What are myths, narratives, or epic poems? They are only just stories if one chooses not to believe in it. In the eyes of the people of Antiquity, epic poems and hero narratives were more than just made-up stories for their own entertainment. It often taught an individual the importance of priding oneself on good morals and strong ethical values. In fact, underlying themes and values hidden among these narratives and poems are still very much relevant today. That being said, core values presented through these poems included: the importance of family, respect for the gods, hard work, and the downfall of overbearing pride. It 's hard to understand the basis of how ancient civilizations and cultures functioned without the use of myths and epic poems. Through the people of Antiquity’s ' facilitated stories, a generalization can be made of how religion, family, the gods, life, and even death played an important factor within their lives. While these stories offered …show more content…
I have not ill-treated servants. I have not belittled a god.” From this quote alone, it is evident that people of Antiquity, such as the Egyptians, valued good character and family. It was important for a man to do what was considered just and good in accordance with their community’s given laws. Individuals were taught the importance of strong family relations. Furthermore, they understood the importance of humility and practiced respect for others, especially the gods. Many people of Antiquity were polytheistic, meaning having many gods. In this sense, it was important to recognize the higher powers. Likewise, the Greco-Roman society held these same values such as: doing good by the law, the importance of family, humiliation, and ultimate reverence for the gods. Furthermore, from narratives and poems, Socrates believed that, “These ideas are worthy of the gods, filled with the little gems of virtue on the inside. They are of great—in fact, the greatest—value to anyone who wishes to become the best
Yet, by studying history, one will actually find that “In Homeric Greece wives were only property” and “adultery, if with a god, actually enhanced even a woman's value”(The English Journal, 2). It comes down to the change in perspective among many places and cultures concerning love and marriage. Next, the author writes that many young Americans have a problem with Odysseus’ heavy reliance on Athena. She credits this to the changing society as well, as dependence on the gods was much more common before the Odyssey was completely finished. They note that the earlier Greeks relied on intervention of the gods even more than Odysseus does.
To them virtue meant having honor, this is how they lived their spiritual journey. The journey that Aeneas takes in book six shows that the ancient cultures of the Greeks, Trojans, and Romans had a concept or understanding of the afterlife that influenced their moral decisions and values. They believed much like Christians that the good would be rewarded and the evil would be punished. While what they believed to be virtuous is different than what we as Christians believe, they like the character Aeneas still
Since the beginning of time, people have looked to a figure of power that would help them in their time of need. In Edith Hamilton’s Mythology: Edith Hamilton, there are stories upon stories that tell about righteous and wicked gods, goddesses, and epic heroes. When discussing epic heroes, it’s usually the same two figures that come up, Perseus and Theseus. Arguably, between the two, Theseus is the better epic hero because he is ethical and morally upright and because his life ends tragically. Now when it comes to what an epic hero is, there are many traits and characteristics, some of those being: having significance and glory, going on a quest to establish greatness, and facing enormous tasks of adversity.
I think that it shows the Greeks believe that pridefulness is wrong/punishable as well. Along with pride, I think that there were themes of piety, lies and deciet, and justice so I believe that the Greeks may have seen the Gods as a way to enforce good behavior/a moral code of good, although they show to be ignorant, act "bratty", and can be decietful which may be believed to cause humans to be bad. So it explains their bad behavior for them in a
Literary epics, including the Aeneid, typically have a very poetic and lyrical sense of style in the writing that go hand in hand with the other characteristics of epics such as supernatural forces, the actions of superhuman strength, and a hero or heroine. Authors of epics, for example the Aeneid, the Iliad, and the Odyssey, often include several different themes and lessons that the reader can learn from reading the stories. The themes and lessons vary from simple moral beliefs to psychological behavior. Most themes, however, have to do with the way humans act and human nature. In the Aeneid, one theme that deals with human nature is the idea that strong sentiments or feelings between people or towards situations can overwhelm a person and
A hero was a figure in a literature who went beyond the human’s limitation. Among countless heroic literature that were published, The Epic of Gilgamesh was the first Western Literature that portrayed an epic hero. Since the epic was written between 2150 and 1400 BCE, Gilgamesh was the Western Literature’s first known hero. Although each hero had similar characteristics, each hero had different situations and personalities, which led to different heroic archetypes. Depending on each situation and journey, the hero had different roles in literature such as either an epic hero or a tragic hero.
Epic poetry, known for its grand descriptions of glorious accomplishments, revolves around an honorable protagonist. As the hero faces adversity in his journey, he triumphs in fleeting moments of bravery. He often exhibits his physical strength to overcome his hardships, manifesting a story with a violent nature. In Homer’s The Odyssey, King Odysseus of Ithaca struggles to return to his loving wife and son after having fought in the Trojan War.
The relationships between the Greek gods and mortals have always been complicated. The gods can be generous and supportive, but also harsh and destructive towards the humans. They claim to be all powerful beings with unlimited power and influence, but in truth, they are far more human than they are perceived. They meddle with human lives, not because they are wise, but because of their own selfish reasons. In Homer’s
The cruelty of the world can seem too much to bear, however, myths helps us face our morality by providing a sense of control, hope and
The people believed in the worship of multiple gods, a polytheistic society. Most Greeks and Romans were deeply loyal to the gods they worshipped and tended to find inspiration from their worship of gods and muses. Hence their love for their sculptures of curvy naked ladies, tales of mythology because of the taboos attached to them and the freedom to choose their religion of Gods or deities. (MindEdge, 2014). B4.
Separating the gods from the reality of the real world prevents stories of the gods from being used as a model for human behavior. Instead, children must look solely to human guardians and the law for moral guidance. Correspondingly, good stories must also foster courage, moderation, and justice. Socrates also wants people to hear stories that glorify death, in hopes that the warriors defending the city will not fear death; in fact Socrates rather people fear slavery more than death. Interestingly, although Socrates includes the virtues (courage, moderation, and justice) among
During the plot of the poem, mythological gods and goddesses are present in people’s lives to aid them when problems arise. In the text, the gods play a prominent role in helping Odysseus travel safely home, blessing men and women, and aiding during a war between two powerful leaders. Even though these stories were written thousands of years ago, they are still applicable to many societies
The Resemblance of Gods and Humans Throughout all religions, gods have always been seen as superior in every way possible. The division between humans and gods has always been prevalent and prominent. However, when the actions and motives of these gods are truly analyzed, it will become evident that the gods of Greek Mythology merely behave as humans with supernatural powers.
The appearance of stability of the Greek patriarchy is seen to be much greater than that of the Biblical nature because the jobs of the classes and sexes are clearly defined within Greek life where the variance in the lives Biblical tribes, due to their nomadic nature, sometimes masks the patriarchy within their society. The realistic depiction of the Greek daily life, while still far removed, is contrasted against the Old testament stories, which lack the peace of daily life. The final comparison between the two texts is how their styles represent the two basic types of ancient epics with the Homeric style being fully externalized, “displaying unmistakable meanings” (23), while the Old Testament has sayings with many meanings that require interpretation. The text finishes by stating that since the Homeric and Old Testament styles are starting points for the analysis, we cannot consider anything that pertains to their
These are the subject matters of the great epic poem which mark its significance as a great classic Greek poem (ancient Greece). This epic subject matter becomes inspiration for so many