries and have never really found out the whole truth. Ancient Egyptian's belief in the afterlife is very similar to the belief that Christians have. The only real difference is the gods they believe in and th
The Odyssey, by Homer, is a classical piece of Greek literature. Throughout The Odyssey, the Blind Bard makes use of many literary techniques in order to lend meaning to the poem beyond its existence as a work of historic fiction and aid his readers in the comprehension of the tale. One of these techniques is the use of motifs. A motif is a recurring theme that is used throughout the work. In The Odyssey, Homer makes use of many motifs including eating/drinking, Odysseus's anger, bathing, an
The Greeks vs. Their Gods in Hippolytus The play Hippolytus by the Greek playwright Euripides is one which explores classical Greek religion. Throughout the play, the influence of the gods on the actions of the characters is evident, especially when Aphrodite affects the actions of Phaedra. Also central to the plot is the god-god interactions between Artemis and Aphrodite. In this essay, I hope to provide answers to how the actions of Hippolytus and Phaedra relate to the gods, whether o
Medea:Looking for Revenge Medea, a play by the Greek playwright Euripides, explores the Greek-barbarian dichotomy through the character of Medea, a princess from the "barbarian", or non-Greek, land of Colchis. Throughout the play, it becomes evident to the reader that Medea is no ordinary woman by Greek standards. Central to the whole plot is Medea's barbarian origins and how they are related to her actions. In this paper, I am attempting to answer questions such as how Medea behaves li
Subject: English/Greek Literature - Sophocles's Electra vs. Euripides's Electra Euripides and Sophocles wrote their own versions of the Electra story. The basic plot is as follows: Agamemnon is killed by Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus after he returns from the Trojan war to reclaim his sister-in-law Helen from the Trojans. Electra and her brother Orestes plot to kill their mother and her lover to revenge his death. Both authors wrote about the same plot, but the built the story ve
Mystical Caves Used Throughout Mythology The use of caves in mythology to depict darkness and abandonment has branded it as a symbol of chaos. From this perception other associations are made which connect the cave to prejudices, malevolent spirits, burial sites, sadness, resurrection and intimacy. It is a world to which only few venture, and yet its mysticism has attracted the interest of philosophers, religious figures and thinkers throughout history. These myths are exemplif
Atlantis: We will never know Fantasy is a tough sell in the twentieth century. The world has been fully discovered and fully mapped. Popular media has effectively minimized the legend and the fantastic rumor, though to make up for this it has generated falsities not as lavish but just as interesting. Satellites have mapped and studied the earth, leaving only a space frontier that is as yet unreachable. But standing out is a charming fantasy the modern world has yet to verif
Mersault-Sisyphus Sisyphus was given a punishment by the gods, to push a rock up a hill, only to have it fall down on him again. Mersault is a person accused of murder who has spent over a year in jail. What both these characters have come to realize is that they are forced to live in these situations created by the gods, therefore they might as well enjoy or get used to them. Mersault is forced to live in a cell, without his cigarettes, and with limited visitation
Penelope, the wife of Odysseus, can be contrasted in various ways to the other characters in Homer's poem The Odyssey. In many ways, Penelope embodies the "ideal" woman, in that she conforms to the values and ideals of her society. These ideals include faithfulness, loyalty, willpower, long-suffering, pride in one's home and family, and hospitality to strangers. The majority of the other characters in the poem lack one or more of these attributes. Although Odysseus proves to be a character
Of all the great Greek playwrights, Sophocles is probably the one regarded as the greatest. Born at Colonus around 496 BC, he was the son of a wealthy armor manufacturer. As a young man, Sophocles was given a traditional education in music, dancing, and gymnastics. At one time, he even studied under Aeschylus. Also, he was said to have been handsome and graceful. As an adult, Sophocles was very active in Athenian life. He served as a general twice, once under Pericles, and also served as a
Sam Lachterman October 7, 1998 Gilgamesh Paper: The Search for Immortality and the End of Grief This translation by Herbert Mason of Gilgamesh, at its source, is the quest of a man for the secret of immortality. This search is not a selfish one, as our hero, our king, is searching to resurrect his slain companion, Enkidu. Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, has been brought to his knees by grief and the suffering that accompanies loss. He searches heroically for life at its core. He is met with th
Pandora Before earth and sea and heven were created all things wore one aspect, to which we give the name of Chaos-a confused and shapeless mass, nothing but dead weight, in which, however, slumbered the seeds of things (Pandora 12). Earth, sea, and air were all mixed up together; so the earth was not solid, the sea was not fluid, and the air was not transparent (Pandora 12). God and Nature at last interposed, and put on end to this dicord, separating earth from sea, and heaven from both (
'…You! You chameleon! / Bottomless bag of tricks! Here in your own country / would you not give your stratagems a rest / or stop spellbinding for an instant?' (Homer, XIII, 345-48) This exchange between the Grey Eyed Goddess Athena marks Odysseus' return to his homeland of Ithaca, and spells doom for the Suitors. But it is also the embodiment of what Odysseus is. His guile and wit are compared many times to the great gods of Olympus. And it is these skills as a deceiver that a
