Greek Mythology Essay

Greek Mythology began in the fifth century B. C. , and mainly involved the people of ancient Greece, who believed in myths about Gods, Goddesses, and heroes. Stories were passed down through all forms of entertainment, theater, and drama. The people of Greece worshipped numerous Gods, including Apollo, God of the Sun, who had a bow, and chariot to drive across the sky daily (borrowed from an earlier pre-Greek Sun god, Helios). Theatre played an important role in how performance and playwright was carried out to honor Dionysus, the ancient Greek god of harvest and wine. Sophocles was one of the most influential writers, who touch based on the three forms of play, which were tragedies, comedies, and satires. Men and women’s influence towards Greek culture, created a big impact in society, which had a main focus towards art, religion, slavery, language, and education in the form of military training in preparation for war. Everything in Greek Mythology somehow explained creation, and the world, the same reasons as any other religious group since the beginning of civilization they saw God as, basic religious and social truths. Greek Mythology reference to all in that time period was created with legends to try to make sense of that little that was understood of the world. Apollo Apollo is referenced as several noteworthy definitions, including a series of manned US spacecraft designed to explore the moon and surrounding space. NASA’s Apollo 11 pace flight landed the first humans on Earth’s Moon. Apollo, as a Greek god was important in our society today in belief. According to Pantheon and Encyclopedia Mythica Apollo was born on the island of Delos in Greece to supreme and overruling god Zeus, and Leto, believed goddess of motherhood, protectress of the young, modesty and womanly demure. Zeus’s wife, Hera became jealous and exiled her from all land of the earth, and she later gave birth to Apollo and his twin sister Artemis, Goddesses of wilderness, hunting, and wild animals on the island of Delos, in the Aegean Sea, off the southern coast of Crete. The goddess Themis assisted in raising them by feeding them ambrosia, the sacred nectar of the gods. Apollo was born by Zeus and Leto on the Greek island of Delos and lived on Mount Olympus. He had three notable relationships with the Nymphs Cyrene and Daphne and the mortal Coronis, resulting in four children. The Gods of Greece stated Apollo’s reason, nobility, form, action, apprehension, and beauty were his essential attributes. Apollo was a handsome, strong and youthful god with impressive golden hair. According to Greek-gods. info Apollo was the Greek god of the Music, and invented the lute, but he was more popular for playing the lyre, which was invented by Hermes, the messenger of the gods. Apollo excelled in important musical contests, competing against Greek god Hermes and the Satyr Pan as well as other gods. Apollo like his father sought out many wives, including nymphs, and adolescents, leading to dozens of relationships, and children. The Python of Delphi, which was sent by Hera to chase Leto out of all lands, was a deadly creature within the body of a snake. As a strong boy, Apollo was only a few days old when he given a bow and arrows by the blacksmith Hephaestus. This gave him an opportunity to avenge his past, by killing the Python. Apollo killed the Python with one arrow to the head as it lunged at him. The death of the Python, led him to joy and happiness, in singing a song of victory, allowing him to become the God of Music. Although his avengement of the Python was a crime as a God, he was given the duty of instituting the Pythian Game (athletic and musical Olympics) for cleansing which took place every four years in honor of him. Playwright/Drama Sophocles played a major role in the creation of Greek tragedy in playwright. Sophocles wrote over 120 plays, many of them great tragedies, including Elektra, Oedipus Rex, and Antigone. According to Enloehs. wcpss. net, Sophocles education in the arts and experience competing in, an annual festival held at the Theatre of Dionysus, allowed him to become a tragedian. Sophocles, by Harold Bloom states that Sophocles focus towards playwright was based on superhuman influences, which were the subject of his hopes and fears, the object of his prayers and sacrifices. â€Å"With a strong concrete imagination, reinforced by the work of poets, and later sculptors, Sophocles imposed clarity of form with shape, emotions, and family relationships. † Decrees of fate were thought to be naturally regarded as decrees of the god where death was to become a problem. Ajax, written by Sophocles is about Greek commander, Odysseus, who begins searching for Ajax, whom he believes has killed a herd of cattle over the night. Ancient-literature. com entails the Greek tragedy written in the 5th century B. C. (Previously, Odysseus was given the armor of war-hero, Achilles over Ajax angering him. ) He is told by Athena that Ajax was possessed, because he mistook the Greek soldiers for herd, and comes to believe it. Ajax apologizes for his mistake when his wife, Tecmessa tells the chorus, and considers death as a punishment for his error. Again, Ajax reconsiders his consequences, and to devote himself to worshipping the gods and to Greek leaders. During a visit to the city Ajax’s half-brother, Teucer, learns about Ajax incident and warns him to remain inside his tent if he wants to stay alive. Ajax in the end kills himself by throwing himself on a sword, with for vengeance against Greek leaders and army for acknowledging Odysseus over him in the Trojan War. Although disputed as dishonored warrior, Odysseus calls for a proper funeral for his enemy, allowing Teucer to carry out final burial rites. Because Athena causes Ajax to go mad by thinking he’s killed his comrades, he savagely butchers livestock. Once he sees what he’s done, suicide becomes the only honorable way out, which makes him the tragic hero in the end, since he was second in ranking to Achilles, and Ajax becomes overwhelmed with vengeful passion as Achilles amour is rewarded to Odysseus. Greek Culture According to Maps of the world traditions, religious practices, music, food