Transcript Oedipus the King

Greek Literature
“We are all Athenians”
“We are all Athenians…for the ideas of
ancient Greece have permeated our
whole culture.”
Why are Americans all Greek?
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Roman Degrees of Separation:
It’s a small world after all….
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The Roman Empire invades Greece.
The Roman Empire adopts Greek government and religious
practices.
The Roman Empire conquers the wild unsettled lands of Great
Britain.
The Roman Empire collapses leaving Great Britain to become
its own Empire.
Modern day British government is modeled after Roman
Government which in turn was modeled after ancient Greek
government practices.
The Unites States system of government is modeled after that
of Great Britain, therefore truly, like the previous statement
declares, Americans are Athenians or Greeks.
Greece in relationship to Europe
Why did the Romans invade? Because Greece was there….
Uranus
Cronus
Gaea
Coeus
Rhea
The Ocean that
encircles the
world: A Titan
Hades
Poseidon
The Moon
Hera
Zeus
Athena
Goddess
of
Youth
Demeter
Hebe
Eris
Ares
Hephaestus
Leto
Zeus
Prometheus
Tethys
Artemis
Pollux
Epimetheus
Atlas
Gave Fire to
Mankind,
created the
first human
out of clay
Persephone
Castor
Oceanus
TWIN
S
Apollo
Hercules
Helios:
The Sun
Phoebe:
Titan of
Intelligence
Hestia
She was the Titan that
was the mother of the
chief rivers of the
world known to the
Greeks.
Holds the
world on his
shoulders
Maia
Zeus
Dione
TWINS
Often said to
be Hera’s son
only.
Strife
Dionysus
Son of Zeus with
Seleme, a mortal.
Iris- Goddess of the Rainbow
The Muses: 9 Sisters that inspire the arts
Hermes
God of Light and Truth, often
confused with Helios, the Sun
Titan
Aphrodite
Pan
God of Unreasonable
fear or “panic”
Eros: Cupid
Eros:
Goddess
Discord
Twin sons of
Zeus with Queen
Leda of Sparta, a
mortal.
Cupid
Son of Zeus
with
Alchameny
The Purpose of The Greek Gods
Helios- Titan- The Sun
Apollo- God of light and truth
Hermes/ Mercury- Messenger of the Gods
Hera/Juno- goddess of marriage and childbirth
Hephaestus/ Vulcan- Blacksmith of the gods
Poseidon/ Neptune- God of the sea
Artemis/ Diana- Goddess of the hunt
Eros / Cupid- God of love
Cronos - Grandfather of the Gods, Titan of time
Hades / Pluto- God of the Underworld
Aphrodite / Venus- Goddess of love and beauty
Hebe - Goddess of youth
Ares / Mars- God of war
Atlas- Titian who is condemned to hold the world on his shoulders for all
time.
Zeus / Jupiter- King of the gods
Persephone - Queen of the underworld
Athena / Minerva- Goddess of war strategy and wisdom
Prometheus - Titan who created mankind
Demeter / Ceres Goddess of the harvest and nature
Myth- a fictional tale that explains the actions
of the gods or the causes of natural
phenomena. (a hurricane meant that the god
of the Sea was angry with the costal
peoples) They contain little historical truth
and involve supernatural elements.
The Iliad and The Odyssey are not Myths.
The Iliad and The Odyssey are Epic Poems
written and preformed by the Greek Poet
Homer based on the historical event: The
Trojan War.
The Epic Hero Cycle
This will not be the last time you see this
The Epic Hero Cycle is a series of
requirements necessary for a character to
be defined as an Epic hero.
1. The main character is a hero, who is often possessed
of supernatural abilities or qualities.
2. The hero is charged with a quest.
3. The hero is tested, often to prove the worthiness of
himself and his quest.
4. The presence of numerous mythical beings, magical
and helpful animals, and human helpers and
companions.
5. The hero’s travels take him to a supernatural world,
often one that normal human beings are barred from
entering.
6. The cycle must reach a low point where the hero
nearly gives up his quest or appears defeated.
7. The hero experiences a resurrection.
8. Restitution. Often this takes the form of the hero
regaining his rightful place on the throne.
The Ultimate Epic Heroes
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Even though Achilles has what the modern
world considers an unhappy ending, he is
not considered a tragic hero for he does
not meet all the requirements.
To an ancient Greek audience, Achilles is
victorious by the end of the poem.
Achilles is an Epic Hero
Odysseus is an Epic Hero
In Media Res – Latin for in the middle of things.
Authors could do this because the audience
would already be familiar with the characters
and events.
Stock Epithets- Stock descriptive words or
phrases that accompany the character’s name
making it easier for both the author and the
audience to keep track of multiple characters.
Examples: Resourceful Odysseus, Hera of the
White Arms, Hector of the Shining Helm
Divine Causality is the idea that the Gods cause
human successes or failures by way of direct
interference by working through human
inclination.
Example: Athena stopping Achilles from fighting
Agamemnon
Map of Modern Greece
It’s all still there….
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Oedipus was King of
Corinth
Athens was where
Sophocles lived
Mt Olympus was the
seat of the gods!
Sparta is where the
film 300 took place
(no, we are not watching it)
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The coast of Turkey is
where the Trojan War
was waged for over a
decade…