ARES "GOD OF WAR" Ares is the mighty but hated man-slaying god of war and warriors. He is known as the most hatefull god. He is also ally with thie god of Themis the leader of righteous men. He is the son of Zues, Homer supposedly passed her temper onto Ares. Ares delighted in bloodshed and battle, Ares hated all the gods including his father. STORY: His favorite haunt is the land of the wild and warlike Thracians . In form and equipment the ideal of warlike heroes, he advances, accor
Arguably the greatest or, at least, most famous hero of Greek mythology, Odysseus was known for intelligence, cool under pressure, and incredible strength. The Latin form of his name is Ulysses. Although born as the son of Laertes, king of Ithaca and Anticlea, myth insinuates that Odysseus might have been the illegitimate son of Sisyphus, founder of Corinth. If that were so, it would explain Odysseus's craftiness and intelligence. According to mythological accounts, Sisyphus outsmarte
Every culture of the world has its stories. Whether large or small, technologically developed or ancient, nomadic or settled, every population on Earth has a unique mythological tradition and special history. Despite the great variety that can be found among these tales, there are certain characteristics that repeat from story to story. Psychologist Carl Jung called these characteristics archetypes. Archetypes, he said, are universal, and that "there are as many archetypes as there are typic
Being attacked by one eyed monsters, huge storms, a giant sea dragon, and scores of angry men were just a few of the perils Odysseus had to overcome. He did not only overcome them, but he did so in a way that would forever be thought of as heroic. Odysseus, the epic hero of Homer's The Odyssey demonstrates the Greek ideal of leadership, bravery, and devotion to the gods. Odysseus was a great leader and showed his leadership abilities many times, times where his men were ready to give up and a
Oedipus Rex illustrates the Greek concept that trying to circumvent prophets' predictions is futile. The play includes three main prophecies: the one made to Laius concerning his death by the hands of his son, a similar one directed to Oedipus, and one made by Tiresias foretelling Oedipus' discovery of the murderer's identity. Both recipients of these oracles attempt to avoid their destinies, but both wind up following the paths which the Fates have prescribed. Laius had received a prophe
Catherine London ENG 0A1 (ISP) Learning from Ancient and Modern Themes and Customs It has been said that there are under thirty plots in the world, and that all stories, in all languages, all over the world and throughout history, are simply variations on these. Parallels can be drawn between all literature; however, classical mythology has had particularly far-reaching effects on our present civilization. Modern society holds a fascination with Greek and Roman society, and classical
The Role Of Zeus in Homer's Iliad By Ben Taylor CLA 101 Shawn Dry In the era of Homer, divine intervention was thought to be typical, and one of his foremost works, The Iliad, reflects this. Nearly all of the Greek gods are involved in the outcome of the Trojan War, which happens to be the background story of this epic poem. The gods are used by Homer to add twists on an otherwise standard plot of war. I shall concentrate on Zeus, however, and reflect on his actions and their
Medea by Euripides Medea, explores the Greek-barbarian dichotomy through the character of Medea, a princess from the "barbarian", land of Colchis. Throughout the book, it becomes evident to the reader that Medea is no ordinary woman by Greek standards. Central to the whole plot is Medea's barbarian origins and how they are related to her actions. As an introduction, the status of women in Greek society should be briefly discussed. In general, women had very few rights. In the eyes of men
Western drama has evolved much since its development and introduction into Greek society. In it's earliest form drama was a free and artistic endeavor. Writers wrote for their love of the art and to express their own personal beliefs. However, as drama proliferated across the western world, and over the centuries, it became a way for those who were financially affluent to show off their wealth. In the renaissance drama returned to its roots, and again writers wrote for their love of the art
Sophocles was a master of tragedy, there's no argument there. But which of the 2 plays we've studied, Oedipus the King and Antigone, is the more tragic? I believe that Oedipus the King was more intensely tragic and I think that if I were to see a the plays "back to back," Oedipus would be the more likely one to rivet true emotions from me. I think Oedipus' cathartic value can be seen clearly when you compare the entirety of the results in both plays. In Antigone, she loses 2 brothers
Bernardo Uribe English character: The Iliad 9/10/98 Achilles Achilles was the bravest, strongest and most feared of the achian soldier, but pride and desire for revenge would be of a very high expense. With his help victory for the Greek army could have been easier, but instead he not only laid aside of battle, but he plead the gods that his own army loses. His revenge against Agamemnon cost him his honor, the death of his best friend Patroclus, and in the long run, his death. Whe
Theseus and Heracles were very similar characters in mythology. In this paper I plan to point out these similarities, and also tell what is different between them. First of all, Theseus and Heracles were both well know for their strength and hero-like attitudes. They were well known for helping people, or places, out from certain evils such as Theseus killing the Minotaur so that the tributes to it would cease. Much of these similarities are all because of Theseus, who looked up to Heracles