were all an integral part of the Greece Culture. Large numbers of religious festivals were celebrated by the Greeks in honor of the arts. The Greek Embassy states that the Greek language was derived from the same idiom used by Homer and other famous Greek writers and poets more than 3000 years ago. Greek was the language of the Gospels and has made a major contribution to all western languages. Greece adopted the Phoenician alphabet which’s usage was discontinued by the 5th century B. C, and they eventually changed it into the 24 letter Greek alphabet, still used today. â€Å"In its 3500 year passage  through history, the language has undergone a series of transformations, but Modern Greek can easily be traced back to ancient Greek in the form of the letters, word roots, and structure†, states The Emergence of Greece, by Alan Johnston. The Greek cuisine consisted of a variety of Fruits and vegetables, which played a vital role in making some of the most delectable and unique delicacies passed throughout the Western world. Healthy provisions widely used and often added to foods were garlic, onions, fennel, zucchini, grapes, apples, dates and figs. Seasonings such as mint and oregano and lemon rind were first developed in Greece to add flavoring and spice to certain foods. According to Maps of the World Pork, beef, and Lamb meat in particular were greatly used in the preparation of Greek Foods, especially during the religious festivals and playing a role in the diet of Greeks. Greek foods importance in Greek’s regime were based on how they prepared it, which varied from being grilled, braised, baked or stewed, and prepared with an assortment of vegetables. Where you lived in Greek city-states depended on how important education was. According Chiddingstone. Kent in Sparta, it was imperative for boys to learn to be good fighters, and for girls to learn how to become future mothers and wives, instead of learning to read and write. School was necessary in Athens in order to vote in the Assembly and philosophy was incorporated in all of their lessons. Preparing boys to later fight in the army was still essential to all cities, since invasion/war was always taken by revelation. Children, who attended school, were often from wealthy families. Chiddingstone. Kent states boys were educated to become good citizens and take part in the public life of the city state. Girls were educated in housekeeping and how to look after their family. It was typical for children to enroll in an apprenticeship, of their parent’s career, and learn from older men. The Greeks believed in many different Gods and goddesses, who controlled everything in their lives and environment. According to Chiddingstone. Kent in order to please the Gods Greeks would pray daily, have burnt offerings and shrines in honor of them, to receive reward instead of punishment. Greeks worshipped the Gods in temples, where deities were placed in admiration for them . Idol and statues of the Gods were placed in each town where ceremonies and festivals were held, and over watched by priests. Priests were believed to be the voice of the Gods, and were specially chosen by the previous priest, or ancestral order. Greeks mainly believed in the twelve most important Gods that lived on Mt. Olympus and were ruled over by Zeus. Impact/Influence According to Pbs. org the Ancient Greeks took their entertainment very seriously and used drama as a way of investigating the world they lived in, and what it meant to be human. This made a large impact in our world, towards the discovery/meaning of constellations, and possible ways of how the Earth may have been created. In drama comedy, satyr plays, and tragedies, were important genres of theater, which contributed to Western drama and culture. Greek and Roman Theater, by Don Nardo states many traditions of ancient Greece, such as comedy, singing, dancing, slapstick, juggling, and nudity were inherited in the early 1900s, creating a large influence for burlesque and entertainers. Greek and Roman Theater states the influence of ancient theater on modern entertainment was profound to nearly all of today’s theatrical conventions, from acting styles, and costumes, to scenery and the shapes of stages, originated with Greeks. Religious plays and theatrical works have somewhat been inspired by Greece, to glorify, rather than to entertain. Depiction of popular stories like Euripides’ Medea and Oedipus the King, have been adapted into Broadway and Musicals. The success of ancient tragedies and comedies on the modern stage can only be explained by the talent and insight of Aeschylus and Sophocles, who captured the essence of true human feelings. According to Curiosity. discovery. com the Greeks introduced our cherished concepts of citizens’ rights, democracy, and freedoms of speech and religion. They excelled in mathematics, physics and astronomy. They also stated that the Greeks intelligence, daring, energetic and sensible, accomplishing great feats in the arts, philosophy, and architecture, made a great impact towards our form of government, and constitution for equal rights. Greek government influenced Western democracies today, by holding elections for officials rather than appointed lords. Greeks inclined modern societies’ hierarchy and developed an organizational structure that defined the roles of each position. Curiosity. Discovery states the Greeks in the fifth century B. C. came up with theories about the planets and their movements, but they did not subject them to tests and experiments. They influenced our theories on creation, and lead most to believe in the Big Bang theory, in the expansion of the universe, elements, and laws of physics. In agreement Scientificmethod. com says Greek philosopher and polymath, Aristotle was one of the first noted original thinkers, for devising methods for trying to arrive at reliable knowledge based on observations. He contributed to the development of the scientific method, with observations used during experiments. At the time when the world was thought to be flat Eratosthenes was first to prove most wrong, when he confirmed the Earth’s shape as round and was able to accurately guess the diameter and