The excessive element of the hero in both the poetic and artistic expression of Nikos Engonopoulos: The case study of “Bolivar” and the contemporary revival of Greek mythology It is, I think, in itself an heroic act to speak today of heroes and heroic excession in an era that is characterized as anti heroic. In earlier times – much earlier than the nineteenth century – the history of human achievement was not conceived of as anything but the history of heroic deeds which the distinguished dared to undertake and successfully managed to execute (J.P.Vernant 1989: 145) and whose memory is still alive. But, nowadays, achievement is considered to be the transient personal flaunting in fields such as politics, economics, athletics and entertainment. Those people, indeed, inspire admiration bordering on deification, reverence, in other words, equal to the admiration for heroes of earlier times, adoration of idols. Our time is antiheroic, a time in which idols have substituted for heroes and the necessity for selfassertion and personal benefit wins over this collective development. However, the question still remains as to the excess in human potential and the choices confronting an adventurous temperament extinguishing or at least neglecting fear in the face of danger. No matter how extraordinary and insane it might be, very often, heroic behaviour continues to enchant. This happens, possibly, because of the element of excess which is characterised, more than at any other time, by a convergence of the desire of modern man not to be hemmed in by individual “musts” of the technological civilization and a desire to return to the charm of the fairy-tales of his childhood years. This effort to accept the reality is neve... ... middle of paper ... ...nica Mc Goldrick, 1995. 16. Todorov Tzvetan, 1995, Les abus de la memoire, Arlea, Paris. 17. Gellner Ernest, 2002, Nationalism, Alexandria Athens. B. Articles 1. Engonopoulos Nikos, May 1956, Zygos, “Are there common points of contact between modern art and the ideal of Greek art?”, Athens. 2. Friar Kimon, 1978, Modern poetry, “Simon and Schuster”, New York. 3. Gonzales F., 1976, Collection Voix, Maspero, « Battle, N. Engonopoulos, Bolivar, Introduction, traduction et postface», Paris. 4. Vasiliou A ., 1978, Modern thought, 20, “Engonopoulos – Empirikos and Greek surrealism”, Athens. 5. Diamantopoulou Evangelia, May 2000, Elelef, 3, “ Fear and fearless heroes in Theophilos Hadjimichail’ s paintings”, Athens. 6. Diamantopoulou Evangelia, 2002, Anef, 5, “Aphrodite, goddess of ancient Greece, goddess of the sea: the artistic proposal of Theophilos”, Cyprus.
Throughout history there have been several leaders who used their cunning and sly intelligence to trick the general population into following them and their beliefs. Eventually, these leaders had so much support, they could no longer be called leaders, but absolute and dictatorial rulers. However, during the period of Enlightenment and of the French Revolution, non-maleficent ideas, created by Locke, Montesquieu, Voltaire, and other Enlightenment Philosophes, were spread throughout the European population. They stated the opposition to absolute monarchies as well as a new focus on people’s innate rights and freedoms. Many leaders after this period of Enlightenment preached their ideas, while others simply used them to gain power.
Simon Bolivar was born July 24th, 1783 in Caracas, Venezuela. His family consisted of a slew of wealthy Creoles, or those born in America but of European decent. However, early on in his life he was faced with tragedy when first, his father died when he was three and then his mother soon followed as he neared the age of only six. Although his parents’ deaths seemed untimely and tragic but, because of the wealth of the family, Bolivar had great access to two very important tutors who would mold his later ideals of independence.
“The Greek maxim ‘Nothing in excess’” (Hollister 131) illustrates the need for self-control. Every tragic hero ended up committing an act of hubris based on his own fatal flaw. Many of those fatal flaws could have served the man and his country if tempered with self-control. “In the field of ethics, [Aristotle] advocated moderation in all behavior, arguing that emotions and actions (anger and love, eating and drinking) are themselves neither good nor evil and should be neither suppressed nor carried to excess: virtue is the avoidance of extremes, the ‘golden mean’” (Hollister 130).
Being a great hero has been in all time periods of time and in many works of literature.
In her book The Hero: Myth/Image/Symbol, Dorothy Norman analyzes the roles of heroes throughout ancient history and formulates a loose set of guidelines under...
