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Impact Of Greek Mythology On Western Culture
Influence of Greek Mythology on art
Impact Of Greek Mythology On Western Culture
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The tragic story behind the world’s renowned Prometheus Bound provided themes and inspirations to the art world. Lots of paintings and sculptures were made to provide symbolism and realistic expressions on human strivings and dangers of consequences. Prometheus Bound was an embodiment of survival, punishment and everlasting agony.
Prometheus was a titan god who was punished for his transgression of giving the sacred fire of Olympus to the rotten mankind. He was punished by Zeus, bounded him into a rock. Whereas, eagles, symbol of Zeus, flocked him every day feeding on his liver which then grows back again for the next day. Prometheus was immortal, making the punishment and eternal agony and tragedy for him. (Morris, 1991, p. 203)
In the present generation, Prometheus is considered as “champion of mankind” (Hansen, 2005, p. 48) for his kindness of sharing the holy fire to the people making way for start of civilization and survival. These very concept of Prometheus Bound reap thousands of arts to depict and tell the story of such event. These constantly remind people the greatest irony of providing kindness in exchange of eternal torment, a sophisticated tapestry woven for lesson and learning.
Two masterpieces of Prometheus Bound art work will be the topic for analysis and comparison of this article. Famous artists: Adam Nicolas Sebastien and Theodoor Rambouts, gave birth to the world renowned art “Prometheus Bound” (Rosenmeyer, 1982, p. 270). Each of the sculptors has each own unique touch of their art influenced by the time and era they live when they made the masterpiece. These two different artists have made the same art work but the expression, theme and the story the model portrays are very much different from...
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... Prometheus bound shows Caravaggio influence which was famous during the 16th century.
Both arts were made in different time periods, and yet, these two masterpieces told one definite story: the irony of kindness and its dangerous consequences. These two artworks are very different in style and perspective but these made the same influence over generations, telling and reminding the story of Prometheus and his sacrifice of agony and torment in his love for mankind.
Conclusion
Looking into these two artworks, one will be able to learn the concept of arts, its inspiration and influence to people. Prometheus Bound depicted differently by two different individuals and shared the same emotion, story and beauty. These two are very different in almost all aspects but the intention, lesson and story that the artists wanted to portray was very evident and realistically said.
Prometheus Bound is quite different from other tragedies in that it is peopled entirely by gods. The play focuses on the story of Prometheus, and we have versions of this myth in Hesiod's famous works. There is reason to think that the author of Prometheus Bound was not only acquainted with Hesiod's version but actually drew on Hesiod directly in this play. This essay therefore aims to establish in what ways the author of Prometheus Bound seems to have drawn from Hesiod's version of myth, in what ways he has diverged from it, and what reasons he might have had for making these changes and innovations. This might therefore highlight any particular emphasis or purpose of Prometheus Bound and what its author might have been trying to get across. Though there is not space in this essay to discuss the problems of attributing this play, it must be recognised that this ambiguity of authorship and dating makes it even more difficult than usual to look at views and purposes behind the play.
The layout of the museum makes it very easy to find works of art from different time periods. Since I have always been fascinated with ancient Greece and Rome, I knew exactly where to start my search. The Indian Triumph of Dionysus is on display directly at the top of the staircase leading up to the second floor. It is surrounded by many other artifacts from ancient Greece and Rome. As your eyes move across the room, catching a glint of gold here and pearly white marble there, it’s very easy to become overwhelmed for a moment. As I reached the top of the stairs, it was evident that the staging of this magnificent piece was carefully planned. The staff of the museum undoubtedly wants this piece seen by each and every visitor. The exhibit itself is well done. If you stand directly in front of The Indian Triumph of Dionysus, everything around you seems to fade away and tunnel vision sets in. As I stood in front of The Indian Triumph of Dionysus, diligently taking notes since photos are not allowed, I experienced an extreme spiritual connection to the past. I tried to put myself into the shoes of the author. What was his purpose? What d...
Both Victor and Prometheus must cope with their troubles, the journey is arduous and only one has the strength to come out triumphant. Victor creates a species, and ends up
The first question which must be addressed is, "Why have these men been made to suffer?" To simply say that Zeus or God is displeased is not enough, and to say that Prometheus and Job have sinned is confusing. Most Western readers approach these works with a pre-conceived notion of sin which has been born out of the Judeo-Christian theological tradition a tradition which dictates that there are specific moral rules which must be followed, and to transgress them is to sin. While this interpretation of sin may be functional for a reading of Job, it is useless for understanding Prometheus Bound.