circumference. His method to resolve prime number, made a contribution to the fundamental theorem of arithmetic. In concurrence to Curiosity. Discovery. com Greek shaped our world through the development of our Alphabet, our way of Warfare, our system of Democracy, leaving a lasting legacy on education mythology, and justice. Annotated Bibliography Huffington, A. S. , & Beny, R. (1983). Apollo. The gods of Greece (pp. 53-67). New York: Abrams The book The Gods of Greece was about the Greek gods, and how they were portrayed as natural, concrete, and worldly in their divinity, entering the lives of the people who worshipped them, and had the outmost flaws, conflict, and failings less than their joys and accomplishments. The book gave a greater understanding of the Greek people at the time and their world. The Gods and goddesses in the book are represented as statues and reliefs in marble, stone, and bronze, revealing unexpected beauty and mystery, toward the Greek celebration of their idol. From the book, information about Apollo was collected, about him being described as an embodiment of the Western ideal of beauty and form in it classical perfection. As the God of music and prophecy, archery, and heroic excellence, Apollo embodied the foundation of the Greek civilization. The book’s Apollo chapter mainly entails the union of Dionysus and Apollo as an eternal bond, because off their importance for imagination, intuition, inspiration, and enthusiasm. Bloom, H. (1990). Fate in Sophocles. Sophocles (pp. 127-136) New York: Chelsea House Publishers. The novel Sophocles, by Harold Bloom brings together a representative selection of the best modern critical views of Sophocles. The novel, describes, all of Sophocles eight remaining plays, which all resemble a powerful portrayal of some irresolvable moral dilemma. The Ajax, Antigone, Poetics, Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, Orestia, and Elektra are compared on how well their centered towards the Gods is remote in human character and human choices to acquire a greater significance. Most of the stories had a tragic hero, who existed by blocking out or delaminating the framework of human existence. The plays critical views all connected with human limits, and what Sophocles made clear of what they can achieve within those limits. The Fate in Sophocles described his belief in the operative power of the characters, using vague feeling about destiny. Questions like â€Å"Why does a man suffer? , Why does he fall from the height of prosperity into the pit of disaster? †, were given possibilities as to why the characters were bound to have evil befall them. Greece Culture and Society. (n. d. ). World Map. Retrieved February 7, 2013, from http://www. mapsofworld. com/greece/culture-and-society/ Maps of the world is a website that explains the culture of countries and regions, while offering customers to buy a map. The website provides facts, sports, holidays, geography, and information about the education system, at the period, or during its historical time. While providing tourist destinations, the site also lists major cities and their historical locations that may have played a significant role in impacting the countries society and culture. Maps of the world entail the relation of ancient fashion to today, to how they were placed in terms of class. The Greek cuisine’s reflection of their cooking and health conscious diet was related to the typical meals eaten today in Greece. The lifestyle of the people was influenced by diverse traditions and practices that affected the culture of the lands, and later the society in diversity. Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey had a great impact in Greek Literature, and were noted as immense resources with affluence, has influenced towards the history of World Literature. Nardo, D. (1995). Chaper 9. Greek and Roman theater (pp. 89-97). San Diego, CA: Lucent Books. The book explains important dates in the history of Greek and Roman Theater. Theatrical tragedies, of the Golden age of Greece Drama were Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euriphdes, who brought the tragic art to the level of literature in understanding. To get the message across a trilogy or series of three related plays were written to broaden the scope. Details of evolution and impact of a concept on justice, greed, or fate were typically shown with a repeating pattern of revenge and murder. Greek comedies were not as important as other forms of theater, but were pleasant to comic relief. Comedies mimicked serious Greek religious rituals with humorous indecent aspects. The start of classical theater portrays the earliest versions of acting, eventually developed into theater for play production and staging areas for religious ceremonies and productions. Many classical Greeks cultural and religious practices were tied to the Minoan times. In theatrical areas seriousness also took a part in formal dancing and singing to honor the gods. How did the Ancient Greeks impact modern Western society? – Curiosity. (n. d. ). Curiosity : Discovery Channel. Retrieved February 7, 2013, from http://curiosity. discovery. com/question/ancient-greeks-impact-western-society Curiosity is a show on the Discovery Channel, where each episode focuses on one question in science, technology, and society. The website is an expert question and answer site where experts and scholars tried to answer some of life’s most profound questions. On the Curiosity website answers to questions on mysteries in fields like space, biology, geology, medicine, physics, technology, nature, archaeology, history, and the human mind are answered by notable professors, authors, filmmakers, and more. â€Å"How did the Ancient Greeks impact our modern Western society? † is the question answered by the Science Channel. Greeks cultural influence in Greek society inspired achievements that shaped the foundation of Western civilization. Greeks in the fifth century B. C. came up with theories about the planets and their movements, but they did not subject them to tests and experiments. They built the base and foundation for many theories that lead us to scientific discoveries, towards the Universe.