“The fairy tale, which to this day is the first tutor of children because it was once the first tutor of mankind, secretly lives on in the story. The first true storyteller is, and will continue to be, the teller of fairy tales. Whenever good counsel was at a premium, the fairy tale had it, and where the need was greatest, its aid was nearest. This need was created by myth. The fairy tale tells us of the earliest arrangements that mankind made to shake off the nightmare which myth had placed upon its chest.”(Walter Benjamin). For generations fairy tales have brought happiness to hundreds of people. Through childhood to adults, people still enjoy the mysteries of fairytales. In society, fairytales are a great way of connecting
Throughout a person’s life, one goes through the process of rebellion. In the play Medea, a work in translation by Euripides, mythology is symbolic of rebellion. This statement will be proven through the analysis of mythology as fully symbolic of suppression. It will also be proven through an analysis of the world around the character Medea and analysis of Medea’s actions.
Although possessing good morality is considered one of the essential characteristics of being a hero in today’s society, the Greeks did not factor moral character when originally classifying heroes. According to Scott LaBarge, a professor of Classics, specializing in ancient philosophy, at Santa Clara University, a traditional Greek hero was someone who accomplished something profoundly above the “normal scope of human experience”. (LaBarge) What LaBarge means with this statement is that anyone who e...
Any analysis of the Heroic Life of certain men and women makes for a complex and challenging psychological inquiry. We will delve into this subject, by looking into at least three main aspects of the heroic character. First we will discuss the nature of the singularity of the hero; second, his social significance at the time he lives; and third the interaction between fate or destiny and the hero’s own known attributes and defects which may bring him success or failure. Let us use three examples to illustrate these three points: Homer’s Achilles, Sophocles’ King Oedipus and finally G.B. Shaw’s Saint Joan.
On June 25, 1821, Simon Bolivar wrote to the General Congress of Colombia stating, “may the Sovereign Congress accept, in the name of the brave men whom I have the honor of commanding, the homage of an army tried and true, the greatest and finest ever to bear arms on any battlefield in Colombia…Your Excellency’s most humbler servant.” By 1821, Gran Colombia had proclaimed its independence from Spain, with Simon Bolivar (1783-1830), a Venezuelan statesmen and military leader, becoming its first president. The region, previously known as New Granada, had decided to forever sever ties with the Spanish Empire after a series of battles beginning in 1810. Yet, formal political liberty and independence, although common in the minds
George Washington knew him. So did Napoleon Bonaparte. Hugo Chavez and many other South American presidents have referred to him. Francisco De Paula Santander was his political opponent. And Joseph Bonaparte, king of Spain, knew him as an enemy. The person all these people are referring to is Simon Bolivar, or better known as “The Liberator” (“Simon Bolivar Biography”). Simon Bolivar impacted society in a positive way because of his contributions in liberating South America, love for South America, and his efforts to unite South America.
There is an ever growing dispute in society where some people view others as heroes either when they physically put themselves in danger to defend a cause or to safeguard others, or when they say what they are thinking out loud when others are not brave enough to do so. The recognition of a hero should go to those who are able to stand up for others against the oppressors or conflicts in society by voicing their opinion and by stating the opinions of the people who do not have the courage to do so. However, some may believe that heroes are those who seek danger to protect others or a cause, an example being a firefighter or cop who goes into work every day to protect the people in society, even though they know their lives are in stake. The articles, "Inspired by a hero: What Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life means to me" by La Prensa, "Profiles in Greatness - Gandhi" by Success, and "Nelson Mandela, hero to the world" by New Pittsburgh Courier, support the claim that heroes are those who are the voice for the voiceless. There has been many people in history who have put their lives at stake due to their courage to stand up for others, an example being Martin Luther King, Jr.
You also don’t have to kill anyone, conquer foreign land, or risk your life to be a hero. Anyone who influences anyone else by saving or helping save his or her lives is a hero. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. changed the lives of millions of people by bringing justice to minorities. Mahatma Gandhi, one of the greatest heroes, led a nonviolent revolution to free his country.
The modern hero seeks survival. Unlike the medieval hero, the modern hero does not have a code of ethics but instead have a code of behavior. The modern hero has internal and external struggles. His internal struggles are with addiction to liquor, money, and drugs. The hero’s external struggles are with corruption within the government and formal organizations (Norman).
Throughout history, normal-everyday people rise to power, only to coerce or ruin a society and its morals. There are also some who rise and fight back. In stories and in real life, these “heroes” who fight back usually end up dead. Even today, a martyr’s sacrifice is essential in most of society’s changes.