Basically, the story of Beowulf is about a monster who is repetitively attacking a mead-hall called Herot. This monsters name is Grendel. At first, he comes up to the town only to find out what they'd do, and when the guards attack him, he laughs at their pitiful attempt and kills them. Grendel began visiting the hall at night, sneaking into the place and killing people in their sleep. The guards could do nothing to stop them, seeing as how every time they tried he would kill them. Eventual
The Trojan War The Trojan War is one of the most legendary stories of warfare of all time. The cause of the war was said to be when the Trojan Price named Paris went to Greece and kidnaped the beautiful Greek princess Helen. It is also believed the sea trading Mycenae were a cause of the war. The Troy's controlled the straits, small water passageways, the connected to the Mediterranean which may have been another reason the war was started. But Greek tradition still suggests the romantic ca
The Hero in Homer's The Odyssey was Odysseus. Odysseus went through many hardships. He proved himself as an archetypal hero through his great wit, wisdom, courage, and ability to resist temptation that was unmatched by other Greek heroes. Odysseus was a very witty person. He outwitted nearly everyone he met. One instance was when Odysseus stabbed out Polyphemus' eye. He used the false name of "Nobody" to escape attack from the other Cyclopes. "O my friends, it's Nobody's treachery, no vi
Nike: Goddess of Victory
Who was Nike? Nike, according to Greek mythology, was the winged goddess of victory. Nike was the daughter of Athena and the god of the River Styx. Nike sat beside Zeus in Olympus. She helped in the battle with the Titans, and helped Zeus achieve victory. The Titans, according to mythology, created the earth, and ruled it till they were overthrown by the Olympian gods.
The statues and pictures of Nike show her with wings and a wreath for a crow
Achilles vs. Hector In the Iliad, many of the male characters display heroic characteristics, consistent with the heroic warrior code of ancient Greece. They try to win glory in battle, yet are often characterized as having a distinctly human side. They each have certain strengths and weaknesses, which are evident at many times throughout the conflicts described in the Iliad. Prime examples of such characters are Achilles and Hector. These two characters have obvious differences in their appro
Parallels between Beowulf and The Hobbit "Canst thou draw out leviathan with a hook? Canst thou put an hook into his nose? Or bore his jaw through with a thorn . . . his scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal . . .. Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out." (Job 41:1-2,15,19) When you take the time to compare modern stories about dragons with ancient one's it becomes obvious that modern writers use the same "model dragon" for their dragon character a
The Iliad and The Odyssey: A Comparison Although both works are credited to Homer, The Iliad and The Odyssey provide two remarkably different views on the nature of the Olympian Gods, their relationship to humanity, and the general lot of mortals throughout their all too brief lives. As a result of these differences, both stories end up sending contrasting messages about life in general. In the Iliad, the supernatural denizens of Olympus are depicted as treacherous, power-hungry, and above
From Greek mythology's Hercules, to the American's Paul Bunyan, myths perpetrating the quest can be found in all cultures and societies. Stories of the mythic quest "express knowledge that is complete and coherent",1 thus the mythic quest exists to teach an idea or principle to its audience. Quests can be identified by several distinct elements that occur in all myths of this type, these characteristics are: a hero, the journey and the reward. The hero is the central protagon
Sight and blindness Imagery in "Oedipus Rex" In this play written by Sophocles called Oedipus Rex, sight/blindness imagery is used as a form of ignorance. In this play, there is allot of ignorance. Some examples of this are when Oedipus talks with Tiresias about who had killed Laius, and when he discovers the truth about his love and about his parents. These two examples happen in two different times in the play, when he doesn't know the truth and when he finally knows everything. Sophocl
The early expansion of Sparta Sparta is a town located south of the Arcadian highlands in Greece. One of a number of townships that arose on the Laconia plain was Sparta, which consisted of Pitane, Mesoa, Limnae, and Conoura, all small villages. Sparta then conquered other nearby villages and took over the plain of Laconia. Sparta , which may mean "scattered," was made up of homes and estates spread around an area centering on a small hill that came to be named Acropolis. Sparta
Greek culture is a major force behind most of what we know today. In government the Greeks practiced pure democracy. The people were given the power to make decisions about their own city-states. Two important city-states were Athens and Sparta. The Athenian empire was created by Pericles who took pride in the beauty of their city. The main temple in Athens was the Parthenon. It was built in the Acropolis in honor of Athena the War Goddess. Sparta was Athens rival and completely opposite
Jessica Martinez Due: a while ago Period 4 Essay #1 topic: Gilgamesh Gilgamesh?s Journey Through the journey that Gilgamesh experienced he learned many things about himself as well as others. He grew in touch with his inner self. He learned about the hard life and coming in touch with death. He came to terms with his own mortality and learned he should live his life to the fullest to have a fulfilled life. Through his journey Gilgamesh passes through many c