Equality invented something that no ones ever seen before. He built something to make a difference in society and to brighten the world, light. Light is what he invented and it was a miracle when it worked. Another similarity between Equality and Prometheus was their sacrifices for their values. No matter what circumstances they both went through, they stuck with it and did not give up because they believed that they could make a difference in society. They did not want to give up because it was something that they believed they could do to make the world a better place for themselves and others. All though Prometheus was punished by Zeus for all time. Equality knew that if he was discovered he would be punished for what he invented but he didn’t care if he got punished or not. When Equality brought his invention to the C...
Within Genesis, Works & Days, and Theogony the divine-human relationship is depicted where humans are initially blessed by the gods and live an effortless life until humans challenged them, thus leading to the existence of evil. Unlike Genesis, however, the origin of evil in Theogony is ambiguous because there is no clear indication of who is considered to be “in the right” between Prometheus and Zeus. While it can be argued that Prometheus should be held responsible for bringing evil due to his holier-than-thou attitude towards Zeus, it is important to consider that Zeus holds responsibility for condemning evil to Prometheus and humankind. In addition, Hesiod raises
Both Percy and Mary Shelley had written a different interpretation of the Prometheus myth; with Percy’s Prometheus Unbound and Mary’s Frankenstein. Both of these works had examples that showed how the characters projected themselves into other beings. It could be interpreted that Mary had the intention to criticize the way a strong feeling of wishing something that is beyond the laws of the natural world to happen is without regard for the consequences that could occur as a result. These outcomes cannot be planned or controlled. Despite the outward appearance or aspect of the emphases on knowledge and creation—traits that are often considered virtues—Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Percy Shelley’s Prometheus Unbound revealed the ways in which humans, in their desire for these virtues, can triumph over the unpredictability of nature. The visually descriptive and figurative language that each author utilized helped to show the advantage of the power of narrative as a means of expressing the characters’ egos which drove them to overreach for the dominance over nature and relate to real people.
According to Harriet Hustis in her essay “Responsible Creativity and the ‘Modernity’ of Mary Shelley’s Prometheus,” many themes circulate throughout the text, including responsible creativity, parental guidance, and compassion, but all are centered on individuality, especially in reference to inter-character relationships. The creature, upon which much controversy is based, is continuously searching for guidance and societal acceptance, thus implying that the heart of human consciousness and the human identity is compassion (Asquith). The candor of this statement however, is heavily reliant on the world views and values of the characters in question. Subsequently, these values and world views shape and define the individual’s identity, ultimately granting them a niche in society.
The myths which prove the contradictory behavior of the gods, acting as both benefactors and tormentors of man, can readily be explained when viewed in light of the prime directive for man, to worship the gods and not “overstep,” and the ensuing “Deus ex Mahina” which served to coerce man to fulfill his destiny as evidenced by the myths: “Pandora,” “Arachne, and “Odysseus.” Humankind and it’s range of vision over the gods beauty and power portrayed them to be benefactors but unseemingly it depicted their affliction towards humans.
And so for men Zeus plotted grief and trouble. He hid fire. And Prometheus, bold son of Lapetus, stole it back from the side of wise Zeus, in a fennel stalk, and gave it to men and Zeus who delights in the thunder did not notice” (Bauschatz, ). Clearly, disobedience and deceiving the gods leads to chaos because Prometheus who tried to steal the fire from Zeus enraged him and therefore ordered the creation of Pandora as punishment and evil delivered to men.
Frankenstein and Prometheus were similar in many ways. Their goal was set on good intentions but the means resulted in an undesirable conclusion. Frankenstein believed that his new species would bless him as their creator and source. Prometheus
The story Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus made different feelings to me. I read it first time about five years ago, and when I read it now, I understood the concept differently.
To begin, Frankenstein is comparable to Prometheus because of his initial creation of a living being. Victor pursues his interests in the sciences by taking it a step further trying to discover the secret of life. He decides to try and create something that can live. Once brought to life though, he is immediately repulsed by its appearance and flees, allowing the monster to escape, “I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart,” (Pg 42) Prometheus on the other hand was a Titan whose job was to mold mankind out of clay. After this though, he grew fonder of his new creations than the actual gods like him. Prometheus then decided to trick the g...
The creation of man was only through the will of the gods. As a result of the war between the Titans and Zeus, Hesiod, a prominent writer of the seventh century, catalogues the origins of divine beings and mankind through a history of the events in his poem Theogony.
Prometheus, a Greek Titan, was severely punished by Zeus for stealing a flame from the gods as well as tricking the gods out of the best portion of meat during their feast; giving these to mankind instead. “Zeus ties the titan to the rock, drives a wedge through his chest, and sets an eagle on the daily task of eating his liver from his body” (Lutrell 17). At night the liver grows back, allowing the eagle to be able to do this every day for what was suppose to be